Excel Advanced Top10TIPS Documentation LeilaGharani

Online Excel Course Documentation
www.XelPlus.com/AdvancedExcelCourse
Advanced Excel: Top Excel Tips & Formulas
Excel: Top 10 Tips to Work Smarter
Leila Gharani, MA
Excel Instructor / Business consultant
Edited by: Michael Diamond

Top 10 Time Saving tips
Table of Contents
Advanced Excel: Top Excel Tips & Formulas .................................................................... 1

Excel: Top 10 Tips to Work Smarter .................................................................................. 1
Top 10 Time Saving tips .................................................................................................... 4
Tip #1: Become Faster with Excel's Keyboard Shortcuts ................................................... 5
Tip #2: Master the Simpler Tasks ...................................................................................... 7
Tip #3: Quickly Navigate Larger Files .............................................................................. 16
Tip #4: Inspect Workbooks for Hidden Information .......................................................... 20
Tip #5: Use Protection Appropriately ............................................................................... 24
Tip #6: Import Text, CSV & Data Files Properly ............................................................... 29
Tip #7: Audit & Debug Formulas ...................................................................................... 35
Tip #8: Improve Presentation with Custom Number Formatting ....................................... 37
Tip#9: Solving Problems With Goal Seek ........................................................................ 45
Tip#10: Use Excel PivotTables for Super-Fast Analysis .................................................. 47
Bonus Tip #11: Speed up Excel - Understand Volatile versus Non-Volatile formulas....... 55
Bonus Tip #12: Know the possibilities and the limitations ................................................ 58
Concluding Words ........................................................................................................... 61
2
Top 10 Tips to save time

Take what you like to become more efficient….
3

While there are a lot of tools available in Excel, there are a few that are extremely
helpful when you use Excel on a frequent basis. In this Tips section I’ve included topics
that are probably not in a basic Excel training and also if you’ve taught yourself Excel
and worked yourself up to advanced status, you might have missed some of these
important features.
The aim of my Tips section is for you to “fill in the gaps”. Even if you’re using Excel on a
daily basis, you might be unaware of certain features that can prove useful in your daily
work.
Here is an overview of my top 10 tips:
Tip #1: Become Faster with Excel's Keyboard Shortcuts
Tip #2: Master the Simpler Tasks
Tip #3: Quickly Navigate Larger Files
Tip #4: Inspect Workbooks for Hidden Information
Tip #5: Use Protection Appropriately
Tip #6: Import Text, CSV & Data Files Properly
Tip #7: Audit & Debug Formulas
Tip #8: Improve Presentation with Custom Number Formatting
Tip#9: Solving Problems With Goal Seek
Tip#10: Use Excel PivotTables for Super-Fast Analysis
Bonus Tip #11: Speed up Excel
Bonus Tip #12: Know the possibilities and the limitations
As you can see these are not just 10 topics. Some of these include a combination of
topics but overall I wanted to squeeze these points into 10 easy-to-digest main topics.
You might know some of these and some might be new to you. Just remember, the
main challenge is to understand how you can apply the techniques to your own files.
Take whichever tip you find useful and try to immediately use it in on your own data.
4
Tip #1: Become Faster with Excel's Keyboard Shortcuts

Excel contains over 200 keyboard shortcuts.
Keyboard shortcuts are a great way to quickly navigate cells and enter formulas. Excel
allows one of the following three methods to move around the spreadsheet:
1) Keyboard
2) Mouse
3) Keyboard and mouse
The following table lists some of the commonly used shortcuts that save both time and
mouse clicks.
5
TASK Key
Format – cells, text boxes,
CTRL & 1
charts
ALT & Enter
Insert a new line within a cell
Insert row / column CTRL & +

Delete row / column CTRL & -
Move to top or bottom cell of CTRL &
the current column / row Arrow key
CTRL &
Select all cells above or
SHIFT&
below the current cell
Arrow key
CTRL & Page
Move to next / previous sheet
Down / UP
Move between Excel
CTRL & Tab
workbooks
Undo CTRL & Z
Print Preview CTRL & F2
CTRL & F
Find and Replace
CTRL & H
ALT & E then
Paste special
S
Change cell reference
between absolute and F4
relative (edit formula mode)
Save CTRL & S
Insert a table CTRL & T
Show name manager CTRL & F3

F4
Repeat last formatting action
Calculate formulas F9
Time Stamp (click inside cell) CTRL & ;
6
Tip #2: Master the Simpler Tasks

Excel has several commonly useful tools that can make the application easier to use.
It’s important for any Excel user to be familiar with these. Add them to your toolbox and
refer to them whenever the need arises.
Customize Excel
The Quick Access Toolbar (QAT), was introduced in Excel 2007. This can be
customized to include your favourite buttons or commands. Starting in Excel 2010,
customization has also been extended to the main ribbon.
Update Quick Access Toolbar
It’s a good idea to update your QAT to include frequently used buttons and commands.
This way, your QAT becomes your “favourites” toolbar. This saves time since you’ll no
longer need to switch between different ribbons in an effort to try to locate the different
commands.
To update the QAT click on the down arrow and select More Commands…
The QAT should include commonly used commands. Just right-click the selected item
to add or remove it from the toolbar.
Selecting More commands… gives you the ability to add additional features that are
not listed in either the ribbon or the drop down list. Select a new command, and press
Add. Click OK once the command has been added.
Tip: if you are using a third-party add-in you can add those commands to your QAT as
well.
Another advantage for using the QAT, is that each command has a specific keyboard
shortcut. The shortcut order is Alt & 1, Alt & 2, Alt & 3, etc.
7
Use the up and down arrows in the Excel options/customize QAT to allow you to
change their sequential order.
The QAT is available for all your Excel files. If you would like some specific button or
feature to only be available for a specific workbook, click on the dropdown at the top of
the Customize Quick Access Toolbar dropdown and select the currently open
workbook name showing in the dropdown. Here you can add any buttons that you’d like
to be available ONLY for this workbook. When you open this file in the future you’ll see
all the default shortcuts along with the ones you just selected for this workbook. These
file specific shortcuts will only appear when this file is open (active).
Taking the time to update your QAT saves time and increases work efficiency by
organizing your most commonly used commands.
Use Groups to De-clutter

