Book Image

Data Modeling with Microsoft Excel

By : Bernard Obeng Boateng
5 (1)
Book Image

Data Modeling with Microsoft Excel

5 (1)
By: Bernard Obeng Boateng

Overview of this book

Microsoft Excel's BI solutions have evolved, offering users more flexibility and control over analyzing data directly in Excel. Features like PivotTables, Data Model, Power Query, and Power Pivot empower Excel users to efficiently get, transform, model, aggregate, and visualize data. Data Modeling with Microsoft Excel offers a practical way to demystify the use and application of these tools using real-world examples and simple illustrations. This book will introduce you to the world of data modeling in Excel, as well as definitions and best practices in data structuring for both normalized and denormalized data. The next set of chapters will take you through the useful features of Data Model and Power Pivot, helping you get to grips with the types of schemas (snowflake and star) and create relationships within multiple tables. You’ll also understand how to create powerful and flexible measures using DAX and Cube functions. By the end of this book, you’ll be able to apply the acquired knowledge in real-world scenarios and build an interactive dashboard that will help you make important decisions.
Table of Contents (16 chapters)
1
Part 1: Overview and Introduction to Data Modeling in Microsoft Excel
6
Part 2: Creating Insightful Calculations from your Data Model using DAX and Cube Functions
9
Part 3: Putting it all together with a Dashboard

Laying out your dashboard using mockups or wireframes

A dashboard is more than just a collection of numbers and graphs; it’s a visual story waiting to be told. Each element on the canvas plays a vital role in weaving that narrative. A properly orchestrated layout ensures that these elements harmoniously coexist, allowing users to grasp insights swiftly, make informed decisions, and uncover hidden patterns. Imagine entering a well-organized library, where each book resides exactly where you expect it to be. You instinctively know where to find the desired piece of knowledge. In the same vein, the layout of your dashboard holds the key to ease and comprehension. A well-structured layout serves as a guiding path that leads your audience through a sea of information to a clear destination.

Our goal in this chapter is to create the following dashboard from the data we have analyzed in previous chapters. It all starts with properly laying out the elements of the dashboard using...