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 for accountants, and other business professionals, with existing advanced Excel skills. It is not appropriate for anyone new to Excel, or who is not using Excel regularly, at a level comparable to the Institute's Intermediate or Advanced Excel courses.
Course overview
- Functions - We will first look at the principle behind Dynamic arrays and especially the concept of SPILL.
We will then examine the original 365 functions; SEQUENCE, UNIQUE, FILTER, RANDARRAY, SORT and SORTBY. We will also briefly cover XLOOKUP and XMATCH which behave dynamically but which are not strictly dynamic arrays themselves.
Since these original functions, more have been added (some very recently) so we will examine these e.g. DROP and TAKE, EXPAND, CHOOSE (Cols and Rows), FIELDVALUE etc.
Finally we will look at the newer text based functions such as TEXTSPLIT,TEXTJOIN etc.
As well as the 'given' functions, we will also cover the custom function tool introduced in the last year or so i.e. LAMBDA. Since the development of this, Microsoft has added 'helper' functions to LAMBDA such as SCAN, REDUCE, BYROW, BY COLUMN etc. and these will also be covered using real life examples.
Finally even newer functions such as VSTACK, IMAGE etc. will be introduced.
Added to this will be a brief overview of selected functions in the different categories; financial, logical etc. focussing on useful functions that may not be familiar to you. However the emphasis will be on the newer dynamic arrays rather than legacy functions. However comprehensive notes on these will be provided.
- Macros - What is a macro and how can they be utilised to automate work processes. This will include constructing a basic macro and examining the code behind its output.
Expanding this we prepare a ledger re-organisation macro and finally routine involving the generation of a dialogue box.
We will briefly touch on the use of support tools (in this case Power Query) to avoid the need for macros in some cases.
- Pivot Tables - Specific areas of analysis with pivot tables will include; Calculated Field and Item, time based operation, multiple report generation and utilising pivot tables to produce dashboards and regular reports which require updating.
This section will also cover the use of Tables in generating the input for pivot tables that need to be updated periodically.
- Formatting - This section briefly covers all the
different types of formatting; general, custom and conditional and more
importantly the principles behind formatting. We will then look at a number of
formatting in particular areas such as pivot tables and charting (needed for
charting section to follow).
- Charting - Visualisation is becoming more important in reporting and is a huge area to try and cover in any Excel course. Hence we will focus on some niche areas such as:
- Variance analysis including the use of custom formatting.
- Use of XY Plot to generate dynamic labels etc
- The use of symbols in charting through use of formatting etc.
- Using custom and given functions to generate
dynamic charts and controlling these visually.
- The use of newer chart types offered; Tree, Sunburst,
Box and Whisker, Funnel and Waterall.
Key learning outcomes
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- An understanding of the breadth and application of newer tools developed in the past number of years.
- The use of more traditional techniques in more modern settings; macros etc.
- Sharpening visualisation skills in the areas outlined above.
- An appreciation and understanding of the use of custom functions (LAMBDA) and how you might utilise these.
- Visibility on and the ability to operate 365 functions combined with each other for greater effectiveness etc.
- Provide the basis for follow-on courses or study in in-depth areas such as Power Query and Power Pivot.
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 01 6627700 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.
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
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