Business analytics is the use of data, information technology, statistical analysis, quantitative methods, and mathematical computer-based models to help managers gain improved insight about their business operations and make better, fact-based decisions.  This course will introduce students to concepts and tools of business analytics.

Recommended textbook: James Evans, Business Analytics: Methods, Models, and Decisions, 2e, available in pdf.

Course outline and assignments 

Module 1. Intro to analytics, Excel basics  

• Big data -company case study
• Beyond big data buzz -industry case study
• Types of Data: Nominal, Ordinal, Interval/Ratio – Statistics Help
• What happens when you use bad analytics – 1 min video
• Business Analytics defined – HBR 3min video
• Upwork Jobs -freelancing
• Use Excel 2016 Essential Training modules 1-5.  Log in using esc.edu followed by your ESC login. HW1 is based on these videos
• Slides from class 1 – pdf
• HW 1 xls file – download

Module 2.  Functions: IF, COUNTIF, SUMIF

• Use  Excel 2016 Essential Training.  Watch module 10, videos 1, 4, skip two other videos.
• Everyday Statistics  – watch all videos, applications of analytics
• HW2 xls file – download

Module 3. Functions:  VLOOKUP, MATCH, INDEX

• Use Excel 2016 Essential Training.  Watch module 10, videos 2,3.
• Use Two-way lookup using the MATCH and INDEX functions 
• Use XLOOKUP function from Excel Tips Weekly
• HW3 xls file – if your version of Excel does not have XLOOKUP, skip that step in HW

Module 4.  Data visualization

• Use Excel 2016 Essential Training.  Watch module 7.
• Lynda Excel 2016: Charts in Depth.  Watch all.
• Our world in data – great visualization examples
• Slides from class – pdf
• HW4 xls file – download

Module 5.  Pivot Tables 

• Use Excel 2016 Essential Training.  Watch module 14.
• Use Excel 2016: Pivot Tables in Depth . Watch all.
• HW5 xls file- download

Module 6.  Applied statistics 

• Use Learning Excel Data-Analysis – watch all
• HW6 xls file – download

Module 7.  Forecasting time series data

• Use Excel Data Analysis: Forecasting  – Watch all
• HW7 xls file -download, this  is HW7 labeled as HW8

Module 8.  Regressions and financial forecasting 

• Use Financial Forecasting with Big Data – watch all
• Regression refresher – 2min HBR
• Intro to Linear Regression
• Interpreting the Regression Line
• Outliers
• Regression main point – class presentation pdf
• HW8 xls file – download, this is HW8 labeled as HW7

Module 9. Business modeling: What-if and Solver tools  

• Watch Learning Excel What-If Analysis ch 1-3
• Watch Microsoft Excel: Using Solver for Decision Analysis ch 2-3
• Watch Solving Optimization & Scheduling Problems in Excel  ch 5
• HW9 xls file – download

Module 10.  Data visualization  

• Watch Excel Data Visualization: Mastering 20+ Charts and Graphs – part 1

• Watch: Excel Data Visualization: Designing Custom Visualizations – part 2

• HW10 xls file -download

Web Queries and Macros

• Use Excel 2016 Essential Training.  Watch module 15-macros
• Web Query Excel 2016: Importing data from a website  – youtube
• Extract Data From Multiple Webpages With Excel  – youtube
• Automating Web Query in Excel 2016 – youtube
• Excel 2013: Web Data Query  – youtube, different in 2016
• HW: repeat any 2 youtube tutorials above, and create one macro (repeat module 15 exercise with your own added step)

Further study

• Watch Big Data in the Age of AI . 
• Lynda Big Data Foundations: Techniques and Concepts
• Lynda Excel in the Real World- watch for inspiration
• Lynda Excel Business Intelligence Part 1: Power Query
• Lynda Excel 2016: Power Query (Get & Transform)
• Lynda Building a Dynamic Heat Map in Excel
• NYC accidents statistics -data
• HW9 xls file- build a Heat map following the tutorial
•  Lynda Visualizing Geospatial Data with Power Map in Excel
• Use Creating a Basic Dashboard in Excel 2016. Watch all.
• How to create a dashboard using pivot tables – tutorial
• Lynda  Learning Public Data Sets
• Lynda Business Analytics: Prescriptive Analytics -theory,history
• Lynda Applied Economic Forecasting.
• Use Lynda  Excel: Scenario Planning and Analysis
• The value of signal and the cost of noise – the value of BA
• A very short history of data science – Forbes

• Discovery with Data: Leveraging Statistics with Computer Science to Transform Science and Society-ASA Whitepaper 

• Linkedinlearning: Economics analysis and analytics – course
• Milgram: Why smart statistics are the key to fighting crime – TED
• Cukier: Big data – TED, machine learning, challenges
• Brethenoux: Emotional analytics – TED, big data application
• Data mining – what is it?
• Techniques of data mining – article
• Data Mining and Customer Relationships- article
• More data mining links here if needed
• Business analysis handbook – institute of business analysis
• puzzlor.com – monthly puzzle
• KDnuggests.com – data science books, courses, etc
• Big data fundamentals – free course bigdatauniversity.com
• Mining of massive data sets – by Ullman et al, technical book free
• Elements of Statistical Learning: Data Mining, Inference, and Prediction – advanced stats book free
• The art of data science – book
• Business Statistics – Saylor course
• Understanding the chief data officer – article
• The nature of technology – article
• Role of Information in Organizations – article
• MIT Technology Review: “The Geography of Innovation” – video
• Software Design Review– article
• Understanding Computers and the Internet – video
• Top 10 tech failures of 2013 – article
• What is the Internet (and What Makes it Work)? – article
• Kafka, meet Orwell: the modern surveillance state -UK
• Scary new ways Internet profiles you – the daily beast
• How cell phones can be the next big brother – Havard law prof
• Why ‘I Have Nothing to Hide’ Is the Wrong Way to Think About Surveillance -wired
• Applications of machine learning to finance, healthcare, marketing-find better link
• Using data to make decisions-example
•  Lynda  Working with Real-Time Data in Excel
• Underground weather – api & docs
• Evans, James. Business Analytics: Methods, Models, and Decisions, 2nd edition. Pearson, 2016.  ISBN 9789332536586
• Instructional resources for data science – including books
• Tableau: instructors’ resources – tableau
• Google data analytics certificate – link
• Excel easy – tutorials on basic Excel
• The Observatory of Economic Complexity-intern.trade data
• https://datavis.tools/
• https://infogram.com/
• https://datacopia.com/#/
• https://usafacts.org/issues/