This week’s hint and tip is on the WEEKDAY function in Excel. This function can be used to return the day of the week as a number relating to a date in your spreadsheets. This isn’t covered in our courses so we decided to do a hint and tip on it. We are going to go through it now below.

WEEKDAY Function

This function returns the day of the week from a date in your spreadsheet. The day is returned as a number and by default ranges from 1 (Sunday) to 7 (Saturday). We are going to go through it’s syntax below:

Function layout: =WEEKDAY(serial_number,[return_type])

• serial_number: this is required. This is either the cell reference where the date is located or you can enter the date be using the DATE function (e.g. for 17th June 2025 you would use DATE(2025,6,17)
• [return_type]: this is optional. This is where you can type in a number from a table to determine the type of return for the formula

Worked example

We are going to go through an example of this function now below.

The formula we are going to use is: =WEEKDAY(B1,2). This formula has the cell reference filled in for the first part and then the number 2 selected from the table of return type options. The return type options are listed below and come up when you are typing it in.

Return type options:

• 1 – Numbers 1 (Sunday) to 7 (Saturday)
• 2 – Numbers 1 (Monday) to 7 (Sunday)
• 3 – Numbers 0 (Monday) through 6 (Sunday)
• 11 – Numbers 1 (Monday) to 7 (Sunday)
• 12 – Numbers 1 (Tuesday) through 7 (Monday)
• 13 – Numbers 1 (Wednesday) through 7 (Tuesday)
• 14 – Numbers 1 (Thursday) through 7 (Wednesday)
• 15 – Numbers 1 (Friday) to (Thursday)
• 16 – Numbers 1 (Saturday) through 7 (Sunday)
• 17 – Numbers 1 (Sunday) to 7 (Saturday)

Once the function is filled in, it returns the number for the day shown in column B. You then copy it down to fill in the rest of the cells.

Conditional Formatting

Now that we have created the formula, we are going to apply conditional formatting to the cells to fill grey the weekend days. Firstly select column C. Then go to conditional formatting, highlight cell rules and choose ‘New Rule’ option. From here set up the following rule, ‘cell value greater than 5’ and the formatting being a grey full colour. The rule can be seen below when you select the manage rules option.

Once applied, the conditional formatting can be seen on the cells as shown in the screenshot below.

The video below shows you what the WEEKDAY function in Excel is and an example of how it can be used. There are lots of functions in Excel that can be used in many ways in your spreadsheets.

Take a look below at the video to find out more and then try it out on your own computer!

We hope you have enjoyed this hint and tip on the WEEKDAY Function in Excel. Why not take a look at our previous video hint and tip on creating a Table of Contents in Word?

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This week’s hint and tip is looking at how you can create a PivotTable by Copilot in Excel. We cover PivotTables on our Advanced Excel training course but not how to create one using Copilot.  We are going to go through it now below.

Copilot in Excel

Copilot is the AI tool that is available for users in all the Microsoft packages. It can be used for a variety of tasks and there are a number of options it can be used for in Excel.

We have done a previous hint and tip post as a brief introduction to using Copilot. You can find that information here in the hint and tip post.

PivotTable by Copilot in Excel example

We are going to demonstrate the use of the AI tool to analyse and create a PivotTable to summarise the data in a spreadsheet below.

Clicking on the drop down arrow on the Copilot button found on the Home Tab, select the ‘App Skills’ option.

From here a prompt window will appear on the right where you can type in your message with what you want Copilot to do.

We are typing in the following: “PivotTable with sum of sales with part no in rows and customer in columns”. This produces the following screenshot where it is analysing the data.

Once it has finishing analysing, it gives you the summary in the side pane with the option to ‘Add to a new sheet’. This will insert the PivotTable into the workbook for you.

When typing in your message/prompt to Copilot, being more specific and detailed is the key to getting exactly what you require. As we did not mention what to put in the Filters PivotTable field, there is nothing currently there.

PivotTable second example

We are now going to create another PivotTable to analyse the data with a more detailed prompt to show how adding in more information will give you the PivotTable you want.

So, the prompt we are using now is: “PivotTable with sum of sales with part no in rows, customers in columns, sales period and sales year in filters”.

