Table of Contents

Introduction      1

PART  I :  MASTERING EXCEL RANGES AND FORMULAS
Chapter 1   Getting the Most Out of Ranges     5
Advanced Range-Selection Techniques     5
    Mouse Range-Selection Tricks     6
    Keyboard Range-Selection Tricks     7
    Working with 3D Ranges     7
    Selecting a Range Using Go To     8
    Using the Go To Special Dialog Box     9
Data Entry in a Range      14
Filling a Range     14
    Using the Fill Handle     15
    Flash-Filling a Range     18
Creating a Series     20
Advanced Range Copying and Pasting     21
    Pasting Selected Cell Attributes     22
    Combining Two Ranges Arithmetically     23
    Transposing Rows and Columns     24
Clearing a Range     25
Applying Conditional Formatting to a Range     25
    Creating Highlight Cells Rules     26
    Creating Top/Bottom Rules     27
    Adding Data Bars     29
    Adding Color Scales     32
    Adding Icon Sets     33
Chapter 2   Using Range Names     37
Defining a Range Name     38
    Working with the Name Box     39
    Using the New Name Dialog Box     40
    Changing the Scope to Define Sheet-Level Names     41
    Using Worksheet Text to Define Names     41
     Naming Constants     44
Working with Range Names     45
    Referring to a Range Name     45
    Working with AutoComplete for Range Names     47
    Navigating Using Range Names     47
    Pasting a List of Range Names in a Worksheet     48
    Displaying the Name Manager     48
    Filtering Names     48
Editing a Range Name’s Coordinates     49
Adjusting Range Name Coordinates Automatically     49
Changing a Range Name     51
Deleting a Range Name     51
Using Names with the Intersection Operator      51
Chapter 3   Building Basic Formulas     53
Understanding Formula Basics     53
    Formula Limits in Excel 2016     54
    Entering and Editing Formulas     54
    Using Arithmetic Formulas     55
    Using Comparison Formulas     56
    Using Text Formulas     57
    Using Reference Formulas     57
Understanding Operator Precedence     57
    The Order of Precedence     58
    Controlling the Order of Precedence     58
Controlling Worksheet Calculation     60
Copying and Moving Formulas     62
    Understanding Relative Reference Format     62
    Understanding Absolute Reference Format     64
    Copying a Formula Without Adjusting Relative References     65
Displaying Worksheet Formulas     65
    Displaying All Worksheet Formulas      65
    Displaying a Cell’s Formula by Using FORMULATEXT()     65
Converting a Formula to a Value     66
Working with Range Names in Formulas      67
    Pasting a Name into a Formula      67
    Applying Names to Formulas     68
    Naming Formulas     70
Working with Links in Formulas     71
    Understanding External References     72
    Updating Links     73
    Changing the Link Source     73
Formatting Numbers, Dates, and Times     74
    Numeric Display Formats     74
    Date and Time Display Formats     83
    Deleting Custom Formats     85
Chapter 4   Creating Advanced Formulas     87
Working with Arrays     87
    Using Array Formulas     88
    Using Array Constants     91
    Functions That Use or Return Arrays     91
Using Iteration and Circular References     93
Consolidating Multisheet Data     95
    Consolidating by Position     95
    Consolidating by Category     98
Applying Data-Validation Rules to Cells     100
Using Dialog Box Controls on a Worksheet     103
    Displaying the Developer Tab     103
    Using the Form Controls     103
    Adding a Control to a Worksheet     104
    Linking a Control to a Cell Value     104
    Understanding the Worksheet Controls     105
Chapter 5   Troubleshooting Formulas     111
Understanding Excel’s Error Values     112
    #DIV/0!     112
    #N/A     113
    #NAME?     113
    Case Study: Avoiding #NAME? Errors When Deleting Range Names     114
    #NULL!     115
    #NUM!     115
    #REF!     115
    #VALUE!     115
Fixing Other Formula Errors     116
    Missing or Mismatched Parentheses     116
    Erroneous Formula Results     117
    Fixing Circular References     118
Handling Formula Errors with IFERROR()     118
Using the Formula Error Checker     119
    Choosing an Error Action     120
    Setting Error Checker Options     121
Auditing a Worksheet     123
    Understanding Auditing     124
    Tracing Cell Precedents     125
    Tracing Cell Dependents     125
    Tracing Cell Errors      125
    Removing Tracer Arrows     125
    Evaluating Formulas     126
    Watching Cell Values     126

