Like many people, I have a love-hate relationship with software. It’s great when it works, but it’s so frustrating when you get a cryptic error message. And these messages seem to appear when you’re short on time and patience
Excel Tutorials
Below is a list of various Microsoft Excel tutorials that we've done. These include step by step instructions. in some cases, there may be sample spreadsheets or video screencasts. This section is several pages long so be sure to use the Next page button at the bottom or search box to the right.
How to Limit Mistakes with Excel Dependent Lists
This Excel tutorial shows you how to build a worksheet using dependent lists. In other words, the selection you make from one list defines the options on the next list. For example, if you select California from one list, the next list filters your selection to just California agents. Includes sample Excel worksheet.
How to Parse Full Names in Excel
Recently, a friend asked about fixing an Excel spreadsheet where the subscriber name was in 1 column. He wanted the name separated so he could send a personalized mailing. This is not the first time this question has arisen. The key to solving this problem is to parse or split the data using the Text to Columns feature.
The Hidden Strengths of Excel Tables
One of my favorite quotes comes from Yogi Berra who said “You can observe a lot by just watching”. In this case, I was watching someone work with Excel and doing various tips to make the spreadsheet more usable. In fact, I’ve written about many of those tips. I suggested to my co-worker that he could reduce steps by using Excel Tables. And no, I’m not talking about pivot tables but something simpler and equally powerful. (Includes sample Excel file.)
How to Sort Your Excel Columns by Color
Excel allows you to sort you sheet by lots of ways. One less obvious way is to sort items by color. This is handy if you apply a background color to a cell or different font color. This tutorial explains how to do the sort.
Simple Methods to Copy Excel Formula Values
Recently I was watching an Excel product review and noticed the author copy Excel values from a formula into another column. This was fine, but then he deleted the column with the formula. Sound familiar? In this tutorial, Ill show you two faster and easier ways to overwrite formulas with their values. (Includes video demo and sample spreadsheet.)
One Easy Way to Generate Random Numbers with Excel
Earlier this month, I got a request from a manager in town asking if I could randomly select 150 people from a membership list. No darts allowed. I think the purpose was to do a survey, but maybe it was to select contest winners. It turns out that Microsoft Excel has a random number generator which was the key to my solution.
The Basics of the Excel IF Function
One way to make your Excel spreadsheets smarter is to use the IF function. The program will evaluate one field to see if it’s true and enter a new value based on whether the condition was met. This article and sample worksheet shows a simple example of calculating an allowance.
