Introduction to Regular Expressions in Excel

Unlock a powerful new paradigm in data analysis with the course "Introduction to Regular Expressions in Excel." For decades, pattern matching in data was a capability largely reserved for programmers using languages like Python or SQL. However, with recent updates to Microsoft 365, Excel users can now leverage the robust power of Regular Expressions (Regex) directly within their spreadsheets. This course is designed to take you from the basics of data matching to advanced pattern recognition, allowing you to clean, validate, and extract data with unprecedented precision.

The presentation begins by grounding learners in familiar territory, reviewing the core match modes of the XLOOKUP function. You will solidify your understanding of exact, approximate, and partial (wildcard) matches before bridging the gap to advanced functionality. The course then introduces the syntax of Regular Expressions, demystifying the jargon and "tokens" used to define search patterns. You will learn how to move beyond simple text searches to identifying complex patterns, such as variable phone number formats or specific text strings, using the new advanced match modes available in Excel.

This course covers the following key topics:

• Foundations of Matching: Mastering exact, approximate, and wildcard matches using XLOOKUP and XMATCH to build a strong lookup framework.
• Advanced Lookup Logic: Implementing "Either/Or" lookups and integrating Regular Expressions into XLOOKUP to find data based on patterns rather than specific values.
• Regex Components: Understanding critical syntax and meta-characters, including anchors, quantifiers, and character classes, to build custom search patterns.
• New Worksheet Functions: utilizing REGEXTEST to validate data inputs, REGEXEXTRACT to pull specific patterns from text, and REGEXREPLACE to sanitize messy data efficiently.
• Practical Data Cleaning: Applying these tools to real-world scenarios, such as standardizing inconsistent phone number entries into a uniform format.
• Tools and Resources: Learning how to utilize external testing tools like Regex101 to refine patterns before deploying them in Excel.

Presented by David Ringshore, CPA, this course transforms a complex, technical topic into an approachable skill set. By the end of this session, you will possess a modernized Excel toolbox, ready to handle sophisticated data challenges that extend far beyond the limitations of traditional lookup functions.