Advanced Excel for Accounting
and Finance Professionals
08 – 12 September 2025
Sandton Centre
Johannesburg South Africa
Register Now! Limited Seats Available!
R19, 999.00 Per Delegate
Course overview:
In today’s data-driven finance and accounting environments, Microsoft Excel remains the most widely used and essential tool for analysis, reporting, budgeting, and decision-making. While many professionals use Excel regularly, few fully leverage its advanced capabilities to streamline complex tasks, automate processes, and generate insightful financial models and dashboards.
This intensive hands-on course is designed specifically for accounting and finance professionals who want to deepen their Excel expertise beyond the basics. Participants will learn how to apply powerful Excel functions, data analysis tools, and automation techniques to real-world financial and accounting scenarios. The course combines practical exercises, case studies, and best practices to enhance productivity, accuracy, and strategic insight in financial operations.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Master advanced Excel functions relevant to financial analysis, including logical, lookup, date/time, and financial formulas.
2. Analyze and manipulate large data sets using PivotTables, Power Query, and Power Pivot to create meaningful financial reports.
3. Develop dynamic financial models, including 3-statement models, scenario planning, and sensitivity analysis.
4. Design interactive dashboards with effective data visualization techniques tailored to finance and accounting.
5. Automate routine tasks using macros and basic VBA to improve efficiency and accuracy.
6. Apply Excel in budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis, including using historical data to make predictive insights.
7. Ensure data accuracy and integrity using Excel’s auditing and error-checking tools.
8. Protect and manage workbooks securely, facilitating collaborative and secure financial reporting.
Who Should Attend:
• Accountants (public or corporate)
• Financial analysts
• Finance managers
• Auditors and internal control officers
• Budget officers and planners
• Tax officers and compliance professionals
• Treasury and cash management staff
• Management accountants
• Professionals preparing for roles requiring financial modeling or advanced reporting
Course Outline:
Module 1: Excel Essentials Refresher (Optional/Pre-Course Work)
• Navigating Excel interface efficiently
• Keyboard shortcuts for productivity
• Data types and formatting essentials
• Working with multiple sheets and workbooks
• Best practices for spreadsheet organization
Module 2: Advanced Formulas and Functions
• Logical functions: IF, AND, OR, IFERROR, IFS
• Lookup & reference functions: VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, INDEX & MATCH, XLOOKUP
• Date and time functions: EOMONTH, DATEDIF, WORKDAY, NETWORKDAYS
• Text functions: LEFT, RIGHT, MID, LEN, FIND, TEXT
• Nested functions and dynamic arrays
• Financial functions:
o NPV, IRR, PMT, FV, RATE
o Depreciation: SLN, DDB, SYD
o CUMIPMT, CUMPRINC
Module 3: Data Tools for Accounting Tasks
• Data validation (dropdowns, rules for input)
• Text-to-columns and Flash Fill
• Remove duplicates
• Grouping and subtotals for financial reports
• Working with Excel tables (structured references)
Module 4: Data Analysis and Reporting
• PivotTables and PivotCharts
o Creating, customizing, and filtering PivotTables
o Using calculated fields and items
o Grouping by dates (months, quarters, years)
• Power Query
o Importing and cleaning data
o Merging and appending tables
o Automating recurring data preparation tasks
• Power Pivot and Data Model
o Creating relationships
o Using DAX formulas for advanced calculations
Module 5: Financial Modeling Techniques
• Best practices in financial model design
• Building a dynamic 3-statement financial model (Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow)
• Scenario and sensitivity analysis
• Creating assumption-driven models
• Using data tables for what-if analysis
Module 6: Dashboard Design and Data Visualization
• Principles of dashboard design for finance
• Using charts effectively (line, column, combo, waterfall)
• KPI indicators (using symbols, conditional formatting)
• Interactive dashboards with form controls and slicers
• Dynamic chart ranges using named ranges and OFFSET
Module 7: Automating Tasks with Macros (VBA Introduction)
• Recording and editing simple macros
• Assigning macros to buttons
• Introduction to VBA for accounting tasks
• Automating monthly reporting tasks
• Writing user-defined functions (UDFs) in VBA
Module 8: Auditing and Error Checking in Excel
• Formula auditing tools
• Tracing precedents/dependents
• Error types and how to fix them
• Watch window and Evaluate Formula tool
• Spreadsheet controls and review checklists
Module 9: Excel for Budgeting and Forecasting
• Creating and managing budget templates
• Rolling forecasts
• Variance analysis (actual vs budget)
• Forecasting techniques using Excel
• Using regression tools for trend analysis
Module 10: Security, Protection, and Collaboration
• Cell, sheet, and workbook protection
• Hiding sensitive financial data
• Sharing and tracking changes
• Version control
• Using OneDrive/SharePoint for collaboration
End of the workshop
IN HOUSE AND ONLINE TRAINING
While both In-House and Online training can present with cost-effectiveness and time-efficacy, there are some very specific differences between in-house courses and those based online.
The demand for additional courses by individuals or groups of people is increasing. Still, it depends entirely on the preferences of a person what type of training he or she wants to receive. Online courses and in-house training carry some similarities but they are considered to exhibit some very pivotal differences too. Despite that, both types of learning can be really beneficial for attendees.
For Registration and other Training arrangements,
contact us on the detail below.
SOUTH AFRICA : +27 11 057 6001
TANZANIA Cell: +255 769 688 544
WhatsApp +27 79 574 0389
info@bmktraining.co.za / www.bmktraining.com