Grouping rows or columns together, makes it easier to organize larger spreadsheets
with lots of data. When rows or columns are grouped using the grouping tool, Excel
collapses everything with the exception of the last row or column in the group. Standard
industry practice is to group cells rather than hide them from view.
Grouping rows or columns this way has the following advantages:
 Visibility: It immediately signals hidden rows or columns that helps avoid errors
 Multiple levels: Grouping allows the user to have multiple hierarchical levels
which aren’t permissible when hiding rows or columns. Nesting groups allow
users to have subtotals within groups and, as a result, allows drilling down to the
underlying data on a granular level. Excel currently supports up to 8 nested
groups
To group rows or columns, highlight the ones you need and click the Group option on
the Data tab in the Outline section of the ribbon.
8
The 1/2/3 tiny buttons on the top left hand side of the file indicate the number of the
sectional grouping levels.
Clicking on button 3 in the example above expands all groupings; clicking button 1
collapses all groupings which provides a summary report; button 2 displays all nested
groups.
9
Know the Paste Special Options

Paste special options provide numerous useful tools that allow manipulating text and
values before pasting.
 Paste as values: Hard codes values by removing all formulas behind them
 Paste comments: Pastes only the comments attached to the cells without
formatting either cells and/or values.
 Paste Skip Blanks: Pastes non-empty cells. Checking this box instructs Excel
to skip over all blank cells while copying and pasting the selected data. If one of
the cells in the original range is empty (blank), but you have a corresponding
value in the range you want to paste over, then this cell will still have the old
value in it. It will not be replaced by the blank cell.
 Paste Transpose: Switches the row/column orientation of the selected cell
data. Checking this box causes Excel to move data from rows to columns and
vice versa.
 Paste formatting: Pastes cell formatting only - cell values (and text) are
ignored.
 Paste link: Pastes linked formulas to the copied cells. Pasted values change as
the original cell values are updated.
 Use operations: Add, subtract, multiply or divide on the selected cells.
Copy the data under the source column, highlight the destination columns and
then select Paste Special followed by the operation of your choice.
10
Select an operation such as Add. Click OK.
The destination cells are updated by adding the numbers of the source column
without the use of any formula.
Add Drop down Lists and Validations

Adding drop down lists to your files - especially for templates which need to be updated
by different users - ensures source data integrity since users are restricted from adding
items that aren’t included in the list. Using data validation reduces typos and mistakes
when working with the file.
To add lists to your cells, first highlight the respective range or cell, and from the data
tab, select Data Validation / Data Validation…
For the more common lists, you have two options. You can either manually type the list
in the validation box or reference the range in the “Source” textbox. To do either of
these you need to first select List from the Allow: drop down box.
11
Under source, type in your values separated by a “,”.
You can also specify an Error Alert if an input is not in line with your allowed values.
To see this in action:
The below error message will appear if a value is entered that isn’t in the selection list:
12
Instead of manually entering the list into the data validation box, the more practical
method is to enter the cell reference to the list range as in the example below.
Whenever source data is updated, the drop-down is updated automatically as well.
Advanced Tricks
 By using the Excel Table feature your validation lists becomes “dynamic” - they
will automatically expand to include any new data that’s added to the table.
Deleted Table data will be removed from the drop down list.
 By adding a conditional formula in the Custom option (instead of using the List
box option) you can cause a secondary list to automatically update when an item
from the primary list is selected.
Remove Duplicates
Duplicate values can be removed in one of two ways:
 Filtering on unique values or

 Removing duplicate values
Filtering on unique values will provide a unique list by hiding all the duplicate values
whereas removing duplicate values deletes all the duplicate rows – leaving only the
unique items.
13
Excel considers rows to be duplicated, if cells in the data range contain identical values
(as in rows 4 & 7, 5 & 8 in the table below)
To filter for unique values:
1. Select (highlight) the range that contains the duplicates to be removed.

2. Go to Data tab. In Sort & Filter click Advanced.
3. From the advanced filter box, select either Filter the list in-place or Copy to
another location.
4. Select Filter the list in-place and check Unique records only.
5. All duplicate cells are now hidden – all that remains visible is one of each item.
To permanently remove duplicate values:
1. Select the duplicate cell range.
14
2. Go to Data tab and in Data Tools, select Remove Duplicates.
3. Press OK from the Remove Duplicate dialogue box and leave the selection as is.
4. Excel automatically alerts you when it has completed this operation by displaying a
message box, which contains both the count of removed duplicate items and a
count of the remaining unique items.
Absolute vs Relative Referencing

A key component for creating reliable spreadsheets includes having a solid
understanding of absolute and relative referencing.
Absolute referencing “anchors” a formula when both of the range operators have the “$”
symbol in front of them (e.g. $R$4). When a reference is absolute, Excel does not
adjust the formula when it’s copied to other cells.
A “semi” relative or semi absolute reference includes a $ sign for either the column or
the row. (e.g. $R4 or R$4). The range letter or number with the $ sign are “anchored”
when moved or copied to another range location. However, the range missing the “$”
sign will adjust accordingly when copied to a new location.
A “full” relative reference occurs when the “$” symbol is omitted from the range
operators entirely. The formula will automatically adjust the co-ordinates based on the
relative reference – i.e. distance of the formula to its dependants.
Removing the “$” symbol from a range operator makes the cell “relative”. Adding a “$”
makes it absolute. You can manually type in the “$” in your formula or use the F4 Key to
toggle between the 4 types of cell referencing:
 Relative: A1
 Absolute: $A$1
 Relative column & absolute row: A$1
 Absolute column & relative row: $A1
15
Tip #3: Quickly Navigate Larger Files

