Using Copilot in Excel

Course length:  1-day

Course Overview

Microsoft Copilot in Excel helps users work with data more efficiently by transforming natural language requests into powerful spreadsheet actions. In this hands-on course, participants will learn how to use Copilot to analyze data, generate formulas, create visualizations, identify trends, and automate common spreadsheet tasks. Through real-world business scenarios, learners will discover how Copilot can reduce manual effort, improve accuracy, and help them uncover insights faster while maintaining control over their data and decision-making processes.

Participants will explore best practices for prompting Copilot, validating AI-generated results, and leveraging Excel's analytical capabilities to support reporting, forecasting, and business decision-making.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

· Understand the role of Microsoft Copilot within Excel and how it enhances productivity.

· Create effective prompts that generate meaningful analyses and recommendations.

· Use Copilot to summarize, analyze, and interpret spreadsheet data.

· Generate formulas and functions using natural language requests.

· Identify trends, patterns, outliers, and business insights from data.

· Create and modify charts, tables, and visualizations with Copilot assistance.

· Use Copilot to perform basic data cleaning and preparation tasks.

· Ask follow-up questions to refine analyses and explore data from different perspectives.

· Validate and verify AI-generated calculations, formulas, and recommendations.

· Apply Copilot to common business scenarios such as sales analysis, budgeting, forecasting, project tracking, and operational reporting.

· Utilize Copilot to accelerate report creation and communicate insights more effectively.

· Implement best practices for responsible AI usage, including data security, accuracy checking, and prompt refinement.

Outline

Introduction to Copilot in Excel

· What Copilot can and cannot do

· Understanding requirements and supported data formats

· Working with Excel tables and structured data

· Prompting fundamentals

Exploring and Understanding Data

· Summarizing datasets

· Asking questions about data

· Identifying trends and anomalies

· Finding key insights

Formula and Function Assistance

· Creating formulas with natural language

· Understanding Copilot-generated formulas

· Troubleshooting and refining results

· Common business calculations

Data Analysis and Visualization

· Creating charts and visualizations

· Analyzing performance metrics

· Comparing categories and time periods

· Building executive-ready summaries

Productivity and Reporting

· Data cleanup and preparation

· Generating reports and summaries

· Forecasting and what-if analysis

· Creating repeatable workflows

Best Practices and Real-World Applications

· Prompt engineering for Excel

· Validating AI-generated outputs

· Responsible AI considerations

· Applying Copilot to your own business scenarios

This structure aligns well with the practical, business-focused style that IBT typically delivers and gives students plenty of hands-on exercises throughout the day.