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

Power Query

In a book about nuances and quirks in Excel, I have saved what I consider to be the most nuanced and quirky feature for last: Power Query. I can attest that I picked up and sat down with Power Query multiple times over a series of months before it finally clicked for me. This feature has been around for 10 years, yet most Excel users are unaware of its immense potential.

In this chapter, my goal is to help you use Power Query to automate repetitive processes without writing any programming code. I only have room to share a few examples with you, but along the way, I’ll point out a variety of obstacles and timesavers that will jumpstart your effectiveness. If you find this chapter whets your appetite, Power Query Cookbook, by Andrea Janicijevic, is a comprehensive resource that goes far beyond what I had space to share here.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

  • Introducing Power Query
  • Creating a list of worksheets
  • Automatic report...