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 key benefits you should look to derive from any training on Excel 2007 will be to regain the confidence level you achieved when using the previous version. You need to be shown the logic of the new interface, where your favourite features have been moved to, and how you can start working as quickly in Excel 2007 as you did in Excel 2003.

In addition to this, however, you will want to learn the new features that Excel 2007 has to offer: the stuff that either wasn't available in previous versions or which has undergone considerable enhancement.

The Excel 2007 worksheet is much bigger than its 2003 counterpart; about a thousand times bigger in fact. Your Excel 2007 training should show you how you can exploit this huge area when designing your spreadsheets. Some decent navigation tips would also be helpful.

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.

Conditional formatting has been around in Excel for some time. However, this feature has now been considerably improved. If you are getting trained on Excel 2007, you should definitely make sure that you will learn about these improvements and how to use the Color Scale and Data Bars features.

An Excel spreadsheet without formulas and functions is not much use to anyone. Functions are what Excel is all about. Microsoft have improved the way in which function are entered and edited and added several new functions. When you book training on Excel 2007, make sure that your course will include coverage of new functions like SumIfs, IfError and AverageIf as well as a demonstration of the improvements to the editing of formulas.