Business have access to more data than ever before, yet one common frustration is the inability to combine and analyze data from diverse data types, sources, and formats. This data variety results in data separation that prevents business managers from using all available information when making decisions. Bringing isolated data together encourages information sharing for more efficient and well-informed business decisions.

Fortunately, there are spreadsheet software tools that can assist with merging various channels of data. This course will feature an in-depth exploration of Power Query. Power Query allows Excel users to add data from almost any source (i.e., Excel, Access, SQL Server, Web, Text, etc.), transform and combine the data, and then export the output into Excel tables for analysis. Power Query is standard in Excel 2016 and is a free add-in program for users of Excel 2010 and Excel 2013.

• Work faster and more efficiently in Excel
• Append and merge data files and tables
• Merge multiple data tables, files and folders
• Combine spreadsheet and text data
• Un-pivot raw data tables
• Import data from the Web

It is important to be proficient in data analytics to:

• efficiently perform routine tasks to make data analysis faster and more efficient
• extract meaningful insights from all available information
• quickly update files, folders, and charts with new data
• to avoid mistakes in transforming and combining data

Check out the 'Data Science' sector of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2016!

This program is designed for:

• are responsible for producing tables, charts, and reports in Excel
• need to combine and analyze data from multiple sources
• have basic Excel spreadsheet skills 

"I am thankful to have had the opportunity to take this class. The concepts I learned I will definitely be able to use."

"Analytics is unlike any other class I've taken thus far. It provided a challenge, but proved very interesting. I would definitely recommend this class."

"I enjoyed the learning opportunity and the quality of the teaching!"

Brian R. Kinard, PhD, Associate Professor of Marketing, joined the Cameron School of Business in 2007 after receiving his Ph.D. in Marketing from Mississippi State University. Brian teaches undergraduate Marketing Analytics, Marketing Research, and Sports Marketing courses and actively engages in research related to consumer risk behavior. He also serves as a reviewer for several academic journals and professional organizations and has made numerous contributions to scholarly publications, including the International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Advertising, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, Journal of Consumer Affairs, and Journal of Services Marketing. He is the Associate Executive Director of the Atlantic Marketing Association and received the 2016 UNCW Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence.