This week’s hint and tip is about how to make a cell reference absolute in Excel and how to use them in your spreadsheets. This is on our Basic Excel training course and it covers the different ways in which you can create them. We are going to go through it now below.

What are they?

In an Excel spreadsheet (technical name – worksheet) there are many cell references that are used in calculations and formulas. A cell reference is created where a column and row intersect. For example, in the cell that intersects column A and row 4 will have the cell reference of A4.

When you then create formulas and calculations in Excel, you use these cell references to build them up. Therefore when you copy the calculation or formula, it will be copied relative to the row or column that it is copied in to. In this example, this is called relative copying. However, there will be some instances where you will want a cell to be ‘fixed’ in the formula or calculation. This is so when it is copied, that cell does not change, it remains the same within the formula or calculation. In this instance, this is called an absolute reference.

How to make a cell absolute

There are two ways to make a cell reference absolute. Firstly by using $ signs and secondly by naming cells. The video below shows you a different example of how you can use absolute references. Meanwhile, if you want to know more about absolute references and how to create them, take a look at our previous hint and tip here.

The video below shows you what an absolute reference is and how you can make a cell reference absolute in Excel. It takes you through the 3 different types of absolute references that you can have. As well as this, it shows how that makes copying your calculation into other cells easier.

Watch the video below to find out more. After that, try it out using the example spreadsheet below!

Click here to download the example spreadsheet shown in the video to try it out yourself! (It is blank so that you will have to create the calculation yourself!)

We hope you have enjoyed this hint and tip on absolute references in Excel. Why not take a look at our previous one on 365 Maps in Excel?

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Last time we looked at how to insert a bullet point into a Word document. In this week’s hint and tip we are taking it a step further. We’re looking at creating your own bullet point using the ‘Define New Bullet’ option. This option is found in the bullet points drop down menu. This is covered in our Basic Word training course.

Defining a new bullet

This option allows you to choose how your bullet will look. When you click on this option, a box appears with a number of options to choose from.

Symbol

The Symbol option allows you to pick a new bullet point from a whole list of symbols in Word. In this window you can choose the Font you want your symbol to be in (most of the common ones are available in the ‘Symbol’ font that is shown by default). Once you have the symbol you want, click OK and OK again. This will have now inserted the symbol you chose as a bullet point.

Picture

The Picture option allows you to insert a picture as the bullet point instead of a symbol; keep in mind that it will be small so if the image is detailed you won’t see it very clearly. Selecting this option brings up a window allowing you to choose where to obtain the image from. The most commonly used one is ‘From a file’ as this allows you to select an image that is saved on your computer. If you use this option, you just navigate your way to where the image is stored. Once there, select Insert and OK and it will then insert the picture as your bullet point.

Font

Finally, the Font option allows you to change the font features of your bullet point when you have done in your document e.g. the colour and size of it. This option is not used as much as the other two, it is often used for changing the colour of the bullet point that you have and so is not used as often at the other two options.

There you have it, you can now create new bullet points! We hope you have enjoyed learning about Word basics defining bullet points and that you can now create new bullet points in your Word documents.

If you liked this hint and tip, have you seen our previous one on how to insert bullet points?

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This week’s hint and tip is about pivot tables and how to create them in your spreadsheets in Excel. This is on our Advanced Excel training course but as they are so popular we decided to do a hint and tip on it too. We are going to go through it now below.

Pivot Tables

One of the most useful and powerful features companies can use in Excel is the ability through Pivot Tables to analyse and summarise data. We deliver the following training locally:

• IT Training Warwickshire
• IT Training Worcestershire
• IT Training Gloucestershire
• IT Training Herefordshire

We also train IT in other counties and always seek to provide the essential skills in Excel and there’s no better way to analyse data in Excel than through a Pivot Table so… Firstly, what is a Pivot Table and Chart and secondly how simple is it to create one?