This then produces the PivotTable above which you can see is the same as the previous one except there are now filter options included.

Each time there is then an option to click on the button to ‘add to a new sheet’ so that the PivotTable can be added into your workbook.

The video below shows you how you can create a PivotTable by Copilot in Excel. Copilot can be a good aid tool for a user with some detailed and specific prompts in helping streamline their data analysis.

Take a look below at the video to find out more and then try them out on your own computer!

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This week’s hint and tip is slightly different as it looks at a brief introduction to using Copilot in Excel. Copilot is Microsoft’s AI tool and so we thought we’d do a short hint and tip on some key points of using it as well as a little introduction to it.  We are going to go through it now below.

** note: currently at the date this is published all the information is correct, but as Copilot is updated, some of the information below might update and change. It is always worth checking your subscription information or check the Microsoft website if you are unsure **

Copilot in Excel

Copilot is an AI tool that is available for users in all the Microsoft packages. It can be used for a variety of tasks and there are a number of options it can be used for in Excel.

Within your Microsoft subscription package you will receive a number of AI credits. The amount will depend on the subscription package that you have. Each action you do which uses AI will deduct a credit from your balance. This balance resets at the beginning of each month. If you want more credits you can subscribe to Copilot Pro.

Some key points

For Copilot to work on your documents, AutoSave must be turned on. If it is not, then you will only be able to chat to Copilot and not use the other features it has available within the package. You might also need to go into your Excel options settings and enable it.

Once you have AutoSave turned on, your data will need to be formatted in a specific way for Copilot to work and be able to carry out the task you require in Excel.

You will need to either have your data formatted as an Excel Table or as a supported range. Formatting as an Excel Table is through the use of the option found on the Home Tab. A supported range is data where it has not been formatted as a table but meets all the following requirements:

• Only one header row
• No blank headers
• Headers are only on columns, not on rows
• Headers are unique, no duplicate headers
• No merged cells
• No empty rows or columns
• Data is formatted in a consistent way
• No subtotals

Versions of Excel

Some options are currently only available to the web version of Excel (e.g. Clean Data) but are being rolled out to the desktop versions soon.

Copilot is seen as being especially useful for users who have large datasets that need tidying up or summarising quickly. We are going to go through an example of how it can be used for data analysis in a future hint and tip.

When using Copilot within Excel, it’s important to click on the arrow and choose the ‘App Skills’ option. This allows you to use the AI tool with your data within the workbook you are currently in, rather than just asking the AI tool a chat based question.

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This week’s hint and tip is about how you can ‘create’ a between symbol in Excel. There are a number of symbols in Excel and when comparing cells the greater than and less than ones are used a lot. We often get asked if there is a between symbol similar to these two and unfortunately no, but you are able to ‘create’ one using a formula. This formula is covered on our Advanced Excel training course but we decided to do a hint and tip on it with its use in this example too. We are going to go through it now below.

The AND function

The AND function in Excel is a logical function that returns an outcome of TRUE if all the arguments are true and FALSE if at least one argument is false. We can use this AND function to test if something is greater than or equal to and less than or equal to something. This essentially is a way of testing for ‘between’ in Excel.

Using a ‘between’ symbol in an IF function

A reminder of the layout of the IF function can be seen below with explanation of its parts:

=IF(logical test,Value_if_true,Value_if_false)

The logical test is what you are looking for or your ‘question’. Then the ‘Value_if_true’ part is the outcome of the test is true. Finally the ‘Value_if_false’ part is if the outcome of the test is false.

Often the logical test is looking to test if something is greater than or less than something, but you can also test for if something is between something. There isn’t a symbol for this, you have to use the AND function and nest it within the IF function. We’re going to show this below.

Worked example

We are now going to create a formula that allows us to test for ‘between’. As there is no actual symbol on your keyboard for this, we are using the AND function to ‘create’ this symbol. This is then being nested into the logical part of the IF function.

