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Excel Basics– the Ultimate Beginner’s Course

Name: Excel Basics– the Ultimate Beginner’s Course
Rating: 4.3 (75 reviews)

Learn Microsoft Excel at your own Pace - includes all the Workbooks used and is taught by a Microsoft Certified Trainer

Created byDavid Millard

Last updated 7/2018

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Learn the basic concepts of spreadsheet design, formulas and functions that will enable you to build fully working models using Microsoft Excel.
You can apply these new skills to your work, studies, or personal projects to streamline your workflow
By the end of this course, you will be able to proficiently navigate Excel workbooks, perform basic calculations and visualise data with Charts
You will learn how to create charts to represent data accurately and communicate numerical information in a visual manner

Course content

9 sections • 44 lectures • 3h 34m total length

Welcome to Excel Basics1:55
Important Points2:20
Get up to speed fast with our easy-to-follow Excel training!
This course does exactly what it says on the tin - teaches Excel Basics.
If you use Excel in your job, you probably know everything you need to know in order to get the job done. Most of us only learn what we need - that's human nature.
BUT - when I am out training on a client's site I often hear “You don’t know what you don’t know!”. That's because many people who use Excel have only ever had “on the job” training, and as a result may find that their skills are out of date.
Improve your Skills
Refreshing your skill set is an important part of continuous professional development and a critical factor when you are applying for a new position.
Give yourself a head start when looking for a new job or seeking promotion at work by getting up to speed with the latest versions of Excel.
Things have moved on quite a bit in recent years, and by leveraging the new features of Excel you will find that you work quicker and more efficiently - and that will impress your peers and your boss!
Tutorials in Plain English
All the tutorials are all recorded by me - David Millard - and I don't record waffle or jargon.
I attend training courses myself, so I guess the things that drive me mad will probably drive you mad too.
My Excel tutorial videos are designed for self-study, so I keep them brief and focussed on a specific topic.
They all come with a practice file too so you can download and have a go yourself.
Pause, Stop, Rewind
And of course, you have lifetime access to all the material so you can watch as many times as you want, pause and rewind, take notes or try the techniques out for yourself.
As an extra bonus, there is a downloadable list of the keyboard shortcuts I use in the course available at the end.

The Excel Interface3:55
This first tutorial explores the Excel interface and demonstrates a quick way of navigation. Use a blank workbook for practice.
Creating a New Workbook4:06
In this tutorial we look at the File tab and discover how to open a workbook based on a template and a blank workbook... Use a blank workbook for practice.
Pointer Shapes3:29
The shape of the mouse pointer is a visual clue to the action Excel will take, so this is an important basic concept to understand. Use a blank workbook for practice.
Opening and Closing Workbooks3:42
In this tutorial I show you how to open and close workbooks and how to add a link to a file or a folder by pinning it to the backstage view.
Moving around with Keyboard and Mouse5:14
This tutorial examines moving around the worksheet with the keyboard and mouse for navigation.
Opening Multiple Workbooks5:51
In this tutorial we look at opening more than one workbook at a time so that you can see how easy it is to switch between them - a very common activity in Excel.
Renaming Sheets2:38
Here we look at renaming sheets in a workbook by giving them meaningful titles.
Copying and Moving Sheets4:35
In this tutorial we look at copying an moving sheets, and how we can maintain all the existing formatting while we do it.
Inserting and Deleting Sheets5:52
Today's tutorial shows you how to insert new sheets into a workbook, and what to do if you no longer need a sheet.
Changing Sheet Tab Colours2:15
In this tutorial we change the colours of some sheet tabs to make them easily identifiable.
Copying and Moving Cells6:22
Copying and moving data is one of the most common tasks in Excel, or indeed,, the workplace. Here we use the cut and copy buttons to replace and copy data from one place to another.
Copying and Moving by Dragging3:46
As an alternative to using cut, copy and paste, many people prefer to use the mouse and drag cells to perform the same actions.
Using the Fill Handle4:15
Here we use the techniques covered so far to create a basic spreadsheet, and illustrate hoe useful the Fill handle can be. Use a blank workbook for practice.
Quick Quiz

Inserting Rows and Columns3:51
A short and simple tutorial that explains how rows and columns can be inserted into a worksheet.
Deleting Rows and Columns5:42
In this tutorial we describe the risks involved in deleting rows and columns.
Hiding Rows and Columns4:06
Sometimes a better alternative to deleting rows or columns is simply to hide them – this tutorial explains how.
Adjusting Column Widths5:31
Changing the width of a column or the height of a row is an everyday task that should be easy - and it is! We look at ways of doing this in this tutorial...
Adjusting Row Height5:10
Row heights are changed in the same ways as column widths, but the height of the font used can also play a part in determining how tall a row should be.
Copying by Using the Fill Handle6:22
When you want to copy something down a column the Fill handle can be invaluable. We saw in a previous video how this can be used in a basic way and in this tutorial we explore some less well-known methods.
Copying Using the Shortcut Menus9:39
In this tutorial I look at an alternative method of copying.
Worksheets Quiz

