Behind the Scenes

Any good Excel guru wants to have complete control over what is going on in his or her workbook.  Knowing what is going on Behind the Scenes is crucial for maintaining order and value in your Excel creations.

There are times, of course, when you are not the original author of the worksheet, and having some good, basic investigation techniques are invaluable.  With the following methods, you can quickly transform yourself into an Excel Sherlock Holmes!

Here is How to Get a Look behind the Scenes:

1) Do I have any Formulas Operating in My Workbook?

Well, you could click on each cell to reveal the formula in the Formula Bar, but who wants to do that?!?  You can instantly reveal all of this information in your entire worksheet with the Keyboard Shortcut:

Ctrl + ~

This elementary keyboard combination unveils the formulas in All of your cells.  You can then adjust your Sherlock hat and determine if there is a flaw in their construction or if everything is Spot On!

2)   Do You Need an In-Depth Review of Precedents and Dependents?

If you need Sleuthing Power in seeing what your data is doing and where it comes from, look no further than the Formula Auditing group on the Formulas tab. There you will find Trace Precedents, Trace Dependents, (and even Show Formulas). The information is returned in easily-understood graphics that help you make sense of the workbook you inherited from old Moriarty fellow.

 

If you want a handy shortcut for revealing Direct Dependents, click the keyboard as follows:

 

                                         Ctrl + [ 

These two fundamental investigative tools can Wow the people around you.  You may even be tempted to say, “Elementary my dear Watson”…