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Foundations: spreadsheets, data literacy and first SQL · Novice · Lesson 6 of 99 · 2 h 39 min video, then about 4 hours of practice
Spreadsheet formulas, references and core functions
After this you can build formulas with relative and absolute references and use the core aggregation, text, date and logical functions without looking them up.
Why it matters
Formulas are the analyst's first programming language. Concentrate on cell references (the dollar sign in $A$1 is the source of most broken spreadsheets), IF and nested logic, text cleaning functions (TRIM, LEFT, TEXT), and date arithmetic. Excel and Google Sheets are close enough that either works; use whichever you have. The common trap is to hard-code numbers inside formulas so nobody can audit them later.
How to use this resource
An analyst-focused Excel course covering formulas, lookups, pivot tables, cleaning and a small dashboard. Work along in your own copy; this one video also feeds the next three topics.
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