Creating Audit Trails in Microsoft Excel (Completed)

In this presentation, author and Excel expert David H. Ringstrom, CPA, will delve into the essential features of Excel that enhance collaboration and data integrity, focusing on the concept of an Audit Trail. Attendees will learn how to enable Track Changes to monitor spreadsheet edits, restore workbook sharing, and effectively review changes made by collaborators. David will also explore the Show Changes feature in Excel Online, demonstrate the use of the FORMULATEXT function for better formula management, and introduce the Inquire Add-In available in Enterprise versions of Excel to streamline data analysis and auditing processes. Join us to gain practical insights that will elevate your Excel skills and improve your workflow.

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

• Exploring powerful insights with the Inquire add-in for smarter worksheet auditing
• Creating custom audit logs with worksheet events in Visual Basic for Applications (a/k/a Excel macros)
• Defining what audit trails are and discuss their importance in tracking data changes, ensuring accuracy, and maintaining accountability
• Displaying all formulas in a worksheet at once with the Show Formulas feature
• Using Conditional Formatting to identify unlocked cells into which data can be entered
• Using Power Query to clean up accounting reports to remove pitfalls like blank rows, merged cells, missing data, and more
• Restoring the Workbook Sharing and Track Changes commands that have vanished in Excel 2021 and Microsoft 365
• Protecting sensitive information by marking key worksheets as VeryHidden
• Monitor changes in individual cells for up to the last 60 days when viewing a workbook in Excel Online
• Understanding how you can work backwards through applied steps in Power Query to visually step through data transformations
• Changing the data type for columns of data within the results grid

Learning Objectives

• Recall where to restore the Track Changes command within the Quick Access Toolbar customization screen
• State what the FORMULATEXT displays when you reference a cell that does not contain a formula
• State which versions of Excel offer the Inquire add-in

Level
Intermediate

Instructional Method
Group: Internet-based

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

Program Prerequisites
Prior experience with Microsoft Excel is recommended.

Advance Preparation
None