Data Sheet

It is really important to set up your list with details of the transactions in a certain way. Follow these rules and it’s a great start:

• All your data on 1 sheet (even months/years as it’s very easy to filter by month/year)
• Row 1 to contain field column headings: all different and not too long
• Rows 2 onwards with no blank rows and no blank columns to contain your transaction data
• No merge cells anywhere

Pivot Table layout

Once you have your Pivot Table again follow these steps:

• Fill in the 4 boxes at the bottom right of your screen which allow you to design the PT with column/rows/filters and at least 1 value. The value may well be a quantity/sales value/product margin etc.
• Drag and drop these fields (this is simple to do) until you are happy with the layout
• Use Slicers to make filtering of the data easy

Below is a video which takes you through a live example on creating a Pivot Table and then a Pivot Chart.

Once you have these in place it’s a case of updating your transaction data and updating the data source so that the PT takes on board the latest data.

We hope you liked this hint and tip on creating pivot tables in Excel, why not take a look at our previous one on the BODMAS concept?

We have delivered Excel training courses in Worcestershire and Herefordshire recently where Pivot Tables have made a major impact on the efficiency of those businesses.

For all details of our Excel courses and details of IT training Herefordshire as well as the other counties we train in, please visit our web site here or phone us 07903 840105.

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Comments from the IT Training classroom floor which made me think…

Having had the privilege of training thousands of staff of all ages and backgrounds in Excel and other Microsoft Office modules I’ve heard loads of comments during the class. Most are naturally to do with the topic being explained but some are more general which made me stop and think….

I think I’m on the wrong course

Two people have said this. One was completely on the wrong course. Instead of being of a health and safety course they came on our Basic Excel course! Another however had booked themselves onto our Intermediate Excel course and realised early on they should have been on our Basic Excel course first.

It made me think… how important it is to evaluate both from the trainer’s standpoint and trainee’s standpoint the content of the course and any pre-requisites. We always publish and send agendas in advance through to the organiser of the course and ask them a good training needs analysis be conducted to make sure that the person is on the right level of training. It’s not unknown for some to go back and do Basic Excel after say Intermediate Excel but it’s best to do the training in the right order

I will never remember all this

This is a very popular comment often made towards the end of each course. We may have taught a trainee a hundred features and they will have successfully completed those hundred tasks during the day. The key however is to put into practise quickly those new skills after training has finished.

We offer a variety of ways of doing this from ‘reminder exercises and videos’ to encouraging employers to allow a few minutes each day for their staff to look at their own spreadsheets and to improve on them. Practice may not make perfect, but it sure helps!

Have you ever been on stage!?

I do tend to have a very informal but animated style whilst training often trying to add humour into my courses to make the rather drier topics at least more palatable. We believe that if you enjoy a course you are far more likely to want to learn more

I hate Excel and you won’t teach me anything today!

Although this was an exceptional comment made by one lady at the outset of the course it made me think. Here was a person who came into the course with a prejudice against the topic, a closed mind and an attitude which meant she was not prepared to give it a go!

Despite all kinds of encouraging questions and assistance she stubbornly refused to engage and learn. Sadly, at the close of play she still hated Excel and had not learned anything. Her employer had wasted their money. It made me think how important it is when it comes to learning a new subject to come with an open and eager mind and engage, ask for help and be prepared to at least give it a go. In my classes all are unsuccessful (apart maybe from that 1!)

I can work part time now

At a recent course one lady said that the time she could save implementing those shortcuts in Excel she had learned could save her hours and she could now work part time! It made me think that here was a payback and justification for the IT training. Not that all staff can go part time but that their efficiency will improve and in their roles, they can become more productive. I’m always seeking to see how they can put into practice their skills to save time and make life easier for all.

If you would like to hear more stories or simply just information on our courses please email us on johnlegge@jplcomputer.co.uk

Or click on the link here to learn more about our courses.

You might also like to read our previous post Excel training in Gloucestershire.

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