You build the reports your team relies on, in Excel or Power BI, without being an analyst. Ten lessons, three practice blocks, and the terms that come up most.
BEFORE YOU START
What This Programme Covers
10lessons
4modules
3practice blocks
Level 1 → 3Aware to Building
Who this is for
You picked up reporting because someone had to. You may sit in finance, operations, marketing or HR, and nobody trained you for this.
About 116 minutes of lessons, plus the practice blocks. Work through it in order, or jump to the module you need.
A report that supports no decision is a spreadsheet with ambition.
1. Learn
Before you build, write one sentence: who reads this, and what do they do differently because of it? If you cannot finish that sentence, the report is not ready to build. Most reports that nobody opens were built without one.
Who reads itWhat they decideHow often
For example: "The regional managers read this each Monday to decide where to move stock this week."
2. Practise
Three questions, drawn from a larger set. Answer all three to complete the lesson.
Question of 3A report nobody acts on is:
Every report has an ongoing cost, so it needs a reason to exist.
Question of 3The best first question is:
Everything else follows from the decision it supports.
Question of 3"Send me everything" usually means:
It is an invitation to ask better questions, not a specification.
Question of 3How often it is read matters because:
A daily glance and a monthly review need completely different reports.
Question of 3Two audiences, two decisions. You should:
A report serving two decisions usually serves neither well.
Practice complete.
3. Apply at work
Write that sentence for a report you already maintain. If you cannot, ask the person who asked for it.
Common mistake
Building what was asked for rather than what is needed. "Send me everything" is a request for help, not a specification.
Remember this: One sentence: who reads it, and what they do next.
Open the raw data before you build anything. Find out what one row represents, which column identifies it, and where the blanks are. Counting rows when a row is an order line, not an order, is the most common reporting error there is.
One row = what?Which column is uniqueWhere are the blanks
For example: An export with one row per item means 1,000 rows might be 300 orders.
2. Practise
Three questions, drawn from a larger set. Answer all three to complete the lesson.
Question of 3Your row count is three times the order count. Likely cause:
Both are common, and both are found by checking the grain first.
Question of 3Before building, you should look at:
The summary hides exactly the problems that will bite you.
Question of 3Blank cells matter because:
A blank is not a zero, and treating it as one invents numbers.
Question of 3A unique column is useful because:
It is what makes a lookup safe.
Question of 3The file is called Orders. That means:
File names are the least reliable thing in reporting.
Practice complete.
3. Apply at work
Open the data behind your main report and write down what one row represents.
Common mistake
Trusting the file name. "Orders.xlsx" is very often order lines.
Remember this: Ask what one row is before you count anything.
Before the first version goes out, write what each figure counts and what it excludes. Agree it with whoever cares about the number. Keep it on a tab in the file or a note on the page, not in your head.
What it countsWhat it excludesWho agreed it
For example: Does revenue include VAT? Refunds? Cancelled orders? Three answers, three different reports.
2. Practise
Three questions, drawn from a larger set. Answer all three to complete the lesson.
Question of 3Two teams disagree about a number. Most likely:
Definition drift is far more common than bad data.
Question of 3The definition should live:
Findable beats memorable, especially when you are on holiday.
Question of 3Exclusions matter because:
Refunds, cancellations and internal orders all change the answer.
Question of 3Who should agree the definition?
Agreement with the user is what stops the argument later.
Question of 3A report with no written definitions:
You save an hour now and spend it repeatedly later.
Practice complete.
3. Apply at work
Add a definitions tab or note to your main report, with three measures defined.
Common mistake
Answering "what does this include?" from memory in a meeting. Write it down once and point at it.
Remember this: Definition, exclusions, and the person who agreed it.
MODULE 2 · 40 MINUTES
Getting the Numbers Right
Where the data comes from, how to check it, and the formulas that do most of the work.
Know which system the data originates in, how it reaches your file or model, and when it last updated. Put the refresh time on the report itself. Most "the numbers are wrong" conversations are really "the numbers are from yesterday".
Source systemHow it arrivesWhen it refreshed
For example: An overnight export means this morning’s report cannot include this morning’s sales.
2. Practise
Three questions, drawn from a larger set. Answer all three to complete the lesson.
Question of 3A dashboard refreshes at 3am. At 2pm it shows:
Anything after the refresh is not in there yet.
Question of 3The refresh time belongs:
It answers the most common question before it is asked.
Question of 3Your total differs from the source system by an hour of trading. Likely:
Small gaps are usually timing, not mistakes.
Question of 3Knowing the source system matters because:
Every number needs a person who can explain it.
Question of 3Manual exports are risky because:
Automation is partly about trust, not just effort.
Practice complete.
3. Apply at work
Add the last refresh time to your main report, visible on the page.
Common mistake
Quoting today’s figure from a report that refreshes overnight.
Remember this: Source, route, refresh time. Show the last one on the page.
Three checks catch most errors: does the total match the source system, does one row trace end to end, and do the highest and lowest values look sane? Do them every time, not just the first time.
Total to sourceOne row end to endCheck the extremes
For example: If your revenue is 3% above finance, find the 3% before you send it.
2. Practise
Three questions, drawn from a larger set. Answer all three to complete the lesson.
Question of 3What should you reconcile against?
Independence is the whole point of the check.
Question of 3Which check finds bad joins and wrong units fastest?
Extremes expose problems that totals hide.
Question of 3You find an unexplained 3% gap. You should:
Someone else will find it otherwise, at the worst moment.
Question of 3Tracing one row end to end proves:
It catches logic errors that summaries conceal.
Question of 3How often should you run these checks?
Data changes, systems change, and errors appear later.
Practice complete.
3. Apply at work
Reconcile your main report to its source system, and note the gap and its cause.
