IBM - Data Analysis and Visualization Foundations Specialization 

This course presents a gentle introduction into the concepts of data analysis, the role of a Data Analyst, and the tools that are used to perform daily functions. You will gain an understanding of the data ecosystem and the fundamentals of data analysis, such as data gathering or data mining. You will then learn the soft skills that are required to effectively communicate your data to stakeholders, and how mastering these skills can give you the option to become a data driven decision maker.

This course will help you to differentiate between the roles of a Data Analyst, Data Scientist, and Data Engineer. You will learn the responsibilities of a Data Analyst and exactly what data analysis entails. You will be able to summarize the data ecosystem, such as databases and data warehouses.

It covers some of the first steps for working with spreadsheets and their usage in the process of analyzing data. It includes plenty of videos, demos, and examples for you to learn, followed by step-by-step instructions for you to apply and practice on a live spreadsheet.

This course starts with an introduction to spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets and loading data from multiple formats. With this introduction you will then learn to perform some basic level data wrangling and cleansing tasks and continue to expand your knowledge of analyzing data through the use of filtering, sorting, and using pivot tables within the spreadsheet.

Explore the different tools of a spreadsheet, such as the important pivot function and the ability to create dashboards and learn how each one has its own unique property to transform your data. Continue to gain valuable experience by becoming familiar with the popular analytics tool - IBM Cognos Analytics - to create interactive dashboards.