Home Archives for Excel Formulas
May 21, 2010 Leave a Comment

How to Take Advantage of Excel 2007 Tables

One of the major improvements in Excel 2007 is working with Tables. In this lesson I demonstrate Five Benefits for Working with Excel 2007 Tables:

  1. Automatically expand in size to add Columns (Fields) and Rows (Records)
  2. Use Natural Language Formulas – Copied down the column automatically!
  3. Total Rows Tool – great for seeing the results in filtered lists
  4. Easy to use Filters for Dates (Last Week, Next Quarter, etc.), Text and Numbers (Above Average, Top 10, etc.)
  5. Improved Formatting – Use Live Preview to see what style options look like before you select them

You can view and download this Excel video lesson – for free – on iTunes. Click here to visit my Podcast, Danny Rocks Tips and Timesavers at the iTunes store.

If you enjoyed this Excel Video Lesson, I invite you to purchase my DVD, “The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007” – You can shop with confidence at my secure web store.

I help you to find the Excel Training Video Lesson that you want – Visit my Index of Excel Video Lessons

You can watch – and download – this Excel Video Training Lesson on You Tube. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel – DannyRocksExcels

Learn how to “Quickly Create Pivot Tables in Excel”

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Filed Under: Excel Data Tables and Lists, Excel Formulas, Excel Training, MS Excel Tips Tagged: , , , , ,
May 15, 2010 Leave a Comment

I Have Updated My Index of Excel Video Lessons

As part of the process of reorganizing my website, I have updated my “Index of Excel Video Lessons” page. The content of this page will be updated as I add each new Excel Video Training Lesson. So, I suggest that you click here to go to the Video Index and then save the page as one of your “Favorites” if you want to learn how to really get the most out of Excel or to find a quick answer when you are using Excel.

On the Index Page you can see an organized listing of my Excel Videos by Category – e.g. Formulas, Formatting, Pivot Tables “What-if” Analysis, etc. Each lesson is “hyperlinked” so that you can just click on the topic to go directly to the lesson that you are interested in.

I indicate in the title if the lesson is specific to Excel 2007.  All my new Excel video lessons are created using Excel 2007.

If there is a topic that you would like me to cover, send me an e-mail message – danny@thecompanyrocks.com

If you enjoy my video instruction, I encourage you to purchase my DVD, “The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007.” The DVD contains over 5 1/2 hours of Tips, Tricks & Techniques to help you to master the program – and to save a considerable amount of time while working in Excel! Click here to enter my secure shopping site.

Thank you for your support and encouragement!

Danny Rocks

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Filed Under: COUNTIF and SUMIF Functions, Everyday Calculations in Excel, Excel Basics, Excel Data Tables and Lists, Excel Date and Time Functions, Excel Financial Tools, Excel Formulas, Excel Functions, Excel Training, Import Data into Excel, Lookup Functions in Excel, MS Excel 2007 DVD, MS Excel Tips, MS Excel Training, Online Store for The Company Rocks, Pivot Tables, Text Functions, Tips and Time Savers, Training, Video Training Courses, What-if Analysis Tagged: , , ,
April 25, 2010 1 Comment

Using the Go To Special Command in Excel 2007 to Spot Formula Errors

The “Go To Special” Commands is one of my favorites. And, Excel 2007 places it in a prominent position on the Home Tab of the Ribbon.

I use Go To Special to quickly highlight all of the cells that contain Formulas. This way I can see if someone has accidentally “hard-coded” a Constant Value in a cell that should contain a Formula.

In this short video lesson I also show you another way that I use Go To Special – to reuse a Budget Worksheet or a worksheet for Expense Account Reports.

I you enjoy this tip and my style of training, I invite you to visit my online bookstore. It is a secure shopping site where I sell my “The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007” DVD as well as DVD s for PowerPoint 2007, Outlook  2007,  and Word 2007.

Click here to watch this Excel Video Lesson on YouTube.

