Many accounting professionals are unaware of Excel’s many features and functions they can implement to improve the accuracy and efficiency of their spreadsheets. In this comprehensive webinar, Excel expert David Ringstrom, CPA, shares applicable Excel fundamentals that will enable accounting professionals to achieve those goals. Step-by-step, David demonstrates and explains several alternatives to Excel's SUM function, including conditional summing; a better alternative to manually hiding/unhiding rows and columns; automating repetitive tasks by way of Excel's Table feature, including creating self-expanding charts; contrasting the Table feature with Data Tables and PivotTables; helpful keyboard shortcuts; and ways to repair damaged Excel workbooks.

David demonstrates every technique at least twice: first, on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps, and second, in the subscription-based Office 365 version of Excel. David draws your attention to any differences in the older versions of Excel (2019, 2016, 2013, and earlier) during the presentation as well as in his detailed handouts. David also provides an Excel workbook that includes most of the examples he uses during the webcast.

Office 365 is a subscription-based product that provides new-feature updates as often as monthly. Conversely, the perpetual licensed versions of Excel have feature sets that don’t change. Perpetual licensed versions have year numbers, such as Excel 2019, Excel 2016, and so on.

Who should attend: Professionals seeking to use Microsoft Excel more effectively.

Topics covered:

  • Inserting totals into lists with a few mouse clicks by way of Excel’s SUBTOTAL function
  • Learning a simple design technique that greatly improves the integrity of Excel’s SUM function
  • Summing disparate sections of a spreadsheet quickly with the SUBTOTAL function
  • Comparing the AGGREGATE function in Excel 2010 and later to the SUBTOTAL function available in all versions of Excel
  • Employing the SUMIF function to sum values related to multiple instances of criteria you specify
  • Using the SUM function to drill through two or more worksheets
  • Using the SUMIFS function to sum values based on multiple criteria
  • Customizing table styles in Excel
  • Eliminating the need to manually resize charts when data is added—automate this with tables instead
  • Avoiding the need to write repetitive formulas using Excel’s Data Table feature
  • Managing cumbersome lists of data using the Table feature
  • Removing the Table feature from a worksheet if it’s no longer needed
  • Streamlining the filtering of lists in Excel 2013 and later by using the Slicer feature with tables
  • Learning how the Table feature empowers you to improve the integrity of Excel spreadsheets
  • Understanding the data integrity risks posed by pivot tables when users add additional data to the original source list
  • Improving the integrity of pivot tables by utilizing the Table feature in Excel
  • Leveraging Excel’s Quick Access Toolbar to create a shortcut that enables you to filter lists with a keystroke instead of multiple mouse actions
  • Restoring Full Screen View in Excel 2013 and later as well as enabling a keyboard shortcut for this feature
  • Simplifying repetitive tasks by creating your own keyboard shortcuts
  • Toggling the locked status of a worksheet cell on or off by way of a custom shortcut
  • Unearthing the key step in being able to format subtotaled cells without affecting hidden rows
  • Using the Group command to interactively hide/unhide columns (and/or rows) within Excel worksheets
  • Learning what steps to take if you can’t open a damaged workbook

 

Learning Objectives
  • Discover and select the formula that would drill through multiple sheets to add up a cell as well as automatically include any new sheets added later.
  • Explore and state the location of the Group and Ungroup commands within Excel's menu.
  • Identify the menu on the Data tab of Excel's ribbon that contains the Data Table feature.
Last updated/reviewed: January 11, 2023
19 Reviews (96 ratings)

Reviews

5
Member's Profile
very good course. the examples from the real world were helpful and insightful

5
Anonymous Author
I enjoyed this class. It was a good refresher for some functions in excel, but I also learned quite a bit. It's good to know how to make your data more efficient, but also how some of the tips for efficiency can potentially trip you up when it comes to updating and presenting your data in the future.

5
Anonymous Author
Instructor really explains thoroughly & provides wonderful & helpful supporting documents & materials for afterwards. It still takes me forever to complete, but it is a well planned out & conducted online learning video.

5
Anonymous Author
David does such a great job presenting excel that makes it easy to follow and understand. I enjoy his classes and find them very useful and applicable to my every day use of Excel.

5
Member's Profile
This is a solid course with good materials for a mid-level resource. The basic commands and skills are indeed basic, but it meets the stated objectives of the course.

5
Anonymous Author
I used this course as refresher course for certain commands that I have not used for awhile. Easy to follow and great examples were very helpful.

5
Member's Profile
This course refreshes my excel knowledge. It reviewed the shortcuts and concepts I knew and taught me new ones that I find useful at work.

5
Anonymous Author
It's amazing how stuck in outdated ways of doing things we can get sometimes. Some of these simple tips will simplify so many processes.

5
Anonymous Author
Goes over features such as subtotal and tables which are extremely useful but rarely used by everyday users.

4
Anonymous Author
Great Resource and easy to follow. I could follow along easily and understand what is being shown.

5
Anonymous Author
Great tips for using excel. I especially liked all the templates that are already pre built

5
Member's Profile
Agregate fx and self expanding pivot charts were cool tips which i plan to use in my work

4
Anonymous Author
This course provided vast coverage on basic excel skills needed for daily use.

5
Anonymous Author
Explained in detail, lot of material but easy to follow at a comfortable pace.

5
Anonymous Author
Great excel refresher! It's good to be reminded of some of these shortcuts

5
Anonymous Author
Great thorough walkthrough with accompanying workbook for all examples

5
Anonymous Author
I can definitely see the shortcut features being very beneficial.

5
Anonymous Author
Instructor provides great examples and clear instructions.

5
Anonymous Author
Good training. Objective completed. Very detailed.

Prerequisites
Course Complexity: Foundational

No advanced preparation or prerequisites are required for this course.

Education Provider Information
Company: Illumeo, Inc., 75 East Santa Clara St., Suite 1215, San Jose, CA 95113
Contact: For more information regarding this course, including complaint and cancellation policies, please contact our offices at (408) 400- 3993 or send an e-mail to .
Instructor for this course
Course Syllabus
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
  Introduction to Excel Efficiency: Basic Excel Skills for Accountants3:05
  Smarter SUM Formulas 6:06
  Drill through Worksheets and Subtotal Function10:54
  Subtotal Feature and Formatting Subtotals 8:18
  AGGREGATE AND SUMIF Functions10:04
  SUMIF Introduction and Group/ungroup Columns8:10
  Creating and Applying Cell Styles6:35
TABLE FEATURE
  Table Feature and Managing Table Style 8:41
  Table Feature Total Row, Slicers and Undo the Table Feature6:01
  Self Expanding Charts and Pivot Table Data Integrity Risk 13:56
  Data Table and Shortcuts12:00
  Few More Techniques8:50
CONTINUOUS PLAY
  Excel Efficiency: Basic Excel Skills for Accountants1:42:39
SUPPORTING MATERIAL
  Slides: Excel Efficiency: Basic Excel Skills for AccountantsPDF
  Excel Efficiency: Basic Excel Skills for Accountants Glossary/ IndexPDF
  Excel Efficiency Basic Skills for AccountantsXLXS
REVIEW AND TEST
  REVIEW QUESTIONSquiz
 FINAL EXAMexam