---
title: 'Microsoft Excel Tutorial 2026 | Complete Guide for Beginners | Simplilearn'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=R5K3B_eAgL0'
video_id: 'R5K3B_eAgL0'
date: 2026-10-24
duration_sec: 1894
channel: 'Simplilearn'
---

# Microsoft Excel Tutorial 2026 | Complete Guide for Beginners | Simplilearn

> Source: [Microsoft Excel Tutorial 2026 | Complete Guide for Beginners | Simplilearn](https://youtube.com/watch?v=R5K3B_eAgL0)

## Summary

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to Microsoft Excel for business professionals, focusing on transforming raw data into actionable insights and interactive dashboards. It covers essential formulas, pivot tables, conditional formatting, sparklines, and dashboard creation, making it suitable for beginners and those looking to strengthen their business analytics skills.

### Key Points

- **Course Overview** [00:07] — The course aims to teach Excel beyond basic calculations, turning raw business data into clear insights and interactive dashboards for better decision-making.
- **Core Skills Covered** [00:34] — Learners will create formulas to simplify repetitive tasks, analyze large datasets, and present information in an understandable way.
- **Structuring Data and Essential Formulas** [00:59] — The course begins with structuring business data in Excel, formatting it effectively, and using essential formulas like SUM and IF.
- **Pivot Tables and Charts** [01:14] — Next, pivot tables and pivot charts are explored to transform complex sales data into meaningful business reports.
- **Conditional Formatting and Sparklines** [01:26] — Conditional formatting and sparklines are used to identify trends, highlight key information, and quickly spot important changes in data.
- **Building an Interactive Dashboard** [01:38] — The course culminates in building a simple interactive business dashboard that communicates insights and supports better decision-making.
- **Creating a Pivot Table** [03:20] — To create a pivot table, select the entire data table, go to Insert > PivotTable > From Table/Range, and choose a new worksheet for clarity.
- **Configuring Pivot Table Fields** [04:21] — Use the PivotTable Fields pane to add columns like Region and Total Sales. Remove blank fields by unchecking them in the dropdown.
- **Adding Second-Level Detail** [06:14] — Add Product Name to the pivot table to see sales and profit for each product within each region, providing a deeper level of analysis.
- **Creating a Pivot Chart** [07:11] — Select the pivot table, go to Insert > PivotChart, and choose a clustered column chart to visually compare sales across regions and products.
- **Conditional Formatting for Top/Bottom Performers** [09:48] — Use conditional formatting with Top/Bottom rules to highlight the top three and bottom three sales figures in green and red, respectively, for each month.
- **Adding Data Bars** [16:18] — Data bars are added via conditional formatting to create a visual bar behind each number, making it easy to compare values at a glance.
- **Creating Sparklines for Trends** [19:36] — Sparklines are inserted via Insert > Sparklines > Line, using a data range (e.g., B4:M4) and a location cell (e.g., O4) to show trends over time.
- **Building the Dashboard** [25:15] — Create a new sheet named 'Dashboard', add key summary numbers using cross-sheet formulas (e.g., ='M1 Sales'!grand total), and format KPI cards.
- **Integrating Charts into Dashboard** [28:50] — Copy the pivot chart and paste it into the dashboard, resize it, and format the chart area with solid colors and shadows for a professional look.

### Conclusion

By the end of this course, learners will have practical Excel skills to manage business data, analyze information, and create reports that deliver real value, including interactive dashboards that support decision-making.

## Transcript

full of raw business data and turn it into clear insights that helps teams everyone and welcome to the Excel for Business course where you will learn how to use Excel beyond basic calculations and transform everyday business data
insights and interactive dashboards. Excel remains one of the most widely worldwide. From tracking sales performance and managing budgets to analyzing operations and reporting business metrics, spreadsheets play a
key role in decision-m across industries. So in this course, you will efficiently, create formulas that simplify repetitive task, analyze large data sets, and present information in a way that is easy to understand. So
whether you work in finance, marketing, operations, management or are looking to strengthen your business analytics skills, these Excel techniques will help confidence. We will begin by understanding how to structure business
data in Excel, format it effectively and use essential formulas like sum, if and calculations. Next, we will explore pivot tables and pivot charts to complex sales data into meaningful business reports. Then we will learn how
to use conditional formatting and spark lines to identify trends, highlight key information, and quickly spot important changes within your data. Finally, we build a simple interactive business dashboard that helps communicate
insights and support better decision-m. So, by the end of this course, you will have the practical Excel skills needed to manage business data, analyze information, and create reports that deliver real value. Also, if you want to
next level, you can explore Smilon's data analyst program designed to help skills. This program covers essential tools like Excel, SQL, Python, R, Tableau, and PowerBI along with statistics and predictive analytics. You
capstone to apply your learning to practical business problems. This sessions, hands-on learning, and career support to help you advance in your data analyst certificate from simply learn along with Microsoft course
looking to build strong data analytics skills and prepare for real world roles, in the description box below. So now let's get started.
businesses. Now Excel is one of the widely used tools in offices across the world and almost every business decision from the sales tracking to budgeting depends on the data sitting inside the spreadsheet. In this course, we are
going to turn the raw data into a clear professional report that anyone can understand at a first glance. Whether you're working in finance, operations, you are going to learn here will help you move faster and present your work
with confidence. >> [music] >> By the end of this course, you'll be able to organize a business data efficiently, build formulas that automate everyday calculation, summarize
large data set using a pivot table, and highlight important information visually using conditional formatting, and bring everything together into a simple interactive dashboard that supports business decisions.
this raw data we are going to create the pivot table. Now how pivot table works we need to understand here that we have to select the entire table. Now this is the table that I'm talking about. Okay. And we will go to the insert section and
then we will go to the reward table and then we'll click on from table range and this will somewhat come in front of me. Now I'll choose a new worksheet. Why I'm old one also. I'm choosing new one because it will be more clear for you
after looking at it. If I'll be creating the same in this one, the pivot table in this sheet, it will be very confusing for you guys. So, let's move forward and we'll be choosing the new worksheet and I'll click on okay. You can see here we
have the MTP word table which we have in this on the left side and on the right side we have the names of the columns. So we'll be choosing which uh specific column we need inside our pivot table here. Now let's move forward. So on the
right side this is the pivot table field. Now we'll click on the region. We want region here. So you can see my region column is coming here. Now this is the blank uh field that is coming. I will remove that. How we can remove any
will remove that. How we can remove any if any extra rows are coming inside your feature? How we can remove that? You can click on the drop-down and you can click click on the drop-down and you can click on blank. Now you can see the blank
section is not selected anymore and you will click on okay and they will move will click on okay and they will move forward. We understood that. Now I want forward. We understood that. Now I want for each uh region what was the uh total
sales they had. Now I will clicking again here. I'll come on total sales. again here. I'll come on total sales. I'll click here and for each region what are the sales I can see here. So for east this much sales, north this much,
south this much and west this much. This is the grand total of the sales which we were also looking at that uh specific main plot main table. But here it is more clear. Okay, for for on the basis of reason wise it is more clear here.
Now let's move forward. So what else we can do here? We'll come on the total sum of the total sales and here we'll be counting the entire sales that has been done in the north, east, south and west. So now we can see
here the grand total is again 4036 940. So which is exactly same as the main table. If you go here, we have already calculated this. It will
be exactly same. Now because here we are talking about product wise product name and here we're talking about region wise. Now let's move forward with the next step and that is we have to add a second level of detail here. Now you can
see this is a pivot table which you have added here from the main data. Now we need to add in this also a main detail which will be more about each region what sales we'll be making here. Now let's move forward. So let's start with
the pivot table. Now here we are on the sheet two which is a pivot table and now we'll click on our open field list. So we'll go to the pivot table analyzer here. Now we'll click on field list. Now we'll
be adding a product name here one by one in the same pivot table. So so we'll click on the product name and now these are the product names. So what has are the product names. So what has changed here? Now we can see two things.
First in each region we have the product of which each region that is north, east, south and west is selling and how much profit they have made out of that product and this is the grand total. Now this is your step three is done here.
four and in the step number four we have to create a pivot chart. Let's see how will we make that. Now these are the steps to make a pivot chart. One by one you can pause and read all of the steps and let's move ahead. So let's come to
the sheet number two where we have made our pivot table and let's move forward from here. We'll select our pivot table and then we'll go to the insert and then we'll move forward and click on the pivot chart.
Now this is a pivot chart and each pivot chart is actually explaining something to me. Now this is column line pi bar area graph xy plot. Now what is xy plot? Whenever you have both the features will be numerical features you'll be using
because one of the feature is categorical feature in our case which means currently when you're talking about east or the products those products or those uh east specifically is a region it cannot be converted into
a number and that's why it is a comparison of categorical data into a numerical data. So we'll move forward with that. Now uh map here we don't need map we don't need stock surface and everything you can choose whatever fits
your data the best now according to this we need to choose the column chart okay and in this column chart there are multiple different type of columns I'm going to choose the clustered column this one
this one and I'll click on okay and this is our and I'll click on okay and this is our data so what we can see here In east region we have these three products. In north region we have these three
products. In south we have these two. And in west we have these two. Now and And in west we have these two. Now and here we can see that each of the product have its own range for each of the product in each region. We can see how
much sales it has made. Now let's move forward with that. So we can see here the step number four is already done. And what we have learned from the step number four and that is a chart now that appears here is a pivot table and we'll
be visually using this to show the sales for each reason. As you can change the pivot table the chart will also automatically will change definitely inside it. Whatever data you'll be having inside this according to that
your data in the chart will also change. And now we'll move forward with that And now we'll move forward with that information and let's move ahead.
sales table with columns and product name and 12 columns for each name from January to December and containing a sales figure for each of the product. Okay. So let's begin. So the step number one here will be the highlighting of the
top to bottom performances. Now let's begin. How do we do that? So if you'll go to the step number one, this is how it should look like. Basically whatever lowest three performances will be there that should be in red color and the
should be there which will be in the green. How do we do this? So we'll come to our source data. Okay. So here we'll be making our spark line and here we have to make our top to bottom top three and bottom three. Now let's begin. First
should be selected and then we'll move forward. Then we'll come here in the ribbon and then we'll search for home and in the home we'll be having the conditional formatting this one. Okay. So we'll be clicking
here and after that in the conditional formatting we'll be having a top to bottom rule. Now we'll come inside the top to bottom rule and here we'll be having our options. We'll come here and we'll choose top 10 items and then we'll
edit this later to make it three. So these are the top three which are in red and I want to make it green. So green
like this and these are my top three which had a highest sales in January. which had a highest sales in January. Now click okay and let's move forward now. So I also want to choose the bottom three options. So I'll again select all
and then I'll go to conditional formatting. Again I'll go to the top to bottom rule and then again I'll go to the bottom 10 items and then here I'll be choosing bottom three and this should be in the red color. So I'll keep it
like that and I'll click on okay. We have to do the same exact step for February, March, April, May, June, July, September, October, November and December. So let's begin. So for January also I'll click all the columns. I'll go
to the formatting. I'll click on top to bottom and then I'll click on top 10 and bottom and then I'll click on top 10 and then I'll edit this as top three and it should be in green and I'll click okay. Again I select all and again I'll go to
the formatting then top to bottom rule and then bottom 10 elements and here I'll be selecting bottom three elements and this should be in red and yeah let's move forward same for the march go to the conditional formatting
the conditional formatting top to bottom rule top 10 elements top to bottom rule top 10 elements top three elements we want and we'll keep it green and we'll click on Okay, same again for the bottom. So,
conditional formatting top bottom rule top bottom rule and here
and this should be red. And let's move forward. Same for the April conditional formatting. We want top three and we want top three in green and then we'll want top three in green and then we'll click on okay and let's move forward.
Again we'll go to the formatting again top to bottom again bottom 10 elements and here I'll be having three green click move forward
selected conditional formatting top 10 we want it in a dark green color. So click again formatting top to bottom So click again formatting top to bottom bottom 10 and we want here to be red and
let's move forward. So we can see the pattern here the monitor the keyboard everything which is having a less sales in one month somewhere having the less sales in all the other months also. What does that mean? Maybe the product is not
that good to make a sales and also it's compared to the other products it's making less sales. That doesn't mean that it's not making sales. It's just as a comparison here. Now let's start with the June also. Same exact thing here. We
the June also. Same exact thing here. We want green. And let's fix this. And again conditional formatting bottom element red. Move forward. Then move forward.
Again the same thing. Bottom 10 elements. So bottom 10 we want to keep and top 10 we want to keep it top 10 we want to keep it green
again exact same thing I think for everything we can do it and here we'll come to top 10 you want top Three.
Okay. So this is having a less sales. This product is also having a very less This product is also having a very less sales throughout the entire year. Now let's move ahead with this information to the next step. So what do we want in
the next step? Now we'll be adding the data bars like this. So what exactly is comparison. We'll select a same range of the sales figure again and we'll go for the formatting again. Now this time we'll be using data bars and we'll
choose any other color to create a frame. Now let's begin. So here we'll be clicking on the January data. Now I'll click from uh B4 to B13
click from uh B4 to B13 like this. and then we'll move ahead and here I'll again go to the home section and again I'll choose the uh conditional formatting and after this I'll be clicking here in the data bars. Now I'll
click inside the data bar and here you can choose any colors. Now this is the solid colors where all the colors will come in the exact order. Now you can choose this and if you want to choose the shaded colors that is also there. So
you can choose according to your needs. So let's say I'm going to choose the solid colors this one blue one and let's move ahead and then
blue one and let's move ahead and then we'll click here. This is done for January. This is the way of the range. How much product has made a sales in this specific order for the products. Now let's move ahead with this one. Now
the other months. So we'll come here and then we'll click here. So for March also we are going to do the same thing. So we are going to click on B4 to B13 and then we'll go to the formatting. Then we'll click on the data bar and then we'll
come inside and then we'll click the bar that we want here. And then we have April and then again same thing we'll click on all the uh rows which are there the greater that is there and then we'll go to the data bar and then we'll click
on the bar and then again we'll do the same thing for the May go to the conditional formatting click on data bar then click on gradient file any of the color you can choose choosing the blue color right now and then again the same
thing we'll select all the rows data that is there and then we'll go to the conditional format ing. Click on the data bar. Click on the bars. Same exact thing we have to do till the total income. Now let's begin from July
uh currently I want to keep it as red. So I'll be keeping it as red and let's move forward. Now after doing this what we have achieved here each cell here now displays a color bar behind the number
with longer bar representing higher value. It turns a column of the color into each simple value chart making it very easy to compare values just by glancing at the bar length. Okay. So we'll move ahead with this information.
Let's go to the step number three and that is we have to add a spark line to show a trend. Now what exactly is a trend? Trend is basically what is happening on the basis of time from previous few years or months basically
or a timeline. We're talking about that. Now let's move ahead to show trend. There are multiple ways to do that. Now here we'll be choosing any other form of a trend. So what exactly is a trend? So basically from here January to December
we have a timeline. So whenever it comes to timeline and we need to check whether the what is the pattern there we'll always choose a trend. So to perform the step number four we'll come here in the source file and we'll click on the O4.
Now let's move ahead. After clicking on the O4 we'll go to the insert section and here we'll search for the spark lines. Now we'll go to the spark line option here in the insert section and then we'll see line column and bin and
loss. Now here we'll click on line section. Now here we can see it's asking for the location. Now here we have to do some changes that is we have to change the data ring. Now we have to delete O4 and here we click on B4 to M4. So what
exactly is the meaning of that? B4 means from here to here we are selecting this data and we're trying to make the trend here. Now location range we have to give here. What will be the location range here? location range will be 04
and we have to click okay. Now I want to remove for each of the rows so I'm that you have to create a spark line here.
the other products also. So we'll click on the cell and we'll go to the insert and then we'll go to the line section and here we'll give the placement. The and here we'll give the placement. The placement will always be from the B
placement will always be from the B 5 to M 5. And here you have to choose where we want to fix the tread. So I'll be
want to fix the tread. So I'll be keeping it as O 5. So you have to make the conditional formatting here for this specific row also. So let's move forward. So we'll go to the insert section. We'll go to the
to the insert section. We'll go to the lines. We'll go to B 6 to
M6 and here we'll be having 06. Now again exactly same thing we go to insert we'll go to line section we will go to
go to B 7 to M 7 and then here we'll go to O 7 and we'll click here. Now you have
