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Reading List for Getting Better at VBA and Macros in Excel
After you discover the power of automating Excel, you will want to learn more about what VBA can do. So here is my selection of recommended reading and tutorials. Tutorials to deepen your knowledge of Excel VBA: http://excelvbatutor.com/vba_tutorial.html A great...
Date functions in Excel: last Monday, next Sunday, this month, this year
Understand how Excel treats dates and you will be able to create useful calculations and filters
Draw your own clipart from scratch
Learn how to use the PowerPoint shapes and drawing tools to create your own shapes, from simple to elaborate. You never need to pay for your cliparts again if you have the patience to draw your own. In this video, Diane Elkins demonstrates how to use the Freeform tool...
Universal Social Charge (USC) Formula in Excel
Did you have a bit of a shock when you received your payslip at the start of the year? Did you gasp? Did you reach for your calculator to double-check the amount but then realised you were a little confused by the Universal Social Charge (USC) calculation rules given...
What is Power Pivot for Excel
If your data comes from multiple sources or you run out of cells (17 billion!) in Excel, activate PowerPivot and the Data Model.
Copy and Paste Productivity via the Clipboard [When Things Go Wrong]
The geeky cake. Read what happened here. I always love it when I train people who have limited computer skills and I get to show them copy and paste or cut and paste. While initially confused by the concept, they soon adopt the clipboard functionality and it...
Microsoft Access Layouts made simple
Outlook canned answers at the touch of a button [Instant Productivity Free Tutorial]
More easy subtotals in a Microsoft Excel database with the SUMIF function [Instant Productivity Free Tutorial]
One advantage of using the SUMIF function to get subtotals is that it is not necessary to modify the order of the records in the original database unlike the Subtotals feature as shown in Super easy subtotals in a Microsoft Excel database. Video: More easy...
Get Excel charts and tables always up to date in your Microsoft PowerPoint presentation [Instant Productivity Free Tutorial]
You need two files to follow this tip: an Excel spreadsheet with a chart or some data in it and a PowerPoint presentation. Video: Get Excel charts and tables always up to date in your Microsoft PowerPoint presentation Copy the data or chart from Excel Switch to...
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Make Microsoft Access forms more user-friendly with big navigation controls [Instant Productivity Free Tutorial]
Not everybody is as confident with Microsoft Access databases as you are. Most users feel intimidated and afraid – rightly so – to make mistakes. So make their use of the database easier with big navigation controls. In a previous tip, you learned how to Find records...
Super easy subtotals in a Microsoft Excel database (no mathematical skills required) [Instant Productivity Free Tutorial]
The Subtotals command in Excel offers a very quick of getting, well, subtotals – sums, averages and more- without the use of functions and formulas. If you can read these instructions or watch the video, you will know how to calculate subtotals for the hugest, most...
Don’t type it all over again! Re-use text in Word documents and Outlook messages thanks to AutoText [Instant Productivity Free Tutorial]
Copy and Paste will only get you so far. Rather than type the same bits of text and pictures over and over again, be it your address, your terms and conditions, your disclaimer, your location map or logo, save them as AutoText entries in Word. AutoText entries work in...
Canned email answers in Microsoft Outlook [Instant Productivity Free Tutorial]
Why rewrite the same messages over and over again when you could click one button and reuse an existing email template? Perhaps you always send the same booking confirmation form all the time. Perhaps you send the same acknowledgement/refusal letter all the time? Save...
No programming: Create an interactive spreadsheet with conditional formatting and amaze your boss / your client [Instant Productivity Free Tutorial]
Want to know the impact of changing one cell in your spreadsheet on the rest of your data? Want to create interactive scenarios but don’t have time to learn scenarios or programming? Create an interactive spreadsheet with simple conditional formatting and watch cells...
Stop fumbling! Navigate your PowerPoint slides effortlessly thanks to hyperlinks [Instant Productivity Free Tutorial]
Use visuals with hyperlinks to effortlessly navigate your PowerPoint slides as you present – without being tied to the original order of your slides. Your presentation is now more flexible and ready for a range of purposes. Video: Navigate your PowerPoint slides...
Create and apply your own AutoFormat style to Microsoft Access forms [Instant Productivity Free Tutorial]
You spent some time making your form look nice and now you need to apply the same design to all the forms in your Microsoft Access database project. Use AutoFormat to save your design and to apply to other forms. Video: Create and apply your own AutoFormat style to...
Four Essential Tools to make sure your formulas in Excel are correct [Instant Productivity Free Tutorial]
Troubleshooting formulas in Excel is easy thanks to the Formula Auditing Tools. Make sure to learn these tips and apply them as soon as today. Video: Four Essential Tools to make sure your formulas in Excel are correct Tip 1 – Display formulas instead of values ...
Instant Productivity: Newspaper Columns in your Word Documents [Free Tutorial]
Change your Word document into newspaper-style columns, complete with drop cap, to give your document a more interesting layout. It will draw the reader’s eye and make important text stand out. From plain text… … to newspaper-style columns and drop cap. Video:...
Instant Productivity: Format all messages from a sender in a different colour – automatically – in Outlook [Free Tutorial]
When your email folders, such as your inbox, tend to get full quickly, you may want to use Automatic Formatting to display messages from specific senders in a colour of your choice automatically. Steps to Apply Automatic Formatting in Outlook Select one such email...