NOTE: This module is included in both the "Master of Financial Analysis" and the "Master of Visual Basic" Courses, but also available here as a standalone module.

The "Get Started with Basic Modeling Methodology" module is for analysts with basic Excel skills. Every business has at least one "go-to" person that helps organize business and financial data for analysis and decision-making. Most commonly in the accounting or financial services area, the "go-to" resource can also be in production analysis, business improvement, product pricing and introduction, and other departments. What they have in common is a need to crunch and present complex data.

This module provides hands-on training in structuring a simple model, and in creating interrelated spaces for data, parameters, detailed results, and summary results presentation. The principles practiced are applicable to any model of any complexity:

• Identifying the end results
• Building the supporting data arrays
• Building and applying layout and structure
• Creating formulas to act against the data
• Model construction
• Use of graphs to support tabular outputs
• Use of Excel formatting tools

The features of this module are:

• Provides a conceptual foundation and methodology for modeling business solutions
• Introduces Excel as the working engine
• Provides suggested modeling constructs
• Introduces multi-page linking of tables and results
• Provides step by step user instruction: as you navigate, the correct Excel worksheet is displayed
• Provides “paced” examples and use cases
• User “Help” available at all times: extensive help for working with Excel and VBA and dealing with financial and accounting concepts is never more than two clicks away