to do the exact same thing for all the other lines. We'll come here again and we'll again select the line. Again we'll write the placement of this. So we'll be to [snorts] uh M
uh M 8.
line B9 M9 and here 09 and then again it's pretty much looking
the similar because everything is in the trend and everything is growing. Here the line and again we'll give the placement placement and then we have B
10 to M 10 M 10 and then we'll be having here O 10
growth and then again we'll go to the insert section again we'll click on the line and again we'll come here and here we'll be having B11 we'll be having B11 to M1 and that is O11 11
and that's all the trend the increasing trend and here we'll be coming again in the align section and here we'll click on the starting point that is B12
to M12 and then here we'll be editing this in and then here we'll be editing this in the place of O12 and again here we have we'll come to the line section again we'll come here in data range
And again we'll be giving here the position and the position will be B13 to position and the position will be B13 to M13 and that will go till
O 13 and that's it. So here we understood how the spark line is made up of and how we can create a trend which actually looks like where the data is going. Here we can clearly see the data is going in
the upward direction which means there is a growth. Let's move forward. which we have just created in last three modules. So model one we understood how
to make a table how data actually represents itself here and then we have talked about in the model two that the pivot table and the chart and in the sales and how we can create a spark line and how we can see the trend here in the
step one we have to create a new dashboard. So now we have to create a new dashboard sheet. So we'll go here and we'll click on the plus sheet. So we one. There we have to uh you have to achieve all of the steps to create your
entire dashboard. So we'll come to the uh sheet number one which we have already created here and we'll keep it in the very left of the screen here and we'll rename this as a dashboard and after doing this we'll go ahead on the
step number two and that is we have to add a key summary number on dashboard using cross sheet formula. Now let's begin. Now we need to write here total sales. So how we'll be writing total sales here? I'll be using equals to and
then we'll come in the M1 sales sheet. Here we'll click in this and on the grand total and then we'll click on enter and this will take automatically
here the values here. Now let's move ahead in the A6 ahead in the A6 we'll be writing here total units sold
and we have to tap and then we'll move our cursor to B6 and here we'll be using equals to and then we'll click to the M1 sales table
then we'll click to the M1 sales table and then we'll click on unit sold And then again we'll click enter and this unit sold will be coming here. And after that we have to click on a dashboard again and then we'll go to the
dashboard again and then we'll go to the A7 and here you'll be creating repeat and here you'll be writing number of order and then you will tap on this equals to
and then you will tap on this equals to count a M1 sales table A4
that is 10 and that's all. Let's move forward. Now this is the data. If you want to make it bold you can make it bold
let's move ahead. Now we have to format the KPI number. Now we'll select B5 to B7 and then we'll go to the home section and then font size. We'll increase the and then font size. We'll increase the font size. Let's keep it 20 like this.
font size. Let's keep it 20 like this. And then we'll keep it bold only. Uh we'll add a background color also here. Now in the total sales we'll be adding a Now in the total sales we'll be adding a background color. Let's say blue.
let's say I'm using here the last one green now this is my color palette let's move ahead now let's move ahead with the table now we'll click on the M2 pivot table and chart and then we'll click on our chart here this is my entire chart
now we'll click here Ctrl X we'll click here the table and we'll click on the Ctrl X we'll copy it from here. We'll go to the dashboard and we'll paste it here. Now, this is our pivot chart. Let's move
ahead. Now, here we'll click on any empty cell below the KPI card. And here we'll be keeping our chart. We'll resize it according to our need. Then again, we'll go to the pivot table chart. And
here, so for now, we are done with this. Let's move ahead and we'll click on the Let's move ahead and we'll click on the A1. And here we'll be writing business A1. And here we'll be writing business performance
bold. And we'll change the color also. With this one, we'll go to the uh we'll select A1 to K1 and we'll click on home
and we'll click here in the home section merge and center and we'll make sure that it's merged and centered. Now, if you want to change the color, you can picked orange color. So, you can move ahead with that too. Now, let's increase
the size of KPI numbers also. So, let's the size of KPI numbers also. So, let's keep it as 22. This is also let's increase as 22. Now we have to remove the guardrails. Guard. Now we have to
the view section and here we'll search for the guard lines and we'll click here. And that's all. Let's move ahead. And then we have to format the chart also. So we'll right click the chart and then
So we'll right click the chart and then we'll get the format chart area. This we'll get the format chart area. This one. And then under that one. And then under that select a solid color. Let's say I want
select a solid color. Let's say I want to choose brown. So this or any other color. Let's say I want to choose orange. So this keep it blue. And let's move forward with the shadow. If you want to keep it shadow here. And so
let's say I want to keep this much of shadow. And here I'm going to keep it dark blue. And that's all. Now it should look like this.
Let's move ahead and text properties solid lines.