Activant Solutions Inc. MORE Microsoft Excel Tips and Tricks
Objectives Work more efficiently with Excel worksheets Utilize formatting and charts to get your message across effectively Use Conditional Formatting Transform data into easy-to-read charts and graphs Master Excel's Print options
Before: Raw Data
After Formatting!
After Formatting!
Creating and Applying Styles Styles Apply several formatting changes in one step Ensures consistent formatting
Creating and Applying Styles Use one of Excel s preformatted Styles or create your own Apply them as many times as needed, in as many spreadsheets as needed Use the Style toolbox, found in the Format menu Use the Format Painter button
Formatting Titles and Headings Format Cells / Alignment tab Fill color
Applying Frequently Used Cell Formats Format Painter Copies formatting elements to cells Text, colors, column width Click to apply to a range of cells, double-click to apply to non-adjacent cells
Formatting Titles and Headings Merge and Center text Combine columns and center data Split text into multiple columns Use the Text to Columns Wizard to separate delimited or fixed-width text
Conditional Formatting Highlight cells that meet specific conditions Based on specific criteria, formatting changes are automatically applied
Conditional Formatting Apply up to three conditions to data Up to four distinct looks available Raw data, Condition 1, Condition 2, Condition 3
Formatting Charts
Formatting Charts: Guidelines Keep the message in mind when choosing the chart type Use basic colors Keep It Simple! Two charts may be better than one
How to Compare Data 1. Compare months to each other, by sales rep. 1 2. Compare sales reps to each other, by month. 2 3 3. Use Series in: to change the structure of your chart. 3
Editing Chart Appearance 1. Plot area 2. Data series 1 3. Gridlines 4. Axis 5. Legend 3 2 5 4
Formatting Charts: Tips Format a Chart If you need to Chart Tips Do this: Right Mouse Button (RMB) click Create an instant chart Press [F11] Unlink a chart from its source data (create a static chart) Copy and paste as a picture: 1. With chart activated, hold [Shift] and choose Edit/Copy/Picture 2. Make Copy Picture selections 3. Choose location and paste picture
Pivot Table Reports and Pivot Charts Pivot Table Reports Interactive table used to summarize data Compare, sort, subtotal, total data Pivot Charts Display the interactive data from a Pivot Table in chart format Apply formatting the same way as any other chart, AFTER you are satisfied with the layout
Printing Options: Control What Prints 1 Set Print Area defines area of worksheet to print >> File / Page Setup << 2 3 Highlight area of the worksheet to print, then choose Set Print Area Repeat row/column headings on each page Information to appear on top/bottom of each page 2 >> File / Print Area << 1 3
Printing Options: Control How Data Prints >> File / Page Setup << >> View / Page Break Preview << Scale report to fit X pages wide by X pages tall Automatic page break Manual page break Tip: To print one page wide, specify 1 page wide and delete the number in tall field.
Summary Work more efficiently with Excel worksheets Utilize formatting and charts to get your message across effectively Use Conditional Formatting Transform data into easy-to-read charts and graphs Master Excel's Print options
For More Information Microsoft Excel Help Menu Microsoft on the web: www.office.microsoft.com Visit Activant on the web: http://distribution.activant.com/ View Educational Services course offerings Browse Documentation Search the Solutions database Submit a Support case E-mail Professional Services Sales pss@activant.com