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Excel University Lesson 101: Foundations for Accounting Professionals

Automate recurring tasks and master the essential Excel features to reclaim your time.

Created byJeff Lenningworkspace_premiumBest Instructor
BeginnerUpdated Sep 22, 2026

What You'll Learn

  • check_circleApply keyboard shortcuts to increase personal productivity in Excel
  • check_circleImplement named references to improve formula clarity and maintenance
  • check_circleConvert data ranges into tables to enable automatic expansion and structured referencing
  • check_circleConfigure data validation to restrict user input and ensure data consistency
  • check_circleAutomate recurring manual tasks using Excel features and functions

About This Course

This course provides a comprehensive foundation in Excel techniques specifically designed for accounting and finance professionals. It focuses on automating recurring data-driven tasks to improve efficiency and reduce manual workload. The curriculum covers essential keyboard shortcuts, named references, table management, and data validation to ensure data integrity and streamline workbook maintenance. By implementing these features, users can transform Excel from a basic calculator into a robust platform for reliable, automated reporting.

Topics Covered:

  • Keyboard shortcut mastery for navigation
  • Absolute and relative cell reference management
  • Named ranges and formula readability
  • Table object conversion and auto-expansion
  • Structured table references for formulas
  • Data validation for input control
  • In-cell dropdown list creation
  • Recurring process automation strategies

Course Content

3 activities • 9 videos • duration: 1h 11m

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Lecture5 videos • 1 quiz • 50 min
  • videocamC1-5 Overview
    Duration 11:54
  • videocamC6 Selected Shortcuts
    Duration 8:46
  • videocamC7 Named References
    Duration 7:37
  • videocamC8 Tables
    Duration 10:30
  • videocamC9 Data Validation
    Duration 11:54
  • quizLecture Quiz
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Additional Resources4 videos • 20 min
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Final Assessment1 quiz

Your Instructor

Jeff Lenning

CPA and Microsoft Certified Trainer

menu_book36 courses
star1,180 reviews

In his live CPE training sessions, Jeff Lenning CPA has shown thousands of CPAs and accounting professionals across the country how to use Excel to streamline their work and become more efficient. Several publications have featured his Excel articles, including the Journal of Accountancy and California CPA Magazine. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Jeff began his career in the audit practice at Arthur Andersen’s Orange County office. He was a senior financial analyst at Gateway computers and the accounting manager at Interpore Cross International. In 2000, he founded Click Consulting Inc., a technology-consulting firm that specializes in Excel training, consulting, development, and personal coaching. He is a past president of the CalCPA OCLB Chapter, the former chair of the California CPA State Technology Committee, co-chair of the California CPA OCLB Chapter Technology Committee, a board member of the California CPA OCLB Chapter, on the California Society of CPAs Council, and an instructor for the AICPA and the California CPA Education Foundation. A Microsoft Office Certified Excel Expert, he is a nationally recognized speaker and trainer. He was recently recognized with the California CPA Education Foundation's Award for Instructor Excellence.

Credit Information

Is this course eligible for my CPD requirements as a Canadian CPA?

Provincial regulators of CPAs in Canada do not require that independent providers of CPD be approved to offer courses. Instead, individual CPAs are responsible for assessing whether a CPD activity meets their requirements, and may take activities from any source provided those requirements are met.

Every course offered on LearnFormula is delivered by a qualified subject matter expert or learning organization, and advances learning objectives that are relevant to the responsibilities or professional competencies of Canadian CPAs. All activities on LearnFormula are quantifiable in terms of hours, and are also verifiable, in that users receive documented evidence of their attendance via a certificate of completion after finishing a course (and this certificate is stored by LearnFormula indefinitely). Nearly 100,000 Canadian CPAs successfully satisfy their CPD requirements via LearnFormula on an annual basis.

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Frequently Asked Questions

We are a registered provider with 300+ associations and regulatory bodies worldwide. We operate across 27 global markets including Canada, the US, Australia, and the UK. Every course page clearly displays its specific accreditations. Upon completion, you receive a professional certificate that can be validated online. Our certificates include all necessary accreditation details, credit hours, and completion dates, and are formatted specifically to meet the submission requirements of most global regulatory bodies.

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