Selection Methods6:32
Selecting cells accurately is essential if Excel is to perform calculations correctly, so this short tutorial shows you some of the ways you can select cells with the mouse and the keyboard. Use a blank workbook for practice.
Cell Alignment5:01
Aligning cells is done automatically depending on the type of data they contain, but there are many occasions when you want to change the default behaviour.
The Format Painter3:44
The Format Painter is an incredibly useful feature in Excel and a massive time-saver as well. This tutorial looks at how to get the most from it.
Simple Formatting6:47
Formatting is easy and makes all the difference to how people interact with a spreadsheet. It is a part of the user interface and as such should follow best practice guidelines.
Fonts, Font Size and Font Colour7:10
A quick look at changing Fonts, their colours, weight and sizes.
Cell Borders3:20
Adding a border to a cell can make it stand out, or indicate where a value should be entered, a calculation performed or an outcome placed - there are lots of reasons for doing so and this tutorial explains how.
Cell Patterns3:47
Sometimes adding a subtle pattern to a cell can be a substitute for colour - useful for printing in black and white.
Formatting Quiz

Introduction to Formulas and Functions8:03
We kick off with a very simple subtraction, but it allows me to show you the best practice for constructing a formula.
Invoice Walkthrough3:54
The invoice exercise is one for you to complete yourself, but this walkthrough can be useful to check your results.
Absolute Cell References6:33
One of the most basic principles in Excel is locking a cell reference so that it can be copied to other cells. This is called making the reference absolute, as opposed to relative which is the default behaviour.
Functions6:39
There are almost 500 functions in Excel 2013, many of which are specific to certain areas, industries or careers. We look at the most common and see how they differ from formulas.
Named Ranges5:27
Moving on, we look at multiplication and the order of calculation.
Outlining5:42
Financial workbooks often refer to standard time periods such as quarters and half years. Excel has a built-in functionality that will automatically create an index when the worksheet is laid out in a specific way, making it very easy to create executive summaries - this video explains how to use it.
Calculations Quiz

Sorting4:53
Sorting can be helpful when you want to see the data arranged in a particular order. The order can be alphabetical, numerical or in arranged in date order and Excel is smart enough to recognise the type of data and give you the appropriate choice.
Filtering5:28
Filtering data allows the information that is not required to be hidden, so you only see what you need. The filter tabs were previously called Autofilter, but in later versions of Excel they have become easier to use and a lot more flexible.
Tables8:48
Tables were introduced in Excel 2007 and have rapidly become an essential feature of my use of the software. This tutorial guides you through creating a table and then shows you some of the amazing things that are possible once the data is in a tabular format.
Sorting and Filtering Quiz

Inserting Charts in Excel 20104:16
This tutorial shows two methods of inserting a chart and formatting options including adding data labels, changing text colour and adding percentage points,
Adding Charts in Excel 20134:59
In this tutorial the exercise used last time is repeated but using Excel 2013. The differences in the two versions can be seen and the alternative formatting options appreciated.
Sparklines4:06
Sparklines are simply small charts that fit into a single cell. Introduced in Excel 2010, sparklines are even easier to insert in later versions - this tutorial shows you how.
Chart Quiz

Setting and Clearing a Print Area4:28
It is easy to tell Excel exactly what to print, but if you don't it will assume you want to print everything - not always a good idea. In this tutorial I explain how to do it...
Page Breaks and Column Headers4:17
Ever print a worksheet only to find critical columns cut off and put on their own sheet? Sadly, it is all too common but after watching this tutorial you need never suffer from that nuisance again...
Printing Quiz

Requirements

You should have access to a working copy of Microsoft Excel before starting this course.
No other experience is required, all lectures come with a priactice file.

Description

Learn the basic concepts of spreadsheet design, formulas and functions that will enable you to build fully working models using the world’s most popular spreadsheet software.

Build a strong foundation in spreadsheet software with this Excel beginner’s course taught by a Microsoft Certified Trainer

· Workbooks and Worksheets
· Formulas and Functions
· Sorting, Filtering and Tables
· Charts and Graphs
· Page Layout, Formatting and Printing

A Powerful Skill Employers Want

Learning to use Excel puts you in a very strong position in the workplace. Employers in many different fields need people who are skilled at using the immense power of Excel to manipulate data.

When you understand the basics you can move on to more advanced topics like data analysis, using Excel for forecasting, building financial models and summarizing business activity via a dashboard.

Content and Overview

I designed this Excel course to be easily understood by absolute beginners. Even if you are self-taught, in this comprehensive course we will cover together the right ways to use a spreadsheet efficiently and quickly.

We start with the basics of the Excel workbook and learn how to become confident in moving around quickly. We continue with Inserting, Hiding and Deleting and then look at the right method of performing Calculations.

Ever wonder why your formulas are not consistent? We’ll learn how to make them reliable and work every time – you’ll be amazed at just how easy it is. You will be able to choose how much you see by using Filters, and impress your peers by adding a Chart in a couple of clicks.

We finish up with a clear method of ensuring you only print what you want. By the end of the course you will be confident in using any version of Excel and capable of harnessing the power of this amazing software. You will be able to make Excel do what YOU want, not be a slave to what IT wants!

Complete with the actual working files I use, you'll be able to work alongside me and will receive a verifiable certificate of completion upon finishing the course.

Who this course is for:

This course is perfect for absolute beginners but is also suitable for self-taught Excel users. No prior knowledge is required and the techniques taught will work in any version of Excel.
Non accountants, business people, students, sales people, office workers, marketing executives and anyone who has to use Excel in their work.

Excel Basics– the Ultimate Beginner’s Course

What you'll learn

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Course content

Welcome to Excel Basics - The Ultimate Beginner's course2 lectures • 4min

Excel Basics13 lectures • 56min

Worksheets7 lectures • 40min

Formatting7 lectures • 36min

Formulas6 lectures • 36min

Sorting and Filtering Data3 lectures • 19min

Charts3 lectures • 13min

Printing2 lectures • 9min

Keyboard Shortcuts1 lecture • 1min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: