When you’ve taken the plunge and upgraded to Excel 2007, you will almost certainly benefit from some training. Which type of training you choose depends on your existing experience in using the program. However, in general, the ideal course will first of all rid you of the disorientation most Excel users feel when faced with the Excel 2007 interface. In addition, your Excel 2007 training course should show you how to make the most of the new features version 2007 has to offer.

One of the first things you should look for in having training on Excel 2007 is a full explanation of how the new interface works. You should be shown the new way of working and learn useful tips and shortcuts which will enable you to become at least as productive in Excel 2007 as you were in 2003.

However, after being trained on 2007, you will want to do more than just get back to where you were with 2003. You will want the training to show you what new features have been added to Excel 2007 and how these new features can benefit you.

One fundamental new feature in Excel 2007 is the dimension of a worksheet which is now about 1000 times bigger (in terms of the number of cells) than previous versions. A good Excel 2007 training course should show you how to fully exploit the space available and how to quickly navigate and manage the larger worksheets that will result.

Pivot tables are a key area where Excel 2007 has made improvements. Ensure that any Excel 2007 training that you book includes first of all an explanation of pivot table essentials (pivot tables often confuse users) and then moves on to the new ways of creating and manipulating pivot tables offered in Excel 2007.

Charts have been given a big overhaul in version 2007. So be sure your training includes coverage of the special effects available in Excel 2007 charting and graphics. Your training course should cover such features as the format, design and layout ribbons and how to use SmartArt graphics and shapes. If charting is particularly important in your organisation, then make sure your training covers things like trendlines, scatter charts and pivot charts.

Your Excel 2007 training course should also cover conditional formatting. This is a feature that has been much enhanced in Excel 2007 and your training should show you how to exploit the new features available. Make sure you will come away from the training knowing all about Data Bars and Color Scale.

The ability to enter formulas and functions into the cells of an Excel spreadsheet is the key feature that has made the program so essential to so many organisations. Excel 2007 has added several new features relating to functions and several new functions. You should insist that any training course you book on Excel 2007 demonstrates these new features and functions such as IfError, SumIfs and AverageIf.