By Leslie Miller, MCE Presented to American Society of Women Accountants - Northwest Regional Conference Bellevue, WA May 31, 2008

Dynamic Excel Tips & Tricks How are you at spinning plates? Spreadsheets are too labor intensive? Want to standardize some spreadsheet reports? What about external data? Do you really know the ins and outs of using the mid level or higher level functions of Excel? Don’t have time to deal with the hyperbole of an extended class? Here are the tools that you need to do your job - by someone who speaks “accountant”!

Just Show Me! Shortcuts Simple macros Subtotals Pivot tables Conditional formatting Hidden sheets Concatenating cells Data validation Solver Filtering Goal seeking

Basic Tools Paste Special: Intern error sample Paste Links Shortcut Macros (Auto fit) Auditing Tool Bar

Basic Tools Numbering ID ABC-1 works 27-ABC-1 works 1-ABC does not Grouping Tabs 3D References Hiding Gridlines using Macros Removing Duplicates Custom Formatting – KWH Custom Lists Hyperlinks (do not work with Chart Pages) Cover Pages

External Data Create “Live” Dashboards using external data. Use this same concept for integrating standard monthly data. Create “Live” Dashboards using external data. Use this same concept for integrating standard monthly data.

Raw Data This spreadsheet needs to provide more information, separate names, and additional criteria.

Subtotals Be sure to sort in ascending order the column you want the first subtotals to be assigned to. Click on the + or – to show or hide the detail for each department.

Filtering By Department Quick Tips: You can toggle your formulas by CTRL+ ~. Quick Tips: You can toggle your formulas by CTRL+ ~.

Advanced Filtering By Department and by Wages over Quick Tips: Hide those rows or columns that you do not in your view. Quick Tips: Hide those rows or columns that you do not in your view. Set up Criteria for Advanced Filtering

Macros Create a simple “Auto Fit” Macro Create Departmental Macros

Concatenating Cells Combining Cells Result

Pivot Tables & Charts Quick Tips: Excel Options Advanced Items Display for worksheet No Grid Lines No Zeros to Print Quick Tips: Excel Options Advanced Items Display for worksheet No Grid Lines No Zeros to Print

Conditional Formatting Highlight largest and smallest items.

Hidden Sheets Excel 07: Right mouse click on tab Select “Hide” Excel 03: Go to Format Sheet Hide Quick Tips: Hold down the ALT key to adjust the size of an object and bypass the “snap to grid”. Quick Tips: Hold down the ALT key to adjust the size of an object and bypass the “snap to grid”.

Data Validation Set criteria that will be validated during input. This sheet shows those cells that do not fit the criteria. Set criteria that will be validated during input. This sheet shows those cells that do not fit the criteria.

Goal Seeker Quick Tips: Named Ranges will help make your formulas sensible. Quick Tips: Named Ranges will help make your formulas sensible.

Solver Right Brain:Left Brain: Logical Sequential Rational Analytical Objective Looks at parts Creative Artistic Colorful Verbose Random Intuitive Holistic Synthesizing Subjective Looks at wholes

Solver - Right Brain: You are a farmer who raises cattle and wheat on your farm. Your farm consists of 5000 acres of land usable for either wheat or cattle. You are limited to a maximum of 5,000,000 gallons of water during the year. What is the best mix of cattle and wheat to maximize your profit? REMEMBER: You can grow a partial acre of wheat but you cannot raise part of a cow! Your answers should reflect this small but vital point. Watch for glazed eyeballs….. (too many words) As an experienced farmer:  It takes  10 acres to raise one head of beef.  1/50 of an acre produces one bushel of wheat.  Current Market Price  $ per head of beef.  $2.20 per bushel of wheat.  Water  One cow will drink 1500 gallons of water during its time on your farm.  One bushel of wheat requires 25 gallons of water during the growing season.  To be profitable, you must raise at least  50 head of cattle.  1000 acres of wheat (how many bushels is that?).

Solver - Left Brain: Left Brain:

Solver - Answer

Custom Dashboards

Commercial Dashboards Quarter Ended 1 st Qtr.2 nd Qtr.3 rd Qtr.4 th Qtr.Total Fiscal year 2003 Revenue $7,746$8,541$7,835$8,065$32,187 Gross profit 6,4026,4046,5616,76126,128 Net income 2,0411,8652,1421,4837,531 Basic earnings per share Diluted earnings per share Fiscal year 2004 Revenue $8,215$10,153$9,175$9,292$36,835 Gross profit 6,7357,8097,7647,81130,119 Net income 2,6141,5491,3152,6908,168 Basic earnings per share Diluted earnings per share Fiscal year 2005 Revenue $9,189$10,818$9,620$10,161$39,788 Gross profit 7,7208,8968,2218,75133,588 Net income 2,5283,4632,5633,70012,254 Basic earnings per share Diluted earnings per share (1)Includes charges totaling $750 million (pre-tax) related to the Fabrikam settlement and $1.15 billion in impairments of investments. (2)Includes stock-based compensation charges totaling $2.2 billion for the employee stock option transfer program. (3)Includes charges totaling $756 million (pre-tax) related to Contoso subsidiaries and other matters.  Fiscal Year 2005 Annual Report  Market Risk  Fiscal Year 2004

Idashboards.com CommercialProducts Commercial Products

Market Summary Analysis 1st Year Sales Figures Market Distribution Financial Summary Our perennial 3rd Quarter boost was larger than expected contributing to an exceptionally strong year. Distribution of sales across the geographic markets looks fairly steady. Our new product line, released this year, is early in its adoption phase. We expect to see substantial revenue contribution from these products over the next two years.

Microsoft Business Scorecard Manager 2005

Strategy and Action Business Performance Applications Challenges Solutions Execute objectives Articulate Strategy Monitor Performance Against Objectives Perform Group Analysis Drive Informed Decisions, and Act in Ways that Tie Back to Strategic Goals

Features and Benefits Ease of use Deployment Integration Information and Access Define Strategy

Samples

Q&A Thank You! Leslie Miller URL for file downloads –