Microsoft Excel 2010 Advanced

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
2292 Students

Discover the advanced features and functions of Microsoft Excel 2010, including data analysis tools, database techniques, and advanced methods for using PivotTables.

Any proficient Microsoft Excel user will agree that this program is a very powerful analytical tool. Wouldn't it be great to learn how to effectively use all the advanced Excel features? In this practical and information-packed course, you'll see how to maximize this program's functions and capabilities.

Most organizations rely heavily on Excel to consolidate, analyze, and report financial information. Your company is probably no exception. By learning these advanced techniques, you can become more valuable to your organization.

You'll see how to work with the additional analytical tools provided by Excel add-ins and become skilled in using validation to protect the integrity of your worksheets from less experienced users. Impress your coworkers by learning how to add functional and eye-catching custom controls to any worksheet and how to use scenarios and data tables to quickly perform what-if data analyses. You'll discover advanced techniques for PivotTables, such as creating calculated fields and calculated items. Become adept at consolidating and importing external data, and master the art of conditional formatting to highlight duplicate entries and other common worksheet problems.

Learn how Excel 2010 table tools take the complexity out of table creation and management. As you become proficient at nesting functions within other functions, you'll be able to accomplish just about anything Microsoft Excel has to offer!

Courses are delivered to you through expertly executed lessons, online instruction and interaction with like-minded students. Our courses are designed to deliver all of the benefits of studying in a classroom whilst giving you the flexibility to study at a time and place to suit your needs. You can access your classroom 24/7 from any device with an internet connection.

This course has a 3 month duration. You'll complete comprehensive lessons, quizzes and assignments before submitting your final exam at the end of the course to achieve your certificate. Courses must be completed within the 3 month access period.

Over the next six weeks, we're going to explore Microsoft Excel 2010's new and advanced features. You'll learn how to use data analysis tools and techniques to improve your decision making, and you'll practice generating accurate data more quickly. By the end of this course, you'll be well prepared to contribute more value to your organization with your advanced understanding of Excel. To kick things off, we'll spend this first lesson exploring how you can modify Excel to streamline processes and make your work easier. You'll use the Excel Options dialog box to customize some of Excel's behind-the-scenes behavior, set up your Quick Access Toolbar, and take a look at the new and improved status bar and its customizable features. Mastering these processes will lay the foundation for our exploration of advanced topics throughout the course.

Today we'll explore some new table management features in Excel 2010, discuss how to use data forms with Excel databases, and look at a few alternative database techniques. You'll be glad to know that formatting and working with tables has gotten much easier in this latest version of Excel. Now, instead of applying filters, total rows, and formats separately, you can perform these actions through a single user interface. We'll delve into how it's done. You'll also learn how data forms provide a more user-friendly method for adding, deleting, and editing records in a table, and you'll practice using a data form to search for and view records that match specific criteria. We'll wrap things up with a brief look at some of the practical applications for data forms.

In this lesson, we'll tackle data validation techniques—your first line of defense against incorrect or missing data and the logical next step after data forms. You'll practice using whole number, decimal, date, time, list, and other forms of validation. After that, we'll explore the possibilities of custom validation, which allows you to apply validation on a cell or range of cells based on a formula you create. The possibilities for using it are limitless! You'll also learn how to create input messages and error alerts to guide the user's data entry, how to keep track of validation rules, and how to apply a custom validation rule to other cells so that you don't have to create it all over again.

In the first three lessons, we covered what you might call intro-level advanced Excel topics, and now it's time to head into more complex territory. So, today, let's start working with custom controls—graphical objects that help facilitate data input and are sure to impress users. We'll start by getting your Ribbon set up to work with custom controls, and then we'll walk through some practice exercises. You'll learn how to create standard and drop-down list boxes, check boxes, option buttons, and group boxes. You'll also master the process of creating a dynamic list box, which allows you to control the values in one list box based on the values chosen by your user in a separate custom control.

Today you'll discover how to use conditional formatting. And I'm not just talking about creating validation based on cell values. We'll do a quick review of that process, just as a refresher, but after that we're going to focus on formula conditional formatting. We'll work through nine different practice exercises that explore row conditional formatting, and we'll briefly discuss how the formula works after each exercise. You'll see how to use conditional formatting to hide errors, to highlight records based on multiple criteria, to track and alert you about due dates, to find the differences between two lists, to shade every other row (my personal favorite), and more. I think you'll especially enjoy learning how to set up a scorecard, which will show you problem areas in red, possible problems in yellow, and everything running smoothly in green. (Your manager will love this.)