The formula we are going to use is shown below:

=IF(AND(B1>=E1,B1<=E2),B1*E3,E4)

The parts of the formula are explained below:

• Logical test: AND(B1>=E1,B1<=E2). This function is testing if B1 is greater than or equal to E1 and also if B1 is less than or equal to E2
• Value if true: B1*E3. The outcome if it is true, a percentage calculation to work out the discount
• value if false: E4. The outcome if it is false, nothing/zero

As the AND function will only return a TRUE if all the arguments in it are true, this formula will only return TRUE if the cell B1 is ‘between’ the two cells E1 and E2.

The video below explains how you can create this ‘between’ symbol and then use it within your formulas in Excel.

Watch the video below to find out more and then try it out on your computer!

We hope you have enjoyed this hint and tip. Why not take a look at our previous one on using the Evaluate Formula option in Excel?

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This week’s hint and tip is on the the evaluate formula option in Excel. Formula auditing can be a very useful feature in Excel as it can help you debug and explain complex formulas that you might struggle to understand. This can be especially useful if the formulas are in a spreadsheet that someone else created. We cover some formula auditing in our Intermediate Excel training course, but not this exact option so we decided to do a hint and tip on it. We are going to go through it now below.

Formula Auditing in Excel

Formula auditing can be a very helpful and useful feature in Excel for users to help them understand formulas in their spreadsheets. Formulas can be hard to understand for anyone but especially if you aren’t the creator of them. The options available in the formula auditing area in Excel are a great way to try and help you understand and debug or troubleshoot formulas. There are a number of options in the area on the ribbon, we are going to go through one now below.

Evaluate Formula option

This evaluate option allows you to go through the formula step by step and shows the result of the underlined part of the formula in the box. As you click through, it will keep giving results until it finally gives you the answer of the formula.

To use this option, you click on a cell with a formula in it and then click on the Evaluate Formula button. This brings up a pop up window that you can see below in the screenshot.

The pop up window will tell you the cell that you are referring to and then will let you evaluate the formula in the box next to it.

The video below talks through the evaluate formula option and how you can use it in Excel. Take a look to find out more and then try them out on your own computer!

We hope you have enjoyed this hint and tip on the evaluate formula in Excel option. Why not take a look at our previous video hint and tip on the the functions SUMIFS and COUNTIFS in Excel?

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This week’s hint and tip is on the SUMIFS and COUNTIFS functions in Excel. Functions (also referred to as formulas) are used by many on a day to day basis in Excel. These functions are seen as a ‘step on’ from the SUMIF and COUNTIF as they work off multiple criteria and so can give a bit more flexibility in their use. We cover the SUMIFS formula on Master Class Excel Silver training course, but we decided to do a hint and tip on it with COUNTIFS too. We are going to go through it now below.

SUMIFS function in Excel

The SUMIFS function is the same as the SUMIF except it has a bit more flexibility in that it can add up ranges based off multiple criteria whereas SUMIF only adds up based off one criteria.

The syntax for the formula can be seen below with explanation for each part:

SUMIFS(sum_range, criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2], …)

The parts you need are:

• sum_range: this is required.
• criteria_range1: this is required. This is the first range for the criteria associated with it
• criteria1: this is required. This is the criteria that defines which cells to be counted in the formula
• [criteria_range2, criteria2]…: these are optional (shown by the square brackets)

Look at the construction of the formula below.

We’ve used the SUMIFS formula to work out how many Oranges were sold by Susan. Here the formula picks up row 3 and row 7 where product is Oranges and the salesperson is Susan. Then it adds up the cells in column A meeting these criteria i.e. 4 + 12 = 16

COUNTIFS function in Excel

Similarly, with the COUNTIFS function, it has a bit more flexibility than COUNTIF in that it can count up based off multiple criteria than just one criteria with COUNTIF.

The syntax for the formula is shown below with an explanation for each part:

COUNTIFS(criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2]…)

The parts you need are:

• criteria_range1: this is required. This is the first range for the criteria associated with it
• criteria1: this is required. This is the criteria that defines which cells to be counted in the formula
• [criteria_range2, criteria2]…: these are optional (shown by the square brackets)

Look at the construction of the formula below.

We’ve used the COUNTIFS formula to work out how much Bread was sold by Jane. Here the formula picks up row 3 and row 7 where product is Bread and the salesperson is Jane. Then it counts up how many rows in the data meeting these criteria, i.e. 1 row + 1 row = 2 rows

The video below talks through the SUMIFS and COUNTIFS functions and how they can be used in Excel.

