Course Overview and Prerequisites

Welcome to Level 2 of Excel Intermediate Analysis: The Power User. This course builds upon the foundational skills established in Level 1 and introduces you to the advanced functions and analytical techniques that distinguish proficient Excel users from true power users.

At this intermediate level, you will develop capabilities that are directly applicable to professional environments across South African industries. The functions and techniques covered in this course are those most requested by employers and most frequently used in business analysis, financial modelling, and data management roles.

Prerequisites

Before commencing this course, you should be confident in:

Cell referencing (relative, absolute, and mixed)
Basic functions (SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, IF)
Data sorting and filtering
Data validation and table creation
Conditional formatting and basic PivotTables
Chart creation and formatting

NQF Alignment

This course aligns with SAQA Unit Standard 258876 (Work with Spreadsheets, NQF Level 4, 3 Credits) registered with the Media, Information and Communication Technologies (MICT) SETA. The competencies developed contribute directly to workplace skills requirements and support B-BBEE Skills Development initiatives as outlined in the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act 53 of 2003 and Code Series 300 of the Amended Codes of Good Practice (Gazette No. 36928, 31 May 2013).

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion, you will be able to:

LO1 —Use lookup functions (VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, XLOOKUP) to retrieve data from tables
LO2 —Construct complex nested logical functions and array formulas
LO3 —Apply date, time, and financial functions to business calculations
LO4 —Create advanced PivotTables with calculated fields and slicers
LO5 —Perform what-if analysis using Scenario Manager, Goal Seek, and Data Tables
LO6 —Import and transform data using Power Query
LO7 —Design effective dashboards and advanced visualisations
LO8 —Implement workbook protection and collaborate securely