Practical Advice


Declutter your Spreadsheets by Hiding Zero Values

Declutter your Spreadsheets by Hiding Zero Values. Are your spreadsheets filled with unnecessary zero’s, cluttering your information and making it hard to identify significant results?   Undertaking data analysis in Excel quite often results in your formulas returning zero’s simply because they point to cells that do not contain any data. I know I come across this ALL the time as I attempt to make my spreadsheets as flexible as […]

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13 Keyboard Shortcuts for Data Entry

13 Keyboard Shortcuts for Data Entry in Excel   The key element in entering data into Excel is completing the data entry by either clicking from one cell to another cell with your mouse or by using one of the keyboard shortcuts listed below to move to another cell.   Data entry into a spreadsheet is a very manual process and is still predominantly carried out using a keyboard. It […]


Do you need to Merge that? 5

Do you need to Merge that?   There are a number of “basic errors users make in Excel” that results in their spreadsheet life being that much more challenging when it doesn’t necessarily need too. One of these, which we are discussing today, is the use (or unnecessary use) of merged cells in an Excel spreadsheet.   Why Merge Cells?   Merging cells in a spreadsheet is a process that […]

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D.A.R.E to be different 4

D.A.R.E. to be different!   A common misconception when it comes to learning about Excel and how to use it is that it is all about how do I use and implement all these functions and their capabilities. This misconception is further compounded by the fact that most Excel training just simply teaches you new functions and capabilities and does not dive into the VERY important stages that you need to […]


Hide Gridlines in Excel 4

Hide Gridlines in Excel Knowing how to hide gridlines in Excel is a common task that makes your spreadsheets clean, presentable and have a more professional look and feel.   What are Gridlines? A spreadsheet contains cells and gridlines represent the borders of these cells. They are the faint lines on your spreadsheet that help you to distinguish a cell’s boundary. By default, gridlines are displayed in your spreadsheets using a […]

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How to make a cell flash in Excel and why I wouldn’t do it 21

  I was asked recently by a colleague of mine “is there a way in which we can make a cell flash in Excel to highlight some pertinent information?” The idea behind the question was that the data in the spreadsheet is entered and maintained by an employee and then provided to their boss to actually work with the information. So… was there a way in which to highlight areas in […]


How to show the Developer Tab in Excel 6

How to show the Developer Tab in Excel     By default, the Developer Tab is not displayed as a menu option in Excel when you first open it up. You can, however, add it by following the few steps below. Adding the Developer Tab to your Ribbon menu allows you to: Write macros and VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) code. Run macros that you previously recorded. Use XML commands. […]

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