# AI for Excel Canonical URL: ## Overview This course teaches experienced Excel users how to use artificial intelligence to reduce time spent on repetitive spreadsheet tasks. Participants learn to work with AI tools, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot, to assist with formula creation, data cleaning, analysis, and automation. Through hands-on demonstrations and practical exercises, you’ll learn how to prompt AI to generate complex formulas, clean and restructure messy datasets, create VBA macros without starting from scratch, and turn raw data into actionable insights. Designed for professionals who rely on Excel daily, this course shows how AI can be integrated into real-world workflows to improve speed, accuracy, and productivity. ## What you'll learn - Write precise AI prompts to generate reliable Excel formulas, including advanced nested functions that would otherwise require extensive trial and error. - Use AI to streamline data cleaning tasks such as standardizing formats, splitting or combining text, removing duplicates, and correcting inconsistencies. - Rely on AI assistants to interpret existing formulas, diagnose errors, and recommend improvements for inefficient or slow spreadsheets. - Apply AI to speed up data 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 ## Schedule - Jun 23, 2026 10:00am–5:00pm — NYC - Jul 9, 2026 10:00am–5:00pm — NYC ## Instructors ### Brian McClain — Program Director & Senior Instructor Brian McClain is an experienced instructor, curriculum developer, and web developer. Brian served as Director for a coding bootcamp before joining Noble Desktop in 2022, where he is now a lead instructor and course developer for both JavaScript and Python. He teaches Web Development, JavaScript, Python for Data Science, Machine Learning, and AI. Prior to Noble, he taught Python Data Science and Machine Learning as an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Westchester County College. Brian is also an active industry professional in the field of generative AI app development. His website and iOS app, Artmink, provides appraisals of art and antiques from user-uploaded images. ### Mourad Kattan — Program Director & Instructor Mourad Kattan is an instructor and Program Director of Business, Finance, & Excel at Noble Desktop, teaching classes and designing courses in Excel, finance, accounting, and financial modeling. Before Noble Desktop, Mourad worked as a financial analyst at Credit Suisse and H/2 Capital Partners. In those positions, he used advanced analytical and financial skills to evaluate a variety of investments. Mourad graduated from the University of Pennsylvania summa cum laude and is part of the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. Learn more about [Mourad Kattan's](/mourad-kattan) background and expertise. ### Adebayo Norman — Instructor Adebayo "Ade" Norman is a Senior Software Trainer with over 14 years of experience in the classroom. He is a training professional with vast troubleshooting/help desk experience and thousands of hours of software training & delivery experience. His specialty is in the In-person/Online Hybrid training environment needed in these new & changing times. ### Garfield Stinvil — Senior Instructor Garfield is an experienced software trainer with over 16 years of real-world professional experience. He started as a data analyst with a Wall Street real estate investment company & continued working in the professional development department at New York Road Runners Organization before working at Noble. He enjoys bringing humor to whatever he teaches and loves conveying ideas in novel ways that help others learn more efficiently. Since starting his professional training career in 2016, he has worked with several corporate clients including Adobe, HBO, Amazon, Yelp, Mitsubishi, WeWork, Michael Kors, Christian Dior, and Hermès. Outside of work, his hobbies include rescuing & archiving at-risk artistic online media using his database management skills. ## Pricing **Tuition:** $649