Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool for analyzing financial data and preparing financial reports, but like most powerful tools, it contains hidden features and functionality useful for these purposes that are not obvious to users, both novice and expert alike. The purpose of this course is to uncover these hidden features so that users may prepare computationally accurate and aesthetically pleasing reports in a more effective and efficient manner. It provides solutions for accountants in the following six major topic areas: advanced techniques for formatting reports and financial statements, assembly and printing of reports and schedules, using templates to automate reporting processes, advanced financial analysis with PivotTables connected to the General Ledger using ODBC, data consolidation, and using charts and digital dashboards for presenting financial information. Participants will have access to sample data files.

This course includes coverage of features found in all versions of Excel, including Excel 2003, 2007, and 2010.

"This was an outstanding session I would highly recommend." T.K., CPA NJ

• Easily apply and control underlining, spacing, and label alignment with the Accounting Format
• Use Precision as Displayed to insure accuracy of footings and cross-footings and to eliminate positive and negative zeros in reports
• Select and act on multiple cells, ranges, rows, columns, and sheets simultaneously
• Use custom number formats to report in thousands, millions, or billions
• Customize your work environment by modifying the default workbook and worksheet templates
• Use Custom Views and the Report Manager to automate report printing and use the Camera to create complex reports from multiple ranges
• Link Word documents to Excel data
• Import or work with data stored in external databases such as the General Ledger using ODBC
• Use advanced techniques, such as Text to Columns, Paste Special, and Go-To Special, to clean up imported data
• Perform advanced data analysis with data tables, subtotals, filters, PivotTables, and PivotCharts
• Use array formulas to round-off in totals and other useful tasks
• Use conditional formatting to create dynamic dashboard displays of tabular data
• Create, manipulate, and customize charts for analyzing and communicating information
• Consolidate data using sum-through and wild-card formulas, the data consolidate command, and consolidation PivotTables
• Produce rolling reports with formulas using end-point sheets or end-point columns
• Save documents as PDF or XPS files to ease communication and distribution
• Protect documents using password encryption or Information Rights Management
• Digitally sign and restrict changes to Word documents and Excel workbooks
• Remove hidden metadata from workbooks and documents before distribution