One of the very first personal computer (PC) applications was the spreadsheet, and one of the first spreadsheet creation and editing programs was Microsoft Excel. Nowadays, Excel comes preinstalled on nearly every new Windows machine—PC, tablet, and smartphone—which constitutes about 90 percent of today’s computing device market, and a huge majority of businesses use Excel in one capacity or another

While spreadsheets can be and do many things, their primary function is to display and manipulate data. And that’s what we’ll do in this short, four-week, comprehensive course—learn how to enter, display, and manipulate data in Excel spreadsheets. First, we’ll take a brief look at the two most recent versions of Excel, Excel 2013, and the cloud-based version, Excel 365, so that you can decide which one is right for you. Then, we’ll talk about all the ways in which you can enter data into spreadsheets, everything from typing it on your keyboard to importing it from other programs, such as QuickBooks and other accounting packages. After that, we’ll go over how to format your spreadsheets, so that they’re easy to read, effective, and attractive. And then, finally, we’ll cover manipulating the data in your spreadsheets, from sorting, to using formulas to add, subtract, multiply, divide, and average data, to creating professional-looking charts and graphs.

Upon completion of this course, you will understand the basics (and more) of creating spreadsheets, as well as several advanced data manipulation concepts—to prepare you for using Excel in today’s business environment, which will in turn make you a much more valuable employee (or perspective employee).

• Using Excel 2013 Locally or Excel 365 in the Cloud
• The Almighty Spreadsheet
• Working with Workbooks
• Working with Multiple Windows and Views
• Anatomy of a Spreadsheet – Cells, Columns, and Rows
• Types of Data Excel Supports
• Entering Data
• Data Entering Shortcuts
• Importing Data
• Moving, Inserting, and Replacing Data

• Displaying Data Effectively
• Design, Layout, and Format
• Freeze Panes and Other Neat Tricks
• Using Predefined Designs and Templates
• Headers and Labels
• Borders and Shading
• Formatting Columns
• Formatting Rows
• Formatting Cells
• Wrap and Merge
• Reformatting Worksheets

• Manipulating Data in Excel – An Overview
• Sorting Data
• Data Validation and Consolidation
• Working with Formulas
• What-If Analysis
• Error Checking
• Automating with Macros

• Charting Data – An Overview
• Using the Right Chart or Graph for Your Data
• Charting Your Data
• Titles, Legends, Labels, and So On
• Reformatting Your Charts
• Deploying Your Data and Charts in Word
• Deploying Your Data and Charts in PowerPoint
• Data and Charts in Portable Electronic Documents
• Inserting Images and Shapes
• Review Mode and Comments
• Working with Your Team in the Cloud
• Printing Your Workbooks