Related Excel Videos:

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Filed Under: Excel Formulas, Excel Functions, Excel Training Tagged: , , ,
October 18, 2008 2 Comments

Excel Tells You the Future Value of Your Investment

Hey, want to know what your investment will be worth in 5 years? 10 years? Want a sure thing? Excel correctly calculates the future value of any investment! Provided …

  • You make a series of regular investments – even if it is just one “lump sum.”
  • The interest rate that you earn is “constant” – that is a “fixed annual interest rate.”

OK, so now you understand that neither I nor Excel are “touting sure thing” winners in the stock market. No one can do that. But, you can’t beat Excel when it comes to accurate – and easy to use – financial calculations.

In this video lesson, I demonstrate how to use both the =FV() and =PMT() Functions to calculate Future Values. I also show you how to perform “What-If” Analysis using a One-Input Data Table.

Here are the steps to follow in this Excel Video Lesson:

  1. Input values for Interest Rate (RATE), Number of Periods (NPER) and your Investment (PMT). These are the three required arguments for the =FV() Function. Use the Function Argument Dialog Box to ensure that you use the correct syntax for this function.
  2. One of the “optional” arguments is “Type.” If you omit this, Excel defaults to a “0” which means that you will make your investment contribution at the end of each period. A “1” means that the contribution is made at the beginning of each period. Over a number of years, this can make a significant difference in the “Future Value” of your investment.
  3. FV is also an “argument” in the =PMT() Function. If you want to calculate how much you need to contribute each month to reach a Savings Goal, use the =PMT() Function. However, in this case, the FV – while showing as an “Optional Argument” will refer to the cell containing your Savings Goal.
  4. Create a One-Input Data Table to perform “What-if” Analysis – e.g. to substitute a series of different interest rates in your =PMT() – or =FV() Function.

NEW! Download the Practice File for this Excel Video Lesson:

Find the Excel Video Lesson you want – Index of all Excel Topics

News! My DVD, “The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007” is now available to purchase. I invite you to visit my online bookstore for more details.

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Filed Under: Excel Formulas, Excel Functions, Excel Training, What-if Analysis Tagged: , , , , ,
September 27, 2008 Leave a Comment

Trust Your Sources but Verify Your Data’s Accuracy

You may be familiar with the expression, “Trust but Verify!” President Reagan used this phrase when referring to the Soviet Union’s agreement to disarm their missiles. It is also a good approach to follow when you receive Excel data from someone else:

  1. Never open up a data file unless you trust the source.
  2. Never make a decision on the data until you verify the accuracy of the formulas and the structure of the spreadsheet.

In this Excel Video Lesson, I demonstrate how to use the GoTo Special Dialog box to verify the accuracy of your data.

Here are the steps to follow in this lesson:

  1. Choose Edit – GoTo – Special – Formulas to highlight all of the cells containing formulas in the worksheet.
  2. The Keyboard Shortcuts for “GoTo” are Ctrl+G or the F5 Key.
  3. In the “Special” dialog box, you can also choose “Constants.” This may make it easier to spot the cells that are “hard-coded” with a constant value when they should contain a formula.
  4. You can narrow your selection to “Text,” “Logical,” Numeric,” etc. formulas.
  5. Use the Ctrl+~ (Tilde) Shortcut to show the actual formulas in your worksheet.

NEW! Download the Practice File Used in This Excel Training Video

Find the Excel Video Lesson that you want – Index to all Excel Topics

News! My DVD, “The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007” is now availabe to purchase. I invite you to visit my online bookstore for more details.

Related Videos

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Filed Under: Excel Formulas, Excel Functions, Excel Training Tagged: , , , , , , , ,
August 14, 2008 3 Comments

4 reasons to use Excel's Formula Auditing tools

In this Excel training video I will show you how to use the Formula Auditing Toolbar to:

  1. Learn about the relationships among your formulas and cells by tracing precedents & dependents.
  2. Finding the source of your formula errors – and correcting them!
  3. Evaluate your formulas step-by-step to better understand how they are built.
  4. Setting up a small window to “watch” your key formulas change as you enter and edit data in cells.

