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

Summary

In this chapter, you learned about several ways to set up a series of defenses against mishaps in your Excel spreadsheets. Undo and Redo allow you to quickly respond at that moment, unless an Excel command or feature removes that safety net without notice. The AutoRecover and AutoSave commands enable you to for keeping backup copies of your work offline or in the cloud, respectively. The Always Create Backup setting provides an additional fallback position for critical workbooks that are saved locally.

Also, you saw how to dispatch the flurry of warning prompts that can appear when you open an Excel workbook that contains data connections, workbook links, or macros. Well-intentioned security prompts can interrupt your workflow or worse, stymy your work if you don’t understand the prompt.

We’ll continue our quest for improved productivity in Chapter 3, Quick Access Toolbar Treasures, where I’ll show you how to streamline common tasks with icons and...