Building Skills in Data Analytics: Bridging the Gap Between Spreadsheet Modeling and Database Querying

• In Event: Education Cases

Abstract

Students begin this case with a spreadsheet model but discover that it becomes unwieldy as the analysis grows more complex. With a spreadsheet, students can analyze the relative performance of borrowers with different credit scores on used car loans, but because the case adds additional attributes that appear in different worksheets, the spreadsheet solution becomes complex and difficult to implement or audit. Thus, the case motivates students to develop the database skills of importing the spreadsheet data into a database manager, joining tables, and performing the analysis using database querying. The case requires students to think critically to model the business situation in spreadsheet formulas and query expressions, structure relationships among the attributes across data tables, and manipulate attributes to achieve the business objective of optimizing the credit score cutoff. Objective questions are provided for assessing students’ ability to analyze the transaction records using both spreadsheet and database tools.

Authors

• A Faye Borthick, Georgia State University

• Gary P Schneider, Quinnipiac University

• Therese R Viscelli, Auburn University