Take a look below at the video to find out more and then try them out on your own computer!

We hope you have enjoyed this hint and tip on the SUMIFS and COUNTIFS functions in Excel. Why not take a look at our previous video hint and tip on the autocomplete data validation feature in Excel?

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This week’s hint and tip is on the autocomplete data validation feature in Excel. Data Validation is a useful feature in Excel that allows for restrictions to be applied to what can be entered into a cell. Commonly this is used for creating drop down lists to choose options from. This drop down list can be very useful as it can make data entry simpler and quicker for users of spreadsheets. Within the last year or so an update to this feature has appeared called Autocomplete. Data validation itself is covered in our Advanced Excel training course but the update isn’t specifically. So we decided to do a hint and tip on it. We are going to go through it now below.

Data Validation in Excel

Data validation is a feature in Excel that allows for quicker and simpler data entry into spreadsheets. We have done a hint and tip on how to do this previously, but a recap of the steps are found here.

Click into the cell you wish to insert the data validation. Go to the Data Tab, click on the data validation option on the ribbon. From here choose the ‘List’ option from the drop down menu of choices for ‘Allow’ and then in the Source box go to your list and select the cells. You can then add in details for input message and error alert on the tabs in the window.

Once you have finished, click OK. This will have now inserted the drop down arrow into the cell. If you now click on the drop down arrow, you should now have a list of options appear to choose from.

Autocomplete update in Data Validation

In recent years, the data validation feature has had an update to include an autocomplete option. This update allows another way for the options to be selected from the drop down list. As you start to type an entry, a ‘filtered’ drop down list appears with options that match the characters you have typed in. Once the option you want is selected (you can do this by using arrows on your keyboard), hit enter and it will insert that option into the cell for you.

The video below talks through the autocomplete feature with Data Validation and how it can be used in Excel.

Take a look below at the video to find out more and then try them out on your own computer!

We hope you have enjoyed this hint and tip on using the autocomplete data validation feature in Excel. Why not take a look at our previous video hint and tip on creating folders in Outlook?

The post Autocomplete Data Validation in Excel – how does this work in my worksheets? appeared first on JPL IT Training Ltd.

This week’s hint and tip is on sorting worksheets in ascending order in Excel. We are going to go through how you could do this with a macro rather than manually. Macros are covered in our Advanced Excel training course but not this exact example. So we decided to do a hint and tip on it. We are going to go through it now below.

Macros in Excel

Workbooks in Excel can often have many worksheets in them and as the user you will spend time organising them. Most would do this manually by clicking on the worksheet name and dragging it. However there is another way in which you can do this, through the use of macros.

A macro contains VBA code that instructs Excel on how to do something and then carries out the actions for you when you run it. Many people simply record the macro to create the code using View, Macro, Record buttons. In this example however we’ve taken the ‘raw’ approach and coded the program from scratch. The subroutine name is the same as the macro name.

Using Macros to Sort Worksheets into Ascending Order

In this example we are using a macro to sort many worksheets in a workbook into ascending order.

We’ve written and commented such a macro and you can see the code and the workbook example alongside each other below.

The essence of the code is that it has an iterative IF statement that loops through all 5 sheets comparing the previous sheet to the one after and if it is greater in terms of ascending sort sequence move it after it.

Note: Excel sorts numbers before letters

A smart touch at the end of the program is the MsgBox line of code which tells you its worked – always a comfort.

For those familiar with debugging, try stepping through the program using F8 one line of code at a time. This is best achieved by laying out the screens as above so you can see the effect of what each iteration of code does.

The video below talks through the macro and demonstrates it being used in Excel. This is another example of how macros can be used in a more creative way in your spreadsheets.

Take a look below at the video to find out more and then try them out on your own computer!

We hope you have enjoyed this hint and tip on using a macro for sorting worksheets in ascending order. Why not take a look at our previous video hint and tip on how to use the screen recording feature in PowerPoint?

The post Sorting Worksheets in Ascending Order in Excel – how can I do this automatically? appeared first on JPL IT Training Ltd.

