Excel University Blog

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Posts

PIVOTBY A Dynamic PivotTable Alternative

By Jeff Lenning | January 16, 2024 |

Excel’s PIVOTBY function allows you to create dynamic summary reports that look very much like PivotTables. However, they are totally dynamic … no need to click Refresh. They are created with a single formula, but do not have the rich features and capabilities of PivotTables. Depending on your workbook, the PIVOTBY function may be a…

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Dynamic Pivot-style Report with GROUPBY

By Jeff Lenning | January 9, 2024 |

In this tutorial, we will learn how to use the GROUPBY function to create dynamic pivot-style reports with a single formula. Let’s back up a sec. For years, we’ve turned to PivotTables to build summary reports. Now we have another option: the GROUPBY function. While it doesn’t create a true PivotTable, it does create a…

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How to Find Invalid Characters

By Jeff Lenning | January 2, 2024 |

Welcome to this tutorial on how to find invalid characters in Microsoft Excel. In this tutorial, we will explore different methods including formulas and conditional formatting to detect and highlight characters you define as “invalid” in your Excel worksheets. Since you can easily customize the list of “invalid” characters, this approach is extremely flexible and…

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Checkboxes

By Jeff Lenning | December 26, 2023 |

The goal of this tutorial is to learn how to insert checkboxes in Microsoft Excel using two different methods: checkbox cell controls and legacy form controls. We will also explore how to use checkboxes in formulas, conditional formatting, and how to activate the developer tab for legacy form controls. Video Step-by-step Exercise 1: Inserting Checkboxes…

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Round to Nearest Multiple (Up or Down or Both)

By Jeff Lenning | December 19, 2023 |

Welcome to our blog post on rounding to the nearest multiple in Excel. In this tutorial, we will explore three different functions that can assist you in rounding numbers up or down to the nearest multiple: FLOOR, CEILING, and MROUND. Whether you need to calculate the number of product bundles or adjust sales targets, these…

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Split Text at Specified Character

By Jeff Lenning | December 12, 2023 |

Welcome to this tutorial on splitting text at a specific character using Microsoft Excel. In this tutorial, we will explore four different methods to split text: Text to Columns, Flash Fill, Formulas, and Power Query. Each method has its own unique advantages, and we will cover step-by-step instructions for each exercise. So, let’s dive right…

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UPPER lower Proper Case (3 ways)

By Jeff Lenning | December 5, 2023 |

The objective of this tutorial is to demonstrate three different methods to change the case of text in Microsoft Excel: Flash Fill, formulas, and Power Query. By the end of this tutorial, you will be confident in using these techniques to convert text to upper case, lower case, and proper case. Video Walkthrough Let’s walk…

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Count and Sum Negative Numbers

By Jeff Lenning | November 28, 2023 |

Welcome to our tutorial on how to count and sum negative numbers in Excel! We will cover three exercises where we will learn how to utilize COUNTIF, SUMIF, and conditional formatting to count, sum, and identify negative transactions. By the end, you will have multiple techniques to operate on negative numbers in Excel. Let’s jump…

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XLOOKUP and FILTER with Wildcard

By Jeff Lenning | November 21, 2023 |

The objective of this tutorial is to show how to use wildcards with the XLOOKUP and FILTER functions in Excel. We will learn how to perform partial matches and search for specific patterns within a dataset. Video Walkthrough Let’s take it one exercise at a time, starting with our XLOOKUP warm-up. Exercise 1: XLOOKUP warm-up…

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Find Cells That Contain Specific Text

By Jeff Lenning | November 14, 2023 |

The objective of this tutorial is to learn how to write formulas in Excel that can identify specific text strings within cells. We will start by using the SEARCH function to find cells that contain a specific word, then convert the results into TRUE / FALSE values, and finally apply conditional formatting to highlight these…

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