Data Visualization Dashboards with Excel and Cognos Course

Lesson 1 • Design Principles for Dashboards

Introduces Gestalt principles, colour theory, and layout hierarchy as applied to dashboards. These principles govern design choices in all hands-on chapters.

Lesson 2 • Core Chart Types and Their Uses

Maps each major chart type to the data relationship it best communicates. Provides a selection framework used in every subsequent chapter.

Lesson 3 • Understanding Your Audience and Data

Teaches audience analysis and data profiling before design begins. Aligns visualisation goals with stakeholder decision-making needs.

Lesson 1 • Importing and Cleaning Data

Covers data import from CSV, databases, and web sources, plus cleaning techniques. Clean data is the prerequisite for accurate charts built later.

Lesson 2 • PivotTables for Data Summarization

Builds PivotTable skills as the primary aggregation engine for Excel dashboards. PivotTables created here connect directly to PivotCharts in the next chapter.

Lesson 3 • Navigating the Excel Interface

Orients students to ribbons, workbook structure, and keyboard shortcuts relevant to data work. Reduces friction in all subsequent Excel exercises.

Lesson 1 • Advanced Chart Techniques

Introduces combination charts, secondary axes, and custom chart templates. These techniques expand the visual vocabulary used in dashboard assembly.

Lesson 2 • Conditional Formatting as Visualization

Uses color scales, data bars, and icon sets to embed visual signals directly in data tables. Extends the visualization toolkit beyond traditional charts.

Lesson 3 • PivotCharts and Dynamic Visuals

Connects PivotTables from Chapter 2 to PivotCharts for automatically updating visuals. Slicers link multiple charts, previewing the interactivity built in Chapter 4.

Lesson 1 • Dashboard Layout and Planning

Teaches grid-based layout planning, panel sizing, and navigation design before building. A clear layout plan prevents costly redesigns during assembly.

Lesson 2 • Form Controls and Interactive Elements

Adds drop-downs, scroll bars, and option buttons that drive chart updates via linked cells. These controls make dashboards self-service for non-technical users.

Lesson 3 • Finalizing and Protecting the Dashboard

Covers sheet protection, print settings, and usability testing to deliver a polished product. Protection prevents accidental edits while keeping controls functional.

Lesson 1 • Cognos Platform Overview

Introduces the Cognos Analytics interface, portal navigation, and content management. Establishes the platform context for all subsequent Cognos chapters.

Lesson 2 • Understanding Cognos Data Architecture

Explains packages, namespaces, and query subjects as the semantic layer above raw data. This architecture knowledge prevents errors in report building.

Lesson 3 • Connecting to Data Sources

Covers uploading files, connecting to databases, and using data modules. Data connectivity is the foundation for every visualization built in Cognos.

Lesson 1 • Building Charts in Report Studio

Creates bar, line, pie, and scatter charts within Report Studio using package data. Chart formatting aligns with the design principles established in Chapter 1.

Lesson 2 • Report Studio Fundamentals

Introduces the Report Studio workspace, report types, and object insertion. Mastery here enables the advanced report features covered in later sections.

Lesson 3 • Filtering and Prompting in Reports

Adds detail filters, summary filters, and prompt pages to make reports interactive. Prompts give end users control without requiring report editing access.

Lesson 1 • Cognos Dashboard Authoring Interface

Orients students to the dashboard canvas, widget panel, and data source panel. Familiarity with the interface accelerates all subsequent dashboard exercises.

Lesson 2 • Dashboard Performance and Optimisation

Identifies and resolves slow dashboard load times through caching, query optimisation, and widget reduction. Performance directly affects user adoption.

Lesson 3 • Adding and Configuring Widgets

Inserts visualisation, media, and text widgets and configures their data bindings. Proper widget configuration ensures accurate and responsive data display.

Lesson 4 • Publishing and Sharing Dashboards

Covers access permissions, embedding options, and scheduled distribution of dashboards. Proper sharing ensures the right audience sees current, accurate data.

Lesson 1 • Data Storytelling Techniques

Structures dashboards and reports as narratives with a clear beginning, conflict, and resolution. Storytelling increases stakeholder engagement and decision speed.

Lesson 2 • AI-Assisted Insights in Cognos

Leverages Cognos AI features including anomaly detection, forecasting, and smart insights. AI augments analyst judgement rather than replacing it.

Lesson 3 • Capstone Dashboard Project

Students design, build, and present a complete dashboard in both Excel and Cognos using a real-world dataset. Integrates all skills from Chapters 1 through 7.

Lesson 4 • Advanced Calculations in Excel and Cognos

Builds complex calculated measures using Excel formulas and Cognos expression editor. Advanced calculations unlock metrics not available in raw data.