Basic Computational Techniques for Data Analysis: Mastering MS Excel and R

This book is a multi-stage learning resource that takes readers from basic data handling and software orientation to statistical analysis and financial applications using MS Excel and R. Through a gradual, step-by-step approach, it equips readers with the essential skills needed to understand, analyse, and interpret data in today’s data-driven world.

Using clear illustrations, the book enables readers to organise and manage data, perform analytical computations, create meaningful visualisations, and draw conclusions. It introduces core concepts in research, data analysis, and economic and financial decision-making, demonstrating their relevance in academic, professional, and everyday contexts. This book enables readers to:

• Work confidently with MS Excel and R for efficient data handling and analysis
• Present and visualise data using charts, tables, and Pivot Tables
• Apply statistical techniques such as descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, and hypothesis testing
• Perform financial analysis using concepts such as time value of money, compounding, NPV, IRR, and EMI calculations

By combining concepts with practical implementation, the book provides a strong foundation in computational techniques essential for modern data analysis.

This revised third edition introduces two new chapters on R for data analysis, complementing the book’s Excel-based approach, making it an invaluable resource for beginners and students of economics, commerce, management, and the social sciences. This book will be useful for courses in econometrics, financial technology, and applied economics, as it equips readers with the analytical and computational skills required for academic excellence and professional success.

D Narayana is Former Director of the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation, Thiruvananthapuram, and Chairman of Kerala Public Expenditure Review Committee. He is a renowned economist, researcher, and statistician. He holds a PhD from Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata. He held the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Chair at Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Thiruvananthapuram from 2001 to 2012. He has published numerous articles in reputed national and international journals on health, state finance, decentralization, issues of SC/ST Communities, agriculture, irrigation, and migrant labour and has authored and co-edited many books. He also served as a member of many important committees, including the Expert Committee on Goods and Services Tax (GST), committee for revising the rates for the medical procedures under the centrally sponsored Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), and the Contributory Pension Review Committee, constituted by the Government of Kerala.

Sharad Ranjan is a professor in economics at Zakir Husain Delhi College (Evening) (University of Delhi) with a teaching experience of nearly three decades. He is a PhD from the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has published many research papers in various journals and has also authored five books. He has conducted workshops on financial literacy for the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as a resource person and has also co-supervised and evaluated PhD theses.

Nupur Tyagi is assistant professor at Gargi College, University of Delhi. She completed her post-graduation and MPhil from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. Her areas of interest are finance and accounting.