Help to find Microsoft Excel 365 technical books with formulas.

Hi Hugo,

Since you previously completed an Excel course ranging from basic to advanced topics, including macros, I would suggest starting with these two books:

• Microsoft Excel Step by Step (Office 2021 and Microsoft 365) by Joan Lambert and Curtis Frye: this is a good refresher covering formulas, tables, charts, PivotTables, Power Query, Power Pivot, data analysis, and other modern Excel features. It includes step-by-step lessons, screenshots, and downloadable practice files.
• Microsoft Excel VBA and Macros (Office 2021 and Microsoft 365) by Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad: this book focuses on programming and automation. It covers VBA fundamentals, ranges, loops, event programming, user-defined functions, UserForms, automated reports, PivotTables, charts, and integration with other Office applications. It also includes downloadable example workbooks.

If you would prefer to purchase only one book initially, I recommend starting with "Microsoft Excel Step by Step" to refresh your general knowledge. You could then move to "Microsoft Excel VBA and Macros" when you are ready to revisit programming.

Microsoft 365 also includes newer features that were not available in Excel 2010, such as dynamic array formulas, Power Query, Power Pivot, LAMBDA functions, and Office Scripts.

I hope these suggestions help you get started.

Actually, Microsoft provides comprehensive, free developer frameworks and documentation designed to help users build on their existing Excel knowledge. Because you already understand programming logic from working with Excel 2010 macros, these resources should help you transition to modern, cloud-based automation.

The primary hub for modern Excel automation is the official Microsoft Learn Office Scripts documentation, which covers everything from recording macros to writing scripts from scratch.

The Microsoft Support guide Introduction to Office Scripts introduces recording basic tasks without writing code, using the cloud-based Code Editor, and sharing automated workbooks across an organization. The Office Scripts Code Editor documentation explains the editor environment, including IntelliSense, debugging, and keyboard shortcuts. The Office Scripts fundamentals documentation provides the starting point for developers, explains the required main execution function (function main(workbook: ExcelScript.Workbook)), and describes how scripts interact with spreadsheet objects. The Office Scripts API reference provides the technical reference for classes, objects, namespaces, and methods. It serves a similar purpose to the VBA Object Browser, allowing you to look up the properties and methods available for ranges, worksheets, tables, and other Excel objects.

Office Scripts are built on TypeScript, a language based on JavaScript that adds static typing. Microsoft applies restrictions to ensure scripts execute within the security boundaries of the Office Scripts environment. When transitioning from VBA to modern scripting, keep in mind a number of differences. Traditional Excel 2010 VBA uses Visual Basic for Applications and runs primarily in the desktop Excel client. Office Scripts use TypeScript and are designed for Excel on the web, Windows, and Mac (subject to platform and feature availability). In VBA, you might access a cell using ActiveWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1").Range("A1"). In Office Scripts, the equivalent approach is workbook.getActiveWorksheet().getRange("A1"). VBA macros are stored in macro-enabled workbooks and are subject to macro security settings, whereas Office Scripts are managed through Microsoft 365 and its associated security and access controls.

Before writing complex scripts, review Microsoft's official TypeScript restrictions in Office Scripts. This documentation describes security and execution restrictions, including the prohibition of JavaScript's eval() function and limitations on modifying certain built-in objects and namespaces.

For advanced cloud integration, the Office Scripts and Power Automate documentation explains how to run Excel scripts through automated workflows. Unlike traditional VBA macros, which generally execute within a desktop Excel session, Office Scripts can be invoked through Power Automate flows. For example, a flow can run a script when a supported trigger occurs, such as receiving an email or submitting a form, and pass data between Excel and other services. Scripts can also return values to the flow for use in subsequent automation steps.

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hth

Marcin