Microsoft

Core Financial Analysis

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Microsoft

Core Financial Analysis

 Microsoft

Instructor: Microsoft

Included with Coursera Plus

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Intermediate level

Recommended experience

9 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Intermediate level

Recommended experience

9 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Apply variance analysis formulas for budget gap detection using Excel.

  • Evaluate financial ratios against industry benchmarks.

  • Evaluate financial statements using AI-powered insights.

  • Investigate margin erosion and cost drivers using Power BI analytics.

Details to know

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Recently updated!

July 2026

Assessments

21 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the GenAI Enhanced Financial Analysis Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 13 modules in this course

Build an automated variance detection system in Excel that flags budget deviations exceeding thresholds. You'll use modern Excel formulas to compare actuals to budgets and highlight variances that require attention.

What's included

2 videos2 readings1 assignment

Discover how to use Power BI's AI-powered Decomposition Tree to drill into variance drivers. You will learn to navigate hierarchical data to identify the biggest contributors to budget deviations.

What's included

2 videos2 readings1 assignment

Learn to assess which variances require immediate attention based on materiality thresholds, business impact, and escalation policies. You'll develop the judgment to prioritize variance investigations.

What's included

2 videos1 reading2 assignments

Transform your variance analysis into clear, actionable communications. You'll learn to write effective variance explanations, create exception reports, and present findings that drive decisions.

What's included

2 videos1 reading3 assignments

Build a comprehensive ratio analysis model in Excel and compare results against industry benchmarks. You'll calculate key financial ratios and identify statistical outliers requiring attention.

What's included

2 videos2 readings1 assignment

Learn to spot meaningful patterns in ratio trends and connect changes to business events. You'll use visualization and analysis techniques to uncover the stories behind the numbers.

What's included

2 videos1 reading1 assignment

Transform your ratio analysis into executive-ready reports. You'll learn to synthesize complex findings into clear narratives, with professional visualizations that inform strategic decisions.

What's included

2 videos1 reading3 assignments

Build a comprehensive margin analysis model in Power Business Intelligence (Power BI) using Data Analysis Expressions (DAX). You'll create measures for gross margin and contribution margin at the product level, enabling granular profitability analysis.

What's included

2 videos2 readings1 assignment

Use Power BI's Key Influencers and decomposition analysis to identify what's driving margin changes. You'll learn to systematically investigate cost increases and margin erosion patterns.

What's included

3 videos1 reading1 assignment

Transform margin analysis into strategic recommendations. You'll evaluate improvement opportunities, prioritize actions, and create compelling presentations that drive pricing and cost decisions.

What's included

2 videos1 reading3 assignments

Harness Power BI Copilot to rapidly analyze income statement variances and identify key EBIT drivers. You'll learn to prompt AI effectively, interpret results, and validate insights for accuracy.

What's included

3 videos2 readings1 assignment

Create reusable financial analysis templates in Excel with automated formatting and alerts. You'll build a professional framework that standardizes your analysis process and highlights key insights automatically.

What's included

2 videos2 readings2 assignments

Bring together all core financial analysis skills in a comprehensive quarterly review project. You'll analyze a company's Q4 performance using variance analysis, financial ratios, margin investigation, and AI-powered insights to create an executive-ready report that simulates a real-world quarterly close process.

What's included

2 videos1 reading1 assignment

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Instructor

 Microsoft
346 Courses2,654,613 learners

Offered by

Microsoft

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¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.