Microsoft Excel 2013 Chapter 9 Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Objectives Use formula auditing techniques to analyze a worksheet Trace precedents and dependents Use error checking to identify and correct errors Add data validation rules to cells Use trial and error to solve a problem on a worksheet Use goal seeking to solve a problem Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Objectives Circle invalid data on a worksheet Use Solver to solve a complex problem Use the Scenario Manager to record and save sets of what-if assumptions Create a Scenario Summary report Create a Scenario PivotTable report Save a workbook for use in a previous version of Excel Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Project – On Display Packaging Production Plan Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Formula Auditing Formula auditing allows you to examine formulas to determine which cells are referenced by those formulas and examine cells to determine which formulas are built upon those cells Auditing the formulas in a worksheet can give you insight into how a worksheet is structured and how cells are related to each other Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Formula Auditing Formula auditing is especially helpful when presented with a workbook created by someone else Formula auditing is the process of reviewing formulas for errors Errors may be obvious, with results that indicate that a formula is incorrect Errors also may be less obvious, introduced through formulas that, while technically correct, result in unintended results in the worksheet Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Data Validation Data validation allows you to set cells so that the values they accept are restricted in terms of type and range of data This feature can be set up to display prompts and error messages when users select a cell or enter invalid data You also can use data validation to circle cells containing data that does not meet the criteria you specified You can place restrictions on values, provide a message to the user when a cell with restrictions is selected, and create an error message that is displayed when a restricted, or invalid, value is entered Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Data Validation Excel’s data validation rules apply only when you enter data into the cell manually Excel does not check the validation rules if a cell is calculated by a formula or set in a way other than direct input by the user Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Data Validation The types of data validation criteria you can use include any specified value, whole numbers, a value in a list (such as a text value), dates, and custom values When using the Custom validation type, you can use a formula that evaluates to either true or false If the value is false, users may not enter data in the cell Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Adding Data Validation to Cells Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Circle Invalid Data The Circle Invalid Data command checks for invalid data entered as a result of a formula or automated tool, such as Goal Seek and puts a red circle around the invalid data Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Goal Seek You can use the Goal Seek feature to have Excel automatically modify a cell’s value in a worksheet in an attempt to reach a certain goal in a dependent cell Goal seeking allows you to manipulate one cell in order to reach a goal Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Using the Goal Command Seek to Attempt to Solve a Complex Problem Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Solver One of the tools that Excel provides to solve complex problems is Solver, which allows you to specify up to 200 cells that can be adjusted to find a solution to a problem Solver also lets you place limits or constraints on allowable values for some or all of those cells Solver will try many possible solutions to find one that solves the problem subject to the constraints placed on the data Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Solver Solver allows you to solve complex problems where a number of variables can be changed in a worksheet in order to meet a goal in a particular cell Unlike Goal Seek, Solver is not constrained to changing one cell at a time and can efficiently evaluate many combinations for a solution The goal for the Solver feature is to maximize the solution within the constraints set Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Solver Changing cells, or adjustable cells, are the cells modified by Solver to solve the problem Solver will attempt to minimize the value of the target cell by varying the values in the other changing cells, within the constraints you set Constraints are the requirements that have been placed on certain values in the problem Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Creating an Answer Report When Solver finishes solving a problem, you can instruct it to create an Answer Report An Answer Report shows the answer that Solver found, which constraints were in place, and which values in the worksheet Solver manipulated in order to solve the problem within those constraints Solver generates the requested Answer Report on a separate worksheet after it finds a solution Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Viewing the Solver Answer Report Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Iterations Iterations is a Solver parameter that sets the number of possible answer value combinations that Solver should try Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Using Solver When using Solver, three issues must be kept in mind First, some problems do not have solutions The constraints may be constructed in such a way that an answer that satisfies all of the constraints cannot be found Second, sometimes multiple answers solve the same problem Solver does not indicate when this is the case, and you will have to use your own judgment to determine if you should continue seeking another solution Finally, Solver may require more time or iterations to solve the problem if it fails to find a solution Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Scenario Manager Excel’s Scenario Manager is a what-if analysis tool that allows you to record and save different sets of what-if assumptions used to forecast the outcome of a worksheet model The Scenario Manager also allows you to create reports that summarize the scenarios on your worksheet Scenarios are named combinations of values that are assigned to variables in a model Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Creating a Scenario Summary Worksheet or a Scenario PivotTable Worksheet You can create a Scenario Summary worksheet or a Scenario PivotTable worksheet to review and analyze various what-if scenarios when making decisions A Scenario Summary worksheet generated by the Scenario Manager actually is a worksheet in outline format that you can print and manipulate just like any other worksheet The Scenario PivotTable worksheet generated by the Scenario Manager also is a worksheet that you can print and manipulate like other worksheets Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Tracing Precedents Tracer arrows are drawn from one cell to another, identifying cells that are related to other cells through use in a formula A tracer arrow