Purpose
In real-world analytics projects, analysts rarely begin with clean, well-documented datasets. Instead, they must first understand what data exists, how it is structured, and what level of detail it contains before any analysis can occur.
The purpose of this assignment is to practice creating a data inventory for real organizational reports related to fundraising activities. This process will help you determine what questions the data can reasonably support and what limitations exist prior to analysis.
Data for This Assignment
You are provided with fundraising reports for three years (20232025).
Each year includes two Excel files related to fundraising activity.
For this assignment, you will:
- Complete a detailed data inventory for the 2023 fundraising files
- Perform a structural check for the 2024 and 2025 files to confirm whether the same structure is present
No calculations, visualizations, or statistical analysis are required.
Part A: Data Inventory (2023 Fundraising Files)
(6 points)
Using the 2023 fundraising files only, complete a data inventory for each Excel file.
For each file, document the following:
File Information
- File name.
- Number of worksheets (tabs).
Worksheet (Tab) Inventory
For each tab in the file, record:
- Tab name.
- Brief description of what the tab appears to contain.
- Level of data:
- Granular (for example, individual players, transactions, dates), or
- Aggregated (for example, summaries by category, totals, grouped data).
- Number of rows.
- Number of columns.
You may present this information using a table or clearly organized bullet points.
File-Level Reflection (Answer in complete sentences)
For each 2023 fundraising file, answer:
- What types of questions might this file help answer?
- What types of questions would be difficult or impossible to answer using only this file?
Part B: Structural Consistency Check (20242025)
(4 points)
Next, review the 2024 and 2025 fundraising files.
You do not need to repeat the full data inventory for these years.
Instead, answer the following questions:
- Do the 2024 and 2025 files appear to follow the same structure as the 2023 files?
(Consider file types, tab names, units of analysis, and aggregation level.) - Note any meaningful differences you observe, such as:
- Additional or missing tabs
- Changes in variable names
- Differences in aggregation
- New or missing types of information
- Briefly describe one potential challenge these differences could create if you were combining data across years.
Submission Instructions
- Submit a single document (Word) to this assignment link.
- Organize your work clearly with headings for:
- Part A: 2023 Data Inventory
- Part B: 20242025 Structural Check
- This assignment focuses on organization, clarity, and thoughtful observation, not technical analysis.
Requirements: as mentioned | .xls file
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