Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 1 from Coursera

"Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 1" is aimed at learners who are seeking to augment, expand, optimize, and increase the efficiency of their Excel spreadsheet skills by tapping into the powerful programming, automation, and customization capabilities available with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

This course is the first part of a three-part series and Specialization that focuses on the application of computing techniques in Excel/VBA to solve problems. In this course (Part 1), you will: 1) create macros to automate procedures in Excel; 2) define your own user-defined functions; 3) create basic subroutines to interface with the user; 4) learn the basic programming structures in VBA; and 5) automate Excel’s Goal Seek and Solver tools and use numerical techniques to create “live solutions” to solve targeting and optimization problems.

New to computer programming? The extremely intuitive and visual nature of VBA lends itself nicely to teaching and learning - what a fun way to learn to code! No prior knowledge in programming nor advanced math skills are necessary yet seasoned programmers will pick up new and creative spreadsheet problem solving strategies.

After you have learned the basics of VBA, each module will introduce foundational and broad problems inspired by situations that you might encounter in the real world. To pass each module, you'll need to pass a mastery quiz and complete a problem solving assignment. This course is unique in that the weekly assignments are completed in-application (i.e., on your own computer in Excel), providing you with valuable hands-on training.

What's inside

Syllabus

Macro recording, VBA procedures, and debugging

Week 1 will introduce you to visual basic for applications (VBA) and teach you the foundational tools required to create basic procedures in VBA. You'll learn about different data types and the scope of variables, how to troubleshoot your code when it's not working, and how to record basic macros using both absolute and relative referencing modes.

VBA Nuts & Bolts, Part 1

In Week 2, you will learn how to write proper VBA syntax and basic mathematical expressions; you will learn about objects, properties, methods, and events; and you will learn how to borrow common Excel functions using VBA code. In addition, you will learn how to move information to and from Excel and the Visual Basic Editor (VBE).

VBA Nuts & Bolts, Part 2

In Week 3, you will learn how to create your own user-defined functions. You will also learn how to call other subroutines and functions that reside in other files and you will learn how to design subroutines based on a modular approach. Finally, ,you will learn basic error handling in VBA.

Programming structures in VBA

Week 4 begins the "meat" of programming in VBA, and we are finally moving into some exciting problem solving. You will learn about the common programming structures in VBA (sequence, selection, and repetition) that form the foundation for advanced programming procedures. Several examples will highlight the utility of these programming structures.

Data Management Using VBA

One of the most valuable uses of VBA is to manage large data sets in Excel. In this module, you'll learn how to automate the processes of filtering, sorting, and removing duplicates. You'll learn additional strategies for cleaning up data. The strategies learned in this week will make you a valued VBA user.

R1C1 Style

The final module of this course focuses on using the R1C1 style of cell formatting. This style, in contrast to the default A1 style of referencing in Excel, makes it much easier and straightforward to perform advanced manipulations to Excel worksheets. Several examples demonstrate the utility of the R1C1 style.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Lends itself nicely to teaching and learning, what a fun way to learn to code!

Taught by Charlie Nuttelman, who are recognized for their work in Excel/VBA

Examines creative and customized problem-solving using Excel/VBA, highly relevant to business and data analysis domains

Develops automation techniques and strategies for users who wish to enhance their Excel skills

Covers useful utilities for VBA-based Excel problem-solving

Hands-on approach with weekly assignments completed in-application

Reviews summary

Excel/vba for creative problem solving

learners say this is a heavily positive course that is largely negative toward rhetoric that is unkind, making it appropriate for all ages.

Excellent course! Would totally recommend using VBA as a first dive into programming and would totally recommend learning VBA with Charlie and his team! Thanks a lot!

"Excellent course! Would totally recommend using VBA as a first dive into programming and would totally recommend learning VBA with Charlie and his team! Thanks a lot!"

The course becomes more easy as the instructor provided relevant materials, profoundly explained the topic, and supplemented real-world industrial applications using VBA.

"The course becomes more easy as the instructor provided relevant materials, profoundly explained the topic, and supplemented real-world industrial applications using VBA."

Very useful course, I highly recommend, as a Economics guy it was really challenging but possible to solve the Assignments and I am looking forward to Part 2!

"Very useful course, I highly recommend, as a Economics guy it was really challenging but possible to solve the Assignments and I am looking forward to Part 2!"

Assignments and Quizzes are not tricky but are challenging enough to help you remember important information.

"Assignments and Quizzes are not tricky but are challenging enough to help you remember important information."

This course teaches a lot of practical techniques to use when working with excel more effectively and to assist with a wide range of problems.

"This course was very beneficial as it taught me a lot of practical techniques to use when excel more effectively and to assist with a wide range of problems"

Career center

Learners who complete Excel/VBA for Creative Problem Solving, Part 1 will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Operations Research Analyst

Operations Research Analysts use Excel VBA to develop optimization models and solve complex business problems. The course covers advanced programming structures in VBA, such as loops, conditional statements, and functions, which are essential for building decision-making tools. Furthermore, the course provides a deep dive into using VBA to automate Excel's Goal Seek and Solver tools, enabling Analysts to find optimal solutions to linear and non-linear optimization problems.

