Okay, so, besides the cheesy pun, this is in fact, serious business we’re talking about here. Microsoft Excel is one of the most useful computer programs to have ever been created. In fact, the program is so incredibly versatile that there are entire books that illustrate how to make full use of its functions.
And while all that knowledge is indeed just sitting around, whether you find it in eBook form or in a physical book like the good old days, not every business owner is going to have the luxury of time to be able to dedicate themselves to reading these books. This is quite a shame because there is a wealth of knowledge contained within these books.
This is where we step in. So, are you ready to learn some of the niftiest Excel tricks? Read on, friend.
Math Functions
This is the foundation of all the spreadsheet skills and thus, it’s also the best place to start. Excel performs mathematical functions with formulas, and it’s actually as easy to do as it is useful for businesses. All you really have to do is to select a cell, type in your formula which includes the cells that you want the program to calculate.
A basic example would be: B6=B2+B3+B4
So, whenever you change the values in any of the cells from B2 to B4, the program automatically posts the answer to B6.
Text Combining and Manipulating
While this may be labeled as an advanced Excel function, the reality of it is that it’s not that difficult to do. It’s not just numbers that Excel can effectively handle, but text as well. If, for example, you want to combine text cells B2 and B3, you can simply use this function: =A2&”-”&B2&”-”&C2
This is especially useful if you’re taking an inventory of your items or you’re putting together a list of your employees.
Pivot Tables
Now, if you’re dealing with categories, then you’re going to want to learn how to make use of this advanced Excel trick. It’s as easy as selecting Add a pivot table under the Insert tab, and then clicking and dragging the range of data that you want to summate. Easy peasy.
Conditional Formatting – Showing Duplicate Data
Now, let’s say that you have a spreadsheet that contains a large list of names and email addresses. At some point, you’re going to want to make sure that your list doesn’t contain any duplicates because, well, that would mean that the information that you’re going to come up with after you process your data is going to be inaccurate.
The skill you need to learn here is how to check multiple criteria with Excel index and match. Once you master this, you’re on your way to assembling vital information that could undoubtedly help you further refine how data is handled by your business.
Now, there’s so much that Excel can do that isn’t covered here. As previously mentioned, entire books have been written on the matter. The tips mentioned here are just some of the tricks that you’re most likely going to use for your business.