Here are the steps to follow in this video training lesson:

  1. Select Tools,  Formula Auditing, Show Formula Auditing Toolbar.
  2. Select a cell containing a formula and experiment with the icons to Trace Precedents and Trace Dependents. Click the icon several times to trace back as far as you can go.
  3. Select a cell and Evaluate its Formula. Step In and Step Out to learn how the formula is built.
  4. Paste a list of all of the Names in your workbook. Select Insert, Name, Paste, Paste List.
  5. Select a cell with a formula and click the Show Watch Window icon to see how the formula results change as you enter and edit data in cells that feed into that formula.

Find the Excel Training Video that you want – Index to all Excel Topics

News! My DVD, “The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007” is now availabe to purchase. I invite you to visit my online bookstore for more details.

Related Video Lessons

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Filed Under: Excel Formulas, Excel Training, Tips and Time Savers Tagged: , ,
August 13, 2008 7 Comments

3 reasons to use named cells and ranges in Excel forumlas

I use named cells, ranges and constants in my Excel formulas and workbooks for 3 reasons:

  1. They are easier to explain (to others and to myself 6 months after I create a formula.)
  2. They are easier to adapt (to other locations in the workbook – absolute cell references not required!)
  3. They are easier to update (especially named constants in formulas when e.g. rates change.)

These are the steps to follow in this Excel training video:

  1. Select the cells that you want to name and also the labels in the left column and top row.
  2. Choose, Insert, Name, Create. Make sure that Left column and top row are selected.
  3. To verify that your names have been created, click the Name box drop down list of names. Select a name and Excel takes you directly to that cell or range.
  4. To substitute Name cells and ranges in existing formulas: Choose Insert, Name, Apply, OK
  5. When you are writing a new formulas and you want to use a name, use the F3 “Paste Name” shortcut combination to select the name you want in the formula and click OK.
  6. A “Named Constant” does not refer to a cell. Select Insert, Name, Define and then Name the Constant and in the “Refers to” part of the dialog box type in e.g. =0.0825 if you want your Named Constant to refer to a Sales Tax rate of 8.25%

Find the Excel Video Training Lesson that you want – Index of all Excel Topics

News! My DVD, “The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007” is now availabe to purchase. I invite you to visit my online bookstore for more details.

Related Video Training Topics

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Filed Under: Excel Formulas, Excel Training, MS Excel Training, Tips and Time Savers Tagged: , ,
August 8, 2008 Leave a Comment

Write Excel formulas that refer to multiple worksheets

Learn how to create formulas in Excel that link to cells in multiple worksheets – or other workbooks. Then, if a value in one of your linked cells changes, your formula updates to reflect that change!

In this Excel video lesson we started by creating a template which we copied to create multiple worksheets (for Jan, Feb, Mar, etc.)

Let’s write a formula to SUM the sales from the Jan, Feb & Mar worksheets to create our 1st Quarter Summary Report. We will also review the Data, Consolidation method to accomplish the same goal.

Here are the steps to follow in this Excel Video Lesson:

  1. For Summary or Consolidation reports it is best to start with a template.
  2. In Cell D4 of the “1st Quarter…” worksheet we type “=sum(” and then click the worksheet tab for “January” and select cell D4.
  3. Hold down the “Shift” key and click the March worksheet tab.
  4. Notice that in the Formula Bar, Excel has selected the range from January:March for cell D4.
  5. After you complete the formula with a “)” you can copy the formula to the other cells in the report.
  6. Data, Consolidation is easy to calculate if you have organized your data based on a Template. You are consolidating “by Position.”

Find the Excel Video Lesson that you want – Index to all Excel Topics

News! My DVD, “The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007” is now available to purchase. I invite you to visit my online bookstore for more details.

Related Excel Video Lessons

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Filed Under: Excel Formulas, Excel Training Tagged: ,
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