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).
- 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.
- 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.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.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:
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
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