Database Project

This project taught me so much about Microsoft Access. I had no prior knowledge about this program and its capabilities. Although the project was tedious, I was able to explore and download a program that I never would have otherwise explored. I learned how to create forms, reports, tables and run queries. This is interesting and useful in the business profession as another means to organize data. When a large amount of data is collected such as the amount of employees in a corporation or in this instance a group of members in a gym, this can be very helpful to track people, group and sort data and and see observe trends with dates such as the list of departed individuals in the past six months.

I think the functionality of the database could be enhanced with the help of tutorials. I had to watch the lectures over and over and also watch the additional lectures so more help would be greatly appreciated.

Excel Project

Excel is a program that definitely increases the efficiency of data calculations and the analyses of data and is very useful in the business realm. I had to opportunity to complete a project this past week that enabled me to act as if I worked for a fitness center and do various analyses to observe the effectiveness of a particular workout. I began by manipulating the data by adding and formatting columns, using the freeze panes option and using various formulas to find heart rates. I changed the page setup to ensure that the worksheet would print in landscape view with rows 1 and 2 and a header and footer on every page. Then I created two pivot tables to determine if the subjects reached their target heart rate after during the exercise regimen and the average percent increase in heart rate based on gender and the grouping of ages.

This project definitely helped to expand my knowledge about Excel. I had no idea the capabilities it has and how helpful it could be. This was actually the first time I have ever used the application and I found it to be rather clear. There were some parts that didn't click to me at first, such as how to make the formula apply to more than one cell without writing it every time. After I checked the discussion board things began to click. I value this experience because I feel this is another skill I can add to my toolkit. I found it interesting to change numbers to percentages and also pick how many decimal places to round the number. I learned how to use logical tests such as =IF(F3>E3,"YES", "NO") to compare sets of data and how to create pivot tables, something that I never knew existed. I was surprised to observe how helpful pivot tables are and how quickly they can manipulate information at the click of a button. I think Excel is a lot harder than it seems but I think even computer-illiterate people such as myself can get it with some practice.

Week 5 - Clear

Who knew Excel could be so interesting! I am so glad for this week's mini lectures. I am grateful to those students who requested this section to be a part of the course. I felt so much smarter after watching the lectures. The arrangement of rows and columns helps the data to be organized and the formatting helps with the appeal and design of the workbook. I learned how to print excel sheets because I always wondered how to fit all the information on the page. I also found the way words and percentages and currency is inputted to be interesting. I think it is so advanced that the document just does everything and reads the data automatically. The spreadsheet helps you analyze data, calculate formulas, and display summarized data in a pivot table.

I think having knowledge regarding Excel can be so useful in the business setting. It's great for accounting and even just keeping a record of transactions. I think this is some of the most practical information I can learn. Oftentimes students feel like classes are a drag because the information is not going to be used later in life but I feel more equipped with skills to use Excel when I used to just push it away and say "I don't know how to do that". I found a helpful YouTube video (click the link) for us "slow" people that describes Excel in a great way just like the lectures from class.