Use Excel’s Text-to-Columns Tool to Quickly Correct Date Entries

The Text-to-Columns tool in Excel is one of my favorites. I use it to quickly “parse” text elements in a cell. For example, to separate “First Name” from Last Name in a cell that contains the “Full Name” entry.

In this short – 3 minute, 23 seconds – video, I demonstrate another way to use Text-to-Columns. I show you how to separate the “Year,” the “Month” and the “Day.” A client called me in a panic – they downloaded daily transactions from their mainframe computer into Excel. However, the “dates” appeared as – e.g. 20100901 – and they could not find a way to format the dates as – e.g. 9/1/2010

Learn how to “Master Excel in Minutes – Not Months!”

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Summarize Multiple Excel Worksheets – Consolidate Data By Position

There are many ways to Summarize the data that is stored in multiple Excel Worksheets or Workbooks. Pivot Tables are great for producing summaries. However, many people do not use – or do not know how to use – Pivot Tables, so let me demonstrate how to use Excel’s Consolidate Data Tool to get the job done.

Consolidate Data By Position

In this scenario, I will take the data from four identical worksheets and consolidate the sales numbers in a new worksheet. First, without using a “Link” to keep the data in the consolidated worksheet current and then I show you how to create a link to the Source Data.

But… there is a “Got’cha Step” when you link sources. It is possible to “double your sales numbers” without realizing it! This might make you feel good when you first see this. However, this is not good – when you are found out. And, trust me on this, someone will definitely find this error!

SUM Across Group of Excel Worksheets

As a bonus, I include another technique to SUM cells from multiple worksheets. Watch as I show you this “trick” – how to use the SUM() Function to total data across a contiguous group of Excel worksheets. It really is a great tip to learn!

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Related Video Tutorials

I continue this lesson on Data Consolidation in Part Two. Click on this link to see how to Consolidate Data By Category.

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You can download and view this Excel Training Video at the iTunes Store. Follow this link to subscribe to the “Danny Rocks Tips and Timesavers” podcast.

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You can learn “The 50 Best Tips, Tricks and Techniques for Excel 2007” when you purchase my DVD – ROM!

Learn how to “Master Excel in Minutes – Not Months!”

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Use Excel’s Goal Seek to Find Formula Error

A viewer wrote me seeking help with a formula. He was calculating a monthly payment for a loan using Excel’s PMT() Function and he was surprised at the result of the formula. I reviewed his formula and discovered that it was not a “formula problem.” Rather, it was a “results problem!” Watch this short video to see how I solved this problem for my viewer by using Excel’s “Goal Seek” tool. So now, instead of a monthly payment of $10,666.67, the result is $501.38 – a very different result!

You can download this video – for free – here on my website. Just click the button below the video image.

You can also subscribe to my Podcast, “Danny Rocks Tips and Timesavers” at the iTunes Store.

You can “Master Excel in Minutes – Not Months!”

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Tell Excel 2007 Not to Display a Formula Error in a Cell

Excel 2007 introduces a brand new Function – the =IFERROR() Function which is a great way to “hide” any potential Formula Error Messages from displaying. You know these error messages – #DIV/0!, #NULL – They are ugly to look at and they can harm your professional reputation.

Watch how you can use =IFERROR() in Excel 2007. Or, if you are using Excel 2003, I show you how to accomplish the same goal but with a few more steps using the =ISERROR() Function nested inside an =IF() Function.

(Note: This is a repost. I now have a Podcast on iTunes and I need to feed this video to the iTunes Store.)

You can subscribe to my iTunes Podcast by clicking on this link.

Learn how to “Master Excel in Minutes – Not Months!”

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How to Compare Two Excel Lists for Differences

Lists, lists, lists … It sometime seems that I am swimming in a sea of lists. Lists of customers, updated lists of customers, sales by week, sales for the current week, book lists, revised lists of books, etc. Lists seem to beget more lists and both beget problems – How to compare pairs of lists to avoid duplicates and redundancies!

If you can relate to this scenario, I know that you will enjoy this Excel Video Lesson.

Three Techniques Used in My Tutorial

1) Use the =MATCH() Function

2) Use the =VLOOKUP() Function

3) Use a Pivot Table in Excel 2007

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If you enjoyed this Excel Video Lesson, I am confident that you will enjoy the lessons on my DVD-ROM, “The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007.”  Click on this link to visit my secure online shopping website.

You can watch this Excel Video Lesson on YouTube – Subscribe to my YouTube Channel – DannyRocksExcels

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Related Excel Video Lessons:

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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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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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Preventing Formula Errors from Displaying

Formula Errors in Excel – e.g. #DIV/0! or #NULL! – are ugly! And, when you send a spreadsheet that contains formula errors to your client or to your boss … Well, that is not good.

It plants the seed of doubt in the minds of your client or your boss that you have not thoroughly checked the accuracy of your assumptions. Why are there errors showing? What else is missing?

Excel 2007 makes it easy to prevent these formula errors from displaying. We have a new Function in Excel 2007 – The =IFERROR() function and it only requires two arguments. Be warned, however, that if you share your Excel 2007 worksheet with colleagues who are using earlier versions of Excel, this new function will not – well, function! (I could not resist using this pun)

Watch this video to learn how to use the new =IFERROR() function and also the nested =ISERROR() function that is required for people who use Excel 2003 or older versions.

If you enjoyed this Excel tip and my style of training, I invite you to visit my online store to shop securely for my DVD, “The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007.”

Click here to watch this Excel Video Lesson on YouTube

You can view and download this video – for free – as a Podcast from the iTunes store. Follow this link to my Podcast, Danny Rocks Tips and Timesavers at the iTunes store.

Related Video Lessons:

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Build an Accounts Receivable Aging Report

Here is another request for help from a viewer. How to create a report that shows “the aging” of past due invoices (1 – 30 days past due, etc.).

Here are the Functions that I use in this report:

  • =IF()
  • =AND()
  • =WEEKDAY()

Looking for a specific Excel video? Take advantage of my Index of Excel Video Lessons to find the video that you want to watch.

Related Videos

You can watch this Excel Video Lesson on YouTube

Invitation to Visit My Online Shopping Site

Want to learn the best Tips for Excel? You can purchase my DVD, “The 50 Best Tips, Tricks & Techniques for Excel 2007

I use a secure shopping cart at http://shop.thecompanyrocks.com – I invite you to pay a visit today!

Click here to see a Listing of “The 50 Best Tips for Excel 2007”

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Calculate the Days Worked on a Project

Do you manage Projects? Do you create Project work schedules? Do you need to know how many days were actually worked on your Project?

If so, this Excel video lesson is for you. A viewer asked for my help. He did not want to use MS Project for his work schedules. Rather, he wants to know which Excel Functions to use for his Project work schedules.

Excel Functions Covered in this Tutorial

In this lesson, I demonstrate how to use two functions included in the Excel “Analysis Tool-Pak”:

  • =WORKDAY()
  • =NETWORKDAYS()

Index of Excel Video Tutorials

Search for a specific Excel Video Lesson on this website in my Index.

Watch Excel Tutorial on YouTube

Click on this link to watch this Excel Tutorial on my YouTube Channel – DannyRocksExcels

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Want to learn how to get the most out of Excel 2007?

My DVD, “The 50 Best Tips, Tricks & Techniques for Excel 2007” is available for purchase.

 

 

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