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Spreadsheet Developer

Spreadsheet Developers use Excel VBA to create custom spreadsheets and applications for various industries and tasks. The course provides a comprehensive foundation in VBA, covering topics such as macro recording, variable manipulation, and error handling. By mastering VBA, Spreadsheet Developers can improve their efficiency in developing robust and user-friendly spreadsheets, enhancing productivity and automating complex tasks.

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Quantitative Analyst

Quantitative Analysts heavily rely on Excel VBA for data analysis, modeling, and risk assessment. The course covers advanced Excel VBA techniques, such as object-oriented programming, error handling, and working with external data sources. By mastering VBA, Quantitative Analysts can automate complex financial and statistical calculations, build sophisticated models, and analyze large datasets more efficiently.

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Management Consultant

Management Consultants use Excel VBA to automate data analysis, create interactive dashboards, and develop financial models. The course provides a strong foundation in VBA, covering topics such as macro recording, variable manipulation, and error handling. By mastering VBA, Management Consultants can improve their efficiency in data analysis and visualization, allowing them to provide more insightful recommendations to clients.

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Data Scientist

Data Scientists heavily utilize Excel VBA to automate data cleaning, manipulation, and analysis. The course covers foundational VBA concepts such as data types, variables, and error handling, which are essential for building robust and efficient data pipelines. Additionally, the course provides hands-on training in using VBA to interact with Excel's data model, making it easier to extract and transform data for analysis and modeling.

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Data Analyst

Data Analysts use Excel VBA to automate data cleaning, manipulation, and analysis. The course provides a comprehensive foundation in VBA, covering topics such as data manipulation, variable manipulation, and error handling. By mastering VBA, Data Analysts can improve their efficiency in data analysis and visualization, enabling them to extract meaningful insights from complex datasets.

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Actuary

Actuaries utilize Excel VBA to automate complex financial calculations, build actuarial models, and analyze insurance data. The course provides a comprehensive foundation in VBA, covering topics such as data manipulation, variable manipulation, and error handling. By mastering VBA, Actuaries can improve their efficiency in data analysis and modeling, enabling them to provide more accurate and timely risk assessments.

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Business Analyst

Business Analysts leverage Excel VBA to automate data analysis, process improvement, and decision-making. The course provides a comprehensive foundation in VBA, covering topics such as macro recording, variable manipulation, and error handling. By mastering VBA, Business Analysts can streamline repetitive tasks, enhance data visualization, and create interactive dashboards, leading to more efficient and insightful business analysis.

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Business Intelligence Analyst

Business Intelligence Analysts use Excel VBA to automate data collection, analysis, and reporting. The course provides a strong foundation in VBA, covering topics such as data manipulation, variable manipulation, and error handling. By mastering VBA, Business Intelligence Analysts can improve their efficiency in data analysis and visualization, enabling them to provide more timely and actionable insights to stakeholders.

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Market Researcher

Market Researchers use Excel VBA to automate data collection, analysis, and reporting. The course provides a strong foundation in VBA, covering topics such as data manipulation, variable manipulation, and error handling. By mastering VBA, Market Researchers can improve their efficiency in data analysis and visualization, allowing them to gain deeper insights into market trends and consumer behavior.

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Risk Analyst

Risk Analysts use Excel VBA to automate risk assessment and analysis tasks. The course provides a strong foundation in VBA, covering topics such as data manipulation, variable manipulation, and error handling. By mastering VBA, Risk Analysts can improve their efficiency in data analysis and modeling, enabling them to identify and mitigate risks more effectively.

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Financial Analyst

Financial Analysts apply Excel VBA in their day-to-day work to automate financial models and data analysis. The ability to create custom functions and subroutines, as well as automate Goal Seek and Solver tools, can significantly enhance their efficiency and precision in financial forecasting and modeling complex scenarios. By mastering VBA, Financial Analysts can streamline their workflow, improve accuracy, and make more informed decisions.

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Financial Planner

Financial Planners use Excel VBA to automate financial planning and analysis tasks. The course provides a strong foundation in VBA, covering topics such as data manipulation, variable manipulation, and error handling. By mastering VBA, Financial Planners can improve their efficiency in portfolio management, retirement planning, and other financial planning tasks.

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Auditor

Auditors use Excel VBA to automate audit procedures and improve efficiency. The course provides a strong foundation in VBA, covering topics such as data manipulation, variable manipulation, and error handling. By mastering VBA, Auditors can improve their efficiency in data analysis and reporting, allowing them to provide more accurate and timely audit results.

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Software Engineer

Software Engineers may find Excel VBA useful as a tool for prototyping and testing software solutions. The course introduces the basics of VBA programming, including data types, variables, and control structures. Additionally, the course covers debugging techniques and best practices for writing efficient and maintainable VBA code, which can be valuable for Software Engineers who need to develop custom solutions within the Excel environment.

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