Hi all! We have been formally invited to participate in the upcoming Excel modeling championship. Wow…a world-wide Excel competition…awesome! The invitation from John Persico, one of the lead organizers of the ModelOff event, is below…check it out! Invitation to the Excel Modeling World Championships 2014 We’d like to invite members of the Excel University community […]
Of all the functions introduced in Excel 2007, 2010, and 2013, my personal favorite is SUMIFS. The SUMIFS function performs multiple condition summing. The function is designed with AND logic, but, there are several techniques that allow us to use OR logic instead. This post explores a few of them. Objective Let’s be clear about […]
Generally, I prefer to prepare financial statements with formulas and functions such as SUMIFS because there are no layout or structure limitations imposed. This means I can design the report to my exacting specifications. However, it is interesting to note that PivotTables support basic formulas, and using a PivotTable formula to create a calculated item […]
In a previous post, we explored how to use the TRIM function to remove trailing spaces from lookup values used in a VLOOKUP function. In this post, we’ll tackle the reverse issue, where the values in the lookup column contain trailing spaces, by using wildcards in the VLOOKUP function. Objective Before we get started, let’s […]
Hi guys! Just wanted to draw your attention to a recent California CPA Magazine article I wrote about comparing lists using Excel. Have you ever wanted to ask Excel to identify which items from one list appear on another? For example, which check numbers on the check register appear on the bank download, as illustrated […]
Generally, you can improve your speed by keeping your hands on your keyboard. But, what do you do if there is no built-in keyboard shortcut to execute your favorite command? Well, one approach is to customize the QAT. This post discusses the Quick Access Toolbar and the related keyboard shortcuts it creates. QAT Shortcuts Microsoft […]
I’m a huge fan of the VLOOKUP function, and am surprised by its day-to-day utility for accountants. In this post, we use the VLOOKUP function to convert or translate calendar year transaction dates into fiscal year periods, such as a fiscal quarter. To accomplish this, we’ll first need to investigate in detail the function’s fourth […]
The Table feature of Excel remains one of my favorites. This post explores one very specific aspect of the feature, the total row. Overview One of Microsoft’s greatest gifts of Excel 2007 was the introduction of the table feature. It allows us to convert an ordinary range into a table (Insert > Table, or, Ctrl+T). […]
This post explores options for formatting cells that are locked, or unlocked, in an Excel worksheet. Scenario Let’s pretend we have a worksheet that helps a user compare three different loans. The user is required to enter information, such as interest rate and number of years, into designated input cells, but shouldn’t be allowed to […]
How do you ensure your workbook is accurate? One approach is to set up a structured error check sheet. My recent California CPA Magazine TBRG (May 2014) article discusses the ingredients needed to build a reliable error check sheet. Here are the relevant links: Article: Put Errors in Check Sample workbook: Download Excel File