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Excel University Lesson 404: Advanced Excel Techniques: Wildcards, Tables, and Inputs

Master complex data lookups, dynamic table management, and robust input controls to streamline your accounting workflows.

Created byJeff Lenningworkspace_premiumBest Instructor
IntermediateUpdated Sep 22, 2026

What You'll Learn

  • check_circleApply wildcard characters to resolve data matching issues in VLOOKUP and MATCH functions
  • check_circleConstruct dynamic named ranges to simulate table auto-expansion in ordinary data sets
  • check_circleImplement dependent dropdown lists using indirect references and named formulas
  • check_circleConfigure worksheet protection and conditional formatting to create controlled input interfaces
  • check_circleDesign robust error-checking mechanisms for formula-based reports

About This Course

This course provides an in-depth exploration of advanced Excel features designed to enhance data management and reporting accuracy. It covers the practical application of wildcard characters in filters and lookup functions to handle inconsistent data, as well as strategies for managing tables, including header row limitations and total row customization. The content also addresses the simulation of table behaviors in ordinary ranges through dynamic named ranges and index-match combinations. Finally, the course details methods for improving user input interfaces, such as implementing dependent dropdowns, slicers, and data validation overrides to create more reliable and maintainable workbooks.

Topics Covered

  • Wildcard character applications in lookup functions
  • Table header row and total row configuration
  • Dynamic named range creation and maintenance
  • Two-dimensional lookup formulas with index and match
  • Dependent and cascading data validation dropdowns
  • Slicer integration for pivot table filtering
  • Worksheet protection and input cell styling
  • Error checking and data validation overrides

Course Content

3 activities • 6 videos • duration: 2h 17m

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Lecture3 videos • 1 quiz • 1.1 hours
  • videocamC18 Wildcards Revisited
    Duration 17:13
  • videocamC19 Tables Revisited
    Duration 26:42
  • videocamC20 Start Here Revisited
    Duration 24:30
  • quizWildcards Revisited Quiz
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Additional Resources3 videos • 1.2 hours
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Final Assessment1 quiz

Your Instructor

Jeff Lenning

CPA and Microsoft Certified Trainer

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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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