can be drawn from a cell that appears in a formula in another cell or from a cell that contains a formula with cell references Red tracer arrows indicate that one of the referenced cells contains an error Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Tracing Precedents Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Tracing Precedents A cell containing a formula that references other cells is said to have precedents Each cell referenced in the formula is a precedent of the cell containing the formula For example, in the formula C24=C23/$B$1, cells C23 and B1 are precedents of cell C24 Tracing precedents can highlight where a formula may be incorrect Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Tracing Precedents and Dependents Tracing precedents and dependents reveals how formulas and values are related Use Excel tools to examine the structure of the worksheet and identify where the source of an identified error is located, and to review and confirm the logic of the relationships between formulas and values You should check to find the source of errors and to make sure that formulas have been constructed correctly This requires a basic understanding of the necessary calculations in the worksheet Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Reviewing Precedents on a Different Worksheet Precedents can be located on different worksheets in the same workbook, or in different workbooks Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Reviewing Precedents on a Different Worksheet Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Tracing Dependents Identifying dependents highlights where changes will occur in the worksheet as a result of changing the value in the cell you are identifying as a referenced cell A cell that references another cell is said to be a dependent of that referenced cell If cell A3 contained the formula =B2/B4, cell A3 would be a dependent of cells B2 and B4 Changing the value in cell B2 or cell B4 also changes the result in the dependent cell A3 Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Tracing Dependents Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Circular References When a cell contains a circular reference, it means that one of its defining values is itself For example, if you type =B2/A2 in cell B2, you have created a circular reference Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Common Error Codes Error Code Description #DIV/0! Indicates that you have created a formula that divides a number by zero #N/A! Indicates that a value is not available to a formula or function #NAME? Indicates use of an invalid function name #NULL! Indicates no common cells in two ranges a formula identifies as having an intersection #NUM! Indicates that you used an invalid argument in a formula #REF! Indicates that a cell reference in a formula is not valid; it may be pointing to an empty cell, for instance #VALUE! Indicates that you have included nonnumeric data in a calculation Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Evaluating Formulas The Evaluate Formula button allows you to move through a formula step by step, which can be a useful tool when working with long, complex formulas Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Showing Formulas The Show Formulas button displays the formulas instead of values in the active worksheet Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Watch Window The Watch Window button opens a separate window that displays values and formulas for specific cells that you choose to monitor The Watch Window allows you to keep an eye on cells that you have identified as being related; this allows you to observe changes to the cells even when viewing a different worksheet or workbook Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Document Inspector Excel provides several methods to protect your privacy or data that you may not want to share with others Before distributing your workbook to others, you should consider what type of hidden information might be in your document Excel provides a tool called the Document Inspector to inspect and report such information You then easily can remove the hidden information or choose to leave the information in the document Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Document Inspector The Document Inspector should be used before sharing a workbook publicly or when you suspect extraneous information remains in hidden rows and columns, hidden worksheets, document properties, headers and footers, or worksheet comments The Document Inspector dialog box allows you to choose which types of content to inspect Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Inspecting a Document for Hidden and Personal Information Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Compatibility Checker When distributing a workbook, you also should consider whether the intended recipients have the most recent version of Excel If this is not the case, Excel allows you to save a workbook for use in previous versions of Excel, such as Excel 97-2003 When you save a workbook in the Excel 97-2003 Workbook file format, Excel will invoke the Compatibility Checker, which notifies you if any of the content of your workbook cannot be saved in that format Additionally, the Compatibility Checker will inform you if any content will not appear the same, such as cell or chart formatting Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Compatibility Checker You should use the Compatibility Checker to determine if the features you use in your workbook are compatible with earlier versions of Excel Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Saving a Workbook as an Earlier Version of Excel If you save the 2013 version of a workbook using the Excel 97-2003 workbook file format without changing the file name, you will not overwrite the 2013 version of the workbook Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Checking Compatibility and Saving a Workbook Using the Excel 97-2003 Workbook File Format and Mark a Workbook as Final Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Marking a Workbook as Final Before sharing a workbook with others, you can mark the workbook as being final When another user of your workbook opens the workbook, he or she will be notified that you have marked the workbook as final The workbook can still be edited, but only if the user clicks a button to indicate that he or she wants to edit the workbook Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Information Rights Management (IRM) Information Rights Management (IRM) is a feature of Excel that allows you to restrict access to workbooks With IRM, you can restrict who can view, modify, print, forward, and copy a workbook The types of restrictions include a variety of options For example, expiration dates for reading or modifying a workbook are available Before using IRM, your computer first must be configured with IRM, as should the computers or mobile devices or anyone attempting to use a document that includes IRM Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving

Protecting a Workbook When IRM is installed properly the Protect Workbook menu in the Info gallery in the Backstage view includes several commands for limiting access to the workbook You can limit who can access the workbook and who can make changes to the workbook Formula Auditing, Data Validation, and Complex Problem Solving