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

Removing Tables

Typically, you’ll want to keep Tables in place in your workbooks, but sometimes you might change your mind. Or you might find that the Table feature conflicts with another feature, such as Custom Views (see Chapter 8, Custom Views). Removing a Table can be as simple as choosing Table Design | Convert to Range; if you do so prematurely, you might solve one problem and create new ones. Here’s what I recommend:

  1. Select any cell within a Table and then activate the Table Design tab of Excel’s Ribbon.
  2. Choose Clear at the bottom of the Table Styles gallery.

Nuance

It’s important to remove an existing Table Style before you convert a Table into a normal range of cells. Otherwise, you or another user might mistakenly rely on automation that isn’t available in a normal range of cells masquerading as a Table. See the Selecting a portion of a Table section for more details.

  1. Optionally, you can clear the Total Row...