# AI for Excel (Self-Paced)

Canonical URL: <https://www.nobledesktop.com/classes/ai-excel-online>

## Overview

Learn how to use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot to work efficiently in Excel. In this self-paced course, experienced Excel users will explore practical ways to speed up formula writing, data cleaning, analysis, and automation.

Through self-paced lessons and hands-on exercises, you’ll practice prompting AI to generate formulas, clean messy datasets, build VBA macros, and turn spreadsheet data into useful insights. The course focuses on real-world workflows that can help reduce repetitive work and improve accuracy.

## What you'll learn

- Write effective AI prompts to generate reliable Excel formulas, including advanced nested functions that can otherwise take significant time to build manually.
- Use AI to simplify data cleaning tasks such as standardizing formats, splitting or combining text, removing duplicates, and fixing inconsistencies.
- Use AI assistants to interpret existing formulas, troubleshoot errors, and suggest improvements for inefficient or slow spreadsheets.
- Apply AI to speed up analysis by uncovering insights, creating visualizations, and generating VBA macros for repetitive tasks.

## Prerequisites

Attendees must have beginner Excel skills equivalent to our [Excel Fundamentals course](/classes/basic-excel-classes), including basic functions and formulas, printing, formatting, basic charts, and tables.

## Curriculum

#### Module 1: AI Fundamentals for Excel Users

- Understand what AI can (and cannot) do for your Excel work
- Overview of AI tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and others
- How AI "thinks" about spreadsheets—and why that matters for getting good results
- Setting realistic expectations: AI as assistant, not replacement
- Security and data privacy considerations when using AI with sensitive data

#### Module 2: Mastering AI Prompts for Formula Generation

- The anatomy of an effective Excel prompt: context, examples, and constraints
- Generating simple to complex formulas on demand (VLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH, nested IFs, array formulas)
- Prompt techniques for dynamic formulas that adapt to your data
- Troubleshooting formulas with AI: explaining errors and suggesting fixes
- Hands-on practice: Building a prompt library for your most common formula needs

#### Module 3: Automating Data Cleaning with AI

- Identifying data cleaning tasks AI handles best
- Prompting AI to standardize inconsistent data (dates, names, addresses, phone numbers)
- Using AI to generate formulas for splitting and combining text
- Detecting and handling duplicates, outliers, and missing values
- Hands-on practice: Cleaning a messy real-world dataset using AI-generated solutions

#### Module 4: AI-Assisted Data Analysis and Insights

- Asking AI the right questions about your data
- Generating summary statistics and identifying trends with AI guidance
- Using AI to suggest appropriate chart types and visualization approaches
- Creating data narratives: Having AI help explain what the numbers mean
- Hands-on practice: Analyzing a dataset and generating insights with AI assistance

#### Module 5: VBA and Macro Generation with AI

- When automation makes sense: Identifying repetitive workflows to streamline
- Prompting AI to write VBA macros for common tasks (formatting, reporting, data manipulation)
- Understanding and modifying AI-generated code (even if you're not a programmer)
- Testing, debugging, and refining macros with AI support
- Hands-on practice: Creating a macro to automate a repetitive reporting task

#### Module 6: Building Your AI-Enhanced Excel Workflow

- Integrating AI into your daily Excel routine without disrupting productivity
- Creating a personal prompt library for recurring tasks
- When to use AI vs. when to do it yourself: A practical decision framework
- Keeping up with rapidly evolving AI capabilities
- Developing an action plan for continued AI skill-building

## Pricing

**Tuition:** $649