This week’s hint and tip is on grouping and hiding data in Excel. Both grouping and hiding are ways in which you can alter how your data appears in your spreadsheets. We cover this area of data displaying in our Basic Excel training course but decided to do a hint and tip on it too. We are going to go through it now below.

There are a number of ways in which you can alter how your data is displayed in Excel, two of these being grouping and hiding. Both of these options allow you to ‘remove’ your data out of view on your screen.

Grouping Data

Grouping data in Excel is a useful way to organise and summarise data, especially when dealing with large spreadsheets of data. It allows you to temporarily ‘hide’ your data by using the option to expand or collapse the outline that is created through using the group option. This outline is shown as a plus or minus symbol on the left hand side of the spreadsheet.

You can find this option on the Data Tab, either as a visible ‘Group’ button on the ribbon or by clicking the ‘Outline’ button, which reveals the ‘Group’ button in a small dropdown ribbon. You can use this option to group together both rows and columns.

To group data together, you select the rows that you want to temporarily hide underneath the ‘heading’ row or column. From here you then go to the Data Tab and click on the Group option. This will have now created the outline on the left hand side, shown by a plus or a minus. Clicking on this allows you to expand and collapse the data.

So in the example in the video below, we grouped all the individual food items under the food heading row. This allows you to collapse to just see the total numbers for each food category or expand to see all the individual numbers as well as the total.

Hiding Data

Hiding rows and columns in Excel is a simple way to keep your data organized and make your spreadsheet easier to read. This option completely hides the rows or columns from your view.

To Hide a column or columns, simply select the column headings at the top of the worksheet. From here right click on the column heading and select the option Hide. To reverse simply highlight the columns either side of the hidden ones and right hand click on a column heading and select unhide.

The video below shows you how you can use this feature, we hope that you find it useful and enjoy learning about it!

Take a look below at the video to find out more and then try it out on your own computer!

We hope you have enjoyed this hint and tip on grouping and hiding data in Excel. Why not take a look at our previous video hint and tip on how to create a calculated field in Excel for a Pivot Table?

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This week’s hint and tip is on creating a calculated field in Excel. Calculated fields are an option that you can use when you are creating Pivot Tables in your spreadsheets in Excel. We cover Pivot Tables and the fields you use in our Advanced Excel training course but not creating a calculated field. As this isn’t specifically covered in our course, we decided to do a hint and tip on it. We are going to go through it now below.

What is a calculated field?

A calculated field is a formula that calculates something using one or more fields normally in your Pivot Table. These are normally used if the summaries produced in the Pivot Table are not exactly what you want. These calculated fields enable you to create your own formulas or calculations to give the results you are looking for.

Creating a calculated field

We are going to look at how to create a simple calculated field in an Excel Pivot Table. Once created you can then use it as a field in the Pivot Table just like any other field. It does not appear on the data transactional sheet from which the Pivot Table was first created, simply as a new calculated field on the pivot table.

The screenshot below shows a basic Pivot Table on the left and a pop up window next to it. To get this pop up window, you click on the ‘Fields, Items and Sets’ button on the PivotTable Analyze Tab. From the list that appears after clicking on this button, select the ‘Calculated Field’ option. This will then give you the pop up window. This will now let you create your calculated field.

You will need to type in the Name for your new field and then the formula for it. In the example, Margin has been chosen as the name and then =Sales value-Total Cost for the formula. You build up the formula by double clicking on those fields. Once you have filled this all in, click on Add. This will add the calculated field to the list of fields available.

Now that the calculated field has been created, you can add it to your pivot table from the list of available fields. As shown below, the field is added into the ‘Values’ area which has inserted it into the Pivot Table as shown. On the right hand side you can see the new field in the values quadrant of the Pivot Table fields list.

Video with example spreadsheet

The video below shows you how you can use this feature in the spreadsheet attached here. (clicking here will download a copy to your computer so you can try it out!). We hope that you find the video useful and enjoy learning about it!

Take a look below at the video to find out more and then try it out on your own computer!

We hope you have enjoyed this hint and tip on creating a calculated field in Excel. Why not take a look at our previous video hint and tip on how to insert a hierarchy SmartArt diagram in a PowerPoint presentation?

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