Advanced Excel with AI: Practical Applications for Finance and Accounting Professionals
August 17, 2024
Advanced Excel with AI: Practical Applications for Finance and Accounting Professionals

It has often been said that the 95/5 rule applies in the Excel world: 95% of users apply only 5% of its true power. Many professionals sense that they could unlock far greater potential from Excel—if only they could better navigate its structure, formulas, and functions. The challenge is compounded by Excel’s technical jargon and complex procedures.

This hands-on workshop bridges that gap by combining advanced Excel techniques with AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot to make formula building, automation, and reporting easier and faster. Participants will learn not just how to use Excel’s native features, but also how to leverage AI as a real-time assistant—to generate formulas, troubleshoot errors, automate repetitive tasks, and design dashboards with greater confidence.

Armed with both Excel mastery and AI-enabled productivity, finance and accounting professionals will be better positioned to make data-driven decisions about company performance, business units, product cycles, sales projections, and operating requirements—all with greater accuracy and efficiency.

Overview: AI and Excel

  • AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot) extend Excel by : 
    • Generating and explaining formulas
    • Automating repetitive tasks (data cleaning, formatting)
    • Debugging and error-checking formulas
    • Designing dashboards and reports faster
    • Providing narrative insights alongside numeric outputs

Absolute Cell Addressing

  • Using Absolute, Relative, and Mixed References
  • Troubleshooting references

Naming Cells and Ranges

  • Naming Cells with Create and Name Box
  • Insert Name Define and Managing Named Ranges
  • Auto-generate range names and suggest consistency rules

Data Consolidation

  • Consolidation by Position/Category
  • Consolidating Data Across Worksheets and Workbooks
  • Consolidation for summarization and error checks

Using Formulae and Functions

  • Working with Excel Add-ins
  • Entering Simple and Complex Formulae
  • Understanding and Using Functions
  • Formula generation, explanation, and alternatives

Conditional Functions

  • Introduction to IF
  • Nested IFs, SUMIF, COUNTIF
  • Simplify nested logic into cleaner formulas

Lookup Functions

  • LOOKUP, VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, XLOOKUP
  • Writing and debugging lookup formulas

Data Validation

  • Using the Data Validation Feature
  • Finding and Fixing Invalid Data
  • Validation rules and detect anomalies

Conditional Formatting

  • Setting Up Conditional Formats
  • Using Formulas in Conditional Formatting
  • Designing visual rules that highlight key trends

Working with Data Lists

  • Sorting, Subtotals, Filtering
  • Automate list analysis and summarization

Data Tables

  • Creating One-Way and Two-Way Data Tables
  • Scenario modeling and sensitivity analysis

Building Reports & Dashboards

  • Designing & Creating Forms
  • Working with Form Controls
  • Pivot Table Consolidation
  • Designing layouts, automate repetitive reporting, and generate narrative insights for dashboards

This workshop qualifies for 14.0 CPE hours in Information Technology (Category 5).

Participant should bring along a laptop running Windows 11 with Microsoft Excel 2021 installed. You should be able to sign in to ChatGPT ( or other AI chatbot ) for selected exercises.

Where certain Excel add-ins cannot be installed due to corporate device restrictions, operating system constraints, or Excel version limitations, the instructor will provide live demonstrations of the relevant capabilities to ensure participants still gain an understanding of their use.

 

As part of our commitment towards minimizing carbon footprint and contributing to a healthier planet, we will only be issuing the soft copy of the training materials.

The training materials will be emailed to you 2 days before the workshop. Charging points are available in the training room to charge your digital device.

 

  • Finance and Accounting Professionals
  • Data Analysts
  • Professionals and Business Executives transitioning from manual reporting to automated, analytics-driven workflows

Participants should ideally have basic knowledge of Excel (e.g. Entering formulas using functions and formatting worksheets)

Dr Lim Thou Tin
Expert Speaker
Dr Lim Thou Tin

Dr. Lim is a business graduate from the NUS. He holds double masters in information systems and knowledge management with further postgraduate qualifications in systems analysis, intelligent systems, marketing, management consulting and training. He has a doctorate of business administration from Southern Cross University with research interests in information systems and business modelling. He is also a certified business intelligence professional with specialisation in business analytics.

Dr Lim’s work experience includes working in large Singapore companies to MNCs in senior corporate, IT and project management positions. As a management consultant and practitioner, he has facilitated organizational initiatives / projects over a span of more than 15 years in the region, including Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, China, India, Indonesia and Thailand.

Dr Lim continues to be involved in senior management education at local tertiary institutions, teaching information and accounting topics at degree and postgraduate level with research and publishing interests in knowledge management and business intelligence.

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