5.1 Introduction

This module covers the basic formulas and tools in Excel needed to clean and transform a spreadsheet for analysis.

While pieces of this module may look intimidating at first glance, this kind of work is easier than it looks. Common tasks can be completed with a single function or feature. More complex tasks are often solvable by mixing and matching these same basic pieces together.

So as you are going through this module, remember to focus on learning the basic terms Excel uses to describe each task (trim, concatenate, etc) rather than trying to memorize the exact steps.

As long as you remember the name of a process, it is easy to use google or this tutorial to remind yourself of the exact steps you need to take.