The following discussion demonstrates tips to navigate between large workbooks or
worksheets to simultaneously flip between multiple workbooks.
Build a Table of Contents

Build a table of contents by adding an “index” tab to your workbook and inserting
hyperlinks for each tab in the file. To add a hyperlink to a tab, right-mouse click on a cell
and select Hyperlink. Click on Place in This Document. From the insert Hyperlink
menu box, scroll up to see the tab names. Select the first tab and click OK. Repeat this
for each sheet.
You can create a reusable macro that loops through the workbook which automatically
creates/updates your table of contents. Besides saving time, it’s ideal for larger files .
Use Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts allow you to navigate between various tabs or different workbooks.
Shortcuts include:
 Ctrl + Page down: to move to the next spreadsheet

 Ctrl + Page up: to move to the previous spreadsheet
 Ctrl + Tab: to move between different workbooks
 Ctrl + Home: to move to cell A1
 Ctrl + End: to move to the last populated cell
Use the Name Box

Typing either a cell address or a given cell name into the name box jumps the cursor
quickly to that cell address. The address can also reference a cell on a different tab. If
you use named ranges, type the named range in the name box and your cursor will
quickly move to that location (even if the named range is located on another
worksheet).
16
To jump to a specific cell or a named range, you can either type directly into the name
box, select from the drop down list located beside name box or press F5 to display the
list of defined names.
The Name box also recognizes R1C1 notation (row and column references). If you type
R200C1 and press enter, for example, your cursor will travel to Column A, row 200
(A200)!
Colour Tabs Accordingly
You can organize your tabs by applying either the drag and drop method or by
assigning them different colours. This allows you to differentiate between them quickly
and easily.
Right-mouse click on a tab, find the desired colour from the Tab Colour menu and
make your selection.
Note: over-colouring is not recommended.
Use the Tab Menu

Working with workbooks with multiple tabs often forces you to scroll to the right to
search for individual sheet names. One way to avoid this is to first right-mouse click on
the little scroll bar arrows at the bottom left hand corner of your workbook. Then, by
right-mouse clicking in the scroll area you can magically bring up the list of all the
workbook tabs. Selecting a sheet in the tab list will move you - in a blink of an eye- to
that sheet.
17
Freeze Panes
When your computer’s screen contains many rows and/or columns of data, freezing
panes facilitates easier sheet navigation. Freezing panes permits you to effortlessly
scroll down and across your worksheet while keeping the specified table rows or
column headers stationary.
Arranging Worksheets
If you need to simultaneously work with different tabs in different workbooks (i.e.
comparing one file to another) Excel allows you to arrange the workbooks horizontally
or vertically, side by side or on top of each other. This effect is accomplished by going
to the View tab and clicking the Arrange All button.
This same technique can be used for comparing sheets side by side in the same
workbook.
18
Select New Window and click Arrange All to organize the workbooks beside or below
each other. Multiple workbooks will now appear on your screen. Excel has created a
“new window”, i.e. duplicated the current file. Any changes made on either tab that you
see on your screen will also be reflected in the “other” or “new” window.
19
Tip #4: Inspect Workbooks for Hidden Information

It’s very common in most businesses to inherit a file that someone else has created.
Quite often these files are rather large and contain many tables. They might also
contain items hidden items (e.g. rows, columns, worksheets, comments, personal
information, etc.). To try to find all these “hidden gems” can be both manual and time
consuming. Starting with 2007, Excel provides a tool to create a quick report
documenting all aspects of your file.
Information that can be hidden and/or personal include:
 Comments: Ink annotations stating the initial or the comment originator.

 Headers and footers: Saved personal information shown upon printing of a
document.
 Hidden rows, columns and worksheets: Sometimes cells are intentionally hidden.
Or, some cells might be carried over from previous owners/users which should be
deleted because the data is outdated.
 Invisible content: Objects, even graphs, can be hidden from view.
 Document properties: Contains details about the workbook (e.g. inactive external
data connections, etc.). Or, personal information (e.g. author name, subject, title,
etc.) and additional custom information.
Sound business practice is to inspect the document before distributing or sharing the
workbook with others. Inspecting the file first can uncover potential problems that users
might unknowingly encounter.
Save a copy of your workbook before using the document inspector tool because you
can’t “undo” the inspector once this data has been removed from the file (there isn’t an
undo operation for this).
Follow these steps to remove any unwanted data:
1. Go to File / Info / Check for Issues and Inspect Document.

2. Excel allows you to choose which items you would like inspected and possibly
removed.
20
3. The document inspector will display a form showing the location of each hidden
item. In this specific workbook, the inspector has found information in the document
properties, a hidden row/column, a hidden worksheet and one invisible content.
4. Press the Remove All button under each relevant section to remove those items.
However, should you be unsure of the content in any of the hidden row(s)/column(s)
you should review the items first, before choosing to remove them.
21
To find out what information is hidden, can be somewhat tricky. Finding hidden
worksheets is easiest. Navigate to the Home tab and select Format / Visibility/ Hide
& Unhide/ Unhide Sheet. A Pop up window will appear providing a list of hidden
worksheets. You have the option there to make them visible by selecting the name.
The Find and Select / Selection Pane option, allows you to locate all hidden objects
on that sheet.
An “eye” icon denotes that an object is visible on the sheet, whereas an empty box
means the object is “hidden” from view.
22
Hidden rows and columns are more difficult to spot without a macro. You can choose to
unhide all columns and rows in a worksheet by selecting all cells (CTRL + A). Then from
the Home tab go to Format / Hide & Unhide / Unhide Rows (or Columns).
This will unhide all hidden rows, but you may not be able to easily spot which ones still
remain hidden. To locate these use the Go to Special option (the CTRL + G shortcut).
Select Visible cells only and click OK.
With this view you will see a white line where the rows or columns have been hidden
thereby giving the location of these hidden rows or columns.
23
Tip #5: Use Protection Appropriately

