This course is part of the Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization

4.7
stars
235 ratings

Daniel Egger +1 more instructor

13,617 already enrolled

Offered By

Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business SpecializationDuke University

About this Course

8,636 recent views

In this final course you will complete a Capstone Project using data analysis to recommend a method for improving profits for your company, Watershed Property Management, Inc. Watershed is responsible for managing thousands of residential rental properties throughout the United States. Your job is to persuade Watershed’s management team to pursue a new strategy for managing its properties that will increase their profits. To do this, you will: (1) Elicit information about important variables relevant to your analysis; (2) Draw upon your new MySQL database skills to extract relevant data from a real estate database; (3) Implement data analysis in Excel to identify the best opportunities for Watershed to increase revenue and maximize profits, while managing any new risks; (4) Create a Tableau dashboard to show Watershed executives the results of a sensitivity analysis; and (5) Articulate a significant and innovative business process change for Watershed based on your data analysis, that you will recommend to company executives. 
Airbnb, our Capstone’s official Sponsor, provided input on the project design. The top 10 Capstone completers each year will have the opportunity to present their work directly to senior data scientists at Airbnb live for feedback and discussion.

"Note: Only learners who have passed the four previous courses in the specialization are eligible to take the Capstone."

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 5 of 5 in the

Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization

Approx. 23 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish

Skills you will gain

Data Analysis
Tableau Software
MySQL
SQL

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 5 of 5 in the

Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization

Approx. 23 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.41/5 (18 Ratings)

Daniel Egger

Executive in Residence and Director, Center for Quantitative Modeling

Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University

961,603 Learners

8 Courses

Jana Schaich Borg

Assistant Research Professor

Social Science Research Institute

676,625 Learners

7 Courses

Offered by

Duke University

Duke University has about 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students and a world-class faculty helping to expand the frontiers of knowledge. The university has a strong commitment to applying knowledge in service to society, both near its North Carolina campus and around the world.

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating97%(1,589 ratings)

Week

Week 1

5 hours to complete

Introduction

The goal for this week is to learn about the Capstone Project you are tasked with, acquire background about the business problem, and begin to outline the steps of your analysis.

5 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 28 min), 12 readings, 2 quizzes

5 videos

Introduction to the Capstone Project7m

What Watershed Owners Care About6m

Elicitation Interview with Your Project Manager5m

Elicitation Interview with Watershed's Marketing Director4m

Elicitation Interview with Watershed's Financial Director4m

12 readings

Course Overview10m

Special Thanks!10m

About the Course Team10m

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)10m

Lesson Overview10m

Elicitation Refresher10m

Letter from Your Project Manager10m

What are Project Managers, Anyway?10m

Background about the Short-term Rental Industry10m

Lesson Overview10m

Outlining an SPAP10m

Requirements and Assumptions10m

1 practice exercise

Elicitation30m

Week

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Data Extraction and Visualization

The goal of this week is for you to extract the relevant data from the MySQL database you are given access to, and to look at it briefly in Tableau to get sense of what data you have.

2 hours to complete

1 video (Total 2 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

Week

Week 3

5 hours to complete

Modeling

The goal of this week is for you to create a financial model using Excel to analyze the data you extracted from the database, and to start to predict short-term rents for some of Watershed's existing properties.

5 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 20 min), 15 readings, 5 quizzes

5 videos

Creating a Predictive Model for Short-term Rental Rates5m

Normalizing Rents to Improve Occupancy Forecasting4m

Using the Dollars to Percentile Conversion Guide Spreadsheet2m

Optimizing Rents to Maximize Revenues5m

Using the Solver Revenue Maximization Guide Spreadsheet2m

15 readings

Week 3 Learning Goals10m

Single Workbook Containing Template Spreadsheets 1-310m

Single Workbook Containing Guide Spreadsheets10m

Best Practices for Setting up an Excel Spreadsheet10m

Using the First Best-Fit Line Template Spreadsheet10m

First Best Fit Line Template (Spreadsheet 1)10m

Using the Normalized Data and Model Template Spreadsheet10m

Normalized Data and Model Template (Spreadsheet 2)10m

Dollars to Percentile Conversion Guide Spreadsheet10m

Applying Normalization to the Comparable Properties10m

Lesson Overview10m

Solver Revenue Maximization Guide Spreadsheet10m

Optimizing Watershed Rents10m

Solver Rent Optimization Template (Spreadsheet 3)10m

Alternative to Solver Template (Spreadsheet 4)10m

5 practice exercises

First Best-Fit Line30m

Normalization30m

Applying Normalization to the Comparable Properties30m

Optimization Basics30m

Optimizing Watershed Rents30m

Week

Week 4

4 hours to complete

Cash Flow and Profits

The goal for this week is for you to use your projections about the Watershed properties to estimate cash flows and profits Watershed would experience if it converted properties to short-term rentals.

4 hours to complete

3 videos (Total 12 min), 10 readings, 4 quizzes

3 videos

Estimating Watershed Cash Flow and Profits4m

Distinguishing Cash Flow from Profits and Losses4m

Using the Annual Cash Flows and Profits Spreadsheet3m

10 readings

Week 4 Learning Goals10m

Single Workbook Containing Template Spreadsheets 5-610m

Using the Alternative to Solver Template Spreadsheet10m

Using the Forecasting Cash Flow and Profits Template Spreadsheet10m

Forecasting Cash Flow and Profits Template (Spreadsheet 5)10m

Annual Cash Flows and Profits Guide Spreadsheet10m

Using the Sorting by Profitability Template Spreadsheet10m

Sorting by Profitability Template (Spreadsheet 6)10m

The Value of Considering Cash Flow Risk and Total Cash Required10m

The Value of Financial Sensitivity Analysis in General10m

4 practice exercises

Alternative to Solver30m

Profitability30m

Cash Flow Risk and Total Cash Required30m

Sensitivity Analysis: Measuring Cutoffs at 40% Transaction Fee30m

Reviews

4.7

51 reviews

5 stars
80.93%
4 stars
13.55%
3 stars
2.11%
2 stars
0.84%
1 star
2.54%

TOP REVIEWS FROM INCREASING REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT PROFITS: HARNESSING DATA ANALYTICS

by KWMar 28, 2017

Great capstone course that successfully integrates all the concepts learning in the previous courses.

by SGSep 21, 2017

This course would help you consolidate all the learnings from the previous modules and apply them in a realistic situation.

by DCJul 30, 2017

You will be proud of yourself when you complete this Capstone !

by JKAug 21, 2020

If you have come this far, I would recommend giving it a go! You will be so glad you did

View all reviews

About the Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization

Formulate data questions, explore and visualize large datasets, and inform strategic decisions.

In this Specialization, you’ll learn to frame business challenges as data questions. You’ll use powerful tools and methods such as Excel, Tableau, and MySQL to analyze data, create forecasts and models, design visualizations, and communicate your insights. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply your skills to explore and justify improvements to a real-world business process. The Capstone Project focuses on optimizing revenues from residential property, and Airbnb, our Capstone’s official Sponsor, provided input on the project design. Airbnb is the world’s largest marketplace connecting property-owner hosts with travelers to facilitate short-term rental transactions. The top 10 Capstone completers each year will have the opportunity to present their work directly to senior data scientists at Airbnb live for feedback and discussion.

Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Will I receive a transcript from Duke University for completing this course?
No. Completion of a Coursera course does not earn you academic credit from Duke; therefore, Duke is not able to provide you with a university transcript. However, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Increasing Real Estate Management Profits: Harnessing Data Analytics

About this Course

Skills you will gain