DEVRY BIS155 all week discussions

Week 1 discussion

Getting Familiar with Excel (graded)

Excel was introduced in 1985.
Since then, it has become a standard business tool. In this thread, discuss the
different features of Excel that make it a valuable business tool. In addition,
discuss why Excel skills are so important in today’s job market.

week 2

Formulas and Functions (graded)

One of the benefits of Excel is
the ability to use formulas and functions. Discuss the differences between
formulas and functions. Pick a function in Excel and discuss how that function
is used to calculate results in your worksheets. Using the following scenarios,
discuss how you would apply the Excel functions or create a formula to solve
the scenario.

• You
  wish to calculate the commission on sales. The commission is 6% on
  all sales that are at least 20% above cost.
• You
  wish to calculate the total pay for an employee who receives regular time
  for 40 hours, time and a half for 40-50 hours, and double time for hours
  over 50.
• You
  have a list of contracts and due dates for annual maintenance fees. You
  wish to determine when you have a contract due in the next 45 days
  and provide a note that warns you that the payment is due.

Please feel free to add other, unique mathematical
challenge questions to the discussion, and let us work together to figure out
how you might calculate it.

Week 3

Data Analysis (graded)

Excel provides many
different ways in which to analyze data. Discuss the different methods by
which you can analyze data in your spreadsheet. Assume the role of a
Regional Manager for a retail organization looking at ways to analyze the large
amounts of sales data you have. What are some of the ways Excel can be
used to analyze this data? What are some examples of reports you might
want to review? Using the concepts from this week, how will you determine
where to start and what tools can you use within Excel to help you organize
everything and make decisions?

This section lists options that can be used
to view responses.

Week
4

Excel Data Exchange (graded)

Excel 2010 provides the
capability to exchange data with other applications. Discuss the
different types of ways to exchange data between Excel and other Microsoft
applications. Are there limitations to the exchange process? How
can you exchange data with other applications that are not part of the
Microsoft Office Suite? Discuss how you would exchange data with external
data sources such as websites.

Week 5

Data Consolidation and What-if Analysis (graded)

Discuss and compare the data
consolidation and What-If analysis Excel tools. Under what circumstances
would you use each of these tools? Do they both serve the same purpose, or is
each one used under different scenarios? Give examples of how each can be used.

This section lists options that can be used
to view responses.

Week
6

Bringing It All Together (graded)

This week will be an
opportunity to share ideas and approaches to the Excel course project.
What are some spreadsheet features you will use to make your spreadsheet
professional, readable, reliable, and repeatable? Which spreadsheet
functions and data analysis types do you think will be the most challenging to
implement in this project? What questions do you have about those
functions and types of data analysis?

This section lists options that can be used
to view responses.

Week
7

Database Decisions (graded)

Discuss the differences
between storing data in Access and Excel. Why would you use a spreadsheet
over a database? At what point does it become more efficient to store
your data in a database rather than a spreadsheet? If you are deciding
whether to use a spreadsheet or database, what questions should you consider?