Data & Finance for Work & Life
Tableau’s sorting function can be tricky. Have you tried sorting a grand total column that aggregates values from calculated fields, or maybe tried using a window (across/down) calculation instead of the grand total? In other words, have you tried sorting a dimension by a table calculation of calculated fields? Unfortunately, directly sorting on aggregates of […]
Sort by Grand Total or Window Calculation in Tableau Read More »
Data fields are fundamental building blocks of data. They are so essential that analysts in various disciplines have appropriated them to meet the needs of their use cases. Though these applications are a testament to the value of a data field, they create confusion as to the precise meaning behind them. The purpose of this
What is a data field? Definition, Types, & Examples Read More »
Excel users often find themselves dragging colored box references when moving a formula in an asymmetric worksheet. The all-too-frustrating reality, however, is that when a formula references the same cell multiple times, you have to drag each reference in the formula. Unfortunately, there is no shortcut to select all instances of a cell reference within
Grab & Drag All Instances of Cell Reference in Excel Formula Read More »
If you’re coming from Excel, Tableau may feel like a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it automates and simplifies in a few clicks what could take hours in Excel. On the other, it uses a different calculation logic and requires you to think about data as aggregates rather than individual cells. When
Tableau SUMIF, IF SUM & Aggregates On Multiple Conditions Read More »
If you’ve tried to understand data attributes while learning to program or exploring a big data tool, chances are you ended up with a lot of questions. Data attributes are simple, but their meaning can get lost in the noise. The purpose of this article is to clearly define data attributes, explain the different types,
What is a data attribute? Definition, Types & Examples Read More »
When we’re learning about data, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the terminology — there’s cleaning, transforming, querying, normalizing, visualizing, and more. Don’t let the jargon confuse you. If you’ve ever played with a small dataset in Excel, then you have probably completed most of these tasks, even if you didn’t realize it. That’s because
Is Data Visualization a Data Cleaning Task? Read More »
Data analysis and data science are popular terms today, but the direct advantages of using them in business are still unclear for many people. If you’re a business owner, you need to know what you stand to gain from incorporating analytics into your company. And if you’re a data analyst, you need to show exactly
9 Tangible Benefits of Data Analytics (& How to Get Them) Read More »
If you’ve ever tried to execute a complex analysis, you know the feeling of getting stuck. It’s a normal part of any analysis to need time to reflect, but what if you find yourself struggling longer than usual? In these cases, you may feel stumped. I’ve spoken with several analysts about this feeling, and there
Stuck in Your Data Analysis? Here’s Why, & How You Can Fix It Read More »
Clusters are everywhere. In school, students are placed in different grades and classes. In business, employees belong to different departments. How do we decide who goes where? Shared characteristics such as age, subject matter, or skill, tell us who belongs together. In the same way, data analysts cluster data based on similarities among data points.
Data Cluster: Definition, Example, & Cluster Analysis Read More »
As a concept, data classes are nearly as old as IT itself. They represent a group of data attributes, data items, and/or logical operators that the user wants to treat as one group, or class. The tricky part is that data classes carry slightly different definitions depending on the programming language or data analysis software.
What is a data class? Get, Set, & Allocate Data Attributes Read More »
