Concatenation & Email

Having a spreadsheet of employee names is great, but what if you want to use your data for sending emails? Concatenation to the Rescue!

Let’s say you have a list of employees with the First Names in column A and Last Names in column B. Combining them into an email-friendly column of names in a “Last Name, First Name” format is easy. Here’s how:

Assuming your table starts in cell A1, put the following formula in C1:

=B1&", "&A1

This combines the contents of B1 (last name) with a comma, space, and contents of A1 (first name). Drag the formula down to fill Column C, copy, and paste into Outlook. Presto! You have your mailing list!

“Watching the Action”

Keeping an eye on the values of certain Excel cells can be problematical if you are working with a large spreadsheet (or multiple spreadsheets). Solution: “Watch Window” to the rescue!

The Watch Window can display the value of any cell or cells in a viewing pane that can be relocated on your screen. The simple instructions are:

1. Select the Formulas tab on the ribbon
2. Select Watch Window from the Formula Auditing section
3. The Watch Window will appear
4. Click the Add Watch button to specify the cell(s) you wish to monitor

“All along the watchtower…” (Gotta love Dylan…)

MCAS in Excel 2007

Education and certifications are good hedges against being downsized in these recessionary times. Microsoft has a focused recognition program in their office apps which includes an excellent certification for Excel 2007.

Included in the exam are topics covering:
• Creating and manipulating data
• Formatting data and content
• Creating and modifying formulas
• Presenting data visually
• Collaborating on and securing data

You should have had some time with hands-on experience creating business spreadsheets with Microsoft Office Excel 2007, as well as previous versions of Excel. There are also excellent study materials available which are recommended for even more experienced users.

When you pass Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Exam, you complete the requirements for the Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS) in Excel 2007.

Interested? Click on the following link for more information:

Microsoft Learning

Moving or Copying a Worksheet

This is a simple tip that you will probably find very handy. If you ever find the need to relocate or copy a worksheet into another workbook, this Move is for you! (“Move”, get it…)

To Move or Copy a Worksheet
1. Right-click a tab, then click Move or Copy on the menu
2. In the Move or Copy dialog box, you can:

• To move the worksheet to a spot within its own workbook, select a sheet in the Before sheet box
• To move the worksheet to another open workbook, select the workbook in the To book list and then click OK
• To keep a copy of the worksheet in your source workbook (rather than deleting it and moving it), select the Create a copy box
  
  Moving Day can be a drag, but using this shortcut, it’s walk in the park…