Unlock the power of Microsoft Excel combined with AI to streamline workflows and boost productivity using real-world skills. In this hands-on course, you’ll transform Excel into a smart system enhanced by AI to save time, reduce errors, and drive better decisions.

Microsoft Excel: From Basics to AI-Powered Workflows

Microsoft Excel: From Basics to AI-Powered Workflows
This course is part of Microsoft Excel & Copilot: From Basics to AI Specialization

Instructor: Anton Voroniuk
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Access provided by James Madison University
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What you'll learn
Build structured Excel workflows from scratch — tables, formulas, named ranges, and dynamic trackers for budgeting, planning, and reporting.
Automate analysis with ChatGPT, Copilot, and Claude — clean messy data, generate formulas, build models, and audit every AI output before you use it.
Turn raw spreadsheets into executive insight: spot anomalies, forecast trends, and frame findings as recommendations people act on.
Collaborate in real time using Excel Online and AI-enhanced features to boost team productivity
Skills you'll gain
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There are 11 modules in this course
Wondering how to actually start using Excel when everyone around you already seems to know it, and how AI fits into a spreadsheet at all? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will build your first working project budget in Excel and know which AI assistant to open for which kind of spreadsheet task. You'll navigate the Excel interface without hunting through menus, set up a budget that calculates itself, and compare what ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Claude each bring to everyday spreadsheet work — from generating formulas to summarising data. This module is designed for beginners and self-taught Excel users who have opened spreadsheets before but never felt in control of them, and for professionals who keep hearing about AI-powered Excel workflows without a clear picture of what that means in practice. No prior formula knowledge is required, and everything shown works in both desktop Excel and Excel Online. You'll finish with a completed project budget file and a clear map of the Excel plus AI landscape, ready to apply to your own planning, tracking, and reporting work. Along the way you'll cover Excel basics for beginners, generative AI for spreadsheets, workflow automation fundamentals, and how AI tools complement rather than replace core Excel skills.
What's included
6 videos1 reading1 assignment
6 videos•Total 18 minutes
- Welcome to the Course•3 minutes
- Why Excel Still Dominates: Use Cases Across Roles•3 minutes
- Navigating Excel Interface •4 minutes
- Create a Project Budget in Excel•2 minutes
- Introduction to Generative AI & Workflow Automation•3 minutes
- Key AI Tools That Complement Excel •3 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- The Role of AI in Modern Productivity Workflows•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Excel + AI Foundations•30 minutes
Wondering how to keep your business spreadsheets organised, readable, and safe instead of ending up with twelve versions of the same file? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will manage a business dataset in Excel with confidence — formatted clearly, backed up properly, and structured so it can be analysed later. You'll freeze rows and columns so headers stay visible in long tables, control alignment, wrapping, and merged cells so your data reads cleanly, set up a business planning checklist template, and establish a saving and backup routine that protects your work. This module is designed for office professionals, analysts, and small business owners who work with spreadsheets daily and want fewer errors and less rework. No advanced Excel experience is required — the techniques apply equally in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. You'll finish with a formatted, backed-up business planning workbook and a shortcut cheat sheet, ready to reuse for your own reporting and tracking. The module also covers data hygiene for AI — how to prepare tables so that Copilot, Claude, or ChatGPT can read them correctly, which matters far more than most people expect. Topics include Excel formatting, spreadsheet organisation, file management, data preparation, and Excel keyboard shortcuts.
What's included
5 videos2 readings1 assignment
5 videos•Total 6 minutes
- Navigating Excel Features Efficiently•2 minutes
- Business Planning Checklist Template in Excel•1 minute
- Saving and Backing Up in Google Sheets•1 minute
- Zoom Freezing Rows and Columns •1 minute
- Alignment Wrapping and Merging Cells•1 minute
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Data Hygiene: Preparing Tables for AI•10 minutes
- Essential Shortcuts Cheat Sheet•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Data Analysis & Excel Essentials•30 minutes
Wondering how to turn a messy list of rows into a structured table that updates itself and doesn't break when the data grows? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will build a dynamic Excel table with working formulas, named ranges, and live date functions. You'll remove duplicate records, convert between tables and ranges, use TODAY and NOW so your sheet responds to the current date, write structured table formulas that expand automatically as rows are added, name ranges to make formulas readable, and protect a finished sheet with a password. This module is designed for anyone who maintains a recurring spreadsheet — trackers, logs, inventories, pipelines — and is tired of dragging formulas down and fixing broken ranges. No coding and no prior function knowledge are required; everything is done through the standard Excel interface. You'll finish with a working dynamic tracker built on Excel tables, ready to adapt to your own data. The module also walks through the standard data analysis process and how to fix the most common Excel errors when they appear, so you can diagnose problems yourself. Topics covered include Excel tables, removing duplicates, named ranges, date functions, structured references, sheet protection, and troubleshooting formula errors.
