Top Ten Excel Shortcuts!

I was just sitting here thinking about what my own Top Ten Best Excel Shortcuts would look like, so I have decided to create it and post it in this week’s Excel Enthusiast Blog Here they are in reverse order (ala Letterman’s Top Ten…):

10. Ctrl + ; (Enter the current date )
9. Ctrl + Arrow key (Move to next section of text –Quick!)
8. Shift + F3 (Open the Excel formula wizard)
7. Ctrl + P (Bring up the print dialog box)
6. Ctrl + Shift + ! (Format number in comma format – Nice!)
5. Ctrl + K (Insert a hyperlink – Wow!)
4. Ctrl + Tab (Move between open Excel files – Handy!)
3. F11 (Create a quick chart – Cool!)
2. Ctrl+C (Where would we be without the quick copy combo)

And the Number One Best Shortcut Is (Drum roll, please)...

1. Ctrl+Z (Undo of previous action – Super useful!)

There you have it! Depending on the details of your own work, you may sort them differently, but they are all very useful. Happy Excelling!

Hyperlinks in Excel

Being able to jump from one location to another online is entirely commonplace when you log onto a website. The ability to do this within an Excel workbook can add both Functionality and Coolness!

By using hyperlinks in a worksheet, the user can instantly access another area in the workbook, another relevant workbook or application, or a place on the web. You can insert a hyperlink into a cell or a shape in any version of Excel.

So how do you insert a hyperlink into your worksheet? It is, as I have said about other techniques in Excel, so Easy you will laugh!

In either Excel 2003 or Excel 2007, simply choose the cell that you want to put the link into, and go to Insert / Hyperlink. Then click on the appropriate Link to area in the left-hand column, and complete the address information. Bamm! You have your Link!

If you would like to make your worksheet even cooler, however, you can quite easily draw a shape like a Button for your link. For instance, you can choose the Rounded Rectangle in the Shapes to draw your own custom buttons in your worksheet, (you can even mimic a website design). From there it is an easy matter of selecting the button (shape) and creating the hyperlink like you do for a cell.

Hyperlinks can add convenient navigation options and Pizzazz to your Excel sheets! Give it a try!

Microsoft Solver

Have you ever used (or even heard of) Microsoft Solver? If you answered “No”, I am not surprised. MS Solver is a very powerful, but little known free Add-In tool.

To find it in Excel 2007, click on the Microsoft Button, and click the Excel Options button at the bottom of the dropdown. Then choose Add-Ins and select Solver Add-in.

To find it in Excel 2003, simply go to Tools / Add-Ins, put a check mark next to Solver Add-in and click OK.

What it Do for You!

Let’s say that you have several shifts of call center employees that overlap, and you are trying to optimize the scheduling to best handle the projected incoming calls. By using MS Solver, you can quite quickly find the most favorable balance for the schedule.

The trick is set your Target Cell (this may be a cell in which you are trying to find the best sum, average, or standard deviation) in the Solver Parameters, and make it subject to various cells that you wish to change (the totals for each shift in this case). You can also make it subject to Constraints such as whole numbers (good when counting people...).

MS Solver can be effectively used to maximize sales/profit plans, strategic planning, optimizing a product mix, and even picking a winning team! There are countless other applications that are only limited by your imagination.

Now it does takes a bit of effort setting up your worksheet, but the results are quite remarkable! Show them that you truly are a Genius; give Microsoft Solver a try!

Three Cool Tricks!

Here are three of my favorite little tricks for making life easier in Excel World…

#1 Selecting Data or the Entire Worksheet

Select any cell in your database and click “A” on your keyboard while holding down the Ctrl key; Bamm! You have selected the database. Want to select the entire worksheet? Just click “A” once again!

#2 Copy the Formatting of a Cell or Range and Apply it to Another Cell or Range
Select the cell or range with the formatting you wish to copy, (Note: This works for conditional formatting as well), and click the Paint Brush on your toolbar. Your cursor will then turn into a paint brush that you can use to “paint” any other cell or range with the formatting you have picked up from the previous cell or range (think of them as the paint can).

#3 Display Formulas So You can Troubleshoot Issues
This is so easy, you will laugh. Select any cell on cell on your worksheet and simply press the “~” key on your keyboard while holding down the Ctrl key. Presto! All of your formulas will be visible!

How cool is that! Take five minutes and give the tricks a try!

Life Beyond Microsoft

This blog is entitled Excel Enthusiasts, but let’s face it; there are other spreadsheet applications out there worth looking at.

Perhaps the most interesting is the Numbers application in the iWork suite by Apple. Numbers has over 250 functions, (comparable to Excel), including some unique ways to calculate time that you do not see in other applications. There are many terrific templates and, typical of Apple’s penchant for graphics, creating gorgeous charts is a breeze.

Since most of the computing world speaks Excel, it would be a drag if Numbers was not compatible with our favorite software. Happily, you can save and export your files in an Excel format, as well as in PDF and several other common formats. You can also share your work by uploading it to a new private iWork website that Apple has made available (you can send a special URL to anyone you wish to collaborate with).

Another late-breaking Numbers feature is that it will be available on the new Apple iPad (arriving April 3) in a new format that will allow you to use in a finger-friendly interface, (yes, I have mine on order…).

Now, is this Apple product truly cooler than our favorite tool, Excel? Probably not, but it does have some intriguing features you might be interesting in. Happy exploring!

Unique Names for a DropDown List

Getting a list of Unique Names for a DropDown Box is easy. As we discussed in the February 18 post, DropDown Boxes can be a real boon for a professional-looking report.

In order to obtain a list of Unique Names just do the following easy steps:

1) Select the original range of names (See column 'B' All Names).

2) Go to Advance Filter, and choose “Copy to another location” action.

3) In the "Copy to" box, select a cell for the starting point.

4) Check the checkbox for "Unique records only" and click OK.

Presto! A list of Unique Names to use for your DropDown Box!

Pivot Tables: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

This is an introduction to an often disregarded Excel application. Much has been written on Pivot Tables, and much has also been misunderstood about this highly practical, but not perfect tool.


The Good
Every analyst or manager should have at least moderate skills at using pivot tables. You can use pivot tables to summarize, analyze, and explore what-ifs in your data. What is particularly “Good” about them is they are very powerful, lightning fast, and very easy to use. If you have never experimented with Pivot Tables, give them a try. I can guarantee that you will amaze yourself with how simple it is to manipulate your data.

The Bad
Pivot tables are not all things for all applications. Though powerful, they have some odd quirks, (such as resizing your columns when you change an entry), and often need to be rebuilt if your data significantly changes (the good news is, of course, that it is easy do so…).

The Ugly
Let’s face it, pivot tables are Ugly! Oh, sure, you can apply one of the stock formatting schemes that haven’t changed in ten years, or design your own, (beware, it may be lost when you update or pivot data), but it is still ugly. Now, this may not be terribly important to you if you are just doing some “quick and dirty” analysis, but it may not be something you want to show the board of directors.

Bottom Line
Though not perfect tool, pivot tables will often save you many hours of analysis time, and the other great news is that it truly is easy. Go on, give it a try!