PART  II :  HARNESSING THE POWER OF FUNCTIONS
Chapter 6   Understanding Functions     129
About Excel’s Functions     130
The Structure of a Function     130
Typing a Function into a Formula     132
Using the Insert Function Feature     134
Loading the Analysis ToolPak     136
Chapter 7   Working with Text Functions     139
Excel’s Text Functions     139
Working with Characters and Codes     141
    The CHAR() Function     141
    The CODE() Function     144
Converting Text     144
    The LOWER() Function     145
    The UPPER() Function     145
    The PROPER() Function     145
    The NUMBERVALUE() Function     145
Formatting Text     146
    The DOLLAR() Function     146
    The FIXED() Function     147
    The TEXT() Function     147
    Displaying When a Workbook Was Last Updated     148
Manipulating Text     149
    Removing Unwanted Characters from a String     149
    The REPT() Function: Repeating a Character or String     150
    Extracting a Substring     152
    Converting Text to Sentence Case     153
    A Date-Conversion Formula     154
    Case Study: Generating Account Numbers, Part I     154
Searching for Substring     155
    The FIND() and SEARCH() Functions     155
    Extracting a First Name or Last Name     156
    Extracting First Name, Last Name, and Middle Initial     157
    Determining the Column Letter     157
Substituting One Substring for Another     158
    The REPLACE() Function     159
    The SUBSTITUTE() Function     159
    Removing a Character from a String     160
    Removing Two Different Characters from a String     160
    Case Study: Generating Account Numbers, Part II     161
    Removing Line Feeds     161
Chapter 8   Working with Logical and Information Functions     163
Adding Intelligence with Logical Functions     163
    Using the IF() Function     164
    Performing Multiple Logical Tests     167
    Combining Logical Functions with Arrays     173
    Case Study: Building an Accounts Receivable Aging Worksheet     178
Getting Data with Information Functions     181
    The CELL() Function     182
    The ERROR.TYPE() Function     184
    The INFO() Function     186
    The SHEET() and SHEETS() Functions     186
    The IS Functions     187
Chapter 9   Working with Lookup Functions     191
Excel’s Lookup Functions     191
Understanding Lookup Tables     192
The CHOOSE() Function     193
    Determining the Name of the Day of the Week     194
    Determining the Month of the Fiscal Year     194
    Calculating Weighted Questionnaire Results     195
    Integrating CHOOSE() and Worksheet Option Buttons     195
Looking Up Values in Tables     196
     The VLOOKUP() Function     197
     The HLOOKUP() Function     197
     Returning a Customer Discount Rate with a Range Lookup     198
     Returning a Tax Rate with a Range Lookup     199
     Finding Exact Matches     200
     Advanced Lookup Operations     201
Chapter 10   Working with Date and Time Functions     207
How Excel Deals with Dates and Times     207
    Entering Dates and Times     208
    Excel and Two-Digit Years     209
Using Excel’s Date Functions      210
    Returning a Date     212
    Returning Parts of a Date     213
    Calculating the Difference Between Two Dates     223
Using Excel’s Time Functions     227
    Returning a Time     228
    Returning Parts of a Time     229
    Calculating the Difference Between Two Times     231
    Case Study: Building an Employee Time Sheet     231
Chapter 11   Working with Math Functions     237
Excel’s Math and Trig Functions     237
Understanding Excel’s Rounding Functions     241
    The ROUND() Function     241
    The MROUND() Function     242
    The ROUNDDOWN() and ROUNDUP() Functions     242
    The CEILING.MATH() and FLOOR.MATH() Functions     243
    The EVEN() and ODD() Functions     245
    The INT() and TRUNC() Functions     245
    Case Study: Rounding Billable     247
Summing Values     247
    The SUM() Function     247
    Calculating Cumulative Totals     248
    Summing Only the Positive or Negative Values in a Range     249
The MOD() Function     249
    A Better Formula for Time Differences     250
    Summing Every nth Row     250
    Determining Whether a Year Is a Leap Year     251
    Creating Ledger Shading     251
Generating Random Numbers     253
    The RAND() Function     253
    The RANDBETWEEN() Function     255
Chapter 12   Working with Statistical Functions     257
Excel’s Statistical Functions     257
Understanding Descriptive Statistics     260
Counting Items with the COUNT() Function     261
Calculating Averages     262
    The AVERAGE() Function     262
    The MEDIAN() Function     262
    The MODE() Function     263
    Calculating the Weighted Mean     263
Calculating Extreme Values     264
    The MAX() and MIN() Functions     264
    The LARGE() and SMALL() Functions     266
    Performing Calculations on the Top k Values     266
    Performing Calculations on the Bottom k Values     267
Calculating Measures of Variation     267
    Calculating the Range     268
    Calculating the Variance     268
    Calculating the Standard Deviation     269
Working with Frequency Distributions     270
    The FREQUENCY() Function     271
    Understanding the Normal Distribution and the NORMDIST() Function     272
    The Shape of the Curve I: The SKEW() Function     274
    The Shape of the Curve II: The KURT() Function     275
Using the Analysis ToolPak Statistical Tools     276
    Using the Descriptive Statistics Tool     279
    Determining the Correlation Between Data     280
Working with Histograms     283
Using the Random Number Generation Tool     285
Working with Rank and Percentile     288