What's included
7 videos1 reading1 assignment
7 videos•Total 10 minutes
- Removing Duplicates in Excel•2 minutes
- Converting an Excel Table to a Range•1 minute
- Mastering Excels TODAY and NOW Functions•2 minutes
- Excel Table Formulas Simplified•1 minute
- Naming Ranges in Excel for Enhanced Data Management•2 minutes
- Protecting a Sheet with a Password•1 minute
- Data Analysis Process•1 minute
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Troubleshooting: Fixing Common Errors•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Excel Tables, Functions, and Data Analysis Essentials•30 minutes
Wondering how to stop doing the same spreadsheet task every week and hand it to an AI assistant instead? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will automate a repeating spreadsheet workflow using AI-generated formulas and scripts. You'll prompt ChatGPT to produce working Excel functions and scripts, use Microsoft Copilot directly inside Excel to analyse and reshape data, apply Google Gemini in Sheets for the same class of task, and study real case studies covering budgeting, sales reporting, and project tracking. This module is designed for professionals who own a recurring report or tracker — weekly sales numbers, monthly budgets, project status — and want the repetitive part handled for them. Basic Excel familiarity is enough; no scripting or programming background is required, and the AI tools shown are available on free or standard business plans. You'll finish with an automated version of one of your own recurring reports, ready to run again next cycle. The module also covers how to use AI for data storytelling, so the output of your automation is something a stakeholder can read rather than just a refreshed table. Topics include Excel automation, AI-generated formulas, Copilot in Excel, ChatGPT for spreadsheets, Office Scripts, and workflow automation for business reporting.
What's included
4 videos1 reading1 discussion prompt1 ungraded lab
4 videos•Total 14 minutes
- Using ChatGPT to Generate Excel Functions & Scripts•1 minute
- Leveraging Microsoft Copilot in Excel•3 minutes
- Google Gemini AI in Sheets•6 minutes
- Case Studies: Budgeting, Sales Reports, and Project Tracking•3 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- AI Tools for Smarter Data Storytelling•10 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 15 minutes
- Share a workflow you’ve automated with Excel with AI.•15 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
- Build an AI-Assisted Monthly Sales Report•30 minutes
Wondering how to work on the same spreadsheet as your team without sending files back and forth and losing track of which version is current? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will set up a shared Excel workbook that your team can edit in real time, with AI assistance built into the workflow. You'll configure collaborative editing and sharing in Excel Online, control who can see and change what, connect Excel to AI-powered tools that generate insights on shared data, and understand where the field is heading with AI assistants, APIs, and no-code platforms. This module is designed for team leads, coordinators, and hybrid or remote workers who maintain spreadsheets that more than one person touches. No IT administrator access is required for the core techniques, and everything is demonstrated on standard Microsoft 365. You'll finish with a shared, permission-controlled workbook and a working comparison of when to use desktop Excel versus Excel Online for a given task. The module also covers using Excel as a data source for low-code tools, which is how most business automation actually gets built today. Topics include Excel Online collaboration, real-time co-authoring, secure file sharing, hybrid work spreadsheets, AI assistants, and no-code integration.
What's included
3 videos2 readings1 assignment1 ungraded lab
3 videos•Total 8 minutes
- Collaborative Editing & Sharing with Excel Online•2 minutes
- Integrating Excel with AI-Powered Tools •3 minutes
- Emerging Trends: AI Assistants, APIs, and No-Code Tools•3 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Hybrid Work: Online vs. Desktop Excel•10 minutes
- Low-Code Revolution: Excel as a Data Source•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Final Checkpoint: Excel with AI Integration Mastery•30 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
- Build a Shared Team Tracker with AI-Assisted Workflow Design•30 minutes
Wondering how to move past summing columns and produce analysis that actually influences a business decision? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will run a full analytical cycle on a business dataset and present the result as a clear visual narrative. You'll generate IF statements from plain-language prompts, build a budget template with ChatGPT, create data summary tables, name ranges for readable references, manage multi-sheet workbooks efficiently, analyse and optimise campaign performance, automate work notes with scripts, and apply data storytelling principles to a final dashboard. This module is designed for marketers, analysts, and managers who already produce numbers and now need to produce conclusions. Comfort with basic Excel formulas is assumed; no statistics background or coding is required. You'll finish with an optimised campaign analysis and a dashboard you can present, ready to adapt to your own reporting cycle. The module also covers prompting AI for pivot table insights and the ethics of handling sensitive business data in AI tools — what should never be pasted into a chat window, and what to do instead. Topics include Excel data analysis, campaign optimisation, dashboard design, AI prompting for analytics, pivot tables, Office Scripts automation, and responsible AI use with business data.
