Microsoft Excel basics – formatting data, creating aesthetically pleasing charts and effective reports

Training process

Training needs analysis

If you have specific requirements regarding the training programme, we will carry out a training needs analysis for you. This will guide us on which aspects of the programme should receive greater emphasis, so that the training programme meets your specific needs.

What will you gain?

Confident Excel use - You will quickly get comfortable with the Excel interface, understand workbooks, worksheets and cells, and move around the program with confidence instead of guessing.

Faster data entry - You will enter, edit and organize data more efficiently by using keyboard shortcuts, autofill and Find/Replace, which will speed up your everyday work with spreadsheets.

Clearer worksheets - You will format cells, values, columns and rows on your own so your spreadsheets look clean, consistent and easy to read for you and for anyone else using the file.

Practical formulas - You will calculate totals, averages, minimums and maximums, round results, and understand relative and absolute references so copied formulas keep working correctly.

Better text handling - You will split data from one column, combine text values and use Flash Fill to prepare lists, registers and simple data sets much faster and with less manual editing.

Quicker data analysis - You will sort text, numbers and dates, then use filters to find the records you need, spot exceptions and prepare simple analyses without wasting time on manual review.

Visible trends and outliers - You will build charts and apply conditional formatting to highlight trends, compare results, mark extreme values and present your data in a way that is easier to understand.

Print-ready reports - You will prepare worksheets for printing or PDF export, set print areas, margins, headers and footers, and make sure the final document looks professional and ready to share.

Training programme

1. Microsoft Excel – introduction to the program

program interface,
basic concepts: workbook, worksheet, cell, cell address, file format,
basic keyboard shortcuts.

2. Changing the appearance of data in Excel

cell formatting,
value formatting,
the Format Painter tool,
changing the size of columns and rows.

3. Working with data

entering and editing data,
deleting formats and values,
Find/Replace tool.

4. Working with worksheets

adding, deleting and copying worksheets,
changing the name and tab color,
hiding and unhiding worksheets.

5. Autofill

creating a series from an ordinal number,
creating a list of calendar and working days,
creating a list of dates in monthly and yearly cycles,
creating a series from the names of months and days of the week.

6. Copying data

copying only values or only formats,
copying with rows and columns transposed,
copying while preserving column widths.

7. Calculations – formulas and functions

discussion of the rules for creating calculations in Excel,
creating calculations using formulas,
working with functions: SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, COUNT, ROUND,
calculations based on data from different worksheets,
locking cells – relative and absolute references (symbol $).

8. Working with texts

splitting text using the Text to Columns tool,
combining texts,
flash fill.

9. Sorting and filtering

sorting data by columns containing text, numbers, dates,
filtering numerical, text, and date data.

10. Charts

discussion of the elements appearing on charts,
modification of a chart using Chart Style, Quick Layout and Change Colors,
changing the type and characteristics of basic charts,
creating column, bar, line, pie charts, etc.,
editing chart elements: legend, title, axis labels, units, etc.,
creating charts with two axes,
creating charts showing changes over time and editing them.

11. Changing the appearance of data due to conditions – conditional formatting

highlighting data meeting criteria greater/smaller than or with specific text,
creating data bars, color scales,
adding symbols in a cell (e.g. arrows) for values meeting selected criteria,
highlighting the highest/lowest data with color,
highlighting data below/above the average,
editing and deleting conditional formats.

12. Formatting data using the Table object

13. Printing

defining the print area,
setting margins, page orientation, etc.,
header and footer settings, adding page numbering,
printing charts,
printing to PDF.

What are the prerequisites for participating in the training?

Basic computer use - You should be comfortable using a computer, keyboard and mouse, opening programs and switching between windows so you can focus on the Excel exercises during training.

Working with files - You should know how to save a file, open it from your drive and choose a folder, because during the course you will work with Excel workbooks and training materials.

Entering data - You should be able to type simple text, numbers and dates efficiently, because the exercises include editing worksheets, sorting, filtering and basic calculations.

Basic office work - You should understand what tables, lists and simple summaries are used for, so it is easier for you to complete tasks related to organizing data and presenting results.