Excel 101: Introduction to Spreadsheets Part 1

Author: David H. Ringstrom

In this course, author and Excel expert David H. Ringstrom, CPA, will guide participants through various essential Excel skills. David will start from the beginning with Excel topics such as saving Excel files, entering text into worksheet cells, and managing column widths. He'll demonstrate the nuances that can arise when formatting numbers and worksheet cells, copying formulas and entering dates. David will build a loan amortization table from scratch, which enables him to cover a wide range of Excel topics and features. You'll learn how to calculate loan payments with the PMT worksheet function, master Excel's order of operations, and see how the F4 shortcut key can toggle cell addresses in formulas between absolute, mixed, and relative references. Other techniques include the AutoSum feature and making use of the Freeze Panes feature. Attendees will gain practical knowledge and tips to enhance their Excel proficiency and efficiency.

David H. Ringstrom, CPA, has more than 30 years of experience as a spreadsheet and accounting software consultant and speaker. He has presented over 2,500 live webinars and is the author or co-author of ten books, including “Microsoft 365 Excel All-in-One for Dummies”, “Microsoft 365 Excel for Dummies”, “Exploring Microsoft Excel’s Hidden Treasures”, and “QuickBooks Online for Dummies”.

In his courses, David demonstrates every technique twice: first on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps and then live in Excel for Microsoft 365 for Windows. He highlights any differences in Excel 2024, 2021, or 2019 during the course and in his detailed handouts. Attendees also receive an Excel workbook containing most of the examples he uses, making it easy to follow along and apply the techniques later. David additionally supports Excel for Mac users by answering their follow-up questions via email.

Publication Date: January 2026

Designed For
Professionals seeking to use Microsoft Excel more effectively.

Topics Covered

• Learning about the different types of files you can create in Excel
• Utilizing the PMT worksheet function to calculate loan payment amounts
• Using the Fill Handle to extend formulas with relative references and auto-incrementing values in a column
• Managing column widths within your spreadsheets
• Contrasting using menu commands and keyboard shortcuts for applying formatting
• Mastering Excel’s order of operations for mathematical formulas
• Copying formulas efficiently down one or more columns at the same time
• Getting oriented with Excel’s grid of rows and columns
• Setting the Rows to Repeat at Top option to include rows on each page of a printout
• Formatting percentages with precision using Percent Style, decimal tools, and the Format Cells dialog box
• Formatting numbers using Accounting, Currency, and Comma styles—plus adjusting decimal display

Learning Objectives

• Identify which keyboard shortcut undoes your last action in Excel
• Identify the three inputs required by Excel's PMT worksheet function
• Identify the menu item under Page Layout that is used to repeat rows at the top of a multiple page report
• Identify the command that enables you to save a document as a PDF file, regardless of your version of Excel
• Identify how many cells must be selected in order for Excel to recognize a pattern when you double-click the Fill Handle to create a series
• Identify the character that denotes an absolute or mixed reference in an Excel formula

Level
Basic

Instructional Method
Self-Study

NASBA Field of Study
Computer Software & Applications (2 hours)

Program Prerequisites
None

Advance Preparation
None