Data Analysis Help

[Muiredhach]

Hello.
I'm at beginning with Data Analysis and with Excel 2010 and I wanna ask for your opinion because I kept searching the google today and I got lost for a moment but ...
I found some interesting books.
And I'm thinking like this .. First I wanna learn the basics of Microsoft Excel and I did some research and I found this books for beginning :
1.Excel 2010 Bible
2.Excel 2010 in Depth
3.Excel 2010 Formula and Functions
Are my choices good ? Please guys I really wanna know.

As for Data Analysis I did some research also and I found this :
DAX Formulas for PowerPivot: A Simple Guide to the Excel Revolution
Pivot Table Data Crunching: Microsoft Excel 2010 (MrExcel Library)
Predictive Analytics: Microsoft Excel
The problem with the analysis books is that like the "basics" books from above I don't feel I have a starting point , I mean seriously ... dunno from where to start ..

And also from tomorrow I'm gonna start a course about Data Analysis from this site:
https://www.coursera.org/course/dataanalysis

Can some of you help me with some advice please ?

[noboffinme]

Hi Muiredhach,

Try Excel 2010 for Dummies to get a good grounding in this subject, I started with this book & would give it to anyone just starting out to learn the ropes.

[Muiredhach]

Ok so should I start with Excel for Dummies and then follow Excel bible and the others ?
And for data analysis still no suggestions ?

[cheeze83]

There is an Excel data Analaysis for dummies book - i've got it but not actually got round to reading it yet!

[Muiredhach]

I google it and i only found that book for MS Excel 2007 and I'm using 2010 ..

[cheeze83]

A lot of the info will still be transferable to excel 2010

[Muiredhach]

So I started with Excel for Dummies , shall I continue with Excel Bible ,Excel in Depth and Excel Formula and Functions ?

[noboffinme]

Hi Muiredhach,

That sounds like a good plan.

As already advised, a previous version of an Excel book will still be valuable to you while learning the basics.

The differences will be the features in 2010 that aren't in 2007 obviously won't be covered.

You will learn a great deal of data analysis skills with these books before you need to consider anything further unless you have a very specific field of data analysis you want to study.

[Muiredhach]

I don't have a specific field of data analysis , I'm just at beginning and I don't know so much
Do you have any advices for me ?

[alexander.small]

Excel For Dummies 2007 will definitely help you a lot!
Their books are always very, very good.