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Janet Margaret Rayward
Converting a poorly designed Excel workbook into a well designed workbook
Updated on Sep, 2026
Office Productivity, Microsoft, Excel
Duration - 3.5 hours
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This Formatting in Excel course consists of 7 sections with a total of 27 lectures. This course is unique in that it uses a sequential approach so that you can be faster at using Excel and develop skills to create more user friendly and error free workbooks.
Section 1 Introduction
Section 1 is an introduction. You will be able to understand what skills you are expected to gain in this course and be able to identify many problems in an existing workbook so that these issues can later be rectified.
It is split into 2 lectures:
Lecture 1 Formatting an Excel Workbook Introduction
The lecture provides: an overview of the course, objectives, skills to be gained, skills not covered, the basic structure of the course with 5 main sections or parts mentioned. These main parts are Introduction, Formatting an existing workbook, Formatting skills, Redesigning an existing workbook and Closing comments.
Lecture 2 Introducing a Demo Workbook
Introduces presenters and the Unformatted Excel workbook. A summary of the problems with an existing Excel workbook is provided.
You will learn what to focus on to improve and develop an Excel workbook.
Section 2 Basic formatting
You will learn many basic formatting skills (e.g. borders, aligning data, basic data types, copy and paste, COUNT function) that are taught through 3 main demonstrations presented in 7 lectures.
Lecture 3 Formatting Demo 1 Borders
This lecture focuses on the creation of space and addition of outside borders to improve the Unformatted Excel workbook.
Lecture 4 Formatting Demo 1 Aligning Data
This lecture focuses on further ways to improve the Unformatted Excel workbook by aligning the data.
Lecture 5 Formatting Demo 2 Basic Data Types
You will learn the importance of selecting basic Data Types consistently and appropriately to improve Unformatted1 Excel workbook. You will learn the purpose of basic data types in Excel .
Lecture 6 Formatting Demo 2 Percentages
This lecture explores Percentages in greater detail to improve this type of data on the Unformatted1 Excel workbook. You will learn the importance of zeros in an Excel workbook .
Lecture 7 Formatting Demo 3 Copying Links, Data & Formats
The focus of this lecture is on copying links, data and formats on the Unformatted2 Excel workbook. You will also develop further skills in using merge and center and inserting rows.
Lecture 8 Formatting Demo 3 Using COUNT Function
This lecture focuses on using the COUNT function to improve the Unformatted2 Excel workbook.
You will learn the following skills:
Lecture 9 Formatting Demo 3 Consistent Columns
Creation of consistent columns to improve the Unformatted2 Excel workbook is the focus of this lecture.
You will learn the following Excel skills:
Section 3 Making Consistent Formula
This section consists of two lectures that demonstrate how to modify equations for consistency.
You will learn to modify equations for consistency and practice using the IF function in the Unformatted3 Excel workbook.
Lecture 10 Modifying Equations for Consistency - Using Equations Consistently
The focus of this lecture is using equations consistently in the Unformatted3 Excel workbook. The importance of this consistency is explained.
Lecture 11 Modifying Equations for Consistency- Example of Consistent Equations using IF function.
This lecture presents the example of consistent equations through the use of the IF function in the Unformatted3 Excel workbook.
Section 4 Cell Styles
This section focuses on using cell styles to improve an Excel workbook.
You will learn to use standard cell styles, create and modify cell styles and apply a wide range of cell styles to an Excel workbook.
There are 3 lectures:
Lecture 12 Standard Cell Styles
This lecture introduces the use of standard cell styles to improve the Unformatted4 Excel Workbook.
You will gain skills in:
Lecture 13 Customising Cell Styles
This lecture demonstrates the use of other standard cell styles and how to modify cell styles in order to improve the Unformatted5 E xcel workbook.
Lecture 14 Applying Cell Styles
Applying a greater variety of cell styles and creating cell styles are the main topics of this lecture. A greater range of cell styles are sourced from a dedicated Excel workbook called MMColourCode. These cell styles are then applied to improve the Unformatted6 Excel workbook.
You will learn skills in:
Section 5 Advanced Data Types
This section demonstrates the use of advanced data types to improve Unformatted7 Excel workbook.
You will learn to use conditional formatting, various types of dates, useful data validation options, and text formulas to improve an Excel workbook.
There are 4 lectures in this section:
Lecture 15 Conditional Formatting
This lecture focuses on conditional formatting to improve an Excel Workbook. A comparison is provided between use of conditional formatting and use of cell styles.
Lecture 16 Using Dates
This lecture demonstrates the use of dates in an Excel workbook. Advantages and reasons for using certain types of dates are provided.
Lecture 17 Data Validation
The use of Data Validation is demonstrated in this lecture on an Excel workbook. The benefits of using data validation is explained.
Lecture 18 Using Text and Text Formula
This lecture provides examples of using text and text formulas in an Excel workbook. The use of text formula provides a way to automate Text written in cells rather than using less efficient manual approaches.
This section demonstrates the effective use of templates for efficient and accurate use of Excel .
You will learn to create an original template, set up, adjust, and copy template clones for efficient and accurate use of Excel . You will also learn skills in redesigning templates.
There are 7 lectures in this section:
Lecture 19 Template Concepts
This lecture explains template concepts in preparation for the following lectures.
Lecture 20 Creating a Template
Here, a table is set up (using an Unformatted7 Excel workbook) that is to be copied to form clones. Here we set up the original template. This allows for efficient redesigning of tables.
You will therefore learn skills in setting up an original template.
Lecture 21: Setting up a Clone Template
This lecture demonstrates setting up a clone template in an Unformatted8 Excel workbook. Here, a clone is similar to the original template but has some modifications.
You will therefore learn skills in setting up a clone template.
Lecture 22: Clone Template Use
This lecture demonstrates the use of the clone template to create other tables of the same style in the Unformatted8 Excel workbook. By doing this Excel is used more efficiently.
Lecture 23 Templates Formula for Status
This lecture demonstrates the use of the Templates Formula for status in the Unformatted9 Excel workbook. You will learn to use nested IF statements applied to text.
Lecture 24 Templates Percent Available
In this lecture, we consider what the original developer is trying to achieve. Here a minor redesign is demonstrated in Unformatted9 Excel workbook by adding a calculation.
Lecture 25 Templates Percent Lost
This lecture demonstrates appropriate redesigning in the Unformatted9 Excel workbook by making equations much simpler. An equation with some 20 terms is converted to one with about 5. A key part of formatting Excel is to use equations in such a manner that they are as simple as possible. This allows templates to be both efficient and clear.
This section comprises 2 lectures:
You will understand what skills you have gained and what other courses are available and being developed to build on these skills. You will have access to a Formatted1 Excel workbook and will have gained the skills to transform the original Unformatted Excel workbook to the Formatted1 Excel workbook during the course.
This lecture includes:
This final lecture provides information on available and planned courses related to this current course through use of a flowchart.
Check out the detailed breakdown of what’s inside the course
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