Advanced Excel Skills For Budgeting & Financial Modeling Training Course

Introduction

Proficiency in spreadsheet tools, particularly Advanced Excel Skills, is paramount for effective budgeting and sophisticated financial modeling. This comprehensive training course equips participants with the expert-level Excel techniques needed to build robust budgets, develop intricate financial models, and perform in-depth financial analysis. You will learn how to leverage advanced formulas, functions, data manipulation tools, and automation features within Excel to streamline your financial workflows and gain deeper insights from your data. Mastering advanced Excel skills for budgeting & financial modeling significantly enhances your analytical capabilities and efficiency in financial planning.

This intensive training course delves into the practical application of mastering spreadsheet tools for complex budgeting and financial modeling tasks. We will explore advanced Excel functions for scenario analysis, sensitivity testing, and forecasting, as well as powerful data tools like Power Query and Power Pivot for handling large datasets. Participants will gain hands-on experience in building dynamic financial models, creating sophisticated charts and dashboards for effective communication, and automating repetitive tasks using macros. By the end of this training course, you will possess advanced Excel skills that transform your approach to budgeting and financial modeling, enabling you to perform sophisticated analyses with speed and accuracy.

Target Audience

• Financial Analysts
• Budget Analysts
• Accountants
• Finance Managers
• Investment Analysts
• Data Analysts
• Anyone who uses Excel for budgeting and financial modeling

Course Objectives

• Master advanced Excel functions relevant to budgeting and financial modeling (e.g., INDEX, MATCH, OFFSET, INDIRECT).
• Learn how to build dynamic and flexible financial models using advanced Excel formulas.
• Develop skills in performing scenario analysis and sensitivity testing using Excel tools like What-If Analysis.
• Master advanced data manipulation and cleaning techniques using Excel's Text to Columns, Flash Fill, and Remove Duplicates.
• Learn how to leverage Power Query (Get & Transform Data) to import, clean, and transform data from various sources.
• Develop skills in using Power Pivot to create and manage data models for complex financial analysis.
• Master the creation of sophisticated charts and dashboards for effective visualization of financial data.
• Learn how to use Excel's data validation features to ensure data integrity in financial models.
• Develop skills in utilizing advanced conditional formatting to highlight key financial insights.
• Understand how to automate repetitive budgeting and modeling tasks using Excel macros (VBA basics).
• Learn how to link Excel worksheets and workbooks for integrated financial models.
• Explore best practices for designing robust, auditable, and user-friendly financial models in Excel.
• Develop a practical toolkit of advanced Excel skills applicable to real-world budgeting and financial modeling scenarios.

Duration

5 Days

Course Content

Module 1: Advanced Excel Functions for Financial Analysis

• Deep dive into lookup and reference functions (INDEX, MATCH, OFFSET, INDIRECT) for dynamic model building for your module.
• Utilizing logical functions (IF, AND, OR, IFERROR) for robust error handling and conditional calculations.
• Mastering text functions (LEFT, RIGHT, MID, FIND, TEXT) for data extraction and formatting.
• Exploring date and time functions for accurate time-based financial analysis.
• Leveraging array formulas for complex calculations across multiple cells.

Module 2: Building Dynamic Financial Models with Formulas

• Creating flexible assumption sections that drive model outputs for your module.
• Implementing dynamic range selection using functions like OFFSET and INDIRECT.
• Building robust formulas for calculating key financial metrics (e.g., NPV, IRR, ROI).
• Developing scenarios and switches within models using IF and CHOOSE functions.
• Ensuring model transparency and auditability through clear formula construction.

Module 3: Scenario Analysis and Sensitivity Testing in Excel

• Utilizing Excel's What-If Analysis tools (Scenario Manager, Goal Seek, Data Tables) for exploring different financial outcomes for your module.
• Building dynamic scenario selection mechanisms using dropdown lists and formulas.
• Performing sensitivity analysis to assess the impact of changing key assumptions.
• Visualizing scenario and sensitivity analysis results using charts.
• Applying stress testing techniques to evaluate model resilience.

Module 4: Advanced Data Manipulation and Cleaning

• Mastering Excel's Text to Columns and Flash Fill for efficient data parsing and transformation for your module.
• Utilizing Remove Duplicates to ensure data integrity.
• Employing advanced filtering and sorting techniques for data exploration.
• Leveraging functions like SUBTOTAL and AGGREGATE for dynamic data aggregation.
• Validating data using Excel's data validation features to prevent errors.

Module 5: Power Query (Get & Transform Data) for Data Integration

• Importing data from various sources (CSV, TXT, Excel, databases, web) using Power Query for your module.
• Cleaning and transforming data using Power Query's intuitive interface.
• Combining and appending data from multiple sources.
• Automating data import and transformation processes.
• Understanding the M language for advanced Power Query transformations.

Module 6: Power Pivot for Data Modeling and Analysis

• Creating data models in Power Pivot using relationships between tables for your module.
• Understanding and utilizing Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) for advanced calculations.
• Building calculated columns and measures in Power Pivot.
• Performing complex aggregations and analysis using DAX functions.
• Integrating Power Pivot models with PivotTables and PivotCharts for powerful reporting.

Module 7: Creating Advanced Charts and Financial Dashboards

• Designing impactful and informative charts for visualizing financial data beyond basic chart types for your module.
• Utilizing combo charts, scatter charts, and other advanced visualizations.
• Creating dynamic charts that respond to data changes and scenario selections.
• Building interactive financial dashboards using linked charts and slicers.
• Applying best practices for data visualization in financial communication.

Module 8: Automation with Excel Macros (VBA Basics)

• Understanding the fundamentals of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) for automating tasks for your module.
• Recording and running simple macros to automate repetitive actions.
• Editing and customizing recorded macros using the VBA editor.
• Understanding basic VBA syntax and programming concepts (variables, loops, conditions).
• Creating simple user-defined functions (UDFs) to extend Excel's functionality.

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org Tel: +254 702 249 449

Training Venue

The training will be held at our Skills for Africa Training Institute Training Centre.

We also offer training for a group at requested location all over the world. The course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, and buffet lunch.

Visa application, travel expenses, airport transfers, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Skills for Africa Training Institute certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org Tel: +254 702 249 449

Terms of Payment: Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 7 working days before commencement of the training.