PART  III :  BUILDING BUSINESS MODELS
Chapter 13   Analyzing Data with Tables     291
Planning an Excel Table     291
Converting a Range to a Table     292
Basic Table Operations     294
Sorting a Table     295
    Performing a More Complex Sort     296
    Sorting a Table in Natural Order     297
    Sorting on Part of a Field     298
    Sorting Without Articles     299
Filtering Table Data     300
    Using Filter Lists to Filter a Table     300
    Using Complex Criteria to Filter a Table     304
    Entering Computed Criteria     307
    Copying Filtered Data to a Different Range     308
Referencing Tables in Formulas     309
    Using Table Specifiers     309
    Entering Table Formulas     311
Excel’s Table Functions     313
    About Table Functions     313
    Table Functions That Don’t Require a Criteria Range     313
    Table Functions That Accept Multiple Criteria     317
    Table Functions That Require a Criteria Range     319
    Case Study: Applying Statistical Table Functions to a Defects Database     322
Chapter 14   Analyzing Data with PivotTables     325
What Are PivotTables?     325
    How PivotTables Work     326
    Some PivotTable Terms      328
Building PivotTables     329
    Building a PivotTable from a Table or Range     329
    Building a PivotTable from an External Database     332
    Working with and Customizing a PivotTable     333
Working with PivotTable Subtotals     333
    Hiding PivotTable Grand Totals     334
    Hiding PivotTable Subtotals     334
    Customizing the Subtotal Calculation     334
    Changing the Data Field Summary Calculation     335
    Using a Difference Summary Calculation     336
    Using a Percentage Summary Calculation     337
    Using a Running Total Summary Calculation     340
    Using an Index Summary Calculation     341
Creating Custom PivotTable Calculations     342
    Creating a Calculated Field     344
    Creating a Calculated Item     346
Using PivotTable Results in a Worksheet Formula     347
Chapter 15   Using Excel’s Business Modeling Tools      349
Using What-If Analysis     349
    Setting Up a One-Input Data Table     350
    Adding More Formulas to the Input Table     352
    Setting Up a Two-Input Data Table     353
    Editing a Data Table     355
Working with Goal Seek     355
    How Does Goal Seek Work?     355
    Running Goal Seek     356
    Optimizing Product Margin     358
    A Note About Goal Seek’s Approximations     358
    Performing a Break-Even Analysis     360
    Solving Algebraic Equations     360
Working with Scenarios     362
    Understanding Scenarios     362
    Setting Up Your Worksheet for Scenarios     363
     Adding a Scenario     364
    Displaying a Scenario     365
    Editing a Scenario     366
    Merging Scenarios     367
    Generating a Summary Report     367
    Deleting a Scenario     369
Chapter 16   Using Regression to Track Trends and Make Forecasts     371
Choosing a Regression Method     372
Using Simple Regression on Linear Data     372
    Analyzing Trends Using Best-Fit Lines     373
    Making Forecasts     380
    Case Study: Trend Analysis and Forecasting for a Seasonal Sales Model    386
Using Simple Regression on Nonlinear Data     393
    Working with an Exponential Trend     394
    Working with a Logarithmic Trend     399
    Working with a Power Trend    401
    Using Polynomial Regression Analysis     403
Using Multiple Regression Analysis     407
Chapter 17   Solving Complex Problems with Solver     411
Some Background on Solver     411
    The Advantages of Solver     412
    When Do You Use Solver?     412
Loading Solver     413
Using Solver     413
Adding Constraints     416
Saving a Solution as a Scenario     418
Setting Other Solver Options     418
    Selecting the Method Solver Uses     419
    Controlling How Solver Works     419
    Working with Solver Models     422
Making Sense of Solver’s Messages     424
    Case Study: Solving the Transportation Problem     425
Displaying Solver’s Reports     427
    The Answer Report     427
    The Sensitivity Report     429
    The Limits Report     430

