Advanced Excel with AI

Program Overview

This 20-hour program takes learners from advanced Excel functions through to AI-augmented data analysis, automation, and dashboarding. Participants will master modern formulas, Power Query, PivotTables, and then layer in AI capabilities (Microsoft Copilot, natural-language data analysis, and AI-assisted VBA/Office Scripts) to dramatically speed up everyday analytical work.

Target Audience

Working professionals, business analysts, finance & operations teams, and executives who use Excel daily and want to add AI-powered productivity to their skill set.

Prerequisites

Basic to intermediate familiarity with Excel (formulas, formatting, simple charts). No programming experience required.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, participants will be able to:

Apply advanced Excel formulas and dynamic arrays to solve real business problems
Use Power Query to import, clean, and merge data from multiple sources
Leverage AI tools (Copilot, Analyze Data, Forecast Sheet) to accelerate analysis
Design interactive, professional dashboards for stakeholder reporting
Automate repetitive tasks using macros, VBA, and Office Scripts with AI assistance

Detailed Syllabus

Unit 1: Advanced Excel Foundations (4 hrs)

Advanced lookup functions: XLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH, and nested lookups
Dynamic array functions: FILTER, SORT, SORTBY, UNIQUE, SEQUENCE
Advanced conditional logic: IFS, SWITCH, nested IF structures
Data validation, error handling (IFERROR, IFNA) and auditing tools

Unit 2: Data Analysis & Power Query (4 hrs)

PivotTables and PivotCharts for multi-dimensional analysis
Power Query: importing, shaping, and cleaning data at scale
Merging, appending, and automating recurring data refreshes

Unit 3: Excel + AI (5 hrs)

Overview of Microsoft Copilot in Excel and AI-powered ribbon features
Generating formulas, summaries, and insights using natural-language prompts
AI-assisted data cleaning, pattern detection, and anomaly flags
Forecast Sheet and Analyze Data for AI-driven forecasting

Unit 4: Dashboards & Visualization (3 hrs)

Dashboard design principles for business reporting
Slicers, timelines, and form controls for interactivity
Advanced conditional formatting and visual storytelling

Unit 5: Automation with VBA & AI-Assisted Scripting (3 hrs)

Recording and editing macros
Writing and debugging VBA with AI-assisted code generation
Introduction to Office Scripts for cloud-based automation

Unit 6: Capstone Project (1 hr)

Applying all concepts to a real-world business dataset
Presenting an AI-enhanced analytical dashboard

Hour-Wise Breakdown (20 Hours)

Hour	Topic	Content Covered	Hands-On Activity
1	Advanced Excel Foundations	Advanced formulas recap; XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP vs INDEX-MATCH	Rebuild 10 common VLOOKUP formulas using XLOOKUP
2	Advanced Excel Foundations	Dynamic arrays: FILTER, SORT, SORTBY, UNIQUE, SEQUENCE	Build a dynamic sales-filter report using FILTER and SORT
3	Advanced Excel Foundations	Nested logic: IFS, SWITCH, complex nested IF	Create a multi-tier commission calculator
4	Advanced Excel Foundations	Data validation, error handling, formula auditing	Audit and error-proof a shared workbook
5	Data Analysis Tools	PivotTables & PivotCharts deep dive	Build a multi-level PivotTable sales summary
6	Data Analysis Tools	Power Query: importing & transforming data	Import and clean a messy CSV dataset
7	Data Analysis Tools	Power Query: merging, appending, automation	Merge three regional sales files into one model
8	Excel + AI	Introduction to Copilot in Excel	Explore Copilot ribbon features on a sample dataset
9	Excel + AI	Generating formulas & summaries via natural language	Use Copilot prompts to build 5 complex formulas
10	Excel + AI	AI-assisted data cleaning & insight generation	Clean a raw dataset using AI suggestions
11	Excel + AI	Natural-language querying of data (Analyze Data)	Ask 10 business questions of a dataset using Analyze Data
12	Excel + AI	AI-driven forecasting with Forecast Sheet	Forecast next-quarter revenue from historical data
13	Dashboards & Visualization	Dashboard design principles & layout planning	Sketch and plan a KPI dashboard layout
14	Dashboards & Visualization	Slicers, timelines, form controls	Add interactivity to the KPI dashboard
15	Dashboards & Visualization	Advanced conditional formatting & visual polish	Apply heatmaps and icon sets to the dashboard
16	Automation	Introduction to macros & VBA recording	Record a macro to automate a monthly report
17	Automation	Writing/debugging VBA with AI-assisted code generation	Use AI to generate and fix a VBA automation script
18	Automation	Introduction to Office Scripts for cloud automation	Automate a recurring task using Office Scripts
19	Capstone Project	Applied project work session	Build an end-to-end AI-enhanced analysis on a business dataset
20	Capstone Project	Project presentation & wrap-up	Present the AI-powered dashboard and receive feedback

Practical Exercises

Rebuilding legacy VLOOKUP-based workbooks using XLOOKUP and dynamic arrays
Cleaning a raw multi-source dataset with Power Query
Generating formulas and summaries using AI natural-language prompts
Building a fully interactive sales/KPI dashboard with slicers and timelines
Recording and refining a VBA macro with AI-assisted debugging

Real-World Projects

Capstone: End-to-end AI-enhanced sales performance dashboard for a fictional retail company, combining Power Query data cleaning, DAX-style calculated fields, AI-generated insights, and an interactive dashboard.
Mini-project: Automated monthly reporting workbook that refreshes data and generates a Copilot-written executive summary.

Assessment Plan

Component	Weight	Description
Formative quizzes (end of each unit)	20%	Short quizzes testing formulas, Power Query, and AI feature recall
Practical exercises	30%	Hands-on tasks completed during each session
Capstone project	40%	End-to-end dashboard build and presentation
Participation & engagement	10%	In-class contribution and peer feedback

Tools Required

Microsoft Excel (2021 or Microsoft 365 with Copilot enabled)
Microsoft Copilot for Excel (or ChatGPT for formula/VBA generation as an alternative)
Sample datasets (provided): sales, finance, and operations data
Windows or Mac laptop with internet access

Expected Outcomes

Confidently use advanced formulas and dynamic arrays in daily work
Independently clean and merge data using Power Query
Use AI tools to generate formulas, summaries, and forecasts
Build and present professional, interactive dashboards
Automate recurring reporting tasks, saving significant manual effort

Full curriculum is for enrolled learners

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