In this lesson, you'll learn how to use Excel's consolidation function to efficiently summarize data from multiple sources. A lot of people do this the hard way, but with Excel's automatic consolidation feature, you'll no longer need to develop a web of formula links to multiple sources. Goodbye, potential for human error! We'll begin with an exercise on consolidating data within the same workbook, and after that, you'll practice consolidating using an advanced technique with category labels and wildcards. Next, we'll step things up with a practice exercise on consolidating from multiple workbooks. You'll also learn how to use automatic and manual outlining to view or hide different levels or sections of your information.

Excel's functions (or predefined calculations) are too numerous to completely cover in one lesson, so today we'll just focus on a few important ones spanning four categories: Logical, Database, Math & Trig, and Lookup & Reference. We'll start today with an overview of functions, take a look at the Insert Function dialog box, and then practice working with the IF function, nesting functions, the DSUM function, and the VLOOKUP function—all of which will come in handy when you need to perform a quick, thorough analysis of your data.

In this lesson, you'll find out all about importing external data. We'll begin with a practice exercise to get you comfortable with importing data from another Excel file, during which you'll see how to use the Microsoft Query Wizard. You'll test two methods for refreshing the target area for the imported data and find out how to edit an Excel query. After that, you'll do an import from an external database. Finally, you'll learn how to perform a Web query, which—you guessed it—allows you to import data from the Internet. The Web query feature is another fantastic feature in Excel 2010<a name="_GoBack"></a>.

It's time to look at data tables, which let you compare the outcomes of different versions of the same formula without slogging through the process of calculating each of them. Data tables are very powerful what-if analysis tools that are great for analyzing potential outcomes of personal or business financial decisions. In this lesson, you'll learn how to use two types of data tables: a one-variable data table (which lets you substitute just one variable into the formula calculation) and the two-variable data table (which allows you to change multiple aspects of the formula).

Today we'll explore three more of Excel's what-if analysis tools: Goal Seek, Scenario Manager, and Solver. You'll find out how to use Goal Seek to solve formulas backward—for example, you might want to do this if you knew the result you wanted but needed to determine how to change a single input cell in order to get that desired result. After that, we'll practice using Scenario Manager to create and save different input values and their results as scenarios (great for working on budgets). And finally, you'll put Excel's Solver to work to discover the optimal solution to models that have multiple variables and constraints.

In this lesson, you'll discover how to use PivotTables, which are excellent for summarizing massive amounts of data and viewing different cuts of the information quickly. There are two methods for creating PivotTables, and you'll practice using both. You'll also learn how to edit a PivotTable, how to filter the table to create individual reports, how to format a PivotTable to make it reader-friendly, and how to create and use calculated fields and items. After this, you'll create a PivotChart based on the data fields in your PivotTable. We may not be quite done with the course, but after mastering PivotTables and PivotCharts, you'll certainly be able to count yourself an advanced Excel user.

We'll begin our final lesson with a look at the functions available in the Analysis ToolPak, including two of my favorites: the Moving Average and Sampling tools. You'll complete an exercise using advanced filters, and then I'll show you some of my favorite Excel tips and tricks. You'll find out how to work with the View Side by Side tool and how to use the Watch Window to keep tabs on your data when you're updating a workbook. We'll wrap things up with practice exercises using array formulas and the AutoSum Tool. When you're done with this lesson—and the course—you'll want to pass along the techniques you've learned to friends and colleagues who are still wrestling with Excel!

Chad Wambolt

Chad Wambolt is a graduate of Boise State University, where he obtained his bachelor's degree in accounting. He has spent his entire professional career in the finance field, working for both privately and publicly held companies with sales rangin... Read more

Read Chad Wambolt's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Online learning is a flexible way to study that fits around your schedule, giving you the freedom to learn at your own pace from anywhere in the world. You'll have 3 months to complete the course and can take the multiple-choice questions and final exam whenever it suits you.

If you need help, you can contact us anytime. You can also join the discussion area where you can interact with other students. The discussion area for each lesson is open for the entire duration of the course.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

We do not offer extensions or transfers for this self-paced course. However, you will have 3 months to complete the course, and if you need to cancel within the first 10 days of enrolment, we offer a money back guarantee.

What people are saying about our courses

I would definitely recommend this course to my friends and co-workers. I really appreciated the way the instructor explained and taught the class. I feel I learned tremendously about using Excel and look forward to putting it to use!

Verified Student

I have learned so much from taking this course, and my new skills will make me a better Excel teacher!

Verified Student

This was by far the best Excel class I have taken. Of course, the others were one-day, 8-hour classes and more expensive and much less detailed information. The course workbook provided was excellent.

Verified Student

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The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Microsoft Excel 2010 Advanced you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.

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Microsoft Excel 2010 Advanced

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Flash CS5 Intermediate

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
147 Students

Master the use of more advanced Flash techniques including Movie Clip symbols, ActionScript, animation, application programming, and interactivity techniques.

