May BiteSize Workshops

BiteSize 90 minute workshops combine elements from some of our most successful courses, in a short, focussed, business-friendly size. Quickly pick up a new skill and put what you learn into use the same day.

The cost is £49 (plus VAT) per workshop.

Here is the line-up for May

A PICTURE IS WORTH A 1000 WORDS… CREATING CHARTS

What can you do with a mass of numbers? If you present an audience with raw figures, people's eyes may glaze over. But if you present data visually—such as when you need to show how sales of your product have grown—then more people will follow your main points. One glimpse of a chart can save a lot of effort by concisely conveying the meaning of your data.

Workshop Topics

21 May 08:00–09:30

understand charting terminology • selecting appropriate chart types • creating basic chart types, including column, pie, line, XY Scatter, and bar charts • applying custom formats to charts and chart elements • saving and applying a chart template • charting using two y axes • combining chart types

ESSENTIAL WORD WORKSHOPS – MAIL MERGE

Microsoft Word is one of the most commonly used pieces of business software (after Excel). Many people, however, are self-taught which means they often don’t know the most efficient way to use the application. As a result, they end up wasting valuable time making the software “work” for them. Our Mail Merge workshop explores the ways that Word can be used to create merged documents with data pulled from a variety of sources.

Workshop Topics

21 May 10:00–11:30

starting mail merge • creating the data source • using the data form • creating the main document • merging the main document & data source • merging to labels • merging with an existing data source • using data sources from Excel • using data sources from Access • editing a data source • filtering records • sorting records • conditional statements • creating personalised messages.

Formulae and Functions

Excel is used to store data and crunch numbers in all types of businesses and its power lies in its formulas and functions, which allow all sorts of data analysis, from simple sums to standard deviations. Mastering the calculation side of Excel will streamline how you work, saving you time and making you more efficient.

Intro to Formulae and Functions

24 May 08:00–09:30

Excel’s formulae and functions • formula structure • creating formulae • cell and range references • working with ranges • absolute and relative cell references • using paste function • calculating with range names • editing range names • using data validation • setting validation criteria and messages

Using Advanced Functions

24 May 10:00–11:30

logical and lookup functions •IF • AND • OR • VLOOKUP • HLOOKUP • nesting functions • understanding nesting • nesting using the functions dialogue • nesting using spreadsheet formula building • text functions • left • right • mid • concatenate • find • len • Database Functions • DSUM • DMAX • informational functions • ISERROR • ISNUMBER • function auditing • tracing dependent • tracing precedents • protecting only cells that contain functions or formulas

Take the Work out of Worksheets – PIVOT TABLES

Whilst it may be tempting to leave worksheets in a simple format of columns and rows, once you accumulate large amounts of data then PivotTables can help you to quickly aggregate thousands, or tens of thousands, of records using simple drag-and-drop technology. Once created, PivotTables can be re-arranged in seconds to produce alternative analysis; whilst one-click drill-down functionality gives instant access to underlying, data plus you can expand and collapse the PivotTable as required.

Workshop Topics

29 May 08:00–09:30

analysing data using pivot tables • creating pivot tables from worksheet data • using the pivot table wizard • using the pivot table toolbar • managing pivot tables • modifying a pivot table • grouping items in a pivot table field • creating a chart from a pivot table • showing/hiding pivot table data

NEVER do something twice – recording simple macros

One of the main purposes of computers is to simplify and make our lives, and our jobs, easier. But what if we could simplify our use of the computer itself and alleviate tedious computer tasks? A macro is a way to automate a task that you perform repeatedly or on a regular basis and, whilst macro programming is generally considered an advanced topic, the basic concepts are not difficult to master.

Workshop Topics

29 May 10:00–11:30

recording a macro • running a macro • making macros easier to use • adding macros to the menu bar • assigning a macro to a button on a sheet • assigning a macro to a toolbar button • assigning a macro to a graphic object • macro storage • relative and absolute references in recorded macros