Excel 365: Run Advanced What-If Analysis

Course description

This course shows how to perform advanced what-if analysis in Excel 365 using built-in tools that help you reach targets, test scenarios, and summarize results. You’ll begin by enabling the Solver add-in from the Add-ins manager so it appears on the Data tab. With Solver active, you’ll set an objective cell (such as total profit), assign a target value, and designate the variable cells to change. You’ll add practical constraints—including upper and lower bounds and integer requirements—to keep solutions realistic, then run Solver to compute a feasible set of quantities. You’ll also capture outcomes with Scenario Manager so you can switch between original values and Solver results for quick comparisons and future reruns. Next, you’ll enable the Analysis ToolPak to access statistical tools that produce fast summaries and visuals. Using Descriptive Statistics, you’ll generate a compact report (mean, standard error, median, mode, variance, standard deviation, range, minimum, maximum, sum, count, and more) for any selected range, with options to place the output in the current sheet, a new sheet, or a new workbook. You’ll then build histograms two ways: first via the ToolPak (with a specified bin range and chart output) and second with the newer Histogram chart type that updates automatically as source data changes. You’ll learn to control bin width and set underflow and overflow bins for clearer interpretation, and adjust formatting so bars touch as expected for continuous distributions. Finally, you’ll create Forecast Sheets from date-based series to project future values with a dedicated worksheet, choosing line or column visualizations and setting the forecast end date. Throughout, the course emphasizes practical setup: using absolute references for stable formulas, aligning units and periodicities, documenting constraints and target definitions, and formatting outputs for clear stakeholder communication. By the end, you’ll be able to configure Solver to hit targets within constraints, preserve and compare scenarios, produce descriptive summaries, create static and dynamic histograms, and generate forward-looking projections—all inside Excel 365.

Course outline