Use Excel’s Protect Sheet and Protect Workbook features to “tamper proof” your
workbook, worksheets or templates from unintentional changes made by other users.
Excel offers various ways to protect them.
A “protected” workbook should not be confused with a “secure” workbook. Excel

passwords can be cracked using third-party tools.
Fully Protect the Contents of your Workbook

Excel allows you to encrypt your document with a password preventing unauthorized
users from opening & viewing your documents unless they know the current password
to unprotect them.
Go to File / Info / Protect Workbook and select Encrypt Document.
Write a password and save the workbook. Users are allowed to open and view the data
only if they know the current password.
Allow Users to Open as Read-Only

Saving your file as read-only ensures that only users with your “password” can modify
the workbook. Choose the Save As option and press the drop down arrow on the Tools
button next to the Save button to display the General Options menu item.
24
This pops up another dialogue box. Type in a password for modification. Tick mark the
Read-only recommended and click OK.
The next time the workbook is opened, the user is prompted for a password that will
allow them to modify the workbook or open it as read-only to save their own copy.
Leave Specific Ranges Open

Use the Allow Users to Edit Ranges feature to protect a worksheet while still allowing
users to input and modify data in specific ranges. This is useful for templates that
contain calculations or for templates where you’d like to fix the worksheet structure.
Using this option prevents users from adding additional columns or rows or altering your
formulas.
In this example users can input data in C & D.
25
But not in Column E or anywhere else on the worksheet.
Follow these steps:
1. Go to tab review and select Allow Users to Edit Ranges.
2. Click on New.
3. Give the range a specific title if you like.
For the “Refers to cells” section, highlight the range where you want to allow the
users to enter data and click on OK.
4. Select Protect Sheet…
26
5. Provide a password for to enable sheet protection and click OK.
Re-enter the password and confirm.
6. Your sheet is protected, except for the ranges you selected.
Protect Specific Features

When you protect a sheet, you have the option to leave some features “unprotected” so
users can format cells, insert or delete rows or columns, etc.
Go to the Review tab on the main ribbon and select Protect Sheet.
27
By default, the first two items on the “Allow all user of this worksheet to:” are checked
off. “Select locked cells” allows the user to select protected cells but they aren’t allowed
to change the cell’s contents.
Checking more boxes in this list box provides more features in the worksheet for users
to manipulate, change and/or update. Don’t forget to activate sheet protection by
providing a new password.
28
Tip #6: Import Text, CSV & Data Files Properly

Excel has various tools that can clean up your data quickly and easily for further
analysis. Apart from using formulas and formatting, Excel features two useful tools to
manage data clean up - Text to Columns and Get External Data.
Tip: A simple macro can be programmed to import a data file and run a standard
procedure. For example to remap -- based on a mapping table -- or to reformat the data
so it is usable for Dashboard presentations.
Text to Columns
Most Excel users are familiar with Text to Columns but often forget about it. Instead,
they will often spend extra time setting up formulas to split the data instead of using this
built-in tool.
If you have the following situation and you’d like to split the full name into first and last
name in two separate cells, follow the below steps.
1. Highlight the “split’ range and select the Data tab and click Text to Columns.
2. The Text to Column wizard will appear. Click on Delimited since the names often
have different lengths and then Next.
29
3. Select the “space” delimiter in this example. Select another delimiter, if

necessary, or manually type it into the “Other:” box. Click Next.
4. Specifying the correct data format in this step is imperative. If the columns contain
different formats, click each column separately and then choose the appropriate
format type. In this case “Text” is the correct selection.
30
5. You can specify a different destination for splitting the “data”. Click Finish when
you’re ready and your data is split into two separate columns!
Importing External Data

Starting in 2007, Excel contains over a million rows and over sixteen thousand columns.
The Get External Data tool can be used to import and analyse data from other
systems. This tool is also useful for importing data to run your dashboards or do further
analysis using pivot tables, etc.
Usually you can get data extracts from any system (e.g. “.dat” or “.csv” from Oracle,
“.xml” files from SAP, etc.). These can be imported into Excel.
Follow the steps to properly import a data file:
1. Click an empty cell in Excel and select From Text in the Get External Data
section located in the Data tab.
2. This example uses a data file from Oracles Hyperion Financial Management
system. Browse for the text file. Change the setting to “All files” if it isn’t visible on
the browse window (only files with .txt or .csv might be visible here). Select the
file and click Import.
3. The text import wizard appears. Select Delimited and for Start import at row,
enter 2 (or use another number to indicate the row where the imported data is to
begin). You need this if you don’t want to import the header information.
31
4. Check the Semicolon (always look in the preview window to check if your data
looks ok -- including your values). Click Next.
5. Click on Advanced (the third step) and use the “.” and “,” as the correct
separators. Databases often use the “.” as a decimal placeholder. In some
instances (especially European Excel versions) the file can have “,” as the
decimal placeholder.
6. Select Finish and OK or change the destination.
32
7. You will see your data neatly organized in Excel
8. You can easily update this file and/or export it as text or “.dat” file by saving your
worksheet as a “csv” document.
9. You also have the capability to set certain properties for your query.
10. You can force an automatic refresh, for example, every couple of minutes. Or,
you can prompt for a file refresh and specify how new data should be handled.
11. To manually refresh, just click on Refresh All/Refresh in the Connections

group.
33
Use similar steps for xml extracts. Excel has a few features on the Developer tab
which allow you to create connections and/or map xml files to Excel.
Tip: Sometimes data requires the values to be a text string, especially if they have
leading zeros (product ID, Account number, etc.). Excel will always remove leading
zeros if columns aren’t specified as text. To keep this format, select the column and
specify the “Column data format” as text.
34
Tip #7: Audit & Debug Formulas

