Microsoft Excel is a
spreadsheet program, which means that it’s primarily intended to track and
analyze numbers. As the part of Office with the longest pedigree it’s arguably
the most well-thought out of the commonly used business applications, as well
as being the most popular. Chances are you have to use it regularly, and have
maybe even figured out how to use it a little on your own, but there are many
opportunities to get more efficient. Consider taking a Computer Help Excel
course in one of the following streams:
-
Introduction -
Formulas - Functions: Taken in
sequence, these courses focus on Excel’s core functionality: taking numbers
you give it and producing calculated answers based on them. This ultimately
leads to the advanced Excel user’s two main weapons: IFs and VLOOKUPs.
-
Introduction -
Intermediate Level 1 - Advanced Level 1:
This series of courses looks at Excel’s other major purpose, the analysis and
extraction of information from long lists of items (for example, product lists
or lists of transactions). This ultimately leads to Excel’s most sophisticated
reporting feature: pivot tables
-
Introduction -
Intermediate Level 2 - Advanced Level 2:
This stream focuses on the presentation of data. After learning how to make
basic spreadsheets, students look at graphing, colour-coding tools, making
spreadsheets into forms for others to fill, and generally making spreadsheets
look and feel more professional.
-
Any of the three
streams above - Macros and VBA:
Ultimately it’s possible to push Excel up to and past the limits of what it
knows how to do out of the box. At that point, students may be interested in
learning Visual Basic (“macros” in popular Excel terms) so that they can teach
Excel how to do unusual things that are peculiar to your job and industry.
If you’re interested in Visual Basic in general—it’s also used as for
programming functionality into Word, Access, and Outlook—this may also be the
place to start: Excel’s use of Visual Basic is the most accessible, and what
you learn on it carries over easily to other Office programs.
Many students follow more than one stream
depending on exactly how they need to use Excel in different circumstances.
Upgrading from an Earlier Version?
Note that if you’re an Excel user of whatever level of skill who is moving
from version 2000/2002/2003 to version 2007 or the latest version 2010, you
will also be interested in some specialized training. The two newer versions
of Excel have eliminated old-style menus and button bars in favour of the
Ribbon. Even the most sophisticated Excel user finds the transition
disorienting, and can benefit from breaking things back down the basics in the
new environment. Coming to understand the newer, more efficient ways of
approaching old tasks can make a radical difference in the amount of time it
takes to do your work.
