However, some people may think that they are very proficient in computer programming languages, and disdain to use Excel as a tool because Excel can’t handle big data. But think about it, do the data we use in our daily life exceed the limit of big data? In my opinion, Excel is a versatile player. It works best for small data, and with plugins, it can handle millions of data.

To sum up, based on the powerful features of Excel and its user scale, my opinion is that it is an indispensable tool. If you want to learn data analysis, Excel is definitely the first choice.

2. BI tools

Business intelligence is born for data analysis, and it is born at a very high starting point. The goal is to shorten the time from business data to business decisions and use data to influence decisions.

The product goal of Excel is not like this. Excel can do a lot of things. You can use Excel to draw a curriculum, make a questionnaire, or use it as a calculator, or even use it for drawing. If you master VBA, you can also make a small game. But these are not really data analysis functions.

But BI tools are specialized in data analysis.

Take the common BI tools such as Power BI, FineReport, and Tableau for example. You will find that they are designed according to the data analysis process. First, data processing, data cleaning, and then data modeling, finally data visualization that uses presentation of charts to identify problems and influence decision-making.

These are the only way for data analysis, and there are some pain points of employees in this process.

For example, the repetitive and low value-added work of cleaning data can be simplified with BI tools.

If the amount of data is large, the traditional tool Excel cannot complete the PivotTable.

If we use Excel to do graphical displays, it will take a lot of time to edit the chart, including color and font settings.

These pain points are where BI tools can bring us change and value.

Now let’s compare the three popular BI tools on the market: Power BI, FineReport, and Tableau.

The core essence of Tableau is actually the PivotTable and PivotChart of Excel. It can be said that Tableau is keenly aware of this feature of Excel. It entered the BI market earlier and carried forward this core value.