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Courses/Office Productivity/MS Excel

Streamlining Data Entry in Excel

Discover practical Excel tools and AI-powered features that reduce manual typing, improve accuracy, and make data entry faster and less tedious.

Created byDavid Ringstrom
5.0
(4 reviews)
BeginnerUpdated Feb 2, 2026
Streamlining Data Entry in Excel

What You'll Learn

check_circleConfigure custom lists and validation rules.
check_circleSplit and combine text using Flash Fill.
check_circleApply functions to clean and format text.
check_circleImport and transform data from PDF files.
check_circleOptimize cursor direction for rapid entry.

About This Course

Are you spending valuable time grinding away at manual data entry? In "Streamlining Data Entry in Excel," expert instructor David Ringstrom, CPA, demonstrates how to transform your workflow using Excel’s built-in features and powerful automation tools. The goal is simple: ensure Excel works for you, not the other way around.

This course addresses the inevitable situations where data implies manual input or arrives in formats that require significant transformation. You will learn to eliminate repetitive typing by utilizing tools like Data Validation lists, Custom Lists, and efficient cursor movement settings. David explores methods to extract and transform text without complex formulas using Flash Fill and Text to Columns, while also diving into advanced worksheet functions for precise data manipulation.

Beyond basic entry, you will discover how to leverage Power Query to merge data and extract information directly from PDF files and images, creating refreshable connections that save hours of work. The curriculum also covers practical usability tips, such as using Text Boxes for narrative data and the hidden Speak Cells feature for auditory verification. By the end of this course, you will be equipped to handle "pop-up quizzes" of bad data with ease.

Course Topics Include:

  • Reducing manual entry with built-in tools, including "sideways" data entry and automatic settings.
  • Creating and managing Data Validation lists to ensure consistent inputs.
  • Using Custom Lists and Excel Tables to automate sequences and formula management.
  • Extracting and separating text using Flash Fill, Text to Columns, and functions like TEXTBEFORE and TEXTSPLIT.
  • Combining and transforming data using Power Query to avoid writing complex formulas.
  • Importing and cleaning data efficiently from PDF files and images.
  • Enhancing spreadsheet usability with Text Boxes and verifying data using the Speak Cells command.

Your Instructor

David Ringstrom
David Ringstrom

CPA, Author, Professional Excel Spreadsheet Trainer and Consultant

menu_book44 courses
star1,130 reviews

David H. Ringstrom, CPA, is the author of Microsoft 365 Excel for Dummies, and a nationally recognized instructor who has taught over 2,500 live webinars. His Excel courses are based on over 30 years of consulting and teaching experience. David’s catchphrase is “Either you work Excel, or it works you,” so he focuses on what he sees users don’t, but should know about Microsoft Excel. His goal is to empower you to use Excel more effectively. David has authored or co-authored 10 books, including Exploring Microsoft Excel's Hidden Treasures, QuickBooks Online for Dummies, and Idiot's Guide to Introductory Accounting.

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.

What Students Are Saying

5.0
Student's Choice
4 reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

We are a registered provider with 327+ associations and regulatory bodies worldwide. We operate across 29 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.