Common mistake
Checking against last month’s version of your own report, which repeats any error confidently.
Remember this: Total, one row, extremes, against an independent source.
SUM and AVERAGE for totals, COUNTIF and SUMIF for conditions, SUMIFS when there is more than one, XLOOKUP to bring a value across, and IF to turn a number into a decision. Everything else is a variation.
SUM and AVERAGECOUNTIF, SUMIF, SUMIFSXLOOKUP and IF
For example: =SUMIFS(F2:F13,B2:B13,"North",C2:C13,"Pro plan") gives one region and one product.
2. Practise
Three questions, drawn from a larger set. Answer all three to complete the lesson.
Question of 3SUMIFS differs from SUMIF because:
The argument order catches everyone the first time.
Question of 3XLOOKUP is used to:
It replaces VLOOKUP and does not care about column order.
Question of 3Hard-coding "North" into twenty formulas means:
Refer to a cell, and you change it once.
Question of 3IF is useful for:
It is how a figure becomes something someone can act on.
Question of 3Which formula counts rows matching a condition?
COUNTIF counts; SUMIF adds.
Practice complete.
3. Apply at work
Rebuild one calculation in your report using SUMIFS instead of a manual filter.
Common mistake
Hard-coding a filter in a formula instead of referring to a cell. Next month you edit twelve formulas instead of one cell.
Remember this: Totals, conditions, lookups, decisions. Then practise them.
Practise this module
Formula Grid
Real spreadsheet formulas on a live sheet: SUMIFS, XLOOKUP and the rest.
Comparing categories is bars, sorted by value. Change over time is a line. Parts of a whole is a stacked bar, or a pie only for two or three slices. One number with a target is a KPI card. If a chart needs explaining, the wrong one was chosen.
Categories = barsTime = lineOne number = card
For example: Sales by region is bars. Sales by month is a line. Both in one chart is usually a mistake.
2. Practise
Three questions, drawn from a larger set. Answer all three to complete the lesson.
Question of 3Twelve months of revenue is best shown as:
Lines show change over time at a glance.
Question of 3Eight regions compared is best as:
People compare length far better than angle.
Question of 3A pie chart is acceptable when:
Beyond a few slices, nobody can rank them.
Question of 3A chart needs a paragraph of explanation. That means:
If it needs explaining, it is not doing its job.
Question of 3One number against a target is best as:
Both show the figure and the comparison together.
Practice complete.
3. Apply at work
Find a chart in your report that takes explaining, and rebuild it as a different type.
Common mistake
Choosing the chart first and bending the question to fit it.
Remember this: Answer the question, then pick the picture.
Headline figure top left, supporting detail below and to the right, two or three filters, and the title saying what it covers. Sort by value. Start bars at zero. Say what the report shows in one line, somewhere on the page.
Headline top leftTwo or three filtersOne line of takeaway
For example: A manager should find this week’s number without scrolling or clicking.
2. Practise
Three questions, drawn from a larger set. Answer all three to complete the lesson.
Question of 3The headline figure belongs:
It is where the eye lands first.
Question of 3How many filters?
Each extra filter is another way to read the wrong number.
Question of 3Bars should start at zero because:
Lines are different; bars are not.
Question of 3Adding more visuals usually:
Editing down is the hardest and most valuable part.
Question of 3A one-line takeaway on the page:
If you do not say the point, the reader invents one.
Practice complete.
3. Apply at work
Open your main report and move the figure people ask about most to the top left.
Common mistake
Filling the page because there is space. Every extra visual makes the important one harder to find.
Remember this: Headline, detail, filters, takeaway. Then stop.
Practise this module
Visualisation Guide
Forty-six visuals, what each is for, and nine craft rules.
Assume both of you are right about different things.
1. Learn
When a figure is challenged, compare definitions before you compare data. Ask what period they used, what they included, and where they got theirs. Most disputes end there. If the definitions match and the numbers do not, then it is worth digging.
Compare definitions firstThen period and filtersThen the data
For example: Marketing counts a lead at sign-up, sales counts it after qualification. Both are right.
2. Practise
Three questions, drawn from a larger set. Answer all three to complete the lesson.
Question of 3The first question to ask is:
Definitions explain most disagreements before data enters it.
Question of 3Marketing and sales report different lead counts. That is:
Both can be right about different things.
Question of 3Defending your number first usually:
Curiosity resolves it faster than certainty.
Question of 3If definitions match and numbers do not, check:
Period and filters are the next most common cause.
Question of 3The lasting fix is:
Otherwise the same conversation returns next month.
Practice complete.
3. Apply at work
Next time a figure is challenged, ask for their definition first and write both down.
Common mistake
Defending your number before understanding theirs. It turns a five-minute check into a standoff.
Remember this: Definitions, then filters, then data.
Write down what it counts, where it comes from, when it refreshes, who owns it and when it will next be reviewed. Then check that someone else can change it without you. Most reports die quietly when the person who built them moves on.
Five facts written downSomeone else can edit itA review date
For example: Every report should name someone who can answer a question about it in six months.
2. Practise
Three questions, drawn from a larger set. Answer all three to complete the lesson.
Question of 3A report with no owner:
Ownership is what keeps it accurate after you move on.
Question of 3The real test of documentation is:
Anything else is guesswork.
Question of 3A review date exists so:
Most reports outlive their usefulness quietly.
Question of 3Keeping the knowledge in your head makes you:
It is the difference between being trusted and being a bottleneck.
Question of 3Which five facts should be written down?
Those five answer nearly every question a report attracts.
Practice complete.
3. Apply at work
Write the five facts for your main report, and put them where the report lives.
Common mistake
Leaving the only explanation in your own head. It makes you unavailable rather than valuable.