Most everyday work formulas are often quite complex. The formulas can start out being
simple but by adding Ifs, lookups, etc. you can often end up with a very complex,
“monster” type formula. Then, after all this formula manoeuvring you realize that you
have an error but can’t pinpoint its location. Is the culprit incorrect because of bad cell
referencing and, if so, which cell contains the error?
Formula auditing tools are available in Excel to help you find the errors quickly and
easily. These tools are found on the Formulas tab under Formula Auditing.
Watch Window
The Watch Window is quite useful for large spreadsheets with multiple tabs or
dependent workbooks. The Watch Window allows you to monitor one or more cells as
formulas are modified, without actively going to the cells. For example to “watch” how
cell B240 changes in one of your tabs, just add this cell to the Watch Window. You can
then change formulas, update sheets while continually “watching” the value in this cell
and checking how this changes - without actually going to cell B240.
To add a cell or range of cells to the watch window:
1. Click on Watch Window.
2. Highlight the cells you want to watch and then click on Add Watch.
3. Both the cell value and the formula are visible in the Watch Window.
4. You can now move the watch window to wherever you want. To hide it, click on the
Watch Window button. To show it again, reselect the Watch Window button.
Evaluate Formula
The Evaluate Formula tool is useful to find where formulas have gone askew. It also
provides the intermediate results of nested formulas.
35
For example, suppose you have a complex formula (similar to one below) that sums
columnar criteria contained in rows and some other criteria for columns.
To determine which formula element is correct and which one is not, click on Evaluate
Formula, then Evaluate and use Step-In, where possible, to view the returned value
for the specific arguments.
Here, by tracking what is being highlighted, the Evaluate Formula function makes it
apparent that we have the wrong “last criteria”. The formula can now be corrected.
36
Tip #8: Improve Presentation with Custom Number

Formatting
Custom formatting is ideal for manipulating data in your presentations without actually
“touching” the source data. Using custom formatting helps avoid having to use
intermediary steps that is necessary to change the look of the data.
For example, you might need to present data in “millions”. One option would be to add
an extra calculation step (or cell) by dividing the data values by 1,000,000. Then, in
addition to adding the appropriate currency code to the value, you would add or
concatenate an “M” at the end of the value.
A better alternative is to simply format the cells to show millions. This helps avoid extra
steps and keeps your report lean and your figures as values.
Note: adding text to number formatting doesn’t change the underlying value in the cell.
Excel still recognizes the data as a numeric value and not text.
Changing formatting using the first approach converts the cell values into a text cell
because text added to a value (like “300 M”) converts the value to a text string. Excel
doesn’t perform mathematical operations on text strings.
Formatting the data in column B as millions, is the more efficient and practical
approach. Without looking at the value in the cell itself one would think the cell value to
be “300 M”. Remember, formatting is a façade. Custom formatting changes the visible
appearance of the cell not the actual cell value.
37
Custom formatting is also especially useful when charting your data. Instead of this
You can show this
The second graphic looks neater and more organized.
38
Excel’s main formatting types are:
General: Choosing General allows Excel to “guess2 what is the appropriate formatting.
Using General is usually okay since Excel recognizes date and time entries as Date &
Time and also recognizes text and value entries as either text or values.
Specific (Number, currency, accounting, date, time, percentage, fraction etc.):

These are generally self-explanatory.
Special: Generally used for phone number and zip code entries.
Custom: The Custom option allows you to create your own custom formats. You can
add text to number formatting, choose how you want to display positive & negative
numbers and how you’d like zero values and text entries to be formatted. Proper use of
Custom formatting requires you to follow the proper syntax as described below.
Custom formatting syntax

Customer Number formatting syntax is comprised of the following 4 parts:
Positive number; Negative number; Zero; Text

Each segment is separated by the “;” symbol. Excel doesn’t require all 4 parts though.
If your formatting includes only two parts, Excel assumes the first part of the formatting
to be for positive values and zeros while the second part will be used to format negative
values. If you specify only one format segment, - i.e. the semi colon is entirely left out
from the syntax - then Excel ignores positive & negative but applies the same formatting
to all four parts. Text values are displayed as typed, so no special formatting is applied
to them. You can build custom formats from scratch rather easily but it’s good business
practice to use an existing custom format and adjust it to get the result you want.
Follow these steps to create a custom format:
1. Select the Cell/Column/Row to be formatted.

2. Right-mouse click / format cells or use shortcut “CTRL” + 1.
3. Click on Custom for category and under “Type” write the custom format string.
39
4. Press Ok and verify that the format is correct.
Here is an example of an existing custom format.
And another that also controls zero values and text behaviour.
I’ll break these up and explain them in a bit. Before that, let’s have a look at the rules:
Character Description
$ or € Special character that will show without need for quotation
marks
+ , - , = , < , > , /, ( , ) These appear in the cell depending on where you have
typed it. No need for quotation marks
“” Displays text that is typed between the quotation marks
_( , _) The _ displays a single blank character space
0 Placeholder for values. No decimal places.
# Digit placeholder as in 0. Difference is that it does not force
trailing 0 values. i.e. if you have #.## as format then 1.2 is
displayed and not 1.20
. Dot to display decimal digits
, Comma displays the thousand separator
#,##0 Displays commas for every three digits
#,##0.00 Display commas for thousands and shows two decimal
places
0, and 0,, If a comma follows a place-holder then numbers are
40
displayed in thousands and if two commas follow then they

