Course info

This presentation by author and Excel expert David Ringstrom, CPA, builds on the discussion in part 1 of his two-part series on spreadsheet basics. You'll learn how to duplicate Excel worksheets to save time, as well as create a fallback position. David will explore the nuances of copying and pasting in Excel, which is different than in other programs. You'll also learn techniques such as merging cells, finding data, tracing formulas, sorting lists, and recovering unsaved workbooks. 

David is the author of “Microsoft Excel 365 for Dummies”, “Exploring Microsoft Excel’s Hidden Treasures”, and has written or co-authored six other books. He demonstrates every technique at least twice: first, on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps, and second, in the subscription-based Excel for Microsoft 365. David draws your attention to any differences in Excel 2021, 2019 or 2016 during the presentation and in his detailed handouts. The handouts include an Excel workbook with most of the examples he uses during his demonstrations. 

Excel for Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based product that receives periodic feature updates. Conversely, perpetually licensed versions have year numbers in their names and do not receive any feature updates.

Professionals seeking to learn or refresh the basics of working with Excel spreadsheets.

Topics typically covered:

• Locating data anywhere within a spreadsheet by way of the Find feature.
• Applying up to 64 sort levels to a list.
• Identifying and highlighting duplicate entries in a list using Conditional Formatting.
• Exploring the PivotTable ribbon tabs and PivotTable Field List.
• Creating a PivotTable by adding fields to Rows and Values for a quick total.
• Exploring the pros and cons of merging cells in spreadsheets.
• Using Text to Columns to quickly separate cities, states, and ZIP codes into separate columns.
• Adding columns to a blank PivotTable to create instant reports.
• Removing the Table feature or just clearing its alternate row shading
• Identifying other cells a formula relies on by way of the Trace Precedents feature.
• Merging text from two or more columns into a single column with without using formulas or repetitive retyping with Flash Fill.
• Removing Conditional Formatting rules when they are no longer needed.