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

Circular references

Circular references are formulas that refer to themselves, like a snake trying to eat its own tail. Let’s say that you entered the formula =SUM(B3:B5) in cell B5 of the Circular References worksheet, as shown in Figure 9.15. Typically, circular references are created accidentally. Excel alerts you with the prompt shown in Figure 9.15.

Figure 9.15 – Circular reference

If you click OK on this prompt, the formula may return an amount, or it may return zero. Excel displays a Circular References message on the Status Bar informing you of the cell that contains a circular reference, as shown in Figure 9.16:

Figure 9.16 – Circular reference Status Bar message

Conversely, if a circular reference exists on another worksheet or even another open workbook, no cell reference will appear, and the status bar will simply report Circular References. Fortunately, there’s a hidden menu command that you...