Time and time again we see spreadsheets that do not follow this simple rule and thus are limited in their ability to take full advantage of some of Excel’s most powerful features, including PivotTables, subtotals, and worksheet formulas. In the New Name dialog box, in the Name box, type a name for the range.Unnecessarily spreading data over numerous worksheetsUnnecessarily spreading data over different tablesHaving blank columns and rows in tables of dataThe first three items on the preceding list add up to one thing: you should always try to keep related data in one continuous table. In the destination workbook, Go to Formulas > Defined Names > Define Name. Open the destination workbook and the source workbook. Clearly the INDIRECT won't work with a closed workbook, so if you want to pick up a value from a closed workbook you will need a macro that will open that file in memory, put the relevant INDIRECT formula in a cell in the dependent workbook and then immediately copy and paste the VALUE of that formula to the cell.Define a name that contains an external reference to cells in another workbook.Although a spreadsheet should be easy to read and follow, this should rarely be at the expense of efficiency. Sorting also will speed the calculation process of many functions significantly.Moving beyond structure, formatting also can cause problems. Excel has a rich set of lookup and reference formulas, some of which require that your data be sorted in a logical order. If you find you are repeating the same data over and over for two or more rows in one of these columns, resist the temptation to use blank cells to indicate repetition.Make sure your data is sorted whenever possible. With this in mind, you should set up tables with column headings going across the first row of your table and related data laid out in a continuous manner directly underneath their appropriate headings.Some very good universal colors to consider using in your spreadsheets are black, white, and gray.It is always a good idea to leave at least three blank rows above your table ( at least three, preferably more). Often the overuse of formatting adds size to your workbook, and although your workbook might look like a work of art to you, it might look terrible to someone else. Although they don’t necessarily realize it, this time frequently comes at the expense of efficiency.
![]() All data entered into cells formatted as text become text, even if you meant for them to be numbers or dates. Perhaps headings are an exception to this rule.Format cells as text only when completely necessary. If you have altered the default alignment, you will be left scratching your head. It is very common for people to reference cells, which look like numbers but in reality are text. If you start changing this formatting, you will not be able to tell at a glance if the contents of a cell are text or numeric. By default, numbers in Excel are right-aligned and text is left-aligned, and there are good reasons to leave it this way. This forces Excel to examine potentially thousands, if not millions, of cells it otherwise could have ignored.Assume, for example, that you have a table of data ranging from cell A1 to cell H1000. Use the Horizontal drop-down to select Center Across Selection or right-click and choose Format Cells from the shortcut menu (pre-2007, Format → Cells).Another enormous mistake users often make in Excel formulas is referencing entire columns. The arrow in the bottom right will display the Format dialog with the Alignment tab active. As a good alternative, use " Center across selection,” found under Home → Alignment Group. The Microsoft knowledge base is full of frequently encountered problems with merged cells. Generally, you do not want formula cells to be formatted as text!Merged cells can also cause problems. Excel Reference Another Workbook Without Opening Update Your FormulaA spreadsheet is all about formulas and calculations and the results they produce. Many people suggest that shifting calculation mode into Manual via the Office button → Excel → Formulas (pre-2007, Tools → Options → Calculations Mac OS X, Excel → Preferences → Calculation) will solve this problem.However, this is generally very poor advice, fraught with potential disasters. You still can eliminate the need to constantly update your formula references to incorporate new data as it is added to a table by using dynamic named ranges.Another common problem with poorly designed spreadsheets is painfully slow recalculation. You would use this reference so that when new data is added to the table, it will be referenced in the formulas automatically.This is a very bad habit to form and you should almost always avoid it. In other words, your reference might look something like A:H, or possibly A1:H65536. Because your table might continue to grow (as you add new data), it is common to reference the entire table, incorporating all rows. They are best suited to referencing single cells. Address it properly and do not use a “Band-Aid” approach.Array formulas are another common cause of trouble. If you need to run your spreadsheet in manual calculation mode, you have a design problem. If your car brakes were rubbing and slowing down your car, would you disconnect the brake pedal and rely on the hand brake instead of fixing the problem? Most of us wouldn’t dream of doing this, but many people don’t hesitate to put their spreadsheets into manual calculation mode. However, it is very easy to forget to do this! Think of it this way. Your formulas might be reflecting old values and not the updated values because when you go into manual calculation mode, you must force Excel to recalculate by pressing the F9 key ( ⌘-= on Mac OS X). Can i use usb nintendo controller for mac online gamesThat should make the rest of your hacking much easier.To open more than one workbook at a time, select the Office button → Open…, press the Ctrl key (⌘ key on the Mac) while selecting the workbooks you want to open, and then click Open (pre-2007, select File → Open).From any of the workbooks (it doesn’t matter which one), select Windows → View → Arrange All (pre-2007, select Window → Arrange). Although PivotTables might seem very daunting when first encountered, we highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with this powerful Excel feature because once you master PivotTables, you will wonder how you survived without them!At the end of the day, if you remember nothing else about spreadsheet design, remember that Excel works best when all related data is laid out in one continuous table. Another alternative that is often overlooked is the use of Excel’s PivotTable feature, discussed in Chapter 4. Also, the Excel Help offers some good examples on how you can use these formulas on large tables of data to return results based on multiple criteria. When large numbers of arrays reference large ranges, your workbook’s performance will suffer, sometimes to the point where it becomes unusable and you are forced to run your spreadsheet in manual calculation mode.Excel’s database functions provide many alternatives to array formulas, as discussed in " Sum or Count Cells While Avoiding Error Values”. Close your workbooks as usual when you’re finished.In most cases, you will be taken directly to the private module when you right-click on a workbook or worksheet and select View Code. You can also click the Maximize button on any of the windows in your workspace. To restore your Excel workspace to one full window of a particular workbook, just double-click the title bar (on the Mac, click the green Zoom button in the upper left of the window) appearing on any one of your workbooks. Xlw rather than the standard. When saving your workspace, the file extension will be. To save a workspace, simply select Windows → Save Workspace (pre-2007, File → Save Workspace), enter the workspace’s filename in the File Name box, and click OK. If it says “(General),” change it before typing in the code.To enable grouping, first name the range of cells you want to have grouped so that the data shows automatically on other worksheets. If the drop-down menu says “Workbook” or “Worksheet,” then you in the private module.
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