How do I build foundations with spreadsheets?

## Get Started with Excel or Google Sheets 1. **Sign up for Google Sheets (free)**: Go to [sheets.google.com](https://sheets.google.com) or use Microsoft Excel Online at [office.com](https://www.office.com). 2. **Practice core functions**: - Import sample data: Download a CSV like sales data from Kaggle. - Use `=SUM(A1:A10)`, `=AVERAGE(B1:B10)`, `=COUNTIF(C1:C10, ">100")`. - Create pivot tables: Select data > Insert > Pivot table. - Filter and sort: Data > Create a filter. 3. **Analyze sample dataset**: Use Microsoft Analyze Data feature (Home tab) or Google Sheets Explore. Follow [Microsoft Analyze Data guide](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/analyze-data-in-excel-3223aab8-f543-4fda-85ed-76bb0295ffc4). 79

How do I query data with sql basics?

## Practice SQL on Free Platforms 1. **Choose a playground**: Use [DataLemur SQL Tutorial](https://datalemur.com/sql-tutorial) or Mode Analytics demo. 72 2. **Key queries**: ```sql SELECT * FROM customers LIMIT 10; SELECT COUNT(*) FROM orders WHERE amount > 100; SELECT AVG(price) FROM products GROUP BY category; ``` 3. **Join tables**: Practice INNER JOIN on sample e-commerce data. Complete [Introduction to SQL on DataCamp](https://www.datacamp.com/courses/introduction-to-sql) (first chapter free). 116

How do I manipulate data with python & pandas?

## Set Up Python Environment 1. **Install**: Download Anaconda (free) from [anaconda.com](https://www.anaconda.com) or use Google Colab. 2. **First Pandas script** (in Jupyter Notebook): ```python import pandas as pd df = pd.read_csv('data.csv') print(df.head()) print(df.describe()) df_filtered = df[df['sales'] > 100] ``` 3. **Practice**: Load dataset, clean missing values `df.dropna()`, groupby `df.groupby('category').sum()`. Follow [freeCodeCamp Data Analysis with Python](https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/data-analysis-with-python). 107

How do I visualize insights with tableau public?

## Create Free Visualizations 1. **Download Tableau Public**: Free at [public.tableau.com](https://public.tableau.com/app/learn/how-to-videos). 59 2. **Build first viz**: - Connect to Excel/CSV. - Drag dimensions/measures to Rows/Columns. - Create bar chart, map, dashboard. 3. **Follow official tutorial**: [Get Started with Tableau](https://help.tableau.com/current/guides/get-started-tutorial/en-us/get-started-tutorial-home.htm). 62

How do I apply skills in real projects?

## Build Portfolio Projects 1. **Pick datasets**: Use Kaggle or GitHub repos like [Shorya22/Data-Analytics-Projects](https://github.com/Shorya22/Data-Analytics-Projects). 89 2. **End-to-end workflow**: - SQL query data. - Python clean/analyze. - Tableau visualize. - Document in Jupyter/Streamlit. 3. **Showcase**: Upload to GitHub, create README with insights. Follow Google Capstone structure from [Coursera](https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-data-analytics). 117

Master Data Analysis: Beginner to Project-Ready in 5 Steps

🧰

Instant Toolkit

1 artifact

📋
Step-by-Step Guide

1

Get Started with Excel or Google Sheets

Sign up for Google Sheets (free): Go to sheets.google.com or use Microsoft Excel Online at office.com.
Practice core functions:
- Import sample data: Download a CSV like sales data from Kaggle.
- Use =SUM(A1:A10), =AVERAGE(B1:B10), =COUNTIF(C1:C10, ">100").
- Create pivot tables: Select data > Insert > Pivot table.
- Filter and sort: Data > Create a filter.
Analyze sample dataset: Use Microsoft Analyze Data feature (Home tab) or Google Sheets Explore.

Follow Microsoft Analyze Data guide.

Why this step matters:

-Establishes hands-on data handling skills immediately applicable to any job
-Enables quick insights from tabular data without coding

4-6 hours

Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel Online, Sample CSV datasets

$0

Definition of Done

•Created pivot table summarizing sales data
•Applied filters to extract insights
•Generated basic charts from data

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Overlooking data cleaning like duplicates

→Use Data > Remove duplicates before analysis

❌ Ignoring absolute vs relative references in formulas

→Use $A$1 for fixed cells when copying formulas

2

Following along, or just reading? 👀

Spin up a personalized “learn data analysis” plan you can save, check off, and return to anytime — unlimited on the free trial.

Start free trial →

3

4

5

🎥
Suggested Videos

Data Analytics Full Course 2026

Data Analyst Bootcamp for Beginners

SQL for Data Analytics - Learn SQL in 4 Hours

📚
Learning Resources

📖 Online Courses

Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

beginner

Coursera

Data Analysis with Python

beginner

freeCodeCamp

Introduction to SQL

beginner

DataCamp

📖 Recommended Books

Python for Data Analysis

beginner

by Wes McKinney

Storytelling with Data

beginner

by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic

🌐 Helpful Websites

Pandas Documentation

documentation

Official guide with examples for data manipulation

Tableau Public Tutorials

tutorials

Free video tutorials for visualization

DataLemur SQL Tutorial

practice

Interactive SQL practice for analysts

🛠️ Useful Tools

Google Sheets

Spreadsheets

Free spreadsheet for data analysis

Tableau Public

Visualization

Free viz tool for dashboards

Google Colab

Coding

Free Jupyter for Python/Pandas

DataLemur

Database

SQL playground for data analysis

Master Data Analysis: Beginner to Project-Ready in 5 Steps