IS102

Computer as an Analysis Tool

Week 7: Decision Support
Reading:
Chapter 8: Analysing Data

Instructor:
Associate Professor Guo Zhiling
School of Information Systems
zhilingguo@smu.edu.sg

Recap: Macro
Many tasks that you perform are often repetitive
Formatting cells
Data entry

Record a macro to automate a repetitive task

By default, recorded macros use absolute cell referencing
(the exact cell address)
When activating relative cell reference option, the actions
recorded in the macro are relative to the starting cell location

Use Visual Basic Applications (VBA) to write/edit macro

script
Macro name: first character must be a letter; spaces are not
allowed in a macro name
File suffix: xlsm is the file suffix for excel macro-enabled
workbook

Continue
Timer & Clicker
Application of Macro Recording to count arrivals

XDB Bank
Time-based Simulations
Use of observed distribution (Exponential, Empirical)
from raw/historical data to generate simulation

Agenda Today
XDB Bank simulation
More on Date and Time management
Week 7 Exercises on elearn
Quiz on Lookup family of excel functions and
simulation using uniform distribution
Review of Assignment 1
Demonstration of sample team projects

Basic Excel Functions in a Nutshell

Basic Excel Functions
Lookup, Vlookup, Index and Match
Use IF and nested IF functions to return a conditional
value
Count, Countif, Frequency
Sum, Sumif, Round, Roundup
Time and Date Functions
TRENDLINE, Slope, Intercept Functions
Solver and Goal Seek
Data Table and sensitivity analysis
RAND, RANDBETWEEN and their application in
queuing model and simulation

Concatenate() or &
We can concatenate text together to form longer text by
using the function concatenate() or the & sign
Concatenating text is necessary when you need to enter
criteria as text
Example 1:
Concatenate(Microsoft, , Excel) = Microsoft Excel
Microsoft & & Excel = Microsoft Excel

Example 2:
Given that cell A2 stores the number 20 and cell A3 stores
the text Apples
Concatenate(A2, , A3) = 20 Apples
A2 & & A3 = 20 Apples

Excel automatically converts numbers to text when

concatenating

Countif()
Countif(range, criteria)
Returns the number of cells that satisfy the evaluation
criteria
Range is the range of cells from which you want to count
Criteria is input as text (e.g., <=&D2)

criteria

Return 3
range

Frequency()
Frequency(data_array, bin_array)
As a simple formula, it returns the number of items in the
data_array with values <= bin upper bound value
data_array contains raw data
bin_array contains the bin upper bound values

As an array formula, it returns the number of items in the

data_array with values between the smaller bin value
and the larger bin value
Select the area where you want to display results (the same
dimension as the bin_array)
Enter formula
Hit Ctrl+Shift+Enter

SUMIF() Function
SUMIF(range, criteria, sum_range) returns the sum
result
Range is the range of cells you want to evaluate
Criteria are the selection criteria (must be entered as text
string)
Sum_range are actual cells to sum the values

criteria

sum result
range

sum_range

SUMPRODUCT()
=SUMPRODUCT(array1, [array2], [array3],)
Get the sum of products of corresponding numbers in
the arrays

Put conditions in sumproduct()

=sumproduct((array=condition1)*(array=condition2)*(array 3))
=sumproduct((array=condition1)*(array=condition2),(array 3))
= sumproduct(--(array=condition1),--(array=condition2),(array 3))
The * works to coerce the conditional array to convert
true/false to numeric value
The double unary operator -- can also convert true/false to
numeric value
* is equivalent to AND
+ is equivalent to OR
=sumproduct((array=condition1)+(array=condition2),(array 3))

Proposal Report/Presentation
The proposal report (<= 2 pages):
Business environment and problem introduction
Who are your client?
What are your major goals of this project?

A black box model and an influence diagram

Depict your key variables and their connections in your model
building

Plans for data collection and model analysis

What data do you need?
Do you have the data in place?
What types of analysis will be needed?

Reminders
Start working on your project
Project Proposal due in week 9
Assignment 2 due in week 9
Enjoy your recess week!