are displayed in millions
? Digit placeholder follows the same rule as 0. One difference
is that it shows blank for zero values and also aligns the
decimal places of the numbers in columns
* The asterisk tells Excel to repeat the next character until the
width of the cell is filled so for example if you want the dollar
sign on the left hand side of the cell and then have blank
space and the number on the right hand side inside the cell
you have to follow the * with a blank space. For example:
$* #,##0 (the yellow part emphasises the blank space)
[Black], [Green], [Red], To change the colour of your values, type the colour code
[White], [Yellow], as the first item of each section. If you’re not happy with the
[Magenta], [Cyan], [Blue] hue or you’d like another colour you can select a colour
code for more colours from the palette. The syntax for using
the colour index is for example [Color10] which is a darker
green than the [Green] colour
see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/cc296089(v=office.12).aspx
@ Placeholder for text
Below are some examples demonstrating how to use these symbols:
Example 1: displaying data in millions
The following format is used to display data in millions:
“0,” says to Excel “display this number in millions”. “,” represents thousands and “,”
denotes millions. The second “M” adds text to the formatted number but the underlying
cell value stays the same. The first part after the first “;” is identical with the positive
number format but displays negative values using the negative sign. The “-“ after the
second “;” replaces zeros with “-“. Text formatting in this example has been ignored -
only +ve, -ve and zero values have been modified.
Example 2
“#,##0-);” formats the number in thousands with a space added to ensure that there is a
space between the number and the cell border. “[Red] (###0)” uses red font for
negative numbers and places parenthesises around the number. Zeros are shown as
typed while text formatting, again, is ignored.
Example 3
41
“_($*#,##0_) ;”includes a space before and after the number, so values are not “stuck”
to the borders. Excel recognizes the dollar sign symbol. There isn’t a need to place it in
brackets. “*“ part adds a space depending upon the length of the cell. For example, if
the cell is small then this result is this and if it’s wider the result will be
. “($*(#,##0_));” is similar but with brackets for negative numbers.

For zeros the “($* “-”_));” places a “-“ instead of a zero. For text the “_(@_)” part adds a
space before and after the text – again to ensure that text is not “stuck” to the cell
borders.
Example 4
“?” will right-align decimal places or value fractions with each other. If you have this
and use “?” the result will be with all decimals right-aligned.
Here are some more formatting examples and their results:
Format Result positive Result negative Result zero
#,##0," k";-#,##0," k";0

0.00%_);[Red](0.00%);-;
[Color10]€* #,##0;[Red](€*
#,##0);-;@
0.00;"Error"
000000
Conditional formatting using the custom format option

Colours are designated using “[ ]”, but they can also be used to perform conditional
formatting operations. It has more limitations than Excel’s conditional formatting tool but
it can be utilized to create a “high”, “low” and “other” case scenario.
For example
42
Before formatting:
After formatting
The first condition, “[>100]”, sets the upper boundary - if the value is greater than 100
then place “A Group” with a space followed with the value. The second condition, C
Group “[<50]”, sets the lower boundary. Finally, the “B Group”, is for everything between
these boundaries.
This feature can be useful for simple formatting features but for more flexibility and
functionality, use conditional formatting.
Testing your number formats

You can sometimes spend a lot of time trying to get a custom format “just right”. You
find yourself flipping between the spreadsheet and custom formatting to get it to work
properly. A workaround is to test the desired custom format formula with the TEXT()
function. You first create the workable formula format on your spreadsheet (see below)
and then copy the formula format into the custom formatting “Type” field.
Note - The font colours (“[Red”] & “[Green]” for example) can’t be tested using the
TEXT() function – this syntax only works within custom formatting. The fonts will only
change colour when the formula has been copied and pasted into the custom formatting
“Type” box.
43
And the result is
44
Tip#9: Solving Problems With Goal Seek

Goal Seek is located on the data tools tab as part of the What-if-Analysis section.
The following are different ways to describe goal seeks uses:
1. It’s when you know the end result but don’t know what the input should be to get
to your result.
2. It automates the trial and error process. It’s like guessing on speed. It’s useful for
situations where you want quick answers.
3. Using Goal Seek instead of a formula can be faster to set up.
4. With Goal seek you don’t have to change your formulas or turn a formula field to
an input field.
Let’s go through a simple example. Your current turnover is as follows:
You would like to know how many units you need to sell to reach a turnover goal of 350.
Use Goal Seek to avoid guessing the Units sold field.
1. From Data / What-If-Analysis / Select Goal Seek.
2. For Set cell select B3 – which actually contains a formula. Field To value: should
be 350, and By changing cell: should be B1 – i.e. the variable that answers your
question.
3. That’s all! Goal seek finds the closest answer for you. It does this, without
overwriting or altering any of your formulas. You can then round up or round down
your result to get full units sold.
45
This was a simple version of goal seek. You can also use more complex formulas and
indirect relationships. The variable you want answered doesn’t have to directly flow into
the results formula. It can be indirectly a part of it, meaning it can flow into other
formulas that in return impact the final formula.
Take a look at this example: Units sold is used to calculate turnover which is used to
calculate annualized turnover which is then used to calculate working capital %. You
can quickly find out what your units sold should be if you’d like a working capital of 10%
instead of the current 12%. Goal Seek can be much faster than guessing.
Goal seek is a great feature to keep in mind when answering this sort of what-if
questions. Keep in mind you can only change one variable to influence your outcome.
To be able to change multiple variables with more complex constraints, you can use
Solver. Solver is a part of the Data tab, but first needs to be activated in the Excel
options / Add-Ins section.
46
Tip#10: Use Excel PivotTables for Super-Fast Analysis

PivotTables are a great tool to quickly report and summarize your data. The best thing
about PivotTables is they allow you to sort, group and analyse your data without the
need to write formulas. You can also link to sources outside Excel. Pivot Charts provide
you with a quick and dynamic visualization of your data.
There is so much to PivotTables that can’t be covered in a few pages. In this document,
I would like to take you through the guidelines of creating a PivotTable as well as its
most common features. This will provide you with enough information to be able to dig
deeper on your own data and expand your knowledge in this regard.
Here is a checklist to go through before you create your Pivot:
 Each column has a header

