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

Enabling the Developer tab

The menu across the top of the Excel screen is known as the ribbon. As you may have noticed, certain tabs appear and disappear from the ribbon based on context. For instance, a Table Design tab appears when you click on a Table in your workbook and vanishes when you click on any cell that is not part of a Table. The hidden Developer tab has commands related to creating macros, working with XML files, and creating Form Controls. You must enable the Developer tab if you wish to create Form Controls, as follows:

  1. Choose File | Options | Customize Ribbon.
  2. Click the Developer checkbox on the right-hand side, as shown in Figure 5.30, and then click OK.

Figure 5.30 – Enabling the Developer tab

Now that you have enabled the Developer tab in Excel’s ribbon, we can compare Form Controls to Data Validation when additional control or different interactivity is warranted.