Add Innovation : Excel Usage Tips

Excel Usage and Formula Tips

The hints and tips listed here are intended to support the remainder of add-innovation's site, and focus on simple steps required to set up spreadsheets from start to finish, coupled with office integration issues such as re-formatting data which came from different applications, or which are intended for other applications, or to explain some of the concepts listed elsewhere.

Far more comprehensive help can be gleaned from web site such as Mr Excel (http://www.mrexcel.com/articles.shtml), or Excel Tip (http://www.exceltip.com/), particulary with regard to charts.

Rather than just list topics by topic, tips start by being graded by your ability ;

I don't even know what a spreadsheet is - please explain.

I know what a spreadsheet is, can navigate around, and create simple formulae, what else can I do (e.g. lookup rates from a list held on another sheet, make decisions based on my data in formulae, define more complex formulae)

I use formula entries like VLOOKUP, but sometimes get errors like #N/A, #DIV/0, why ? and how can I fix them ?

The "Mighty" Offset Function

I've got all of the data I need in my workbook, but want to present it on a single sheet - how ?

Okay, so now I've got it all on a single sheet, I want to print out or e-mail each sheet for distribution, how can I do this ?

Now I want to enhance the presentation of my spreadsheet. How can I "pimp my spreadsheet ?"

What techniques can I exploit to understand my data better ? (stats)

So you've shown me some useful macros, how do I write my own ?