Advanced Excel Course - Financial Calculations & Excel Made Easy

In today's data-driven world, having the quality to organize concrete information is no longer just an advantage but a necessity for professionals across industries. However, collecting and analyzing a vast dataset can often be too complex. Spreadsheets have lots of useful features, but not everyone knows about them. 

This can hold back professionals from being their most productive and reaching their full potential. It is an ordinary and versatile skill that will enable you to succeed in a world that is becoming more and more data-centric.

To solve this common challenge, we’ve curated a complete Excel course to help you analyze, visualize and automate data.

The aim of this course is to equip you with advanced Excel skills, which will enhance your productivity and employability. This course is structured in a way where we will master excel by starting from the basic functions of Excel, and advancing into the concepts of formatting and visualization. 

Our main focus is to give you practical skills that go beyond just knowing. You'll get many useful tips, practice with real examples, and discover a wide range of advanced tools- Pivot Table, Power Query, Macro, VBA, etc. By the end of this course, you'll become an Excel expert, well-prepared to handle complex tasks in today's work world.

Please find the topics covered under this course: Advanced Excel Course- Financial Calculations & Excel Made Easy:

Topic 1: Navigating the User Interface in Excel

We will first start with understanding the User Interface in Excel. Here, we will discover how to quickly locate and use the many buttons, tabs, and menus necessary for work. This includes knowing what each tab on the ribbon does, where to find particular commands, and how to use various features.

Topic 2: Fundamentals of Excel

Next, we will explore the fundamentals of a spreadsheet, including naming and referencing cells, working with rows, columns, and sheets, exploring features of the View tab, creating enhanced documents by understanding page and print set-up, and also knowing how to protect the workbook, which will guarantee information integrity and security.

Topic 3: Ways to Format and Optimize Spreadsheets

Once we are through with the fundamentals, we will explore how to Format and Optimize Spreadsheets by learning and practising the basic custom formatting for fonts, cells, alignment, orientation, indentation, advanced custom formatting, different formatting tools, and conditional formatting. By the end of this chapter, we will be able to organize and create aesthetically appealing presentations from unstructured information, improving decision-making and interpretation.

Topic 4: Navigating through Mathematical Functions

Next, we will explore a variety of mathematical functions, including division, rounding, and summing as well as basic aggregates and multiplication. Here, we will discover how to perform calculations accurately and effectively through practical examples. We will also look into more complex features like SUMIFS, which let us compute values based on specific criteria and filter them. These newly acquired mathematics skills will enable us to analyze and modify datasets successfully, turning numbers into insightful information.

Topic 5: Dive into Statistical Functions

Further, we will deep dive into the statistical functions, including computing averages, counts, rankings, frequency distributions, standard deviation, and variance. We will gain practical experience in using these functions successfully through hands-on exercises. Using the included practice sheets, you can use these statistical techniques to analyze actual datasets. This chapter will help us improve our decision-making skills as we will be able to identify valuable patterns.

Topic 6: Functions Used for Manipulating Text

Next, we move on to learning how to use these text functions and their applications through hands-on practice sheets. This function will help us format and convert data into a specific text format, allowing us to customize how these values are displayed in cells.

Topic 7: Using Date & Time Functions

We will then understand and practice the Date and Time functions. This includes knowing how to compute time differences, separate out specific components from dates, and work with date formats. We'll put these skills to practice through assignments that will improve our skill. We will learn to perform various calculations and manipulations with dates and times, making it easier to analyze, track schedules, and automate tasks involving time-related information. 

Topic 8: Arranging and Filtering Data in Excel

We will then understand how to sort and process filtering inputs, advanced options of the filter tool, using the Subtotal tool, and Flash Fill and Text to Column features. The Information that has been arranged logically is simpler to comprehend and analyse. Filtering enables us to concentrate on particular data subsets, helping customized analysis.

Topic 9: Validating and Qualifying Data in Excel

Further, we will learn to consolidate and validate the facts, perform What-If analysis using Goal Seek, data tables, and Scenario Manager, and use Excel tables effectively, all supported by corresponding practice sheets for hands-on learning. This feature ensures the value is accurate, lowering errors and increasing reliability. Together, these skills give us the power to work quickly, make wise choices, and discover valuable insights into our information.

Topic 10: Performing Data Lookup in Excel

We will then learn advanced Excel formulas like V Lookup, H Lookup, Index and Match, Choose, Indirect and many more. These formulas will help us quickly find and extract information depending on various factors. We can browse and handle enormous datasets with accuracy once we have mastered these techniques, enabling you to make sound decisions and learn new insights from complex information.

Topic 11: Decoding the Logical Functions

Then we will learn and practice working with various logical functions such as AND, OR, NOT, IF, etc. These tools allow us to establish dynamic circumstances and elaborate decision-making processes in our spreadsheets. By understanding logical functions, we will become skilled at automating activities, validating data, and producing customized outputs based on various scenarios.

Topic 12: Financial Functions used for Financial Planning

Next, we will learn and practice Financial formulas for Financial Planning, which includes evaluating investments using FV (Future Value), PV (Present Value), PMT (Payment), NPER (Number of Periods), and RATE (Rate of Interest) functions.

Topic 13: Excel for Investment Appraisal

Additionally, we will learn how to use a spreadsheet for Investment Appraisal, including the application of IRR (Internal Rate of Return), XIRR (Extended Internal Rate of Return, and NPV (Net Present Value), and practice applying them with corresponding practice sheets.

Topic 14: Data Analysis With Pivot Tables

Further, we will learn how to enrich information by formatting it with Pivot Tables, using Value Field Settings, exploring the layout and other options of Pivot Tables, and applying filters, data slicers, and timelines. Using pivot tables improves analysis and presentation, strengthening our ability to make decisions in situations involving numbers.

Topic 15: Working with Power Query

This chapter will help us explore Power Query to know its features, learn how to transform facts, merge queries and unpivot in power query and set up Power Pivot. 

Power Query is a flexible data processing tool that enables easy access to various sources. With this tool, we can combine information from many sources, make new columns, perform formatting, creatively reshape it, and carry out complex data manipulations all in one place.

A pivot table's computation engine is called Power Pivot, where we can model complex data, create relationships across tables, and calculate items to display in the value field area of pivot tables, pivot charts, or visualizations with Power Pivot.

Topic 16: Effective Data Visualization Using Charts

This chapter will provide us with extensive charting skills, allowing us to grasp a variety of chart styles and strategies for effective data representation and communication. We will learn how to insert a chart, understand the function of Clustered Column Chart and practice it, and explore using a Stacked Column Chart along with a practice sheet. Then we will move on to explore and practice various charting techniques such as Pie and Donut Charts, Sunburst and Treemap Charts, Line and Combo Charts, Waterfall Charts, Scatter Charts, Funnel Charts, and Sparklines.

Topic 17: Accentuate Data with Pivot Charts and Interactive Dashboards

We will then explore the features of the Pivot Chart and Interactive Dashboards to visually highlight key insights and trends within their data for more engaging and informative presentations.

Topic 18: Common Errors to Check in Excel

Next, we will learn about various errors that occur in the workbook and how to identify and correct them.

Topic 19: Wrap Up with Practical Work

We will then gain an in-depth understanding of creative data visualization techniques, conditionally formatting a Donut Chart, creating a dynamic to-do list, formulating a dynamic calendar, creating templates to generate invoices, and building a picture puzzle.

Topic 20: Understanding Macros

This ms excel advanced course will also help us learn how to use the Visual Basic Application (VBA) tool to create macros, format the balance sheets of 100 companies using macros, make VBA interactive, write macro code for basic operations, and create reports based on user inputs.