---
title: "AI for Data Analysis & Decision Making — free course"
description: "Analyze data with ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini; verify formulas, SQL and Python; test honestly; decide under uncertainty"
url: https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making
updated: 2026-10-05
---

AI · Intermediate · 338 minutes · free · updated Sep 2026

# AI for Data Analysis & Decision Making

Analyze data with ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini; verify formulas, SQL and Python; test honestly; decide under uncertainty

- **Lessons:** 16 in 6 modules
- **Video lectures:** 16 lectures, 132 minutes
- **Updated:** Sep 2026

## Tools you'll use

- ChatGPT
- Claude
- Gemini
- Microsoft Excel
- Copilot in Excel
- Python in Excel
- Claude for Excel
- Google Sheets
- Google Colab
- BigQuery
- Python
- pandas
- statsmodels
- matplotlib
- SQL

[Start the course](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/ai-analysis-workflow)

## About this course

AI assistants can clean spreadsheets, write formulas, SQL and Python, run code, draw charts and summarize findings in minutes. This course teaches you to get that speed without being fooled, current to September 2026.

You will learn a trustworthy analysis workflow and choose the right tool (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot and Python in Excel, Colab, BigQuery) for each task. You will clean data with visible, reversible changes, explore systematically, frame decision-focused questions and build a reusable prompt library. You will generate and verify formulas, SQL and Python notebooks with assertions and reconciliations, build honest charts and narratives, recognize statistical traps, design and read A/B tests with confidence intervals, forecast with baselines and intervals, communicate uncertainty and use decision frameworks with AI as an advisor, not the decider. Designed for analysts, marketers, product and operations professionals.

## What you will learn

- Run a six-step AI analysis workflow with briefs, verification logs and privacy safeguards
- Choose between AI assistants, spreadsheet AI, notebooks and warehouses using data policy, size and reviewability
- Clean and explore data with logged, reversible changes and group sizes on every pattern
- Generate and verify formulas, SQL and Python with tests, assertions and reconciliations
- Create honest charts and Situation-Insight-Implication-Action narratives checked against source tables
- Recognize statistical traps, size and read A/B tests, and forecast against a seasonal-naive baseline
- Communicate uncertainty with ranges and use decision frameworks with AI as an advisor

## Course content

### Foundations: AI as your analysis partner

Set up a trustworthy workflow, choose the right AI tool for each task, and use AI to clean and prepare messy data with a change log.

- [A trustworthy AI analysis workflow](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/ai-analysis-workflow): 11 min
- [The AI analysis tool landscape in 2026: assistants, spreadsheets, notebooks and MCP](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/ai-analysis-tools-2026): 8 min
- [Cleaning and preparing messy data with AI](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/cleaning-data-with-ai): 12 min

### Exploring data and finding insights

Explore datasets systematically, frame decision-focused questions with a shared glossary, and build a reusable prompt library.

- [Exploratory analysis with AI](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/exploratory-analysis): 11 min
- [Asking better analytical questions](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/asking-analytical-questions): 10 min
- [A reusable prompt library for trustworthy AI analysis](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/analysis-prompt-library): 8 min

### Writing formulas, SQL and Python with AI, and verifying them

Generate spreadsheet formulas, SQL queries and Python analysis with AI, and apply systematic verification so the numbers can be trusted.

- [Spreadsheet formulas with AI](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/spreadsheet-formulas-with-ai): 10 min
- [SQL with AI: from question to query](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/sql-with-ai): 11 min
- [Python analysis with AI, and verifying the results](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/python-with-ai-and-verification): 11 min

### Charts and insight narratives

Create honest, clear charts with AI and turn analysis into narratives that drive decisions.

- [Choosing and building honest charts](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/choosing-and-building-charts): 11 min
- [From analysis to insight narratives](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/insight-narratives): 11 min

### Statistical traps, experiments and forecasting

Recognize the traps AI analysis falls into, design and read A/B tests with intervals, and forecast against honest baselines.

- [Avoiding common statistical traps](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/statistical-traps): 12 min
- [Experiments and A/B tests: statistics you can defend](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/experiments-and-ab-tests): 8 min
- [Forecasting with AI: useful, with caveats](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/forecasting-caveats): 11 min

### Communicating uncertainty and making decisions

Express uncertainty clearly, and use AI to support, not replace, sound decision-making.

- [Communicating uncertainty clearly](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/communicating-uncertainty): 10 min
- [Making decisions with AI support](https://optimizeall.com/learn/ai-for-data-analysis-and-decision-making/decision-making-with-ai): 11 min

## Certificate: Certified AI Data Analyst

The holder can use AI assistants and spreadsheet, notebook and warehouse tools to clean, explore and analyze data while keeping results trustworthy: generating and verifying formulas, SQL and Python, building honest charts and narratives, avoiding statistical traps, designing and reading experiments, forecasting with caveats and communicating uncertainty to support sound decisions.

- **Final assessment:** 25 questions, 40 minutes
- **Passing score:** 80%