Must-Have Advanced Excel Skills Everyone Should Know in 2023

Most people know the power Advanced Excel can wield, especially when used properly. But fewer people know how to make the most of Excel.

Excel is one of the best applications available on the market for creating spreadsheets to crunch numbers and dashboard reports as well as storing and administering data.

In 2023, having advanced Excel skills is essential for professionals working with data analysis, finance, project management, and various other fields. Excel continues to be one of the most widely used and powerful tools for organizing, analyzing, and visualizing data.

However, you need to improve your Excel skills to make the most out of this powerful software and learn to use it like a pro. We’ve put together a list of unique advanced Excel skills that covers Excel’s basics and can greatly help you take advantage of all of Excel’s features;

1. Power Query:

Power Query is a powerful data transformation and manipulation tool. It allows you to import data from various sources, such as databases, websites, and CSV files, and perform data cleaning, merging, and shaping tasks. Power Query helps automate repetitive data preparation tasks, saving you time and effort.

2. Power Pivot:

 Power Pivot is an Excel add-in that enables you to create data models and perform advanced calculations. It allows you to work with large data sets and build relationships between tables. With Power Pivot, you can perform complex calculations using Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), a formula language specifically designed for Power Pivot.

3. Advanced Formulas and Functions:

Excel offers a wide range of functions and formulas that can be used for complex calculations and data manipulation. Knowing advanced formulas and functions such as VLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH, SUMIFS, COUNTIFS, IFERROR, and AVERAGEIFS can significantly enhance your data analysis capabilities. These functions can help you search for specific values, perform conditional calculations, and summarize data based on specific criteria.

4. PivotTables and PivotCharts:

PivotTables and PivotCharts are powerful tools for summarizing and analyzing large amounts of data. They allow you to create dynamic reports and perform data filtering, grouping, and sorting. PivotCharts enable you to visualize data trends and patterns, making it easier to identify insights and communicate findings effectively.

5. Data Validation:

Data validation ensures the accuracy and integrity of your data by setting specific rules and constraints. With data validation, you can define restrictions on data entry, such as numeric ranges, date formats, and list selections. This helps prevent errors and ensures that your data remains consistent and reliable.

6. Conditional Formatting:

Conditional formatting allows you to visually highlight and format cells based on specific conditions. You can apply formatting rules to cells, rows, or columns to draw attention to important data points, trends, or outliers. Conditional formatting helps improve data visibility and makes it easier to identify significant information at a glance.

7. Macros and VBA (Visual Basic for Applications):

Macros are a powerful automation feature in Excel that allows you to record a series of actions and replay them with a single click. By learning Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Excel’s programming language, you can create custom macros and automate repetitive tasks. VBA also allows you to build user-defined functions and perform complex data manipulations.

In conclusion, having advanced Excel skills in 2023 is highly valuable for professionals in various fields. These must-have skills can significantly enhance your data analysis and reporting capabilities. By enrolling in our Advanced Excel course you will master these skills, you can also become more efficient, derive valuable insights, and make informed decisions based on data.