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The general instructions for this project can be found in the Week 6 Lecture material. The Week 6 Lecture describes the assignment and provides an overview of the project as a whole. There are no step-by-steps for the course project. The following are grading criteria for this project.

Guidelines

Organize the Data

Data imported from SalesData.csv text file located in Course Project Materials in DocSharing. Professional formatting follows the formatting guidelines we studied during the first week of class. Documentation sheet added to provide author, purpose, and date and provide information about each of the sheets you will create as you analyze the data. At least one calculated field added and copied to all cells in the worksheet.

Analyze the Data

Analyze the data in at least three different ways. Each form of Data Analysis should be provided on a separate, appropriately labeled worksheet. It is expected that each sheet will be professionally formatted and clearly documented with titles, comments, and explanation. Remove any extra sheets so your workbook is as compact as possible when you turn it in. Go back and review your labs for assistance in completing the different types of analysis.

The following are some examples of analysis you might wish to do:

Sort by discount level. Have discounts increased sales volumes? Is there any discount level that appears to be more effective than others? Graph sales over time to see trends. Are there any peaks and lows in sales? Is there any time of year in which sales are highest? Lowest? Pivot the data to see total sales by quarter, country, category, and salesperson. Are there any highs? Are there any lows that need to be addressed? Subtotal the data. How are quarterly sales totals? Sales totals by salesperson? By Country? Challenge Option: Perform What-If Analysis. What if prices were raised by a certain percentage with a slight decline in sales? What combination of price increases and decline in sales makes most sense?

Present your Conclusions in a Report

Use the integration techniques we worked on in the course to develop a report (Word document) that includes data and graphs copied and pasted from your spreadsheet. You will turn in both your Recommendation Report and your spreadsheet. (There is an Excel Project Template in DocSharing, Course Project Materials, to help you formulate your report. The yellow-lined information provides an explanation of what should be included in each section of the report.)

Your report will focus one paragraph on each of the Data Analysis sheets in your workbook. Explain the type of analysis you completed, the conclusions you drew, and a recommendation based on the analysis. (45 points)

You should include a final paragraph that explains three things you learned about using Excel for data analysis. (15 points)