Microsoft Excel is a tremendous analytical tool, but most people don’t take full advantage of its power and depth. The main reason for this is that they do not have adequate training. So in the end, many features remain dormant. Time invested into advanced excel training, as well as other areas, can help any individual because it makes you a better employee or candidate for a job. If you are a business owner, your staff will be much more productive and make fewer mistakes. Here, we will go over the long list of general and specific benefits associated with advanced Excel training.

Time Savings on the Basics

Many are already familiar with the basic functions of Excel, but they use them at a slow pace. This is because they have no idea about the shortcuts and macros embedded in the Excel programming. Even simple tasks (adding, subtracting, etc…) that take a long time to be completed manually can be done much faster if you know advanced techniques.

Avoid Costly Errors

The more automated it is, the less chance there is for human error. Each manual task runs the risk of a missed keystroke or a cell that is filled with the wrong data. Advanced Excel users automate almost everything, thus reducing human error significantly.

Pivot Table Magic

This function allows for large amounts of selected data to be displayed in an aggregate summary. The Pivot Table tool completely automates the ability to sort, count, sum, or average data stored in any table or spreadsheet. This is especially useful for raw counts and standard deviations. The pivot table makes these data collections much more useful, and they can even be displayed graphically.

In this application, a second table, the Pivot Table, appears with the summarized data. This way you can toggle back-and-forth to see how changes in the data affect the overall data flow. Dragging and dropping make this easier but only if you know how.

Editing Ease

The advanced filtering makes sure only relevant info is displayed, and the AutoFill function can control a wide variety of ranges. AutoFilter makes it easy to locate and manipulate a desired subset of data in a specific range of cells, columns, rows or tables. Further editing can be assisted by the extraction of filtered ranges and the generation of advanced filters, data and lists.

Connecting, Sharing and Importing

Advanced Excel features also facilitate sharing capabilities such as workbook sharing. You can see which users are sharing and their files can even be merged. Furthermore, there are pull-down menus users can use when sharing workbooks.

You can even import data from a text file to a spreadsheet with the Text Import Wizard, and this can be done between users as well. You can also make sure the data will appear according to your preferences.

Supercharged Macros

Macros allow you to sidestep long data entry processes. And who says that macros are boring? What about the ability to run, pause and stop macros with macro review? Here are some other advanced Excel macro features that cannot be understood without good training:

• Button and object macro assignment
• Visual basic editor (VBE)
• Generate and edit macros with VBE
• Integrating variables
• Interactive ability
• Debugging
• Editing from a menu or from an editor
• Project explorer allows VBA access to be streamed

Formulas and Functions Get Written Faster

Advanced Excel allows for the faster generation of complex formulas using tools like Function Palette. Also, key logic makes your data more adaptable by the IF, AND OR and NOT functions. You can even add conditions to formulas and modify text entries.

Better Data Analysis with ToolPak and Goal Seeker

Goal Seeker accelerates your analytic process making your data more useful. The Analysis ToolPak helps you analyze complex statistical and engineering data. With ToolPak, you load the data and parameters for each scenario and the tool calculates then presents the results in an easy to use table or chart.

Don’t forget the Anova ToolPak feature. This powerful tool allows you to do advanced variance analysis. This can be single or dual-factor variance. You can test alternative hypothesis against a variety of sample situations. The dual-factor option allows you to look at data which is moving in two different dimensions.

Here are some other Analysis ToolPak features that are available to advanced Excel users:

• Histogram
• Moving Average
• Random Numbers
• Correlation
• Covariance
• Descriptive Statistics
• Exponential Smoothing
• Fourier Analysis
• Rank and Percentile
• Regression
• Sampling
• t-Test
• z-test

Goal Solver Solves Your Problems

Goal Solver assists you in finding an optimal value in a single cell, or the target cell. This can help in the real world for locating the best shipping routes or optimizing sales. This tool can save you large amounts of research time.

Charts, Lists, Tables and More

You can map out your data visually much better with advanced Excel and audit the data directly on the map. Chart customization capabilities allow you to present data the in a way your audience will understand quickly. Then there are database, forms and functions that can be manipulated for your specific needs.

Personalization

Excel doesn’t have to be dry and boring at all. It can have style and flair making the data more pleasing to the eyes. This can be done with:

• Graphics within the Excel sheets
• Use of WordArt
• Multiple options of graph and table presentation
• Use of color to highlight important differences in data and data points

Security Issues

Your information must be secure. A misplaced Excel file that falls into the wrong hands could be a disaster. Advanced Excel training shows how to maximize the security of all your data. Bulletproof password creation is also important.

Conclusion

As we can see, the list is quite long. The time savings here though is significant, and error reduction is a key benefit. So no matter if you are looking to add to your individual skills, or seeking to beef up your staff’s productivity, advanced Excel training pays off in the long run.

Travis Adams is an IT developer who loves contributing on various blogs. Travis believes that we should never stop learning new things no matter if we are experts in our field or we just started working.