1. Data Validation essentials
Welcome to this course on data validation in Excel! My name is Ramiz, and I will be your instructor.
2. About the Instructor
As an academic, teacher and trainer, I have been empowering students and professionals with Excel since 2001. I am thrilled to share my expertise with you here at DataCamp
3. Prerequisites
This course will expand on Excel’s fundamental functions and features, while introducing you to its capabilities in preparing data for analysis.
In later lessons, you may encounter more advanced Excel functions. To ensure a smooth learning experience, we recommend completing the "Data analysis using Excel" course, available here on DataCamp, before getting started."
4. What is Data Validation?
Imagine analyzing sales data only to realize half your entries have typos, duplicates, or invalid dates. Data Validation acts like a quality control inspector for your spreadsheets. Just as an inspector rejects defective products, Data Validation blocks invalid entries before they corrupt your analysis. It ensures every entry follows your rules.
5. Importance of Data Validation
Data Validation is crucial in maintaining data integrity, it only accepts accurate consistent data
6. Importance of Data Validation
Data Validation also helps reduce data entry errors that can occur when users input incorrect information.
7. Importance of Data Validation
Finally it can enhance the reliability of your analysis by enforcing rules on what can be entered into a cell, allowing you to trust the results you generate.
8. Data Validation in Excel
Data Validation in Excel lets users specify allowed data types, create lists, and use custom formulas for better control over data entry.
9. Data Validation in Excel
Additionally, you can provide instructions to users when they start inputting data. For example you can tell the user the date format they should be using.
10. Data Validation in Excel
You can also set an error or a warning alert and a message that appears if the data entered has not followed the defined criteria.
By the end of this course, you'll be able to effectively set rules in Excel to control the accuracy and consistency of your data.
11. Limitations of Data Validation in Excel
Excel’s Data Validation is a powerful tool, but it does have limitations. It lacks built-in options to prevent duplicates, allows paste-overwrite errors, and struggles with complex logic.
These limitations pose risks to data integrity. A good solution is to create custom formulas, which you will learn later in this course.
12. OptiSupply Solutions
In this course, you'll work with real-world data from a fictitious company named OptiSupply Solutions, a global supply chain company.
13. OptiSupply Solutions
As their inventory analyst, your task is to clean and validate their messy inventory dataset.
14. OptiSupply Solutions
The warehouse data provided from OptiSupply contains information about products, quantities, shipment dates and other info.
This data would be very useful to monitor and manage the inventory system the company has.
15. Let's practice!
Now, let's put your new skills into action. It's your turn to practice applying Data Validation in Excel.