Excel for Advanced Users: Bitesize Live Online Learning Courses

Overview of the Sessions

Advanced Range Names

If you regularly use complex formulas, especially ones that use Absolute or partial Absolute Cell References or if you struggle to navigate large spreadsheets then this session may be useful to you.

Course Requirements: You will need to be confident setting up a spreadsheet, performing basic calculations and using Absolute Cell References. If you are not confident with this please see our session on basic formulas.

What you will learn:

• Single cell Range Names
• Partial Absolute Cell References
• Naming Columns
• Data Validation
• Navigation
• Using Named Ranges in Formulas

Nesting Logical Functions

This session will take you from basic IFs into nesting them to get more refined results. This is useful if IF analysis is a large part of what you do. It will also teach you the principles of nesting formulas which are useful across Excel at this level.

Course Requirements: You will need to be confident setting up a spreadsheet and performing calculations, including using Absolute Cell References.

What you will learn:

• Nested IF functions
• Nesting IFs and the IFs function IFs with AND, OR

LookUps

Lookups are a common tool in Excel to cross reference data from other sheets. This session will take you through a basic VLOOKUP as well as looking at ways to make your Lookups more flexible using the MATCH function.

Course Requirements: You will need to be confident setting up a spreadsheet and performing calculations, including using Absolute Cell References.

What you will learn:

• VLOOKUP (and if there’s time, HLOOKUP too)
• Nesting MATCH function to make your Lookup copyable with Autofill, IFERROR, IFNA
• If there’s time: INDEX and MATCH

XLOOKUP

Are you looking to cross reference and extract data from a list? Lookups are a common tool in Excel that enable you to do this. However, if you are looking for a more flexible approach then the new Microsoft 365 XLOOKUP function will provide the answer for you.

This session will take you through the limitations of VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP and how they can be overcome by using the XLOOKUP Function. This function also provides an alternative for using INDEX combined with MATCH.

The advantage of XLOOKUP is that you don’t need the criteria to be on the left column. It is also more dynamic and less prone to errors. We call it the new superhero function.

Course Requirements: You will need to be confident setting up a spreadsheet and performing calculations, including using Absolute Cell References.

What you will learn:

• How to use the XLOOKUP instead of VLOOKUP or HLOOKUP in conjunction with an IFERROR function
• Using XLOOKUP instead of the INDEX and MATCH functions
• Using a nested XLOOKUP to perform a two-way lookup

New Formulas in Excel 2016 Onwards

This session could be useful if you have recently upgraded to Office 2016, 2019 or Office 365 but please check that you have the new formula add in available as these functions will only be available if you do.

Course Requirements: You will need to be confident setting up a spreadsheet and performing calculations, including using Absolute Cell References. If you are not confident with this please see our session on Basic Formulas.

What you will learn:

• IFs, SWITCH, CONCAT, TEXTJOIN, MINIFS, MAXIFS

Working With Spreadsheets That Other People Have Created

This session covers the key tasks you should complete when you inherit someone else's spreadsheet to ensure that it is running well and to make sense of any complex formulas.

Course Requirements: You should be confident creating formulas including IFs with AND and OR nested inside them. If you're not comfortable with these things then please see our Nesting Formulas session.

What you will learn:

• Formula Auditing tools (trace precedents, evaluate formula)
• Using Find to identify data validation and conditional formatting
• Examining where named ranges are
• Using the formula bar to unravel nested functions.

You can also mix and match with our other Live Online Learning courses: Introduction to Excel, Excel for Intermediate Users, Excel for Intermediate Users: Pivot Tables and Charts, Word for Intermediate Users, and Outlook for Intermediate Users. We have also developed a range of Live Online Learning for our Leadership and Personal Development programmes that you may be interested in.

The Small Print

The course will run remotely for 90 minutes. 

All learners will need to install Zoom on their machines. Full technical requirements are on the Zoom website. Your link will be included in your joining instructions once you have booked your place — if you haven't received this email then please contact our team.

Learners should log into the training session 10 minutes before the start time to ensure that they have downloaded and set up Zoom correctly. The course will start precisely on time and it may not be possible to go back over material missed by late arrivals.

Your active participation is expected: everyone will be heard and seen throughout, just as they would be if we were in a room together. To be heard, hear and seen you will need a microphone, speakers and camera – if you have a modern laptop that’s all you will need. Remember, you’ll need a quiet place to call from and a decent internet connection is a must.

Please ensure you read our Terms and Conditions before booking for our payment terms and cancellation policy.

The happy Guarantee

We want everyone to go away from our courses feeling as though they have learnt useful, practical skills that they can use straight away when they go back to work.

If you don’t feel that your training has been useful or if you are unhappy in any way, just get in touch with our Customer Services team within 30 days of the course. We will be happy to offer you additional support and training free of charge to help you to gain the skills you need, or if you’d prefer, a full refund.