AI for professionals 路 Free
Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A
Put AI to work in Excel for finance: Copilot in Excel and its agent mode, what the retired =COPILOT function taught, cleaning data with Power Query, Python in Excel, testing Copilot against Claude and ChatGPT on the same spreadsheet, and building forecasts, dashboards and board commentary without losing control of the numbers.
Inside the course
From the lessons
How to start with AI in finance
Christian Martinez: AI for Finance
Copilot in Excel: the tour
David Fortin
Copilot in the grid: from =COPILOT to the side pane
David Fortin
Cleaning data fast with AI and Power Query
Mike Dion | AI For Finance
Python in Excel for FP&A
Christian Martinez: AI for Finance
Copilot, Claude and ChatGPT on the same spreadsheet
Christian Martinez: AI for Finance
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Decide where Copilot and other assistants help and where ordinary formulas must stay; clean messy exports with Power Query and AI; use Python in Excel for analysis a formula cannot do easily; compare Copilot, Claude and ChatGPT on your own data; build a driver-based forecast and dashboard; write board commentary with AI; and keep every reported number reproducible, tied out and reviewed.
- Use Copilot in Excel on a clean table and check every formula it writes
- Classify and summarise text with Copilot, and know why Microsoft kept AI away from calculations
- Clean messy exports with Power Query so next month is one refresh
- Analyse and chart with Python in Excel
- Compare Copilot, Claude and ChatGPT on your own spreadsheet
- Build a driver-based forecast and board commentary
- Keep every reported number reproducible, tied out and reviewed
- Measure the hours AI saves honestly, including checking time
For you
Taking Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A from the United States
- Free in the United States, as everywhere, and self-paced: lessons, notes and the final assessment are open at any hour, so your time zone and shift pattern do not matter.
- The optional certificate for learners in the United States is a one-off US$23.99. What you get for it
- Plants across the Americas most often run Allen-Bradley, Siemens and Inductive Automation; each has its own free course to take next.
- See automation and engineering jobs in the United States, and what the industry looks like in Houston, Detroit and Chicago.
- EDWartens also has a regional site for the United States, for classroom training and local support: edwartens.com/us.
The course project 路 about 8 hours
An AI-assisted monthly FP&A pack for an auto-components maker: cleaning log, driver forecast, controls procedure and board commentary
Build the monthly FP&A pack for a mid-size manufacturer using AI where it helps and formulas where they must stay: clean the ERP export with Power Query and log every step, build a six-month driver-based forecast, write the controls procedure that keeps AI away from reported figures, and deliver board commentary tied to the workbook. Invented data throughout; the sample pack shows each document for an auto-components maker in Bursa, Turkey.
Sample document pack, 4 documents, filled in for the scenario
- RegisterPower Query cleaning log: September ERP export
- PlanDriver-based forecast: design and ownership
- ProcedureUsing AI in the monthly FP&A pack
- ReportBoard commentary: September, with tie-out record
Read inside the course and download as a workbook. The project is optional practice, marked when you submit it; the certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
Course content
9 modules 路 21 lessons 路 4h 50m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01How to start with AI in finance1 lesson14m
- 02Copilot in Excel: the tour2 lessons30m
- 03Copilot in the grid: from =COPILOT to the side pane3 lessons32m
- 04Cleaning data fast with AI and Power Query2 lessons35m
- 05Python in Excel for FP&A2 lessons43m
- 06Copilot, Claude and ChatGPT on the same spreadsheet3 lessons51m
- 07Forecasts, dashboards and month-end reporting4 lessons43m
- 08Presenting finance with AI, and saving the hours2 lessons39m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Beginner in AI. You should be comfortable with Excel formulas, tables and pivot tables. No coding needed to start.
- Software
- Microsoft Excel from Microsoft 365 (Copilot and Python in Excel need a Microsoft 365 plan that includes them), and a free account on ChatGPT or Claude. Every exercise has a route for people without Copilot. What to download, and how
- Hardware
- A laptop or desktop.
