Whilst training Excel in Worcestershire and Herefordshire recently, we had a good chat on the course with the people attending about shortcuts. There are many in Office let alone Excel, which some know about and some do not.

Shortcuts are often a great way of cutting down on the time it takes you to do something or complete a task. We often include shortcuts in our training courses. It is often stated on our feedback forms by attendees as one of the best parts of the course!

There are many shortcuts in Excel and many ways to achieve the same ends.

It’s what suits you really but here are three not that obvious but really easy to use.

Have a try and let us know what you think.

Three simple Excel tips:

1. A short cut for putting in the sum formula (Auto sum). Firstly select the cell at bottom of list of numbers and click Alt key then type in = sign. It does the Auto Sum option! You can do it for multiple columns too! First select the cells then do the Alt = again and it does it!
2. Ctrl+A short cut in Excel. Firstly select any cells in a range, ctrl+a will then select the rest of the cells in that range
3. Insert blank rows in between a range of data. Firstly select the rows individually through selecting and using the ctrl button on your keyboard. After that, click ctrl key and + sign and it adds in a blank row in between each row

For more hints and tips please visit our web site and the hints and tips page here. Did you like this hint and tip? Why not take a look at our previous one on the Visio add in for Excel?

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This week we are bringing you a hint and tip in Excel on Sparklines!

Sparklines

Sparklines is a feature within Excel that can be useful however it is sometimes looked over as it is either not known about or isn’t known how to actually use it in Excel! So because of this, we decided to do a post on what they are and also how to actually use them in Excel.

To make it easier to show this, we decided to do a video blog again to give you a more visual way of demonstrating how to use it. You can see this video below and it shows you how to use Sparklines in Excel.

Let us know what you think about the hint and tip!

Just watched the video? What are your thoughts? We always love to hear what you think about our hints and tips, do you prefer the video style of the hint and tip to a text based one? Or would you prefer a mix? Let us know!

If you want to get in touch, then please feel free to email us on johnlegge@jplcomputer.co.uk

Did you like this hint and tip on Sparklines in Excel? If so then have you seen our previous hint and tip on VLOOKUPs? If not then do take a look at it here! It is a similar layout to this hint and tip with a video explaining how VLOOKUPs work and how you can use them in your work.

As well as this hint and tip we also have a whole list of hints and tips on our website, these cover a number of packages within Microsoft Office including a whole list of Excel tips too! Why not take a look at them to see if any can help you save time at work.

The post Excel tips: Sparklines in Excel – what are they and how do you use them? appeared first on JPL IT Training Ltd.

Excel Worksheets

Four things you may not know about Excel worksheets:

1. To colour a worksheet simply right click and choose a Tab colour
2. To move a worksheet to a different position simply drag and drop the sheet to the left or right
3. To rename a worksheet its quicker to double click on it and then type over the worksheet name
4. When using a worksheet in a formula where a sheet has an embedded space in it use an apostrophe e.g. =sum(‘jan 18:mar 18’!b2)

Consolidate command

The Consolidate Command found on the ‘Data Tab’ in Excel allows you to summarise data from separate ranges across several worksheets on to a single range on a master sheet. This also has a wonderful drill-down capability if required.

IF Statement

The IF statement in Excel is one of the most useful functions which allows you to return an answer to the function depending upon whether the test or condition you are considering is true or false.

It takes the form: =IF(logical test, value if true, value if false)    For example, it may take the form   =IF(c12>100, c11*1.1,c11*1.2)   this may be used if considering price updates in pricing or in costing.

Remember: if you are testing against numbers in your condition you do not need speech marks but if you are testing against a letter or word you would need speech marks.

Data Validation

Excel is not normally known for its data validation but there is a simple feature found in it called Data Validation. Data Validation in Excel allows you to verify the contents of cell and display error messages if incorrect data is inserted. This could be used to verify a range of numeric data or to verify from a list of possible values.

Customisation

Excel has some non numerical wonderful features that can be used within the package to aid you in its use. One feature is customisation of the ribbon, where you can create your own ribbon with its own groups that you can organise commands in to that you use on a regular basis to make it easier to find them at a later date. Another is customising your QAT (Quick Access Toolbar) which allows you to customise the top left hand ‘toolbar’ in your screen with some commands that you use on a regular basis too.

Conditional Formatting

Conditional Formatting in Excel allows you to apply rules to a set of data so that they are highlighted or display a symbol depending on what rule the figure falls in to. A good example of this is to show sales; £0-£150 highlight red, £150-£300 highlight amber, £300+ highlight green. This feature is found on the Home Tab within Excel.

Remove Duplicates

One lesser known feature is Remove Duplicates. This feature allows you to remove any duplicated data within the range of data present in your spreadsheet. To use this feature, you go on to the Data Tab, and click on the Remove Duplicates option. This will then allow you to choose what you want to check for duplication and then remove any duplication. This will then remove the duplicated data but it will not tell you what you have removed. If you are unsure about using this option, you can use conditional formatting to ‘highlight duplicates’ which might be a safer option for you!

These are just a selection of helpful Excel tips to try and help you in your jobs! There are lots more on our general hints and tips page if you want more, take a look!

If you liked this post, why not take a look at our previous one on some tips from our Advanced Excel course?

The post Helpful Excel Tips – a pick ‘n’ mix of hints and tips for you appeared first on JPL IT Training Ltd.