Excel – productivity workshop

This course is aimed at those with basic spreadsheet knowledge. It will concentrate on key techniques to make all your spreadsheet work more efficient, reliable and productive.

Almost everyone can use a spreadsheet, but being able to use spreadsheets efficiently and reliably is much less common. In our experience a few relatively simple techniques can save hours of wasted time and effort. This course concentrates on techniques that will help you set up spreadsheets quickly and effectively and ensure that they give, and continue to give, the correct results. We will also cover some of the less well known Excel features that you can use to increase your Excel productivity.

Excel – masterclass

This course is aimed at those already proficient in the use of Excel, but who want to extend their use of Excel to address more advanced tasks.

In addition to covering advanced formulae and formatting, the course will look in depth at customising and automating Excel, advanced charting options, and a range of techniques particularly useful to those working with financial data. The course will also include a Pivot Table case study that will show how a Pivot Table can be used to extract, summarise, analyse and present data. We will use many of the advanced features of Pivot Tables that few users even realise exist to create a range of management reports including consolidations and budget/actual variance reports.

Microsoft Access – a general introduction to understanding databases

This course is aimed at those who want to get more value from existing applications or understand how to create their own databases efficiently and reliably.

These days, nearly all applications hold their data in a standard database format, or provide ‘drivers’ to enable you to access the data. Using a database such as Access allows you to integrate data from different sources and gain a whole new perspective on the information you have available to you. Access can be used to develop whole applications or to reanalyse data held in existing systems. However to use a database efficiently you need to have some idea of how data is structured.

The course will provide an overview of the principles of storing and using data. You will use Microsoft Access to create practical examples of how you can exploit the power of database technology.

Office ProductivITy workshop

This course is aimed at everyone who uses Microsoft Office applications.

We thought long and hard about whether or not to offer this course. In it we will cover dozens of the best hints and tips that we have found in nearly 15 years of using and training on Microsoft Office software. All the main Office applications will be included – Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Access, as well as Windows itself. We guarantee that this course will make your use of the Office suite more productive, and each attendee will receive a free personal copy of our ‘100 best hints and tips’ CD.

Microsoft Access – designing forms

This course is aimed at those wishing to use Access to create a user-friendly application using Access forms.

The course will look at using Access to create a Windows application. The primary interface between user and data in Access is the Access form. We will examine in depth the creation of forms and how forms are used to produce an effective and easy to use application.

During the course participants will create a time recording application using Access. The course will also cover the use of macros and an introduction to using programming within Access.

Microsoft Access - reports and advanced queries

This course is aimed at those with basic knowledge of Access tables and queries, but who need to use Access to produce more complex queries and reports.

The benefits of understanding Access reports and queries extend much further than their use within Access itself. Increasingly data is becoming ‘open’. This allows users to exploit data from a multitude of sources to revolutionise the information systems within their organisations. The skills this course will teach you will prepare you for the future.

The course will include: Access advanced queries - how to control your data. Access reporting: effective report design, grouping and sub-totals, graphics, sub-reports.

Microsoft Word – working with long documents and reports

This course is aimed at anyone who uses Word to do more than type simple letters. For example those producing reports, training or information notes, or structured documents.

There is a great deal of difference between using Word to produce a simple letter and using it to create a 30 page structured report. This course looks at the techniques and features essential for working with longer documents including the use of styles, structured numbering, tables of contents, bookmarks, page layout, headers and footers, cross-referencing and lots more. Don’t produce another long Word document until you’ve been on this course!

Word – automation and efficiency

This course is aimed at anyone who uses Word, or is responsible for others who use Word, and wants to ensure that it is used efficiently.

Word includes automation features that can dramatically increase the productivity of anyone needing to produce letters or documentation of any length or complexity. Does your firm use word processing effectively? Find out how to improve efficiency and quality in this vital area.

The course will include: Automation techniques, keyboard shortcuts, templates, macros, tables and tabs, mail merge, output quality and integration with other software.

PowerPoint and Office graphics

This course is aimed at anyone needing to create a PowerPoint presentation and to work with graphics in Microsoft Office packages in general.

The course will cover the use of PowerPoint from the basics of creating an impressive presentation to some of the more advanced techniques. It will also look at the graphics capabilities of the Office products in general including working with pictures, the use of organisation charts and other diagrams, and the use of the various Office ‘drawing’ tools for adding diagrams and illustrations to your Office documents. There is more involved in using these tools effectively than you might think!

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