If you have a basic understanding of Flash techniques and you're eager to create more sophisticated and powerful Flash movies and applications, this course will take your Flash skills to the next level.

You'll start by examining the versatile Movie Clip symbol, using it to create Flash movies—animations and special effects—inside other Flash movies. Then you'll delve into ActionScript and learn how to turn your simple SWFs into epic Flash masterpieces. For example, you'll learn how to write a single script that controls hundreds (even thousands) of objects based on user input.

Interactivity that goes beyond simple buttons is crucial to many types of Flash applications. In these lessons, you'll find out how to use ActionScript to develop interactive courses, surveys, quizzes, and tests, using scripts that make decisions, count and keep track of user choices, and tally up and report the results. In addition, you'll learn how to compose and use external ActionScript Class files to extend Flash's capabilities. External ActionScript files allow you to use the same scripts across multiple SWFs, as well as to create SWFs that load and interact with other SWFs—the secret to creating in-depth, multifaceted Flash applications.

While this course is heavy on useful, everyday ActionScript examples, it's not just about programming. You'll also try your hand at advanced Flash animation techniques, learning high-end Motion Editor skills for creating artistic transitions and other animated effects. In addition, you'll discover the secrets for creating intriguing Flash effects with advanced Bone tool features that make your IK bones appear more lifelike and believable, as well as the Deco tool, Spray Brush tool, Layer Masks, Onion Skins, and other techniques for creating professional-grade graphics and animations.

And that's not all! You'll also explore Flash Catalyst, Adobe's new no-scripting, Flash-based application for creating user interfaces and custom Flash components. And you'll finish up with an examination of Adobe AIR, which allows you to create full-blown desktop applications that install and interact with computer operating systems just like traditional computer programs.

In each lesson, you'll find practical, hands-on activities that allow you to practice the skills you're learning. By the time you finish this course, you'll know more than enough to confidently market yourself as a Flash designer.

Flash supports many ways to accomplish essentially the same tasks. Depending on your movie’s purpose and overall design, some techniques are much more suited to specific applications than others. In today’s lesson we’ll look at Movie Clip symbols—a powerful and efficient tool for creating rich content. While learning to create Movie Clips, we’ll go over some of Flash’s basic design and interactivity features, just to make sure we all start the course with a similar set of skills. Get ready to dive headlong into Flash’s intermediate-to-advanced movie design techniques.

A design effect that at first looks complicated is the inner pop-up—a pop-up that loads and plays external content within the main movie Timeline. However, as with many techniques in Flash, creating inner pop-ups really isn’t all that difficult, once you know how to do it. While Flash supports many ways to accomplish the inner pop-up effect, an easy and straightforward method is to load and play an external Flash movie in the UILoader component. With UILoader, you can play any Flash SWF movie from your main movie’s Timeline. Designing movies this way helps keep your movies small and reduces download time. It also helps keep your main movie’s Timeline simple and easy to manage.

As you tackle more sophisticated Flash movies and applications, the method of laying components out frame-by-frame on the Timeline simply won’t cut it. That’s when it’s time to unleash ActionScript 3.0. In this lesson, that’s exactly what we’ll do as we take on a more complicated project: building an online products and services portfolio that can showcase hundreds of products. You’ll learn to make a project of this magnitude manageable by using ActionScript 3.0 to call objects from the Library dynamically—without physically placing and positioning each one on the Stage. You’ll also learn the power of ActionScript classes and variables. By the end of the lesson, you’ll know how to write a single event handler that can call hundreds, even thousands, of external movies to the Stage.

In today’s lesson, you’ll learn to use one of the most important tools in complex application design, the external ActionScript file. External ActionScript files not only help keep Flash files small and manageable, but they also expand your design options and can even increase your overall productivity. In this lesson, you’ll learn to write an external ActionScript class file that, when loaded into a Flash movie, will define a new class object. Then you’ll use the new class object to turn the user’s mouse cursor into an interactive paint brush.

This lesson takes a straightforward procedure—loading an external image—and turns it into a multifunction chain of events. The simple event handler that loads an external file triggers other events that not only format and apply special effects to the new content, but also manipulate other objects on the Stage. First, you’ll learn how to format external text files with HTML tags and load the text into Flash. Then, you’ll start creating the cascade of events, which includes: using the List component to trigger a function that loads image files; which in turn passes the new content to another function that applies a tween to the images as they display; then the chain continues with simple, powerful If Conditionals that play Movie Clips—all based on the original data passed by the first event in the chain. To make all this possible, you’ll use AS3’s indispensable trace(); statement to find out what data your functions and statements are passing among themselves.