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Copilot and Python in Excel need a Microsoft 365 plan that includes them. Every exercise has a route for people without Copilot.
Required
- 01Free web version with limits
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft
- Runs on
- Excel for the web in any modern browser; desktop apps for Windows and macOS with a Microsoft 365 subscription
- Account
- A free Microsoft account
Excel for the web is free with a Microsoft account and 5 GB of cloud storage. The desktop app comes with a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, which offers a free trial. Python in Excel is not available on free licences, and fuller Copilot features need an eligible paid plan.
Steps
- 1.Open the Excel page on microsoft.com and select Sign up for free, or Sign in.
- 2.Create or sign in to your Microsoft account.
- 3.Select Open Excel to start Excel for the web.
- 4.Upload the course workbook to OneDrive and open it.
- 5.If a lesson needs a desktop-only feature, consider the Microsoft 365 free trial.
- Most formulas, tables and charts work in Excel for the web; some advanced tools, such as Power Pivot and many add-ins, need the desktop app.
- Check the Python in Excel availability page before a Python lesson.
Official download pagemicrosoft.comAlternatives
- LibreOffice Calc: Free desktop spreadsheet for Windows, macOS and Linux.
- Google Sheets: Free browser spreadsheet with a Google Account.
One AI assistant
Any one is enough.
- 02Free plan with limits
ChatGPT
OpenAI, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus mobile and desktop apps
- Account
- A free OpenAI account
The Free plan allows everyday text chats. File uploads, image creation, voice and data analysis have tighter limits than paid plans, and ads may appear in some countries. Paid plans raise the limits.
Steps
- 1.Open chatgpt.com.
- 2.Click Sign up and create an account with your email, or a Google, Microsoft or Apple account.
- 3.Verify your email and confirm your details.
- 4.Type your question in the message box.
- Do not paste personal data, passwords or confidential work files.
- ChatGPT tells you when you reach a limit. Wait for it to reset or switch to a lighter task.
Open ChatGPTchatgpt.com - 03Free plan with limits
Claude
Anthropic, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus desktop and mobile apps
- Account
- A free Claude account (you must be 18 or over)
The Free plan covers chat on web, desktop and mobile, web search, file creation and Artifacts. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour window and depend on message length and features used. Paid plans give more usage.
Steps
- 1.Open claude.ai (or see the plans at claude.com/pricing).
- 2.Sign up with your email or Google account and confirm your email.
- 3.Confirm you are 18 or over and accept the terms.
- 4.Type your question in the message box.
- Long conversations and large files use up your limit faster. Start a new chat for a new topic.
- Do not paste personal data or confidential work files.
Open Claudeclaude.com
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A at a glance
Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for finance professionals, analysts and accountants who work in Excel. It has 9 modules and 4h 50m of video lessons by Christian Martinez, David Fortin, Mike Dion, with written notes and worked problems, a practical project with a document pack and a 15-question final assessment (pass mark 60%). Learning is free with an account; an optional certificate with a public verification code is issued when you pass. Last updated 27 September 2026.
All course factsHide course facts
- Price
- Free, for good. No trial, no card. The only paid item is the optional certificate, a small one-off fee.
- Who it is for
- Finance professionals, analysts and accountants who work in Excel
- Format
- 9 self-paced modules, 4h 50m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Beginner. Beginner in AI. You should be comfortable with Excel formulas, tables and pivot tables. No coding needed to start.
- Brand
- Vendor-neutral
- Software
- Microsoft Excel from Microsoft 365 (Copilot and Python in Excel need a Microsoft 365 plan that includes them), and a free account on ChatGPT or Claude. Every exercise has a route for people without Copilot.
- Hardware
- A laptop or desktop.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- Christian Martinez, David Fortin, Mike Dion (independent creators, credited below)
- Language
- English
- Last updated
- 27 September 2026
A shareable EDWartens certificate
Finish every module and pass the final assessment, and the optional EDWartens certificate is yours. It carries a unique verification code on a public page anyone can check, so it stands up when a recruiter looks it up. See it below.
