Overview
Excel remains the universal language of business data. This track takes you from dependable day-to-day skills to professional-grade analysis and automation: rich formulas and functions, clear visualizations, fast PivotTable workflows, and when you’re ready, Macros and VBA to remove repetitive tasks. We finish with dashboard design so leadership sees trends and KPIs at a glance — without fragile, hand-maintained copies.
Who this is for
Professionals who live in spreadsheets, finance and operations teams, students building employable skills, and analysts who want Excel to complement Power BI or Python rather than fight against them.
Curriculum
Spreadsheets that stay fast, clear, and reusable
We blend speed for everyday tasks with structure that still makes sense when next month’s file lands. You learn patterns you can repeat—not one-off tricks that break under real-world messiness.
- Formulas and functions — Logical, lookup, text, and date logic; dynamic arrays where they help; error handling; and auditing tools so you can trace any result.
- Data quality and structure — Cleaning messy imports, Excel Tables versus raw ranges, and naming and layout habits that keep workbooks maintainable.
- Charts and visuals — Choosing the right chart, formatting for clarity at a glance, and small multiples when you need fair comparison.
- PivotTables — Slicing, grouping, calculated fields and items, and connecting to external ranges or models when your data lives outside one sheet.
- Analysis that answers the business question — Variance and bridge-style views, cohort-style breakdowns, and tying numbers back to “so what?” for stakeholders.
- Macros and VBA — When to record versus write code, loops, workbooks and sheets, simple user prompts, and when to step back and use a dedicated ETL or BI tool instead.
- Dashboards and handoff — Layout, slicers and timelines for interactivity, plus print- and PDF-friendly output when leadership wants a static pack.
Outcomes you can aim for
You should be able to build a reusable reporting workbook, automate a recurring export-to-email flow in VBA if appropriate, and explain your methodology to a non-technical manager — all while keeping files fast and understandable.
How sessions work
Bring your own templates (with sensitive data removed) or we’ll use realistic practice files. Each topic mixes demonstration, guided practice, and short take-home challenges.