PowerPivot for the Data Analyst: Microsoft Excel 2010

I am an Excel power user and didn't know what to expect from this new add-in. After having read this book, I was stunned by this new add-in! Powerpivot will totally change the future of data analysis in Excel. This easy-to-access book takes you in a step-wise approach through all of the new functions of this whole new topic and shows what the value-added is of using Powerpivot. One of the nicest features of this book are business analysis examples that allow you to use Powerpivot in real business cases. This book is a must-have for any self-respecting data-analyst!

Bill Jelen's POWERPIVOT FOR THE DATA ANALYST: MICROSOFT EXCEL 2010 offers keys to data analysis using Microsoft's free PowerPivot add-in for Excel 2010. From adding calculated columns using new DAX functions and creating reports from PowerPivot data to using the data for sales comparisons to multiple tables, this is packed with specific, real-world examples.

Excerpt from my full review at PowerPivotPro: My biggest overall conclusion after reading Bill's book is that Excel users will be hard-pressed to find a better place to start their PowerPivot journey. Bill is not a SQL guy and he is not an MS employee - he has been building spreadsheets in the wild since before Pivots even existed. And for many years now he has made his living simply teaching others to get the most out of Excel. That history and perspective shows through in the book. Reading it is VERY different from reading any of the MS documentation on PowerPivot for instance - that MS content is excellent at describing PowerPivot, but it just isn't written by a multi-decade Excel maestro, so it doesn't tell Excel users, in detail, what will be familiar to them and what will be new. What the book is NOT Clocking in at 294 pages, this book doesn't try to do everything, which I think is wise. I don't think any Excel pro wants to pick up, as a starting point, a 1200 page bible. This book is an excellent intro and you will hit the ground running fast, but at some point later, you will eventually go looking for: - An in-depth guide to high-powered DAX measures - An in-depth guide to the implications of various table structures and relationships - Performance-tuning reference - A how-to reference for deploying PowerPivot for SharePoint - List of best practices, tips and tricks, workarounds for Excel Services on SharePoint Like I said, as an Excel pro, you are MUCH better off NOT trying to tackle those up front. You can get incredible mileage out of PowerPivot without once touching those topics. You will want to someday, but you don't NEED to, so I highly recommend Excel pros pick up this book as their starting point. -Rob Collie PowerPivotPro

I bought another PowerPivot book before I bought this one (because it was the only one available) and it was nothing compared to Bill Mr Excel Jelen's PowerPivot book!! As always Mr Excel's books are easy to follow and teach you all you need to know. I can't believe how great this book is! I can't believe how awesome PowerPivot is! Mr Excel rocks!

The book is great but I can't retrieve the sample files at the URL given on page 17 of the book.