When it comes to animation, the Motion Editor is one of Flash's most useful features. It allows you to apply multiple transformations and effects all in the same tween. In this lesson, we'll look closely at the Motion Editor, at all its various options and how they work. Next we'll combine several objects containing Motion Tweens to create a sophisticated transition effect and subsequent animation sequence. Then we'll use Flash's built-in Timer to control when our animation sequences play on the Timeline. The resulting movie will be a rotating, never-ending banner similar to those you see on many of today's more popular Web sites.

This lesson explores some advanced Bone tool techniques. The Bone tool uses an animation technology known as inverse kinematics (IK), which simulates the movement of animate objects, such as people and animals with skeletal structures. IK is also used in the science of robotics. This lesson assumes some basic experience with IK chains and builds on that experience, teaching you how to modify IK chains to make their movements appear more realistic. We also look at making IK chains interactive, so that your users can manipulate them at runtime. Then, we go animating IK chains with ActionScript. The lesson ends with a short demonstration on using Movie Clip symbols with the Spray Brush tool to create special effects, such as twinkling stars or rotating planets.

Flash is by far not just an animation program. Many application developers use it to create sophisticated programs that do all sorts of things, such as building online courses, creating shopping carts for online stores, and just about everything else you can think of. In this lesson, we create a self-scoring quiz, or test, where users answer a series of questions and are then given their scores at the end of the test. To accomplish this, we'll revisit the oh-so-powerful external class file, taking the technique further by creating multiple class files that reference one another to make decisions. You'll learn to use several common and highly useful programming concepts, such as Arrays, Sprites, ints, for loops, Boolean operators, radio button groups, and several others. After completing this lesson, you'll have a basic understanding of creating applications with Flash, as well as an all new understanding of the power of ActionScript.

Flash designers typically enjoy creating content in Flash Professional's visually-oriented authoring environment. Many designers do not, however, care for coding, or writing the necessary ActionScript to create interaction. New to the Adobe CS5 suite of applications, Flash Catalyst allows you to create simple, interactive animated interfaces without coding. You design the interaction and animations visually, and Catalyst writes the code for you. This lesson introduces you to Catalyst. We start with an Illustrator artboard, import it into Catalyst, and design a Web interface from the Illustrator content—a completely visual and automated procedure devoid of manual coding. Since Catalyst creates projects compatible with the Flash Platform's Flex environment, this lesson also provides some insight into working with Flex and Flash Builder.

Many Flash applications, such as games and quizzes, call for advanced user interactivity—providing the user with control of various objects on the Stage. Some movies, for example, call for allowing the user to drag and drop objects, or move them from one spot to another. Other applications call for allowing the user to rotate, resize, and recolor objects. All of this interaction is accomplished with ActionScript. In this lesson, you'll learn to write scripts that turn control over important functions to the user. First, I'll show you a simple set of scripts that allows the user to drag and drop an object on the Stage. Then we'll look at creating sets of buttons that allow users to rotate and resize objects. After that we'll look into allowing users to change not only the color of objects on the Stage, but also the Stage itself—all with the use of a handy little component known as the Color Picker.

In this lesson, we look at a few of Flash's lesser-known, but highly useful features. First, you'll learn how to create layer masks for producing display effects from objects you draw with Flash's drawing tools. Then, I'll show you how to build an image list—a list consisting of images—with the TileList component. Finally, the lesson ends with an in-depth look at Flash's metaphorical equivalent to the days (not all that long ago) when animations were created one drawing at a time on translucent sheets of paper, stacked one on top of the other—a process known as onion skinning. Flash's Onion Skin feature can help you significantly when developing simple frame-by-frame animations.

A relatively new addition to the Flash platform, Adobe AIR allows you to create stand-alone desktop applications with Flash Professional—fully functional applications that access and utilize system resources, such as the clipboard, system menus, Minimize, Maximize, and Close buttons, print functions, and many others. AIR applications are platform-neutral, meaning that you or your users can install them on any Windows, Mac OS, or Linux computer. Any existing Flash movie can be published as an AIR application. In this lesson, you learn how to create system-level functionality (unavailable in Flash documents destined for Flash Player), and how to publish and install AIR applications—yet one more way you can utilize and capitalize on your Flash skills.

William Harrel

As owner and operator of The Write Desktop Publisher for more than 20 years, William Harrel has been involved in designing Web and print media on computers since the early days of desktop publishing. In addition to running his own design firm, he ... Read more

Read William Harrel's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

What people are saying about our courses

I just want to thank you for a truly enjoyable and informative course!

Verified Student

I just finished taking the Introduction to Flash course with Mr. Harrel, so I can confidently say: you are going to have a blast in this intermediate course!

Verified Student

Thank you so very much, Mr. Harrel! You opened my world to new animation skills as well as provided a bright light of entrepreneurial hope in this current bleak economic time. My very best wishes for your happiness and success.

Verified Student

See More Reviews

The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Flash CS5 Intermediate you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.