Book Image

Exploring Microsoft Excel’s Hidden Treasures

By : David Ringstrom
Book Image

Exploring Microsoft Excel’s Hidden Treasures

By: David Ringstrom

Overview of this book

David Ringstrom coined the phrase “Either you work Excel, or it works you!” after observing how many users carry out tasks inefficiently. In this book, you’ll learn how to get more done with less effort. This book will enable you to create resilient spreadsheets that are easy for others to use as well, while incorporating spreadsheet disaster preparedness techniques. The time-saving techniques covered in the book include creating custom shortcuts and icons to streamline repetitive tasks, as well as automating them with features such as Tables and Custom Views. You’ll see how Conditional Formatting enables you to apply colors, Cell icons, and other formatting on-demand as your data changes. You’ll be empowered to protect the integrity of spreadsheets and increase usability by implementing internal controls, and understand how to solve problems with What-If Analysis features. In addition, you’ll master new features and functions such as XLOOKUP, Dynamic Array functions, LET and LAMBDA, and Power Query, while learning how to leverage shortcuts and nuances in Excel. By the end of this book, you’ll have a broader awareness of how to avoid pitfalls in Excel. You’ll be empowered to work more effectively in Excel, having gained a deeper understanding of the frustrating oddities that can arise daily in Excel.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
1
Part 1: Improving Accessibility
6
Part 2:Spreadsheet Interactivity and Automation
12
Part 3: Data Analysis

Custom Views

In this chapter, you’ll learn about a powerful automation tool that can instantly transform workbooks. The overlooked Custom Views feature can vastly improve the accessibility of spreadsheets. Among other things, Custom Views can hide and unhide rows, columns, and worksheets. The Custom Views feature can also apply print settings, apply filter settings, adjust the positions of windows in Excel, and more. The Table and, sometimes, Power Query features disable the Custom Views feature, so I’ll show you how to identify when that situation has arisen.

We will cover the following main topics in this chapter:

  • Introducing Custom Views
  • Multipurpose worksheets
  • Creating a Custom Views Quick Access Toolbar dropdown
  • Hiding and unhiding worksheets
  • Automating filtering
  • Custom Views conflicts

By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to automate repetitive tasks for yourself and others. You may be able to minimize ongoing spreadsheet...