The course itself stays free whether or not you ever buy one.
Stuck? Ask a practising engineer
A free course usually means a comment section and hope. This one does not. Every module has an Ask-your-trainer panel that reaches the same engineers who teach our paid programme: people who commission panels for a living, not moderators.
Pairs well with
AI for professionals 路 FreeMicrosoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio AgentsUse Microsoft 365 Copilot well and build your first agent: what Copilot, Copilot Chat and Copilot Studio each are, how grounding works, Copilot in Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint, prompting and saved prompts, the Researcher and Analyst agents, building and grounding an agent in Copilot Studio, and responsible use.
PLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA PortalFrom zero electrical knowledge to a working, simulated S7-1200 program, for nothing.
PLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA Portal in Three HoursThe first three hours of the Siemens TIA Portal course, cut to end on a win: what a PLC is, how it is wired, a project configured in TIA Portal, and your first ladder program running in simulation. Finish it in an evening or two, earn a certificate, and carry straight on into the full course.
PLC programming 路 FreeTIA Portal: Build a MachineOne machine, start to finish. Take a bottle filling line from a written specification and an I/O list to a structured S7-1200 program with a fill station, a capper, a reject sorter and an operator screen with alarms, then test it against a written record and archive it for hand-over. The lessons are the reference; the machine is yours, and it is what you submit.More free courses: Free AI courses for professionals 路 Free AI courses for accounting and finance 路 Free generative AI and ChatGPT courses
Learner reviews
No reviews yet
Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
Do I need Copilot to take this course?
No. Copilot and Python in Excel need a Microsoft 365 plan that includes them, and every exercise has a route using a free assistant and ordinary Excel. You will still understand what Copilot does and how to control it.
Is this a Microsoft course?
No. The lessons are from independent finance and Excel educators, credited on each module, and Microsoft is not affiliated with EDWartens.
Will AI do my month-end for me?
No, and the course is clear about why. AI takes the cleaning, the first drafts and the layout. Every reported number still comes from a formula and is tied out and reviewed.
Do I need to code?
No. Python in Excel is introduced with short examples an assistant can write for you, and the course shows how to check the result with an ordinary formula.
How long does the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course take?
About 8 hours of video lessons and study across nine modules, plus about 8 hours if you do the optional FP&A pack project. The course plan spreads it over about four weeks, at your own pace.
Does the course still cover the =COPILOT function?
Yes, with an update. Microsoft retired the function on 14 September 2026, so the module shows what the lessons teach with it, how to do the same text jobs in the Copilot pane or another assistant, and how to clear =COPILOT out of old workbooks before they break.
Is the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course really free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the certificate, if you want it.
What certificate does the Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A course give?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a Microsoft certification.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for Excel with Copilot and AI for Finance and FP&A
Finish the course, pass the final, and this is the document with your name on it.
Verifiable by anyone
Adds to LinkedIn in one click
QR code on the certificate
Names what you can do
A permanent link
Earned, not attended
Learning is free. The certificate is optional.
Add it now and pay only when you have finished the course, or come back for it later. One-off, US$23.99, with a receipt.
Issued by EDWartens, the training division of Wartens, as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. Sold by Wartens Ltd (England and Wales). It is not a vendor certification, a university award or a CPD-accredited activity, and it does not certify competence on live equipment. Delivered electronically; see the refund policy.
Credits
Who made the video lessons
The video lessons in this course were created by the people below, not by EDWartens. Every lesson streams from its creator's own YouTube channel; EDWartens neither hosts nor sells that footage, and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens and do not endorse this course. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
- Christian Martinez: AI for Financelessons on starting with AI in finance, =COPILOT, Claude in Excel, Python in Excel, dashboards, forecasts and presentations
- David Fortinthe Copilot in Excel tutorials and the =COPILOT function examples
- Mike Dion | AI For Financelessons on data cleaning with ChatGPT, Python and Power Query, comparing assistants on one spreadsheet, and month-end reporting
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.