EXCEL AT EXCEL

 

Microsoft Excel is a powerful software that is used to tabulate and analyse data; it is also used to create budgets and itinMeraries, populate charts, manage projects and schedules, track attendance, and more.

Over the years—since its launch in 1985—the spreadsheet software has gained the confidence of millions of users, but it is also avoided by many folk because its rich feature set can be intimidating. However, you can overcome this mental block with the help of fantastic online resources that will train you to become an Excel pro.

SUPPORT.OFFICE.COM

This Microsoft resource is meant as a teaching aid for those who are new to spreadsheets and need an introduction to Excel and its features. In the search box on the website, type “Excel for Windows Training”, and bookmark the first link that appears in the results.

Here, you will find an organised list of the basic concepts in Excel: Formatting, tables, formulas, charts, PivotTables and how to share your workbook with others for collaboration.

The guides are easy to understand, and consist of step-by-step instructions, along with video tutorials. The resource is also home to free downloadable templates with tutorials on how to use them.

EXCEL-EASY.COM

Excel Easy—another resource for beginners— starts off with the elementary aspects of the spreadsheet software such as its user interface; the concepts of workbook and worksheets, cells, ranges, and how to share and protect your file.

This is followed by tutorials on how to enter and format data, auto-fill cells, create lists, sort and filter through them, hide columns and rows, transpose data, etc; the resource even introduces you to data types and keyboard shortcuts.

When you are comfortable with the basics, you can progress to functions, and formulas that let you add, subtract, multiply, divide, and calculate percentages – as well as advanced functions that will help you make reports, analyse data and even familiarise yourself with Excel VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) to automate certain tasks.

TRUMPEXCEL.COM

Trump Excel is run by Sumit Bansal, a spreadsheet enthusiast and a Microsoft-recognised ‘Most Valuable Professional’ (MVP).

A financial analyst by profession, Sumit quit his full-time job to create this website in 2013. It is home to free tips and tutorials that teach you how to use the spreadsheet software: Beginners can start with his “free online Excel training” course, which comprises 26 video lessons spanning over 12 hours.

This course is divided into seven modules—from beginner to advanced—that teach you the basics of

Excel, data entry, cells, ranges, formatting, formulas, tables and worksheet management.

You will learn how to analyse data, use Excel to generate charts and even macros to automate tasks.

Besides the free course, you also get access to 100+ Excel Functions that are related to date, time, logic, reference, simple math, statistics, and more.

Alternatively, you can read Sumit’s blog—link on the website—to learn tips and “formula hacks”. There’s also a free ebook with downloadable templates to help you get started in a jiffy.

MREXCEL.COM

This is the website to visit if you want to learn new Excel tricks, and share your knowledge with peers from around the world.

Founded in 1998 by MVP Bill Jelen—aka Mr Excel—this website is home to a thriving community of users. Its “message board”—and archives— are where you should be if you want help with any spreadsheet-related issue.

The resource is a tad cluttered but holds a treasure trove of information: Its Learn Excel Resources, for instance, has a web link to Mr Excel’s YouTube channel, which has over 2,000 videos on functions, formulas, macros, charting, page setup, etc.

Its Excel Tips section has tidbits of information that will boost your spreadsheet expertise: Here, you can learn how to make the software read out cell contents, use keyboard shortcuts to improve productivity, customise the Quick Access toolbar, create macro routines, provide audible feedback when data is entered, protect formula cells, et al.

CHANDOO.ORG

Chandoo is a resource for data analysts, engineers, project managers, and salespeople—who want to sharpen their Excel skills. But it also caters to the uninitiated: Its Start Here section helps you figure out your starting point by picking topics based on your expertise level: Beginner, Intermediate, Pro or Power BI (business intelligence).

The website’s creator, Purna Duggirala—who is also a Microsoft MVP—has been sharing Excel guides for over 10 years. You can watch him explain concepts on YouTube, follow the tutorials on his blog, or sign up for his weekly newsletter.

Overall, you get free access to over 1,000 articles and can participate in a community forum that has 50,000+ active users. Additionally, for a fee, you can enroll for his online classes, buy advanced templates, and tutorial ebooks.

SPREADSHEETO.COM

The web resource is home to free email-based lessons that are designed by Kasper Langmann who is co-founder of Spreadsheeto and a certified Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS).

Here, you have to pick a course based on your proficiency—beginner, intermediate, advanced, or expert—and you will be sent three lessons that will help raise your Excel skills to the next level.

Each module, which is emailed over a course of three days, takes around 20 minutes—including practice time—to complete.

Newbies, for example, will learn about formulas and functions; intermediates will be taught about VLOOKUP and data cleansing, advanced users can brush up on how to automate tasks with macros, while the expert module delves into how to write macros with VBA code.

DESKBRIGHT.COM

Deskbright offers paid courses and certification in Excel, but it also has two very useful “free” sections: Tutorials and a QnA on the possible questions you may face in a job interview.

Under tutorials, you get access to well-organised chapters on Excel’s myriad features: Workbook basics, data filtering, formatting, functions (string, lookup, logical), charts and graphs, and PivotTables. Each topic comprises screenshots and detailed stepby-step instructions.

One drawback is that Deskbright allows users to access only three chapters per month. However, this can be worked around by accessing the chapters in the browser’s private/incognito mode.

Alternatively, you can sign up for the five-day free course and get courseware emailed to you every day.

The Excel Interview Questions page comes with answers that not only prepare you for job interviews, but also help you assess your proficiency and figure out which topics you need to brush up on.

Whether you take the plunge to learn Excel or not, check out vertex42.com for over 400 free spreadsheet templates that also work with Google Sheets. In case you don’t know what to look for, here are some of the most commonly used templates for home, work and school that will help you…

PLAN BUDGETS: Here, you will find monthly budget planners, money management for travel, expense prediction sheets, and worksheets to log project costs. MANAGE PROJECTS: There are templates for college students and working professionals that will help them manage multiple projects with a Gantt Charts, Kanban board or the “critical path method”.

SCHEDULE ASSIGNMENTS: Be prepared with housecleaning schedules, class timetables, travel itinerary, as well as baby feeding and immunisation schedules.

Then, there are templates for printable calendars, professional charts and bar graphs, checklists, timesheets, health logs, invoices and more.

The templates carry a Private Use license, which means they can be downloaded for personal use and work, but cannot be shared publicly with others or resold.

Source | Times of India | 25^th January 2020

Regards!

Librarian                                                                                                                                                     

Rizvi Institute of Management