Generative AI for Excel Automation
Published by O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Eliminate repetitive tasks and streamline your workflow using Power Query, macros, and Office Scripts
What you’ll learn and how you can apply it
- Identify and explain Excel’s main automation tools (Power Query, macros, and Office Scripts), and select an appropriate tool for an automation task
- Automate the importing, transforming, and combining of data using Power Query in Excel
- Create and modify basic Excel macros to automate repetitive worksheet and workbook tasks
- Create and run simple Office Scripts to automate actions in Excel
- Use generative AI tools effectively to create, explain, and extend queries, macros, and scripts
Excel automation goes far beyond formulas. In this hands-on course, you’ll learn how to automate data and worksheet tasks in Excel using Power Query, macros, and Office Scripts—supercharged by generative AI.
Dawn Griffiths focuses the course on real-world automation scenarios, including importing and transforming data, combining datasets, automating repetitive workbook actions, and extracting meaning from text. You’ll discover how to use generative AI as an assistant and learning partner, helping you understand features, generate queries and scripts, explain existing automation, and troubleshoot issues more efficiently.
This live event is for you because...
- You use Excel and want to learn how to automate repetitive tasks.
- You work with recurring Excel-based processes, such as reporting, data preparation, or workbook maintenance, and want to be able to streamline these workflows.
- You want to be able to automate Excel tasks but don’t know which tool to use or where to start.
- You’ve heard of Power Query, macros, or Office Scripts and want a clear, practical introduction to how they work and when to use them.
- You want to use generative AI tools such as Copilot or ChatGPT to become more productive when working in Excel.
- You’re a confident Excel user who wants to make better use of Excel’s automation features.
Prerequisites
- A computer with a working copy of Microsoft Excel, preferably Excel 365 on Windows
- Access to a generative AI tool such as Copilot in Excel, ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini
- Basic familiarity with Microsoft Excel (worksheets, tables, and simple formulas)
Recommended follow-up:
- Read Excel Cookbook (book)
Schedule
The time frames are only estimates and may vary according to how the class is progressing.
Automating data tasks with Power Query (120 minutes)
- Presentation and demos: Overview of automation tools; introduction to Power Query; importing data from different sources; transforming and combining data; using generative AI tools to learn about Power Query features; create and edit queries; and create custom Power Query functions
- Hands-on exercises: Import data; transform it; use generative AI tools to create queries; create custom Power Query functions
- Q&A
- Break
Automating worksheet and workbook tasks with macros (120 minutes)
- Presentation and demos: Introduction to macros; recording a macro; running macros; viewing and editing; troubleshooting; sharing; using generative AI tools to learn about macros and create, edit, and troubleshoot them
- Hands-on exercises: Record a macro; use generative AI to explain the macro, edit it, and create new macros
- Q&A
- Break
Automating tasks with Office Scripts (30 minutes)
- Presentation and demos: Introduction to Office Scripts; creating and running Office Scripts; editing; using generative AI to create and edit Office Scripts
- Hands-on exercises: Create an Office Script; use generative AI to edit it
- Q&A
Automating text analysis with AI functions (30 minutes)
- Presentation and demos: Overview of AI functions; using AI functions to automatically categorize and classify text
- Q&A
Your Instructor
Dawn Griffiths
Dawn Griffiths is an author and trainer with over 20 years of experience using Excel. Her most recent book is Excel Cookbook, and she’s also written several books in the Head First series, including Head First Statistics, _Head First Android Development, and Head First Kotlin. Dawn also developed the animated video course The Agile Sketchpad with her husband, David, to teach key concepts and techniques in a way that keeps your brain active and engaged.