Beginner's Guide to Excel Analytics Basics | FREE Class

Data

Free

Paris (足球竞彩网)

Thursday, 25 September, 2025

11 pm – 1 am +08

About This Class

Looking to build your confidence in Excel, but need to get started with the basics first? You’re in the right place.

This free, two-hour livestream will introduce a range of topics, giving you a taste of the potential that can be achieved with Excel. We’ll touch briefly on everything from navigation and layout to using functions and formulas. All in real time, taught by an industry professional.

Come learn the basics and gain the skills you need to confidently navigate Excel.

What will the livestream learning experience be like?

Ask questions and build your online network by interacting with fellow classmates and an expert instructor —all in real time via live chatbox and Q&A.
Complete optional classwork to give you a hands-on taste of the subject.
Learn new skills in the comfort of your own home, or on the go. All participants will be automatically muted with no video.

Takeaways

Understand why Excel is the preferred data management tool.
Get comfortable and confident navigating Excel workbooks.
Learn about Formatting, Sorting & Filtering.
Discover key formulas and functions like COUNT, SUM, IF, SUMIF, and more.

Ready to continue on your learning journey?

Check out our course catalog to find your next step. Whether you’re looking to enhance your professional skill set in one of our part-time courses, or go for a complete career transformation by enrolling in one of our immersive courses, we’ve got you covered!

Preparation

This class is taken completely online, and requires a computer and a strong internet connection.
You should be familiar with basic computer functions, but no previous experience in Excel is required
A second monitor is recommended if you want to follow-along in class.
Access to Excel is preferred, however Google Sheets is an alternative. If you don’t have access, create a free Google account.
We will provide a link to the platform on the day of the class.

NOTE: Some domains block our automated emails, so If you don’t receive sign-in instructions within 1 hour of the livestream, please reach out to help@generalassemb.ly and we’ll send sign-in instructions right away.

About the Instructor

Candace Roberts

Director of Data Strategy & Insights | GenAI Instructor | Founder, Thought Trails?, Vanco Payments

Candace Roberts is a strategic data leader and educator with over 20 years of experience translating complexity into clarity. As Director of Data Strategy & Insights at Vanco, she leads KPI alignment, BI modernization, and GenAI adoption efforts across product, finance, and executive teams.

She serves as a Lead Instructor and Curriculum Developer at 足球竞彩网 Assembly, where she’s delivered 700+ classes in SQL, Tableau, data governance, data engineering, and technical debt. As a member of GA’s AI Instructor Team, she also leads GenAI-focused workshops that help professionals build practical fluency with emerging tools.

Candace is the founder of Thought Trails?, a strategy and education company delivering clarity-first tools, GenAI enablement, and fractional support to help teams turn insight into impact. She is also the author of the upcoming 2026 book, Shift Your Pace—a career strategy guide for professionals ready to lead with clarity, adapt with confidence, and build sustainable momentum in a shifting world.

A thought leader and speaker at industry events such as Tech in Motion: AI Strategy Sessions, Candace brings a rare blend of technical fluency and organizational insight—empowering professionals to navigate data and AI transformation with confidence.

IN CONVERSATION WITH CANDACE:

What is your favorite technical skill to work with on your own projects and why?

Right now? Data architecture and metric alignment. I love taking messy source data, figuring out what matters, and turning it into something scalable and actually useful. Give me a cross-functional KPI nightmare or a half-documented Snowflake instance, and I’m in my zone. There’s nothing more satisfying than cleaning up behind the scenes and watching teams breathe easier because the numbers finally make sense.

What is your favorite technical skill to teach to students and why?

Lately, it’s GenAI. When students realize they can use large language models to accelerate problem-solving, brainstorm use cases, or gut-check their own logic—it changes everything. It’s not about replacing deep knowledge; it’s about extending their reach. That said, I still love teaching SQL. You can’t evaluate or troubleshoot anything without knowing how the data actually works. GenAI + SQL is a power combo when it’s grounded in real use.

What is most important to you about teaching technical skills at 足球竞彩网 Assembly?

What matters most at GA is helping students master the tools so they can do solid analysis right now. It’s about turning confusion into clarity—showing them how to treat a dataset like it’s a story waiting to be told. Yes, we dabble in real-world problems, but our strength lies in ensuring students leave class knowing how to use the tools—to build insights, clean data, join tables, and visualize outcomes they can trust. .

What advice do you have for anyone looking to learn technical skills to reach new career goals?

Start before you feel ready—and focus on being useful, not perfect. Nobody ever “masters” everything. The real growth happens when you start applying what you know, even if it’s rough. Pick a tool, solve a problem, and let people see you figure it out. Confidence builds through use, not waiting.

What would you like to highlight about your experience in your technical domain outside of teaching?

I’m currently Director of Data Strategy & Insights at Vanco, where I lead KPI alignment, BI modernization, and practical GenAI use with tools like Snowflake Cortex. I’m also the founder of Thought Trails?, where I create clarity kits, lead GenAI workshops, and (soft-launching soon) my book Shift Your Pace?—a strategy guide for navigating modern work without losing your mind. My work sits at the intersection of data, leadership, and clarity. And I still love getting my hands dirty with SQL when things go sideways.

WHAT CANDACE’S STUDENTS ARE SAYING...

”Candace Roberts was an excellent instructor. Her enthusiasm was only exceeded by her knowledge of the curriculum. I highly recommend her and would love to take more classes from her.”

“Candace is the best instructor I have had in a very long time. Engaging, fun, organized, dedicated, approachable. Loved her!"