Excel Solution: Who Should Sit Where?
Months ago, my friend Michael asked, "is Excel for the common man?" That question has stirred my attention and imagination like I've just turned 21 years old again. Excel can be used for so many things and it's been fun to come up with uses for Excel that are outside...
Weaponized Data & Perverse Consequences
I found this blog a few months ago: NonProfit With Balls (NWB). The blogger is Vu Le and this guy loves data as much as I do. He says that if data were syrup, he'd put it on his soy ice cream. If you know me, I'd say that capsaicin is the edible form of data. Food...
PASSBAC, Excel Power Users, & Post-Apocalypse
I had the honor of speaking at The PASS Business Analytics Conference 2015 last month. PASS is primarily a SQL community but they recently started to look at the larger business intelligence picture because of the ways that data flows all throughout an enterprise. So,...
Small Data & Parvenu Analysts
The most exciting Excel workshops that I've taught included having the attendees taking turns plugging their laptops into the projector, and asking for help on some vexing task. These "rodeo sessions" are opportunities for the students to get attention on their real...
Data Analysts As Unknown Heroes
Next week is the PASS Business Analytics Conference and I did a Meet the Experts interview that really brought me back to what continues to drive me as an analyst and someone committed to Excel and data literacy: The impact on the people who have to live with the...
Guests Weigh In On: What It Takes To Be A Good Analyst
What does it take to be a good analyst? There are lots of thoughts about that question. Also, there's the ongoing question of "how do you interview for Excel skill?" These two inquiries should be intertwined since Excel is just the tool. Sure, we can unmask the...
Stop the Madness! Google Wants 80% of Excel Users?
On ExcelTV episode 24 someone mentioned a Business Insiders article where Google plans to nab 80% of Microsoft's Office business. This sounded ludicrous because every time I've tried to use Google Sheets for anything serious here's how it tends to go: Within 1 hour...
Going Back To My Roots: PASS Business Analytics Conference
PASS Business Analytics Conference 2015 On April 20th through 22nd, I and many other speakers will be presenting at the PASS Business Analytics Conference in Santa Clara, CA. This conference is an opportunity for attendees to learn about the intersection of business,...
Kevin Lehrbass Takes Us Inside the Mind of an Analyst
Kevin Lehrbass of My spreadsheet Lab posted this video Sunday night and there are aspects of it that need to be highlighted while it's still hot out of the oven. PEOPLE PROCESSES TOOLS In keeping with a recent theme of People-Processes-Tools, Kevin's video is a superb...
Comparing R and Excel Makes No Darn Sense
Please forgive me because I'm blogging while angry. I've read a few articles that compare R and Excel and I'm steamed. But first: why does this matter? Why respond? Shiny New Thing Syndrome is easy to fuel with a comparison of options. Rather than just get to work...
R, Excel and Data in the PDX
Last year I wrote a blogpost describing Excel as the Dennis Rodman of business intelligence tools. In the blogpost I described events where data management and data scientists got together, and Excel skill was welcomed in a very odd way. Like the NBA player, Hall of...
Data Management in Perspective: People & Processes
Two must-read articles as we start managing our data in 2015: What End of Year Data Predictions Mean by Jordan Goldmeier, Cambia Factor CEO, Excel MVP and co-host of ExcelTV. Technology Can't Ever Solve the Information Management Problem by Joe Shepley, VP and...