What will I learn in these Excel classes?
With Excel being such a necessary skill in today's workplace, a new user may find themselves asking "what can Excel do?" and "Why is Excel so much more in demand than any other program?"
The answer lies in the way Excel works and the many different functionalities that it possesses. Here's a brief overview of Excel's robust capabilities.
Calculations
Excel can calculate everything from basic formulas (addition, subtraction, etc.) to complex statistics and everything in-between.
Functions exist (such as Sum, Average) to enable the user to perform advanced calculations with minimal effort. On top of all of this is Excel's extraordinary ability to take a single calculation and to apply it to hundreds or thousands of additional rows of data (Autofill).
Excel contains a very sophisticated library of functions that are brilliantly organized for ease of use. Some of the categories include Financial functions (IRR, NPV, PV), Logical functions (If/Then, And/Or), Text functions (Proper, Concatenate), Date & Time functions (Weeknum, EOMonth), and Lookup & Reference functions (Match, Index).
Get started with calculations and functions in our introductory course, and continue learning in our Excel Bootcamp.
Working with Text
Even though Excel is a spreadsheet program, it possesses a significant number of capabilities for dealing with text. Excel can split text from one cell to multiple cells (Text to Columns), such as with names, or it can combine text from several cells into one cell (Concatenate), such as with addresses.
Excel can also be used to analyze data to remove any duplicate rows/entries (Remove Duplicates). Furthermore, as Excel is increasingly being used internally by companies for forms, it can provide a structure such as drop-down boxes (Data Validation).
Elaborate Charts and Graphs
Ever since its first introduction to the business world, Excel has consistently set the standard regarding charts and graphs—both regarding design and ease of creation. Excel boasts both vivid and detailed depictions of your data all in just a few simple keystrokes. From basic (Line charts, Column charts, Pie charts), to complex (Histograms, Stock charts, Combo charts), Excel provides countless ways to visualize your data for optimal reporting and decision-making purposes. Learn chart essentials in our beginner courses.
Data Analysis with Pivot Tables
Pivot tables are a very cutting-edge approach to analyzing data, by creating visually-appealing tables that provide both consolidation and calculation of results. Excel can create a Pivot table from several different data sources that are both customized and easy to use regarding filtering (Slicers) and data availability (Grouping). Summarize data with Pivot Tables in our intermediate class.
Data Extraction from Tables
While Excel offers a lot of special functionalities for organizing data (Tables), efficiently leveraging that information is another challenge that Excel minimizes. Data can be analyzed and summarized (CountIfs, SumIfs) or simply retrieved (VLOOKUP) from a larger source through specialty functions, making database work much more efficient. Build these formulas in our intermediate Excel course.
Advanced Data Tools
Forecasting data becomes almost second-nature when utilizing Excel's "What If" analysis abilities. You can change the result of an equation and have Excel calculate the necessary variables to make it true (Goal Seek). You can also create single or multi-variable data tables (Data Table) to map out possibilities.
Recording Macros
Do you have reporting responsibilities at work that involve repetitive tasks? Ever dreamed of a magic wand that could instantly compose that report/perform those repetitive tasks for you? With Excel, this is no longer a dream (Macros)! Excel can record your steps/keystrokes and translate these into code (VBA) for future reference. The next time you need to complete that task, simply run the macro and watch the magic!
Learn advanced data analytics tools and macros in our advanced Excel course.
These are just a few of the more useful abilities that Excel possesses. By learning Excel, you do more than add a line item to your resume; you acquire these skills, as well. Imagine going to work with the knowledge that whatever task comes your way, you feel confident that you can handle it. How? With Excel. Because that is the kind of magnitude that this software possesses, and these are the types of skills that Excel makes easily transferable to the user.
Continue learning about Excel's powerful features for free on our Excel blog.