Excel Quick Start Tutorial: 36 Minutes to Learn the Basics

Name: Excel Quick Start Tutorial: 36 Minutes to Learn the Basics
Rating: 4.5 (21264 reviews)

Spark your skills in Excel! Go from a blank worksheet to pivot tables in 36 minutes. Great for interview prep!

Created byJeff Knowlton

Last updated 8/2016

English

What you'll learn

Enter and edit Excel data. Format numbers, fonts and alignment.
Make simple pivot tables and charts
Create simple Excel formulas.
Use Excel Functions IF and VLOOKUP
Filter and sort lists of data. Find the "Top 10" values.
Use Excel table functions to de-duplicate data and make totals.
Understand how Excel is used in a business context to analyze data.
Create a simple sales analysis report.

Course content

3 sections • 8 lectures • 36m total length

What's a QuickStart Course?3:03
Learn what to expect and how to get the most from this course.
Note that sample Excel worksheets are available with the data updated after each lesson. The sample worksheets are available in the resources / download section.

Getting Started with Entering Data and Formulas5:11
Starting from a blank worksheet, I show you how to enter data to make a table. I show you how to format the data and enter formulas as well. The data is based on the sales from a small flower shop. Let's get going!
Filtering and Sorting Data; Adding Totals4:55
Once all of the data's entered, I'll show you how to add a basic filter to sort and filter the results. I'll also show you how to sum up the sales of the bouquets. It's easy!
Working with Excel Data

Sales Reporting and Analysis: An Introduction2:55
In this lecture, we move to a more authentic, realistic case study, showing the sales data for an entire year for a printing company. The lesson introduces some basic business concepts, like how sales data from individual invoices are mapped to Excel, and critical elements of sales analysis, like identifying the top customers, the top products, trends in the data, and reporting by product line and by region.
I've provided a file of the raw data that you can use to practice. It will be updated for each of the lessons in the section. I encourage you to download the file and practice!
Preparing Data for Analysis: Advanced Functions: IF, VLOOKUP and table functions7:07
This lesson introduces the data for the sales analysis, and uses the Excel functions for IF and VLOOKUP, along with table formatting, to prepare the data for further analysis.
Pivot Tables to Summarize Data6:31
We'll create pivot tables to summarize the sales by customer, by product, and by product line by month, to answer some of the key questions
Displaying the Results with Beautiful Charts4:31
A picture is worth a thousand words! I'll show you how to make charts from the pivot tables, including line charts, column charts, and a 3D column chart. I'll also show you some cool tricks for adding a data table to a chart.
Working with Pivot Tables
Wrap Up and Next Steps2:10
Congratulations! You finished the course. Let's review what you've learned, and review next steps. Discounts are available for other more advanced Excel courses.

Requirements

Students should have a copy of Excel 2010, or Excel 2013 or Excel 2016, already installed.
Students should be familiar with working with files: opening, closing and saving files.

Description

Here's what some students are saying about the course in the Reviews!

"Really concise quick summary and foundation in Excel" - Clare B.

"Instruction was very easy to follow. It was like having a friend show you what to do." - Patrick M.

"Very clear and easy to understand" - Fiona M

"Great introduction to pivot tables and good examples too." - John P.

"Needed this to get ready for a new job, feeling more confident already!" - Daniel H.

"I have been using Excel for years but only in very specific ways. This course gave a good overview of major functions I have never used and didn't know existed. Will be making some accounting pivot charts right away." - Kyrie

The course is just 36 minutes - you can finish it over a lunch break! That’s how long it takes to complete the videos in this course, and come away with a strong understanding of the use of Excel in business. You’ll learn many of the important Excel functions: IF, VLOOKUP, pivot tables and charts, including line charts, column charts and 3D column charts. You’ll learn how to enter and edit data and formulas. How to format text and numbers. How to filter and sort large tables of data and calculate totals.

Only 36 minutes! How is this possible? I work through two business case studies on sales reporting and analysis, showing you how to use Excel to analyze data and answer questions, highlighting each step, and clearly explaining what I’m doing and why. You’ll learn how the functions work, and you’ll learn when, and why, to use them in business analytics. Full disclosure: plan for another 45 minutes or so to work through the case studies yourself. I provide all of the files.

And it’s free! Even though free, it includes all of the features of the standard course: downloadable files, closed captions and quizzes, to help you learn and make it stick.

This course is designed for people who are preparing for an interview. Starting a new office job. Looking to jump-start their career. And even for those people who are thinking about a longer Excel course, but who aren't sure that Excel is right for them.

But let’s make something clear: you won’t be an expert. This course is a starting point, the first step on your journey to learn business analytics. It may be as far as you need to go. Let’s find out! Click the button “TAKE THIS COURSE” and get started.

Who this course is for:

This course is for absolute beginners, who would like to get the "gist" of Excel, and how it's used to analyze data.
Take this course before an interview. Be prepared!
Take this course before starting an office job. Before taking an accounting course. Be prepared!
This course does NOT provide detailed examples of complex functions - it moves quickly to show the "context". It's to get you started.

Excel Quick Start Tutorial: 36 Minutes to Learn the Basics

What you'll learn

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Course content

Course Introduction1 lecture • 3min

First Case Study: Just the Basics!2 lectures • 10min

Sales Reporting Case Study - Including Pivot Tables, Charts, IF and VLOOKUP5 lectures • 23min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: