Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization Course Syllabus

Overview: This specialization provides a comprehensive, hands-on journey from Excel to MySQL, equipping learners with essential data analytics skills for modern business environments. Over approximately 26 weeks of content, learners will progress through five courses covering business metrics, Excel analysis, data visualization with Tableau, SQL for big data, and real-world data modeling. Each module blends theory with practical exercises using real datasets, preparing learners for impactful roles in analytics. Estimated time commitment is 10–12 hours per week.

Module 1: Business Metrics for Data-Driven Companies

Estimated time: 16 hours

• Identifying key business metrics and KPIs
• Evaluating company performance using financial and operational data
• Analyzing growth trends and business health
• Translating business problems into analytical questions

Module 2: Mastering Data Analysis in Excel

Estimated time: 20 hours

• Using advanced Excel functions (VLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH, SUMIF)
• Creating and manipulating pivot tables
• Visualizing data with charts and conditional formatting
• Forecasting sales and trends using Excel tools

Module 3: Data Visualization and Communication with Tableau

Estimated time: 20 hours

• Connecting Tableau to data sources
• Building interactive dashboards
• Designing effective data visualizations and charts
• Telling stories with data to influence decision-making

Module 4: Managing Big Data with MySQL

Estimated time: 24 hours

• Writing SQL queries to extract business data
• Manipulating and filtering data using WHERE and ORDER BY
• Combining tables with JOINs and subqueries
• Aggregating data using GROUP BY and aggregate functions

Module 5: Increasing Real-World Impact with Data Analysis

Estimated time: 24 hours

• Designing and analyzing A/B tests
• Building predictive models using regression
• Interpreting statistical results for business decisions
• Applying models to real-world datasets

Module 6: Final Project

Estimated time: 30 hours

• Analyze a comprehensive business dataset using Excel
• Query and clean data using MySQL
• Create a Tableau dashboard to communicate insights

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with basic spreadsheet software (e.g., Excel)
• No prior coding or database experience required
• Access to a computer with administrative rights for software installation

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Analyze business data using Excel, SQL, and Tableau
• Perform data-driven decision-making with confidence
• Create data visualizations and dashboards to communicate insights
• Build predictive models and analyze A/B tests
• Translate real-world business problems into analytical tasks