Microsoft Excel Articles

Finding Microsoft Excel 2007 Training Courses

Microsoft Excel 2007 has many differences from Excel 2003. Therefore, when you or your staff upgrade, you will almost certainly need training. But what kind of training will work best? Do you need an upgrade course that shows you the new features? Do you need a training course that compares Excel 2003 and 2007 and shows you how features have changed and evolved in the new version? Or do you need Excel training to take your skills to a new level, whatever the version?... Well, why not find a course that does all of the above?

One of the key benefits you should look to derive from any training on Excel 2007 will be to regain the confidence level you achieved when using the previous version. You need to be shown the logic of the new interface, where your favourite features have been moved to, and how you can start working as quickly in Excel 2007 as you did in Excel 2003.

However, after being trained on 2007, you will want to do more than just get back to where you were with 2003. You will want the training to show you what new features have been added to Excel 2007 and how these new features can benefit you.

The Excel 2007 worksheet is much bigger than its 2003 counterpart; about a thousand times bigger in fact. Your Excel 2007 training should show you how you can exploit this huge area when designing your spreadsheets. Some decent navigation tips would also be helpful.

Pivot tables have been considerably improved in Excel 2007. However, given that so many users are a bit vague on getting the best out of pivot tables, why not ask that your training on pivot tables begins with a review of fundamental pivot table concepts before moving on to look at how Excel 2007 implements pivot table features.

Charts have been given a big overhaul in version 2007. So be sure your training includes coverage of the special effects available in Excel 2007 charting and graphics. Your training course should cover such features as the format, design and layout ribbons and how to use SmartArt graphics and shapes. If charting is particularly important in your organisation, then make sure your training covers things like trendlines, scatter charts and pivot charts.

Another feature that has been developed in Excel 2007 is conditional formatting. Be sure that any training you have on Excel 2007 includes some insight into the use of Excel 2007's powerful new conditional formatting features especially Data Bars and Color Scale.

Formulas are the lifeblood of Excel. They analyse the raw data entered in other cells and provide most of Excel's awesome power. You should definitely request that your Excel 2007 training shows you the improvements that have been made to the entry of formulas in the formula bar and the key new functions that have been introduced, especially AverageIf, SumIfs, and IfError

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