PART  IV :  BUILDING FINANCIAL FORMULAS
Chapter 18   Building Loan Formulas     433
Understanding the Time Value of Money     433
Calculating a Loan Payment     435
    Loan Payment Analysis     435
    Working with a Balloon Loan     436
    Calculating Interest Costs, Part 1     436
    Calculating the Principal and Interest     437
    Calculating Interest Costs, Part 2     438
    Calculating Cumulative Principal and Interest     439
Building a Loan Amortization Schedule     440
    Building a Fixed-Rate Amortization Schedule     440
    Building a Dynamic Amortization Schedule     441
Calculating the Term of a Loan     443
Calculating the Interest Rate Required for a Loan     445
Calculating How Much You Can Borrow     446
    Case Study: Working with Mortgages     447
Chapter 19   Building Investment Formulas     453
Working with Interest Rates     453
    Understanding Compound Interest     454
    Nominal Versus Effective Interest     454
    Converting Between the Nominal Rate and the Effective Rate     455
Calculating the Future Value     456
    The Future Value of a Lump Sum     456
    The Future Value of a Series of Deposits     457
    The Future Value of a Lump Sum Plus Deposits     458
Working Toward an Investment Goal     458
    Calculating the Required Interest Rate     458
    Calculating the Required Number of Periods     459
    Calculating the Required Regular Deposit    460
    Calculating the Required Initial Deposit     461
    Calculating the Future Value with Varying Interest Rates     461
    Case Study: Building an Investment Schedule     462
Chapter 20   Building Discount Formulas     467
Calculating the Present Value     468
    Taking Inflation into Account     468
    Calculating Present Value Using PV()     469
    Income Investing Versus Purchasing a Rental Property     470
    Buying Versus Leasing     471
Discounting Cash Flows     472
    Calculating the Net Present Value     473
    Calculating Net Present Value Using NPV()     474
    Net Present Value with Varying Cash Flows     475
    Net Present Value with Nonperiodic Cash Flows     476
Calculating the Payback Period     477
    Simple Undiscounted Payback Period     477
    Exact Undiscounted Payback Point     478
    Discounted Payback Period     479
Calculating the Internal Rate of Return     479
    Using the IRR() Function     480
    Calculating the Internal Rate of Return for Nonperiodic Cash Flows     480
    Calculating Multiple Internal Rates of Return     481
    Case Study: Publishing a Book     482
Index     497

About the Author

Paul McFedries is an Excel expert and full-time technical writer. Paul has been authoring computer books since 1991 and has more than 85 books to his credit, which combined have sold more than 4 million copies worldwide. His titles include the Que Publishing books My Office 2016, Windows 10 In Depth (with coauthor Brian Knittel), and PCs for Grownups, as well as the Sams Publishing book Windows 7 Unleashed. Paul is also the proprietor of Word Spy (www.wordspy.com), a website devoted to lexpionage, the sleuthing of new words and phrases that have entered the English language. Please drop by Paul’s personal website at www.mcfedries.com or follow Paul on Twitter, at twitter.com/wordspy.