Data analysis using spreadsheets can be approached in various ways, depending on the complexity of the data and the goals of the analysis. Here are some common strategies:### $1.$ Descriptive Statistics$**$Purpose:$**-$ Summarize and describe the main features of a dataset.$**$Key Functions:$**-**$AVERAGE$**$: Calculates the mean of a set of values.$-**$MEDIAN$**$: Finds the middle value in a dataset.$-**$MODE$**$: Identifies the most frequently occurring value.$-**$STDEV$.$P$**$: Computes the standard deviation for a population.$-**$VAR$.$P$**$: Calculates the variance of a population.$-**$SUM$**$: Adds up a range of values.$-**$COUNT$**$: Counts the number of cells that contain numbers. $**$Usage Example:$**```$excel$=$AVERAGE$($A$1$:A$10)=$MEDIAN$($A$1$:A$10)=$MODE$($A$1$:A$10)=$STDEV.P$($A$1$:A$10)=$VAR.P$($A$1$:A$10)=$SUM$($A$1$:A$10)=$COUNT$($A$1$:A$10)```$### $2.$ Data Visualization$**$Purpose:$**-$ Provide a visual representation of data to identify patterns, trends, and outliers.$**$Tools:$**-**$Charts and Graphs$**$: Create various types of charts such as bar charts, line charts, pie charts, and scatter plots.$-**$Conditional Formatting$**$: Highlight cells based on specific criteria to easily spot trends and outliers.$**$Usage Example:$**-$ Insert a $**$bar chart$**$ to compare sales across different regions.$-$ Use $**$conditional formatting$**$ to highlight cells with values above a certain threshold.### $3.$ Pivot Tables$**$Purpose:$**-$ Summarize, analyze, explore, and present data.$**$Capabilities:$**-$ Quickly summarize large datasets by categories and subcategories.$-$ Perform calculations such as sums, averages, and counts.$-$ Filter and sort data dynamically.$**$Usage Example:$**-$ Create a pivot table to summarize total sales by region and product category.### $4.$ Filtering and Sorting$**$Purpose:$**-$ Organize and focus on specific subsets of data.$**$Tools:$**-**$AutoFilter$**$: Quickly filter data based on criteria.$-**$Sort$**$: Arrange data in ascending or descending order.$**$Usage Example:$**-$ Use AutoFilter to show only sales data for the current year.$-$ Sort data to see the top$-$performing salespeople.### $5.$ What$-$If Analysis$**$Purpose:$**-$ Explore different scenarios and their potential outcomes.$**$Tools:$**-**$Data Tables$**$: Analyze how changes in input values affect the outcome.$-**$Goal Seek$**$: Find the input values needed to achieve a specific goal.$-**$Scenario Manager$**$: Create and switch between different scenarios.$**$Usage Example:$**-$ Use Goal Seek to determine