Excels Data Validation Feature (Video) (Course Id 2619)

• Who is this course for?
  This course is for anyone needing Continuing Professional Education (CPE), including CPAs and accounting professionals.

• What is this course about or what problem does this course solve?
  It teaches how to harness Excel’s Data Validation feature to guide data entry and reduce spreadsheet errors through techniques like drop-down lists, validation rules (numbers, dates, times, text length), duplicate prevention, and visual cues.

• How can the knowledge from this course be used?
  You can use it to implement robust data entry controls in Excel—such as standard and dependent drop-down lists, self-expanding lists, validation for decimals/dates/times, and protective measures like locking cells—to minimize input mistakes.

• Why is this course important to a CPA, Accountant, or IRS Enrolled Agent?
  It helps these professionals ensure data integrity and accuracy in financial models and spreadsheets—a critical factor in reliable reporting and efficient workflow.

• When is this course relevant or timely?
  The course was released in 2025, and was most recently revised on August 12, 2025, making it current with features across Excel 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365.

• How is a course like this consumed or used?
  It’s delivered as a NASBA QAS self-study video course, complete with PowerPoint demonstrations, hands-on examples in Excel for Microsoft 365, detailed handouts, and a workbook. Participants must complete the final exam (70% passing) within one year of purchase to earn CPE credit.

In this presentation author and Excel expert David H. Ringstrom, CPA, shows you how to harness the full power of Data Validation to guide data entry and reduce errors in your spreadsheets. David explains how to create standard drop-down lists—including lists for all twelve months and self-expanding lists based on Excel tables—as well as how to craft dependent lists that adapt based on prior selections. You’ll learn how to apply validation for whole numbers, dates, and times, along with techniques for preventing duplicate entries and limiting text length. David also demonstrates how to clarify and extend existing validation rules, apply visual cues with Warning and Information styles, and protect your rules by locking cells or identifying overrides. Throughout, you’ll gain practical strategies for working with and troubleshooting Data Validation like a pro.

David is the author of “Microsoft Excel 365 for Dummies”, “Exploring Microsoft Excel’s Hidden Treasures”, and has written or co-authored six other books. He demonstrates every technique at least twice: first, on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps, and second, in the subscription-based Excel for Microsoft 365. David draws your attention to any differences in Excel 2021, 2019 or 2016 during the presentation and in his detailed handouts. The handouts include an Excel workbook with most of the examples he uses during his demonstrations.

Excel for Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based product that receives periodic feature updates. Conversely, perpetually licensed versions have year numbers in their names and do not receive any feature updates.

Video - NASBA QAS - NASBA Registry - 2619

Course Learning Objectives

• Identify a valid input for a cell that has a Data Validation rule permitting decimals between 0 and 18%.
• Identify the arguments that correspond to the UNIQUE function.
• Recall the worksheet function that works best when limiting Data Validation entries to Less than Or Equal To today's date.

Chapter 1 - Excels Data Validation Feature

Chapter 1 Review Questions

Key Terms