Excel

Microsoft Excel Online is a web-based version of the Excel spreadsheet application that is part of the Microsoft 365 suite licensed to students, faculty, and staff at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM). It allows users to create, edit, and collaborate on spreadsheets directly in a web browser without installing software, making it accessible from any device with an internet connection. Excel Online includes essential features such as formulas, tables, charts, and basic data analysis tools, while automatically saving files to OneDrive for seamless access and version control. It also supports real-time collaboration, enabling multiple users to work on the same workbook simultaneously. As part of UWM’s Microsoft 365 environment, Excel Online provides a convenient, secure, and collaborative platform for managing and analyzing data.

Features

• Real-Time Co-Authoring and Collaboration – Work simultaneously on spreadsheets with colleagues, enabling UWM staff to collaborate on budgets, reports, and data tracking in real time.
• Cloud-Based Access and Automatic Saving – Access Excel files from any device via a browser, with AutoSave ensuring changes are preserved instantly in OneDrive or SharePoint.
• Data Analysis Tools and Formulas – Use built-in formulas, functions, and basic analytics tools to process and analyze data, supporting decision-making across UWM departments.
• Integration with Microsoft 365 Services – Seamlessly connect with Teams, SharePoint, and Power BI, allowing staff to share data and turn spreadsheets into actionable insights.
• Version History and File Recovery – Track changes over time and restore previous versions of spreadsheets, helping staff manage edits and recover from mistakes.
• Charts and Data Visualization – Create charts and visual summaries directly within Excel Online, making it easier for UWM staff to present data in a clear and understandable format.

PivotTables

You can use a PivotTable to summarize, analyze, explore, and present summary data. PivotCharts complement PivotTables by adding visualizations to the summary data in a PivotTable, and allow you to easily see comparisons, patterns, and trends. Both PivotTables and PivotCharts enable you to make informed decisions about critical data in your enterprise. You can also connect to external data sources such as SQL Server tables, SQL Server Analysis Services cubes, Azure Marketplace, Office Data Connection (.odc) files, XML files, Access databases, and text files to create PivotTables, or use existing PivotTables to create new tables.

Sourced from Microsoft’s Overview of PivotTables and PivotCharts

Power Query and Power Pivot

Power Query (Get & Transform) and Power Pivot complement each other. Power Query is the recommended experience for importing data. Power Pivot is great for modeling the data you’ve imported. Use both to shape your data in Excel so you can explore and visualize it in PivotTables, PivotCharts, and Power BI.

In short, with Power Query you get your data into Excel, either in worksheets or the Excel Data Model. With Power Pivot, you add richness to that Data Model.

Sourced from Microsoft’s How Power Query and Power Pivot work together