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

Introducing Data Validation

The Data Validation feature allows you to create rules that limit the type of data that can be entered in one or more worksheet cells. The rules can limit users from entering numbers, list items, dates, or times, and you can create custom rules. You can also craft a data entry prompt that appears when the user clicks on a cell that contains Data Validation and follow up invalid entries with an error prompt. Let’s begin by comparing cells C4 and C5 on the Data Validation worksheet of this chapter’s example workbook as follows:

  1. Select cell C4 as shown in Figure 5.1.

Figure 5.1 – Example data for this chapter

  1. Choose Data | Data Validation to display the Data Validation dialog box shown in Figure 5.2.

Figure 5.2 – The Settings tab of the Data Validation dialog box

  1. Notice how the Allow field on the Settings tab of the dialog box is set to allow Any value. This...