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 rules

Custom Conditional Formatting rules give you the ability to test for any condition that can be expressed as a logical test. Excel offers an array of IS functions that test for various conditions and return TRUE or FALSE. The CELL function also returns the equivalent of TRUE or FALSE. You also use the logical_test portion of what you would enter in an IF formula to create a TRUE or FALSE calculation as well. Let’s see create a rule that will mark a cell in red if a user overwrites a formula with a static value, also known as a constant in Excel.

IS functions

Examples of IS functions include ISBLANK, ISNUMBER, and ISTEXT. Each IS function has a single reference argument where you reference a cell that you wish to test, and the function returns TRUE or FALSE. Let’s create a custom Conditional Formatting rule that will make a cell turn red if the user types over a formula:

  1. Select a range of cells, such as J10:L57, on the Custom Rules – Formulas...