Information Technology Applications

This unit is to be delivered in a computing laboratory, using Excel and a Self Service Business Intelligence tool, Power BI, as primary resources. It is incumbent upon students to actively engage with the instructional content, diligently address assigned exercises, and articulate any inquiries they may have.

Comprehensive resources for the unit will be made available on the educational platform at the commencement of the semester. This provision is intended to afford students the discretion to progressively address exercises at a pace that suits their individual learning preferences, whilst concurrently facilitating ongoing dialogue with the educators.

The pedagogical approach will include the introduction of practical challenges within the classroom environment, specifically designed to consolidate and extend students’ proficiency in advanced Excel functionalities. These challenges, reflective of genuine business scenarios, are intended to elicit the most efficacious solutions from students within a defined timeframe. Progression will be monitored through the systematic submission of completed assignments for formative feedback, fostering an ethos of continuous academic and practical enhancement.

In Power BI, students will be encouraged to undertake a substantive project that may subsequently be integrated into their professional portfolio. This endeavor serves to demonstrate their competencies to future employers. Students will write a detailed report, delineating the various stages of the project, in accordance with a prescribed template. An emphasis will be placed on the utilization of open data sources, particularly those that resonate with pertinent themes of the degree program, thereby enriching students’ academic experience and ensuring a coherent interconnection between this and other modules. In instances where student-generated projects or dashboards are deemed to possess research or publication merit, the pursuit of dissemination through conference papers or public repositories, with appropriate academic attribution, will be actively promoted.

A commitment to advanced pedagogical methodologies, both Problem-based Learning and Project-based Learning, will underpin the delivery of this unit. Students will be encouraged to venture into creative problem-solving territories and to engage in the iterative submission of project components throughout the term. This strategy is designed to promote a progressive and collaborative construction of knowledge, segmenting the workload into more manageable and conceptually distinct tasks.

A particular emphasis will be placed on the productivity aspects associated with the utilised tools. In a professional context, the capacity to respond to challenges promptly, accurately, and effectively is a critical professional competency of significant pertinence. The cultivation of these skills will notably distinguish our students as they transition into the professional sphere.

A.  Knowledge:

Equip students with advanced conceptual abilities and practical skills in the realm of advanced-level spreadsheet mastery and Self Service Business Intelligence software applied to business realities.

B. Objectives:

– Utilise spreadsheets in data analysis, simulations, and procedure automation.

– Develop Power BI dashboards suitable for decision-making in a business context.

– Master data preparation processes and quality assurance, and communicate the analyses effectively.

C. Skills:

– Identify the conditions for using the most appropriate functions and formulas.

– Use Excel efficiently and effectively in solving everyday business problems.

– Leverage the dynamic structure of data manipulation.

– Employ scenario simulation tools, as Solver and Goal Seak, in business contexts.

– Present and communicate business information for decision-making efficiently and in real time

1. Database Functions

1.1. Analogy between advanced filters and database functions

1.2. Functions BDCOUNT, BDMEDIA, BDCONTARA, BDSOMA, BDEXTRAIR, BDMAX, BDMIN, BDDESVPA

2. Date/time and data check/information functions

2.1 DATADIF, WORKDAYS, TOTAL WORKDAYS

2.2 ISTEXT, ISEMPTYCELL, ISNUM, ISERROR, ISNOTDISP, ISFORMULA

3. Data validation in Excel

3.1 Types of Validation

3.2 Types of Messages

4. Dynamic tables and charts

4.1. Framework

4.2. Table formatting

4.3. Data extraction

5. Simulation Tools

5.1. Scenario Manager

5.2. Goal Seek

5.3. Solver

6. Import data from different sources into Excel:

6.1 CSV or TXT

6.2. web

6.3. JSON

7. Self-Service Business Intelligence Tools:

7.1 Introduction to data visualization tools

7.2. Rules for creating effective Dashboards

7.3. Using Power BI to build dashboards

7.3.1. Data sources

7.3.2. Data import

7.3.3. Models

7.3.4. Dashboards

7.3.5. Publishing the dashboards