Building Interactive Spreadsheets

In this presentation, author and Excel expert David H. Ringstrom, CPA, will guide participants through various techniques to enhance their efficiency and productivity in Excel. Topics covered include viewing a workbook on two monitors for improved multitasking, viewing two worksheets on one monitor for easy comparison and utilizing Zoom to Selection for focused analysis. You'll also learn how to maximize screen real estate with the buried Full Screen mode, utilizing the Split feature for simultaneous viewing and editing two or more areas of a worksheet. Other techniques include efficiently grouping and ungrouping rows and columns, leveraging the Watch Window for monitoring key data, using hyperlinks as a navigation aid for quick access to relevant information, and utilizing the Navigation task pane in Excel for Microsoft 365 for streamlined navigation and organization.

David is the author of “Microsoft Excel 365 for Dummies”, “Exploring Microsoft Excel’s Hidden Treasures”, and has written or co-authored six other books. He demonstrates every technique at least twice: first, on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps, and second, in the subscription-based Excel for Microsoft 365. David draws your attention to any differences in Excel 2021, 2019 or 2016 during the presentation and in his detailed handouts. The handouts include an Excel workbook with most of the examples he uses during his demonstrations.

Excel for Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based product that receives periodic feature updates. Conversely, perpetually licensed versions have year numbers in their names and do not receive any feature updates.

Who Should Attend
Professionals seeking to use Microsoft Excel more effectively.

Topics Covered

• Tweaking Data Validation settings for a given range of cells
• Preserving key formulas using hide and protect features
• Making it harder for a user to circumvent data validation and easy for you to identify when someone has attempted to do so
• Using Excel’s Go to Special feature to easily select form controls you wish to remove en masse
• Specifying a range of whole numbers a user can enter in a worksheet cell
• Crafting data validation lists that are contingent on selections from a preceding list
• Viewing properties that can be set for specific form controls; for example, whether the object should be printed or not
• Allowing users to make multiple choices by way of the ListBox form control
• Minimizing ongoing spreadsheet maintenance with Excel’s Table feature
• Segregating related option buttons with the Group Box form control
• Streamlining the filtering of lists using the Slicer feature with tables
• Avoiding the need to merge cells—use the Text Box feature for paragraphs of text instead

Learning Objectives

• Identify a valid input for a cell that has a Data Validation rule permitting decimals between 0 and 18%
• Recognize how to use the Format Cells dialog to unlock specific cells before applying worksheet protection, ensuring users can edit only designated areas
• Identify the ribbon tab in Excel where the Protect Sheet command appears

Level
Basic

Instructional Method
Group: Internet-based

NASBA Field of Study
Specialized Knowledge and Applications (2 hours)

Program Prerequisites
None

Advance Preparation
None