Tag Archives: syntaxfm

How to do a VLOOKUP with multiple conditions or criteria (3 methods)

Once you learn the VLOOKUP formula, your world opens up in terms of being able to analyze and manipulate data. There are hundreds if not thousands of tutorials on how to use the VLOOKUP formula since it’s such a powerful formula for finding the data you need in a long list. Comparable formulas include the […]

Dear Analyst #80: Applying the rules of Squid Game to real-life games like negotiating a job offer

I finished watching Squid Game a few weeks ago and still have all these swirling thoughts about the series. Through a few basic survival games, the show brings to light wealth inequality, capitalism, and other aspects of the human condition. Trying to find the loose threads between the show’s deeper meaning and data literacy is […]

Dear Analyst #68: Generate unique IDs for your dataset for building summary reports in Google Sheets

If your dataset doesn’t have a unique identifier (e.g. customer ID, location ID, etc.), sometimes you have to make one up. The reason you need this unique ID is to summarize your dataset into a nice report to be shared with a client or internal stakeholders. Usually your dataset will have some kind of unique […]

Dear Analyst #28: 4 methods to fill a formula down to the last row of data you didn’t know about

This spreadsheet tip is based on a question I get asked all the time when I teach (well taught) Excel at in-person classes: How do I fill a formula down to the last row of my data set without over-shooting the last row with keyboard shortcuts? This problem occurs with larger data sets where you […]

Dear Analyst Episode 16: The New York Times’ data bootcamp

A few months ago, The New York Times’ Digital Transition team headed by Lindsey Cook published a blog post about a data bootcamp they led for their reporters and editors. The New York Times frequently publishes amazing data visualizations, and it’s awesome to see this newsroom pushing their reporters into the world of “data journalism.” […]

Excerpts from Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction

I read a few excerpts from Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction by Philip E. Tetlock and Dan Gardner. What does it mean to be a good forecaster? How can we take lessons from the book to be better modelers? I just started reading the book but already have learned so much about forecasting, […]