spreadsheets

If you spend any time working with Excel as part of your job, you'll really like this book... Excel Hacks by David & Raina Hawley (O'Reilly). This book contains 100 tips and tricks related to the Excel spreadsheet package from Microsoft. The tips are divided into the following chapters:

Reducing Workbook And Worksheet Frustration; Hacking Excel's Built-in Features; Naming Hacks; Hacking PivotTables; Charting Hacks; Hacking Formulas And Functions; Macro Hacks; Connecting Excel To The World

This particular Hacks book has an advantage that many other Hacks titles don't have. The subject matter relates to a single program, so nearly all the hacks are applicable to an Excel user. Contrast that to a Hacks title like Network Security Hacks, where your choice of operating system limits the number of tips that you can use. While there are some Windows-only Excel hacks included, most all the tricks work on both the Windows and Mac version of Excel. Nobody should feel left out here.

I especially liked the chapter on the charting hacks. They outline a technique for building a speedometer chart that is really impressive.

If you are an Excel power user (or know someone who is), this is the book for you.

This book is full of amazing tricks and shortcuts that one can use to customize workbooks and make them more user friendly and visually appealing.

The book is designed to be useful to both Macintosh and PC users. The writing style is easy to understand and uses step-by-step instructions. Therer are many helpful illustrations.

The hacks are rated for difficulty: Beginner, Moderate and Expert, and groups of hacks are organized into chapters.

Hack #1 is rated as Beginner. This hacks allows the user to view multiple workbooks on the screen simultaneously and also how to change the layout style of the workbooks viewed. The Excel user can then choose a method of viewing multiple workbooks best suited to his or her needs.

Hack #3, rated as a Moderate hack, is entitled "Prevent Users from Performing Certain Actions." This hack protects Excel workbooks from changes. The creator can protect his or her workbooks from being copied with the Save As. . .command, prevent the user from printing a workbook and prevent users from inserting more worksheets.

Hack #57 is an example of an Expert hack. "Create A Speedometer Chart" seems to be one of the more elaborate hacks in the book. It enables the user to create a circular chart with a moving needle by first compiling data in a worksheet and then using the Chart Wizard to combine doughnut and pie charts. The user can then create a unique chart that isn't offered by the Chart Wizard. The speedometer needle will move when a scrollbar is activated by the user.

This book isn't one to use to learn Excel for the first time. But anyone who has a basic understanding of Excel will find hacks that are useful and will make their work more productive.

Just when you think you know everything, someone like this has to come along and show you that, comparatively speaking, you didn't know anything. Thank goodness, NOW YOU DO because you've read this terrific book!

Kudos to Dave & Raina Hawley!