What's included
8 videos2 readings1 assignment
8 videos•Total 16 minutes
- Generate IF Statements Using Prompts•1 minute
- Creat a Budget Template with ChatGPT•1 minute
- Naming Ranges for Easy Reference•3 minutes
- Data Summary Excel Table with Chat GPT•1 minute
- Efficient Workbook Management•2 minutes
- Data Analysis & Campaign Optimization•3 minutes
- Data Storytelling & Final Dashboard Presentation Tips•3 minutes
- Automating Work Notes with Scripts•1 minute
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- AI Prompting for Pivot Table Insights•10 minutes
- Ethical AI: Handling Sensitive Business Data•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
- Advanced Analytics & AI•10 minutes
Wondering how Microsoft Copilot actually reads your spreadsheet, and whether you can trust the answers it gives you? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will run a complete analysis in Excel with Copilot and verify its output before acting on it. You'll see how Copilot interprets your data structure, compare Excel with and without Copilot on the same task, run hypothesis checks with Copilot's guidance, request descriptive statistics, generate charts and dashboards from prompts, and refine visuals through styling, filtering, and exporting. This module is designed for Microsoft 365 users with Copilot access who want more than surface-level prompting, and for professionals evaluating whether Copilot belongs in their workflow. Basic Excel skills are enough; no formula expertise required. You'll finish with a Copilot-built dashboard and, more importantly, a working audit routine for checking AI-generated analysis before it reaches a stakeholder. The module gives equal weight to Copilot's limits — when to use it, when to do the work manually, and how to trace the logic behind a result you didn't write yourself. Topics include Microsoft Copilot for Excel, AI data analysis, prompt patterns for spreadsheets, automated chart generation, descriptive statistics, and auditing AI output.
What's included
8 videos2 readings1 assignment1 ungraded lab
8 videos•Total 30 minutes
- How Copilot "Reads" Your Excel Data•3 minutes
- Excel vs Excel with Copilot: Key Differences and Advantages•3 minutes
- Perform Hypothesis Checks with Copilot Guidance•4 minutes
- Data Analysis in Excel•2 minutes
- Generating Charts & Dashboards•5 minutes
- Styling, Filtering & Exporting: Taking Visuals to the Next Level•5 minutes
- When to Use Copilot and When Not To•3 minutes
- Ask Copilot for Descriptive Statistics•5 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Trust but Verify: Auditing Copilot’s Logic•10 minutes
- The Prompt Gallery: Create, Understand, Edit, Ask•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Copilot Integration & Workflow Mastery•15 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
- From Messy Data to Decision-Ready Dashboard•30 minutes
Wondering how to clean a messy export — inconsistent dates, mixed currencies, free-text fields — without spending your afternoon on find and replace? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will transform a messy dataset into a clean, analysis-ready table using Claude. You'll write your first formula-generation prompts, split and tag free-text fields in bulk, standardise dates and currencies by describing the format you want in plain language, and handle stubborn text patterns with regex prompts you don't have to write yourself. This module is designed for analysts, operations staff, and anyone who regularly receives data from systems or colleagues in a state it can't be used in. No regex knowledge and no coding are required, and everything works on Claude's free plan with data you paste or attach. You'll finish with a cleaned, normalised dataset and a small library of reusable transformation prompts, ready to apply to next month's file. The module also explains what Claude can and cannot see in a spreadsheet, and which problems are worth fixing manually before any prompt is written — the difference between an AI that helps and one that confidently mangles your data. Topics include AI data cleaning, text parsing, data normalisation, prompt engineering for Excel, regex without coding, and preparing data for analysis.
