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LESSON 4 OF 16 · ABOUT 15 MINUTES

Use TODAY without losing a reporting date

Calculate days until a due date and distinguish live dates from a fixed snapshot.

Need the practice files?

Keep using your working copy if you have started the programme.

Practice workbook (.xlsx)

Learn the skill

TODAY changes as Excel recalculates on a new date. A repeatable report needs an explicit fixed date.

Worked example

=TODAY() returns the current date, not the date this course was written. It takes no arguments.

In Orders!I2, =F2-Settings!$B$3 returns 7 when Settings!B3 is 3 November 2026.

The live version is =F2-TODAY(). Its result depends on the actual day. Negative means overdue; zero means due today.

Follow these steps

  1. Check that F2 and Settings!B3 are real Excel dates.
  2. Enter the fixed-date formula in I2; format I2 as a number with zero decimals.
  3. Copy it to I9. Keep Settings!$B$3 fixed.
  4. Check the fixed results: 7, 9, 2, 15, 4, 12, 17, 8.
  5. Try =TODAY() and =F2-TODAY() in spare cells. Do not expect the live result always to be 7.

Try it yourself

Explain which formula you would keep in a dated report and which you would use for a live to-do list.

Check your practical result
  • You can explain why TODAY changes.
  • The fixed-date calculation is reproducible.
  • Days are displayed as numbers, not calendar dates.

This is your own review, not an automatic inspection of Excel.

If it does not work

If days look like a date, change the result format to Number. If dates are text, fix the date input; formatting alone does not always convert it.

Optional knowledge check

This check is for practice. It is not saved or required to continue.

Which result should stay reproducible for the 3 November snapshot?

Continue whenever you are ready. No test or recorded score is required.

Course guide and Microsoft helpDownload the whole course guide (.txt)

Steps primarily use Microsoft 365 desktop Excel for Windows. Other versions can differ. Formulas use English names and commas; your region may use semicolons. Work only on the fictional practice copies.

Microsoft: TODAY (opens in a new tab). Guidance checked 3 November 2026.

Browser knowledge checks do not execute Excel. This programme does not change your saved progress in other courses.

All 16 lessons and the day programme

Welcome and setup: 09:30–09:40. Evaluation and close: 16:15–16:30.

The four session windows match the supplied programme. Lesson times below are approximate independent practice times. Facilitators can use the remaining time for demonstrations, questions and breaks, including lunch within Session 2.

SESSION 1 · 09:40–11:40

More functions

Count, total, classify and work with dates.

  1. Count matching orders with COUNTIF · 15 min
  2. Add matching costs with SUMIF · 15 min
  3. Use IF to label a result · 15 min
  4. Use TODAY without losing a reporting date · 15 min

SESSION 2 · 11:40–14:30

Managing datasets

Keep records together, find what matters and control new entries.

  1. Sort whole records safely · 15 min
  2. Sort by team, then amount · 15 min
  3. Put priorities in a custom order · 15 min
  4. Filter a list and restore every row · 15 min
  5. Make a safe dropdown with data validation · 20 min

SESSION 3 · 14:30–15:30

Linking

Reuse values across cells, sheets and files with clear checks.

  1. Link cells instead of retyping · 10 min
  2. Link sheets inside one workbook · 10 min
  3. Link a value from another file · 15 min
  4. Inspect, repair and safely remove a link · 15 min

SESSION 4 · 15:30–16:15

Charts

Choose a chart, label it and improve its design.

  1. Choose a chart for the question · 15 min
  2. Label the chart so someone else can read it · 15 min
  3. Improve the design without changing the message · 15 min

Final practical task and evaluation →