Who Should Attend and What is Covered

This course is aimed at experienced Excel users who have to:

• Analyse data using Excel
• Use data which has been analysed in Excel
• Present Excel-based data to an audience

What is Covered and How?

This course has four main parts:

• Using a worked example to introduce two of the most powerful Excel tools; Power Query and Power Pivot. The ultimate output here will be an Excel-based dashboard.
• Examining some self-generated techniques and the Excel tools for ‘What if’ simulations - both input to output and output to input.
• Comparing legacy Excel to newer techniques in the very important data analysis areas of LOOKUP and FILTERING.
• Using the dashboard output of 1 above, communicating the results via exchanges between Excel and PowerPoint.

This course will operate with a mixture of instructor-delivery and practical exercises using a case-study approach. The emphasis will be on delivering practical techniques which can be used in everyday work, rather than on esoteric theory.

Benefits

Participants will benefit from:

• An introduction to Power Query, giving an appreciation of its power and where you might use it in your organisation.
• An introduction to Power Pivot to help participants see where they might enhance reporting by switching to from legacy pivot tables.
• Seeing how Excel can assist in sanity checking and validating analyses, forecasts etc. through the various WHAT IF tools available.
• Exploring the use of the new LOOKUP and FILTER tools for more succinct and surgical analysis of datasets.
• Understanding better the relationship between Excel and PowerPoint and issues associated with creating a dashboard in PowerPoint from linking to Excel and validating and repairing links between the two where required.

Course Content and Approach

• All of the techniques covered will be applied to the same supplied case study, the output of which will be a number of reports culminating in a dashboard.
• Querying using Power Query
• The Data Model concept
• Power Pivot
• DAX measures and Syntax
• What If analysis: IF, LOOKUP, Data Tables, Scenario Manager, Goal Seeker, Solver and FORECAST.
• XLOOKUP and XMATCH - superseding VLOOKUP AND HLOOKUP - with real-world examples and dynamic array formulas
• Filtering - a comparison of the legacy desktop with the FILTER function making the old methods defunct
• Excel and PowerPoint - linking vs embedding, using the CAMERA tool for live-linking and applying these techniques to our Case Study dashboard

Important Notes

• Two monitors: Having two monitors is very strongly recommended for this training. It allows you to view the trainer's 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 trainer's 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 10/11: We prepare the files and deliver the course using Windows 10/11. 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.