Training

If you’re looking for training on some of the common data analysis or data visualization tools, we are collecting courses and resources below. These are not endorsements of specific tools, trainings, or resources, but we hope these will help you find an appropriate training for you.

Microsoft Excel

• Official Microsoft Resources

  • The official Microsoft learning portal is Microsoft Learn Gateway. 

  • The official Microsoft Excel learning page is Microsoft Excel Learning. This page is best for self-directed types or if you are trying to solve a particular problem.

  • If you’re a self-directed learner looking for loosely structured video lessons on Excel basic (and some intermediate topics), Microsoft Excel for Windows Training contains videos on topics like formulas, charts, and PivotTables.

• Certifications

  • Microsoft has several formal certifications, which require participants to pay for and take an exam to earn a certification. What you may find more useful on these pages are the details of the skills required for the certification, which will help you know what skills to focus on and/or what skills to be sure are included in other trainings.

  • These trainings include: Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate Certification, Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Expert Certification for higher-level skills related to data management and advanced charts and tables, and Microsoft Exams: Exam 70-779: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Microsoft Excel for one of the most advanced certifications (BI Reporting). There is also a PowerBI equivalent (Exam 70-778) to this test for those who want to step up from Excel to PowerBI.

• Other Resources

  • LinkedIn Learning: Excel costs money, but there are many short courses (usually 2-5 hours or so each) that show a range of useful skills. LinkedIn Learning is available course-by-course or as a subscription service.

  • Excel Exposure: Free Version has a free starter course, which is broken up into short videos so you can skip what you know and just focus on what you don’t. Excel Exposure has a variety of paid Excel trainings available after the starter course.

  • Contextures Blog and Tips has many basic tips and how-to’s, but they make their money from advanced plugins for Excel, so for more advanced skills you’re pushed to using their plugin.

  • Excel Easy has many free tutorials, though it is easier to navigate if you have some Excel skills already.

  • Khan Academy has a variety of exercises and resources.

• MOOCs

  • Udemy, Coursera, and about a dozen others offer courses on Excel. These are free and structured, but they don’t provide a lot of feedback and interaction, so might be tough if you want to ask questions or get help. 

Microsoft PowerBI

Training resources to come!

Tableau

Training resources to come!

Have you used any trainings or resources that you recommend? Send them to analytics@nhsa.org and we’ll check them out!