Week 11: Clear

Well howdy, welcome back to my blog. Today I would like to do an overview of databases and their general functions/purposes to you as a business person.

Primarily there are two types of databases that you should be aware of. The first one is the actual database itself; this organizes information and allows you to manipulate it a variety of ways to better help you analyze what is in front of you. The second type of database is a Database Management System (DBMS); this is not necessarily a database, so to speak, but is a way of controlling the databases you have already created.

A database can be used to analyze data in a countless number of ways, whether that be comparing you to the competition, organizing the purchasing patterns of your customers, determining the market segment to sell your product to, or keeping a record of your company’s money allocations, it works off the same idea. Take a bulk of “useless” information and put it into a legible, user friendly, useful analytical form. Moreover, a database can be just as simple as an email inbox or a pharmacy’s inventory.

Now, onto the second type of database; the Database Management System. This is essentially a requirement when working with databases for large corporations or industry giants. The DBMS is used to control and maintain the databases you’ve previously developed. This software helps you to integrate and collect data that would otherwise be independent of each other. For example, imagine if all hospitals were to use one single database. All the information from each patient, their sickness, recovery methods and results from treatment could be accessed with the click of a button, giving doctors a comprehensive view of what techniques work best, what medicines may have killed someone, or how long each person took to recovery from “X” accident.

Without the use of databases and DBMS’s you wouldn’t even be able to use a search engine. Not only do databases help organize information but they are an indispensible utility to all businesspeople, doctors, teachers and the like.

Excel Project

Throughout completing the Excel project I used a few previously known concepts, however, I also learned some new important features Excel has to offer.

First off, when I started this project I had no idea the range of formulas was so vast; it really made calculations a daunting task at first. The more I looked at them and "tinkered" with them the more comfortable I got. The "if" formula, for example, was my favorite. You can saw, if X happens, then make "NO" appear, but if Y happens, make "YES" appear. It's a great feature for having your numbers turned into a form thats easier to read and analyze.

Moreover, there are also pivot table features that I didn't even know existed! Pivot tables are a great way to set up a very sophisticated, easy to use table that analyzes the data from your Excel worksheet. As you can see in the cut-out picture above it allows you to either type in your data or choose from a drop down menu.

The following project was no where near as simple a I thought it would be, but it turned out to be a great learning experience. Not only did I learn some of the more embedded features Excel had to offer, I also gained a better understanding of how Excel works and why it is so important for business owners.

Week 9: Clear

For this week’s blog I will be focusing on Excel and its many uses in the business world. Version 1 of Excel was originally released for a Macintosh in 1985, followed by a windows version in 1987. Excel is a spreadsheet application that can function in many ways, such as, a simple day-to-day planner or meticulous in depth business analysis tool with graphs, tables, and complex formulas. Before the introduction of this application, accountants, bankers, investors, and any other person, from students to corporate lords, had to write all of their numerical data on paper. Imagine if there were a calculation error or a missed entry in a multi-thousand cell excel sheet; you would have to flip page-by-page laboriously searching for the error. However, since the introduction of Microsoft Excel, you can now search an entire document instantaneously just by hitting CTRL+F (find), your calculations will be perfectly computed, and your graphs and charts (once hand written and inaccurate) will now be colorful and free of errors. Excel not only changed the way business was done, it revolutionized it by making data more accurate, easily sharable/accessible and did so in a user friendly, aesthetically pleasing format.

One of my teachers, Eric Olson, said: “To me, Excel is the Swiss Army knife of the software world. I cannot imagine having a computer without it!” I couldn’t agree more with this statement; so I decided to make a fun image below to visually illustrate the capabilities that have been jammed inside the Excel application.