Albert J. Moore, ASA, MAAA Ohio National Financial Services Chairman, SOA Technology Section August 1, 2014 IABA Conference New Orleans, LA

Overview Review Strengths and Weaknesses of Excel Quickly survey Excel features that should be commonly used Presentation of new features of Excel 2013 Demonstration of Data Analytics using Excel Data Manipulation and Visualization using Excel Options Beyond Excel Resources on the web

Strengths of Excel Excel is a commonly used tool Data manipulation is easily performed Handles large amounts of data Basic Graphing and Data analytical tools Minor learning curve Well structured design allows others to decipher and extend a spreadsheet

Weaknesses of Excel Flexibility comes at risk of reduced controls Virus can be easily attached Data Analytics are not Robust Space limitation can be a problem Large files may experience performance issues Creating an audit trail is difficult Report capability is limited

What we already may know… Functions and calculations Summing and Counting Cells Looking up data Simple macro Simple Charts Adding and Protecting Data Simple arithmetic PivotTables Data Retrieving, Sorting

Lesser known features… PowerPivot Pivot Tables with Groups and Calculated Values Slicer Data Validation (list, range etc.) Goal Seeking and Solver Scenario Manager Array Data Table Advanced data look up functions

Data Analytics in Excel Data Analysis and Statistical Functions Linear Regression Uses Microsoft Query Web Query

Data Manipulation in Excel Data Import and export Useful Techniques for data manipulation Methods handling String and Text Data Advanced Functions Taking advantage of Macros for Data Manipulation

Data Visualization in Excel Data Visualization covers concepts in how data is effectively presented There are several new features in Excel Useful Techniques for Visualization

Final Topics Macro Programming Best Practices for Excel Design Considerations for Controls Other Tools Beyond Excel Online Resources Final Questions and answers