What's included
6 videos1 reading1 ungraded lab
6 videos•Total 13 minutes
- What Claude Actually "Sees": Context Windows and Data Limits•3 minutes
- Prompt Patterns That Make Data Transformation Repeatable•2 minutes
- Writing Your First Formula Prompt•2 minutes
- Splitting and Tagging Free-Text Fields in Bulk•2 minutes
- Fixing Dates and Currencies by Simply Describing the Format•2 minutes
- Handling Stubborn Text Patterns with Regex Prompts•3 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- The Pre-Flight Checklist: What to Fix Manually Before Handing Data to AI•10 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
- Build a Reusable Claude Cleanup Recipe•30 minutes
Wondering how to fix a complicated workbook you inherited, or build multi-condition logic that doesn't quietly break at the edges? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will build and verify a multi-condition Excel model with Claude as your logic partner. You'll construct nested conditions that hold up at boundary values, reverse-engineer an inherited workbook to find hardcoded numbers and drifted ranges, build a dynamic budget and cash flow model, and create resource capacity planners and project timelines. This module is designed for finance staff, project managers, and analysts who maintain models other people depend on — and for anyone who has been handed a spreadsheet nobody fully understands. Comfort with basic Excel formulas is assumed; no VBA or programming required. You'll finish with a rebuilt, documented model and a repeatable audit routine, ready to use on the next workbook that lands on your desk. The module puts real weight on verification: where spreadsheet logic typically breaks, how to test AI-generated formulas against known edge cases, and how to document what was built so the next person can maintain it. Topics include Excel logic auditing, multi-condition formulas, financial modelling with AI, legacy spreadsheet debugging, cash flow models, capacity planning, and human-in-the-loop review.
What's included
6 videos1 reading1 ungraded lab
6 videos•Total 16 minutes
- Where Spreadsheet Logic Breaks: Failure Points to Map Before You Prompt•3 minutes
- The Human-in-the-Loop Review Cycle for AI-Generated Logic•2 minutes
- Constructing Nested Conditions That Actually Hold Up•2 minutes
- Reverse-Engineering an Inherited Workbook•3 minutes
- Case Study: A Budget Model That Updates Its Own Cash Flow•4 minutes
- Planning Team Capacity and Project Timelines with AI•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Documenting AI-Built Logic So the Next Person Can Maintain It•10 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
- Audit and Repair a Budget Worksheet with Claude •30 minutes
Wondering how to take a finished analysis and turn it into something a decision-maker will actually act on? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will produce a one-page executive summary that states what happened, why, and what to do next. You'll explain what a chart is genuinely showing, read a trend and project it forward, generate a ready-to-send summary of your findings with Claude, catch suspicious transactions and anomalies with Copilot, test which metrics move together through correlation analysis, and distil a large dataset into a handful of key points. This module is designed for analysts, managers, and consultants who report upward and need their work to survive contact with a busy audience. Basic Excel and prior exposure to an AI assistant are enough; no statistics background required. You'll finish with a one-page executive dashboard and summary, ready to send. The module also gives you a routing framework for deciding which assistant to use for a given task — Copilot when the work must happen inside the live workbook, Claude when the task needs longer reasoning or explanation — plus the distinction between descriptive, diagnostic, and predictive questions. Topics include data storytelling, executive reporting, anomaly detection, correlation analysis, forecasting with AI, and framing insights for stakeholders.
What's included
8 videos1 reading
8 videos•Total 20 minutes
- Descriptive, Diagnostic, Predictive: Choosing the Right Question for AI•3 minutes
- Claude or Copilot: How to Route Each Task Between Two AI Assistants•2 minutes
- Catching Suspicious Transactions Automatically•2 minutes
- Testing Which Metrics Actually Move Together•2 minutes
- Pulling the "So What" Out of a Large Dataset•2 minutes
- Explaining What a Chart Is Really Showing•2 minutes
- Reading the Trend and Projecting It Forward•3 minutes
- Generating a Ready-to-Send Summary of Your Findings•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- From Finding to Recommendation: Framing Insights for Decision-Makers•10 minutes
Wondering how to pull everything you've learned into one workflow you'll genuinely use at work, and where to take these skills next? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will build a complete, functioning AI-enhanced Excel workflow from raw data through to a presentable result. You'll plan the workflow around a real task of your own, apply structured tables and formulas to the data, bring in an AI assistant for the analytical and reporting steps, and produce a finished output you can show to a colleague or manager. This module is designed for learners ready to consolidate scattered techniques into one working system, and for professionals who need a portfolio-quality example of AI-assisted spreadsheet work. Everything required is covered within the module, and a starter dataset is provided if you'd rather not use your own. You'll finish with a complete AI-powered Excel workflow — cleaned data, working logic, automated reporting — ready to run on a real business task. The module also covers where Excel and AI are heading, and how to keep your skills current as Copilot, Claude, and ChatGPT continue to change. Topics include capstone spreadsheet projects, AI workflow design, end-to-end Excel automation, and continuing skill development.
What's included
3 videos1 assignment
3 videos•Total 8 minutes
- Course Recap & Final Tips•3 minutes
- Final Project: Build a Fully Functional AI-Enhanced Excel Workflow•3 minutes
- Real-World Applications: How to Keep Evolving Your Microsoft Excel with AI Skills•2 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Applying Excel and AI for Real-World Impact•30 minutes
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