Microsoft

Microsoft is one of the most ubiquitous companies in the world – a fancy word that basically means it’s found everywhere! And the reason is simple – the company produces software, PC’s and related products that are ideally suited to a variety of private, business and academic uses.

Excel is the spreadsheet application that forms part of the Microsoft Office suite, with the Windows version of the software first released in 1987. Creating spreadsheets can be a daunting task for many of us, however, they are a valuable tool for today’s complex and time-poor home and working environments.

Microsoft Excel allows users to easily store and analyse large quantities of data using a grid of cells arranged in numbered rows and letter-named columns to organise data manipulations. And its functions range from basic mathematical equations to complex statistical analyses.

It sounds complicated, but the software is actually very user-friendly, which is why it has become the industry standard for spreadsheet generation. It is a must-have for those working in virtually any business, but also ideal for those keen to get personal data like their budget in beautifully spreadsheeted order! That’s why we are so excited to be launching our NEW course – Excel 2019 for Windows!

Learning Outcomes

• Explore the interface and some of its features, including the zoom, ribbon, status bar and various view modes.
• Discover how to insert and edit images, screenshots and shapes; insert hyperlinks and use the new Smart Lookup feature.
• Analyse and present your data in a visually appealing manner, including inserting and customising charts and using trendlines.
• Learn how to create, manage and save documents, insert headers and footers, and edit document properties and print documents.
• Discover how to work with formulas, including built-in formulas like SUM and COUNT, perform rounding and ranking and generate random numbers.
• Learn how to create custom formats for text, numbers, dates and times, as well as how to create and use conditional formatting.
• Study how to share your documents – via email or by uploading them to OneDrive and SharePoint.
• Monitor feedback by staying in the loop with document comments, and the version history and track changes tools.
• Explore the different chart types and styles for presenting and analysing your data, including in Pie, Radar, Bubble, Scatter, Map and Combo charts.
• Understand how Excel tables can be used to manage, analyse and manipulate data.
• Learn how to sort, filter and perform calculations in a table and change its formatting and appearance.
• Discover how you can align data, use colours and themes, resize rows and columns, and insert tables and borders to change the presentation of your data.
• Explore the numerous ways to insert, edit and manipulate your data, including undo and redo, Flash Fill, spell check and transposing a data range.
• Learn about the various methods for locating, displaying and manipulating data entries.
• Discover the Find and Replace tools and manipulate data with the Group and Outline tools.
• Explore absolute and relative cell references, using data across multiple worksheets and formula auditing.
• Learn how to control what is displayed in your data range and how the values are organised.
• Study how to perform basic and more advanced sort operations, filter data, use the column header tools and manage colour-tagged and duplicate entries.
• Understand potential formula errors, use intelligent data types, set goals to reach targets and problem solve with the Solver and Forecast tools.

Why Study Windows Excel?

• Organising and manipulating data can be complex and time-consuming. Excel not only speeds up the process but reduces human error in terms of miscalculations. Master its advanced features and you’ll also be able to undertake complicated forms of statistical analyses.
• Excel is a universal language that can be used across the globe in a wide range of applications. Its accessibility also enables the free movement of information between people and businesses regardless of their location.
• Because it’s part of the Microsoft Office package, outputs from Excel can also be easily transferred to other Microsoft software including Word or Powerpoint to aid in the delivery of documents and presentations.
• Learning the Excel 2019 for Windows keyboard shortcuts will increase your productivity, meaning you’ll be well on your way to achieving Excel excellence!
• Completing an Excel course will enhance your employability and career prospects, particularly in the area of analytical skills.
• Because it’s the most widely used software programs of its kind in the world, it is a valuable skill to have across a range of sectors from the medical, education and business to admin, sales and finance.

Fun Facts About Excel

• Other names initially considered for the software were ‘Master Plan’ and ‘Mr Spreadsheet’ (which we love). ‘Excel’ was eventually given the thumbs up because the creators believed it excelled over its competitors.
• Version 3.0 was credited for introducing the toolbar, which has became a standard feature in a wide variety of desktop applications.
• The software’s rows and columns have increased over the years, meaning it can handle a lot more cells than it used to. Versions up to Excel 95 had a limit of 16,384 rows. By the time Excel 2007 came along, it offered 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns – a total of 17,179,869,184 cells. Which is a lot of data! How much can the 2019 version handle? We dare you to find out.
• The Excel 2016 version had around 484 functions. And the 2019 version? Again, we dare you.

Keen to up-skill with the most widely used software program of its kind in the world? Of course, you are! Get spreadsheet savvy with our NEW Excel 2019 for Windows course!