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>> Hi, I'm Mike Watson.

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I'm the COO of Treehouse, and

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I'm super excited to teach you
about data visualization in Excel.

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We've structured this course so it'll be
informative for experienced professionals,

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but also approachable for
absolute beginners.

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Let's get started.

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Collecting and analyzing data has
long been important and useful.

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For example,
think of the scientific method

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where researchers systematically observe,
measure, and experiment.

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They then use that collected data
in the formulation, testing, and

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modification of hypotheses.

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Or what about ancient armies gathering
intelligence on their adversaries and

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then drawing charts in the sand.

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As the digital age advances,
our ability to collect and

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analyze data has skyrocketed.

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With technological advances in databases,
cognitive computing power, and

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machine learning.

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Indeed, we are now living in a world
where we can dynamically leverage data

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through algorithms to inform
all sorts of decision making.

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As a result, data has become one of
the most valuable resources in the world.

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And corporations are spending
billions to harness it.

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In some cases,
they're spending billions to acquire it.

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Think of Google's acquisition
of the route planning app, Waze.

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And all the data on drivers
that accompanied that.

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The tremendous amount of data ride sharing
apps have on global transportation

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networks is a huge factor in their
multi-billion dollar valuations.

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All that data can be overwhelming, though.

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Simply putting a bunch of numbers
in front of people won't cut it.

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Oftentimes, visualization is what
makes the message in the mountains of

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data tangible.

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Take this example from the World Bank,

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it shows how extreme poverty has
declined in the developing world.

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We can see over time how things
have progressed, it tells a story.

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Even Bill Gates appreciates it.

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Analysts and engineers need to take the
vast amount of data they're collecting and

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be able to tell a story with it.

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Data visualization is a crucial
component of story telling.

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There is the age old saying,
a picture is worth a thousand words.

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And the nerd in me, might say,
a chart is worth a thousand numbers.

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In this course we're gonna learn how
to leverage tools that come with Excel

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to visualize data in your spreadsheets.

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You should also be aware that there
are other ways to visualize data

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beyond spreadsheets.

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There are lots of software providers
that allow you to visualize data

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through a web application
connected to a database.

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For example, Tableau or Mode.

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There are programming languages and
libraries like R or D3 that

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provides similar functionality directly
within your application or console.

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Designers create infographics
to visualize data.

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Open any newspaper or magazine and you're
very likely to see some charts or graphs.

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In this course, we'll be covering all
sorts of graphs and charts like column

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charts, pie charts, line charts,
area charts, and many more.

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Regardless of what tools
you use to visualize data,

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this course will be valuable as we cover
the fundamentals of what types of charts

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to use in different situations.

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With data visualization,

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the key question you have to ask is,
what picture tells the story most clearly?

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We'll use some real world examples to tell
a story with data later on in this course.

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But for now, in the next video, we'll
jump right in with a simple example and

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create a chart comparing production costs
for different minds around the world.