 There are no blank columns in between
 No summations are embedded in your data table
This ensures that your raw data table is in a data list format.
An efficient method is to turn your raw data table into an Excel table. Why? Because the
moment you add new data to your raw data table, the numbers will be reflected in your
Pivot (upon refresh). You don’t need to update the data source range, which you would
otherwise have to do. Turning your data into a table, also means that each column will
have a header so you will have no errors when you insert a Pivot.
Here are the steps to create a Pivot Table:
1. Click anywhere in your data table. From the Insert tab, select PivotTable.
2. Check your table/range and decide if you want your pivot on a new worksheet or
the existing worksheet.
3. The next step is to design your report. You can do this by dragging and dropping
each field into the different sections of the report. Here is a guideline for each
section:
Report Filter: Enables you to page through the data summaries
Column Labels: Field labels in the columns
Row Labels: Field labels in the Rows
47
Values: This is your data field, the heart of your report. You have different
presentation options. For example, you can choose whether the data should be
summed, or counted.
4. You can make design improvements to your report. Select from a set of design
layouts or create your own. If you have a certain format you’d always like to use,
right-click on the design option and set it as your default.
5. From the Options tab, you have the following features:
48
You can get to most of these options by right-mouse clicking on your pivot field.
Useful Tips When Working with PivotTables
 To drill down on a particular value, you just need to double-click. Excel creates
a new sheet including detailed line items.
 Change the summary formulas by right-mouse clicking on your pivot and select
“summarize data by” option.
 Refresh your pivot when data is changed.
 View your data in a chart by clicking on PivotChart.
 Get the report field identical to the pivot field name by putting a space after the
name as shown below.
49
 Use the Slicer option (Available from Excel 2010 onward) to get buttons to filter
the categories. This gives your report a more dynamic, dashboard look.
 To create a calculated field for your Pivot analysis such as the % difference
between budget versus actuals, follow the steps below.
 Use the GetPivotData function for more complex calculations based on the data
from your PivotTable. GetPivotData appears by default once you reference a cell
in the PivotTable. If it doesn’t, make sure you have the Use GetPivotData
functions for PivotTable references check marked in your Excel options.
50
The reason the GetPivotData function is better than simply referencing the cells
in the PivotTable using normal formulas, is that even if the location of the data in
the PivotTable is changed, the values returned remain the same. This means,
even if your references shift down some cells and the layout of the PivotTable
changes, the GetPivotData references will remain unchanged. The one catch is
that the fields you are referencing must be visible in the PivotTable.
 You can also use Groups to better organize your data. Excel offers smart
grouping options for dates.
51
 You can also apply conditional formatting to your PivotTable to make your data
more readable.
 You can easily create a PivotChart out of a PivotTable. Select PivotChart

followed by the chart type. Note that not all chart types will be compatible with a
PivotTable. If you are creating more complex charts, it will be likely that you will
need a separate “data preparation table” for the chart which will use
GetPivotData functions. If you are designing a more simple chart, use the
standard PivotChart options.
52
You can also make your PivotChart titles dynamic by following the below steps:
 You can also use PivotTables to get unique values from a list. Simply insert a
PivotTable based on the data and bring the field/s you’d like unique values for,
to the Row Labels section. Copy and paste it where you like.
53
As you can see, Pivot tables are a great tool for quick analysis. They can also be
used as a data feeding tool for your dynamic dashboards.
54
Bonus Tip #11: Speed up Excel - Understand Volatile

versus Non-Volatile formulas
The larger worksheet size that came with Excel 2007, allowed users to create and
manage larger, more complex spreadsheets than in previous Excel versions. It also
came with improvements in terms of speed. However, many Excel users still struggle
with slow spreadsheets. Watching the processor’s progress can be quite frustrating!
By using some straightforward techniques and having a better understanding on how

Excel works with functions, can significantly improve any slow-calculating workbook.
The design of your Excel spreadsheet is key in defining how efficient and fast your
workbook calculations run. Often times spreadsheets run slow, not because of the
number of formulas used or the workbook size, but due to the number of cell references
in your formulas and the efficiency of the functions used. It is also important to
understand how Excel runs calculations and which cells are calculated. Knowing the
difference between volatile and non-volatile functions can also help you define which
formulas to use if your files slow down.
Make sure your work is optimized:
 Delete all invalid links, names or formulas

 Keep as much information as possible on the same workbook
 Delete everything that is “out of date”. Press Ctrl + END to determine the actual
used range on each one of your sheets. Remove rows or columns that aren’t
needed and remove all empty cells in the used range. Save the workbook.
Make sure your formulas are optimized to:
 Use the most efficient function possible to get your results. It’s extremely
important to thoroughly understand Excel’s more advanced formulas and from
this understanding you can judge which formulas work best for a given situation.
Knowledge like this reduces workarounds and complex calculations. Expand
your Excel Vocabulary. For example use the IFERROR() formula instead of the
IF(ISERROR(),,)
 Minimize the number of cells in a function. For example, if you are using
VLOOKUP or SUMIF do not reference the entire column (D:D) but (D1:D200).
Be careful with Volatile functions
Volatile functions are formulas that automatically get recalculated any time data is
entered into an open workbook. They get calculated independent of whether your
formula is using these cells or not; calculations occur in any cell regardless of the
formula. Cells are also recalculated when a new row or column is inserted; a worksheet
is renamed or the worksheets tab order changes. Any task performed in any open file
causes these volatile formulas to recalculate. Examples of volatile functions are
55
 =OFFSET()
 =TODAY()
 =NOW()
 =INDIRECT()
 =RAND() & RANDBETWEEN()
 =CELL ()
 = INFO()
Chances are, if you’re an intermediate Excel user, you’ve used some of these.
Conditional formatting formulas are also volatile. Conditional formats are evaluated
every time data change. Since conditional formatting is comprised of both formatting
and calculations both of these can decrease calculation time twofold. Note that
conditional formats are only updated based on what is visible on the screen, everything
else is not. Extensive use of highly complex conditional formatting formulas can cause
scrolling up and down to be slower as well.
Using volatile functions may not necessarily be the reason for a slow workbook. The file
“might” just slow down because you have a large and rather complex workbook. If your
workbook is quite slow and volatile functions are being used, then it would be wise to
look for alternative calculation methods. Sometimes you can replace volatile functions
with non-volatile ones - substituting OFFSET with the INDEX and MATCH function for
example. VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) is also an option for complicated
workbooks and calculations.
How do normal formulas work?
Non-volatile formulas recalculate any time a cell is changed that impacts the formula.
Conversely, if the updated cells impact these formulas then nothing gets recalculated.
Let’s assume you have a large Excel file that has thousands of formulas and many of
these formulas reference other cells which might in themselves also be formulas
referencing other cells. This dependency chain is memorized and stored by Excel in a
dependency tree. Excel uses this dependency tree to decide which cells to recalculate
and which cells to ignore. For normal formula calculation, Excel always refers to this
dependency chain. If you make one change to a cell, it updates its dependency tree.
Follow the steps below to speed up any of your slow-calculating workbooks.
56
57
Bonus Tip #12: Know the possibilities and the limitations

