Format
This course will be delivered via Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to participants the day before the course is due to take place.
Who should attend
This course is aimed at accountants, and other business professionals, who have strong Excel skills and a good working knowledge of Powerpoint and Word. The minimum skills required would be to have attended, or have equivalent knowledge of, the Institute's CPD Intermediate and/or Advanced Excel courses. The course is not suitable for inexperienced Excel users.
Course overview
- Querying - Starting (if necessary) with no
knowledge of Power Query we will briefly look at its main facets especially with reference to our needs in the case study. We will cover; what are proper
datasets and why they matter, menus in Power Query, how to navigate these, basic
transformations, close and load, adding and splitting columns, fill and replace
etc. We will then go on to look at calendar tables and calculations briefly. We
will then examine the 'Data Model' concept and how this is vital for working
with Power Pivot. All of these will be applied to a case study, the output of
which (excel spreadsheet) will become the input for Power Pivot. Our session on
Power Pivot will examine; use of the data model, creating relationships,
difference between standard and power pivoting and when to use the latter, DAX
measures and Syntax, calendar tables and DAX calculations etc. As above these
techniques will be applied to the same case study, the output of which will be a
number of reports culminating in a dashboard.
- WHAT IF - Running sensitivities is a necessary aspect of any database analysis especially where decision making is required.
We look first at manual methods; IF, LOOKUP and how to be able to run multiple scenarios one after the other. In Excel tools we will examine Data Tables, Scenario Manager, Goal Seek and Solver.
Finally we look at the possibility of adapting other data analysis tools such as FORECAST to what if type purposes.
- LOOKUPS - As well as the traditional range based LOOKUP functions (esp. V & H), we examine a cell based version and where it can be used as a means to an end.
We look at the near demise of VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP and why this has happened with the advent of XLOOKUP and XMATCH contrasting the two with real world examples. These will include incorporating some dynamic array formulas in conjunction with a XLOOKUP.
- Filtering - Filtering is one of the most important tools in dealing with larger datasets. Again we compare legacy Excel in this area with the specific dynamic array function (FILTER) and why old methods are effectively defunct.
- Excel and Powerpoint - Understand the meaning of linking and embedding and the difference between the two. We look at the relationship between the two platforms and how this is not always as useful as it may seem and why working natively in Powerpoint can sometimes be the solution. We explore how to use the CAMERA tool as a live linking device between the two platforms.
We bring all of this together by linking the dashboard created in Querying above to Powerpoint.
Finally we examine issues that can arise with Linking and solutions for these applying these to the Dashboard example.
Key learning outcomes
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- From an introduction to Power Query, an appreciation of its power and where you might use it in your organisation.
- The same applies for Power Pivot with hopefully ideas being garnered as to where you might enhance reporting by switching to Power Pivot from legacy pivot tables.
- How Excel can assist in sanity checking and validating analyses, forecasts etc. through the various WHAT IF tools available.
- Use of the new LOOKUP and FILTER tools for more succinct and surgical analysis of datasets.
- Understand the relationship between Excel and Powerpoint and issues associating, create a dashboard in PPT from linking to Excel and validating and repairing links between the two where required.
All participants should please note the following
- Test session. If you would like to test your connection and setup prior to your course, please contact info@professional.ie or 016627700 and we will arrange this with you.
- Two monitors. Having two monitors is very strongly recommended for this training. It allows you to view the trainers PC in one monitor and the application that is the subject of the training in the other. On a single screen it can be difficult to arrange the trainers screen and your own application comfortably. If you only have a single screen please inform the trainer - ideally before the test session - and they can help you to get the best from the training session.
- Microsoft Office version. We use Microsoft Office 365 Professional. If you are using an older version please be aware that you might not be able to do some of the exercises that are using the latest features.
- Windows 10. We prepare the files and deliver the
course using Windows 10. If you are using a MacBook or other platform please
be aware that there can sometimes be incompatibilities and there are certain
features that are not available on the Macintosh edition of Microsoft Office
365 Professional. These issues can be identified and resolved during the test
session.
Speaker bio
Professional Training is a group of experienced specialists providing focused training in IT and Management skills. Our trainers use a combination of tailored, flexible approaches and real-life business knowledge to develop and provide techniques and solutions for immediate implementation by our course participants. We have delivered a range of CPD programmes with Chartered Accountants Ireland since 1997. Website: www.professional.ie
Contact us
If you have any questions regarding this or any other CPD course or requirements, please feel free to contact the team here or call us at
(+353) 01 523 3930
LOADING...