ADVANCE KEY FEATURES OF MICROSOFT BUSINESS EXCEL

Overview
Launched in 1985, Microsoft Excel emerged as one of the important and arguably one of the
most used data applications in businesses, organizations, companies, and other workplaces in
every corner of the world. Excel is an application used to analyze, organize and store data. It is a
spreadsheet application that comprises rows and columns. It has a user-friendly interface and
makes it easier to store and track the users' data (Britannica, n.d.).
MS Excel allows users to organize whatever sort of data they choose in rows and columns in a
grid form. Excel is a versatile and flexible software that makes it stand out among other software.
This feature allows the user to design the structure of data they need to handle quickly, and the
spreadsheet program is highly user-friendly; even a beginner user can use it. To utilize it more
effectively for particular jobs, the user must receive training and obtain hands-on expertise. MS
Excel has been used since its release till date. It is software that will never fade due to its easy
interface and the features it serves its users (James, 2015).
For financial tasks, Microsoft Excel is often utilized. The user may create unique formulae for
computing quarterly, half-yearly, and annual reports, accounting for its popularity. Individuals
and professionals may use this spreadsheet program to keep track of sales leads, project progress
reports, and invoicing reports, among other things. Microsoft Excel is also popular among
scientists since it makes it simple to work with statistical calculations and graphs (Rosenberg,
2022).

Key features of Microsoft business Excel

Mastering formulae, VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) programming, and other Excel tools
for managing difficult jobs are all part of advanced Excel skills. Excel may be used for more
complicated tasks such as data analytics and simulation by experts. Following are some
advanced key features of Microsoft Excel:
VLOOKUP
The second name of VLOOKUP is a vertical lookup that retrieves data from a specific column. It
vertically recovers data using a lookup value. VLOOKUP is a valuable ability to have since it
allows you to combine many data sets into one. VLOOKUP is used in practice for:
 In a financial model with a loan schedule, calculating the relevant interest rate flow
 Looking up the number of units sold of a particular item
 Calculating incentives for sales ("The definitive guide to hiring an expert with advanced Excel
skills", 2022).
INDEX MATCH
A formula can become dynamic when both functions are coupled, as in a two-way lookup. Its
applications are comparable to VLOOKUP; however, INDEX MATCH is more versatile. Here
are some examples of how to use it:
 Returning a specific agent's sales data for a given month
 Putting together a financial overview
 Using a pricing list to create a purchase order (Gupta, 2022).

Advanced conditional formatting

Conditional formatting is an excellent technique for building a spreadsheet because it allows
users to add a visual analysis layer to a data collection quickly. Advanced tools like heat maps
and Harvey bubbles can also be created with it.
A heat map visualizes data that uses colors to highlight which values are larger or smaller than
others, commonly on a warm-to-cool color range ("The definitive guide to hiring an expert with
advanced Excel skills", 2022).
Pivot tables and reporting
A pivot table is a useful Excel tool for producing reports with vast data. In some ways, a pivot
table is similar to a regular report table, except that you may see the same data from several
angles (Gupta, 2022).

Macros and VBA

A macro is a short computer program that, once activated, performs one or more operations.
Macros are created with the VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) programming language and
saved in modules. Using a macro necessitates a thorough knowledge of VBA ("Top 10 Business
Benefits of Advanced Microsoft Excel - Area19Delegate", 2022).

Data simulations
Making a mathematical model to describe the properties of a system is generally the first step in
a simulation. While specialist simulation software applications are available today, someone with
advanced abilities may utilize Excel to simulate ("The definitive guide to hiring an expert with
advanced
Excel skills",
2022).
References
Top 10 Business Benefits of Advanced Microsoft Excel - Area19Delegate. Area19Delegate. (2022).
Retrieved 21 May 2022, from https://www.area19delegate.org/top-10-business-benefits-of-advanced-
microsoft-excel/.

Rosenberg, E. (2022). The Importance of Excel in Business. Investopedia. Retrieved 21 May 2022, from
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/032415/importance-excel-business.asp.
James, M. (2015). Microsoft Excel: Is It Important For Business Organizations?. Greycampus.com.
Retrieved 21 May 2022, from https://www.greycampus.com/blog/workplace-tools/why-microsoft-excel-
is-important-for-business-organizations.

Britannica, o. Microsoft Excel | Description & History. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 21 May 2022,
from https://www.britannica.com/technology/Microsoft-Excel.

Gupta, A. (2022). The Best Guide to Understand Advanced Excel Functions. Simplilearn. Retrieved 21 May
2022, from https://www.simplilearn.com/tutorials/excel-tutorial/advanced-excel-functions.

The definitive guide to hiring an expert with advanced Excel skills. TestGorilla. (2022). Retrieved 21 May
2022, from https://www.testgorilla.com/blog/the-definitive-guide-to-hiring-an-expert-with-advanced-
excel-skills/.