Just like with any program, the user should know both Excel’s potential and limitations.
Companies may need and use more complicated systems to handle databases and
consolidations but they still rely heavily on Excel as a data reporting and analysis tool.
The below illustration shows my view on BI systems and Excel. The optimal solution is
to use the best of both worlds. Use Excel where it’s good at – flexible reports, graphics
& analysis – and use BI where it’s good at – handling large amount of data & users with
a strong security concept.
The following examples demonstrate some uses of Excel. Below is a KPI dashboard
created by retrieving data from Oracle’s Hyperion Financial system. The dashboard is
dynamic and works flawlessly with formulas. The form controls, such as the drop-down
boxes, selection and option boxes, allow the users to switch between different views.
The scroll bar on the right enables all companies to be viewed in the same window.
Graphs are animated and dynamic so that the user can tick mark “budget” and/or
“Previous year” for direct comparisons.
No macros or VBA programming are necessary.
58
OFFSET technique is
used to enable users
to scroll to many
more companies
The second dashboard below shows the geographical sales revenue distribution of the
selected company. A scatter chart is deftly used to dynamically visualize the company’s
annual sales. A combined graph is also used to compare the current year values to
those from the previous year.
The next example is an Excel Template that can be used for project management
purposes. It’s fully dynamic; it uses formulas, graphs and conditional formatting to
dynamically illustrate the project completion percentage and the current week.
59
VBA can be used as well to create real standalone programs and tools that enable you
do certain tasks. Learning some Visual Basic is a critical skill for any Excel power user.
With VBA, you can create sophisticated dashboards. You can create tools that map
data from one database to another, you can also control other applications from Excel.
PowerPivot is available from Excel 2010 onwards and takes the application to a whole
new level.
60
Concluding Words
Let’s take a look at what we covered:
1. Become Faster with Excel's Keyboard Shortcuts

2. Master the Simpler Tasks
3. Quickly Navigate Larger Files
4. Inspect Workbooks for Hidden Information
5. Use Protection Appropriately
6. Import Text, CSV & Data Files Properly
7. Audit & Debug Formulas
8. Improve Presentation with Custom Number Formatting
9. Solving Problems With Goal Seek
10. Use Excel PivotTables for Super-Fast Analysis
11. Speed up Excel
12. Know the possibilities and the limitations
To master these methods you have to apply them to practical problems. This forces you
to mix and use the knowledge you learn in creative ways to help improve your own
spreadsheets. Pick at least one of the tips and apply this to your own files.
61

Excel Advanced Top10TIPS Documentation LeilaGharani

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Excel Advanced Top10TIPS Documentation LeilaGharani

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Online Excel Course Documentation

Advanced Excel: Top Excel Tips & Formulas

Excel: Top 10 Tips to Work Smarter

Edited by: Michael Diamond

Advanced Excel: Top Excel Tips & Formulas .................................................................... 1

Top 10 Tips to save time

Top 10 Time Saving tips

Here is an overview of my top 10 tips:

Tip #1: Become Faster with Excel's Keyboard Shortcuts

Tip #2: Master the Simpler Tasks

Tip #3: Quickly Navigate Larger Files

Tip #4: Inspect Workbooks for Hidden Information

Tip #5: Use Protection Appropriately

Tip #6: Import Text, CSV & Data Files Properly

Tip #7: Audit & Debug Formulas

Tip #8: Improve Presentation with Custom Number Formatting

Tip#9: Solving Problems With Goal Seek

Tip#10: Use Excel PivotTables for Super-Fast Analysis

Bonus Tip #11: Speed up Excel

Bonus Tip #12: Know the possibilities and the limitations

Tip #1: Become Faster with Excel's Keyboard Shortcuts

Insert row / column CTRL & +

Insert a table CTRL & T

Show name manager CTRL & F3

Time Stamp (click inside cell) CTRL & ;

Tip #2: Master the Simpler Tasks

Update Quick Access Toolbar

Use Groups to De-clutter

Grouping rows or columns this way has the following advantages:

Know the Paste Special Options

Select an operation such as Add. Click OK.

Add Drop down Lists and Validations

Under source, type in your values separated by a “,”.

To see this in action:

 Filtering on unique values or

To filter for unique values:

1. Select (highlight) the range that contains the duplicates to be removed.

To permanently remove duplicate values:

1. Select the duplicate cell range.

2. Go to Data tab and in Data Tools, select Remove Duplicates.

Absolute vs Relative Referencing

Tip #3: Quickly Navigate Larger Files

Build a Table of Contents

Use Keyboard Shortcuts

 Ctrl + Page down: to move to the next spreadsheet

Use the Name Box

Colour Tabs Accordingly

Note: over-colouring is not recommended.

Use the Tab Menu

Tip #4: Inspect Workbooks for Hidden Information

Information that can be hidden and/or personal include:

 Comments: Ink annotations stating the initial or the comment originator.

Follow these steps to remove any unwanted data:

1. Go to File / Info / Check for Issues and Inspect Document.

Tip #5: Use Protection Appropriately

A “protected” workbook should not be confused with a “secure” workbook. Excel

Fully Protect the Contents of your Workbook

Go to File / Info / Protect Workbook and select Encrypt Document.

Allow Users to Open as Read-Only

Leave Specific Ranges Open

In this example users can input data in C & D.

But not in Column E or anywhere else on the worksheet.

Follow these steps:

1. Go to tab review and select Allow Users to Edit Ranges.