Excel Review Materials
 

The documents and workbooks on this site are for Fuqua MBA students looking for review and practice materials for Microsoft Excel. Examples and illustrations cover versions of Excel from 2003 to 2010.

Many of the documents on this site are in PDF format and require the PDF-reader to view or print. If you don't have a PDF-reader, obtain Adobe's free reader from the Adobe download site.

Also listed are recommended reference guides, tutorial texts, video and CD-ROM training materials, and Excel-information websites.

2012 - 2013

New to Excel?     Excel Tips: WORKBOOKS    Working Smarter    Charting Ideas    Calculations    Special Tools    Lists (Databases)    Modeling Practice   
Add-Ins    Add-Ins Sources    Tutorial & Reference Guides    power keyboarding resources block  Useful Web Sites

 

 

 

 

 

New to Excel?                                             



Excel Tips: Workbooks      
        (Note that some of these workbooks contain macros. )
 



Working Smarter                                           



 Excel Charting Ideas



Excel Calculations                                       

 

Special Excel Tools                                      

 

Excel Lists (Databases)                             



Excel Modeling Practice                              

 

Excel Add-Ins                                             

 

Excel Add-Ins: Sources & Information      

  

Excel Tutorial & Reference Guides (2003, 2007, 2010)                   

    Excel 2003

    Excel 2007

   Excel 2010

  • Learn excel 2010 essential skills with the smart method
    Mike Smart, The Smart Method Ltd.
    Fantastically easy-to-use and efficient lessons for beginning to intermediate users. Each lesson is fully described on two facing pages. Nothing extra to wade through. Great for self study. Web-based sample files at: http://www.LearnMicrosoftExcel.com
    ISBN-13: 978-0955459979
  • Learn excel 2010 expert skills with the smart method
    Mike Smart, The Smart Method Ltd.
    The follow-up expert version (see above). Again, fantastically easy-to-use and efficient lessons, each described on two facing pages. Web-based sample files at: http://www.LearnMicrosoftExcel.com
    ISBN-13: 978-0-9554599-8-6

  • Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Bible
    John Walkenbach, Wiley
    Another thorough reference guide on Mr. Walkenbach's specialty.
    ISBN-13: 978-0470474877

    Recommended Video/CD-ROM Excel Courses

  • Excel Training
    KeyStone Learning Systems, Video or CD-ROM formats. Beginning and intermediate training. Order online or 1-800-581-9732.
     
  • Excel Training
    LearnKey Training,Video or CD-ROM formats. Order online or 1-800-865-0165.

  • Microsoft
    Excel 2010 Skills Builder. Free online video training.


boxPower Keyboarding Resources

  • Microsoft Excel Team Favorite Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Excel Keystroke shortcuts exercise (2007 workbook)

  • Wall St Training: Advanced Excel Keyboard Shortcuts (also see Wall St Training's Self Study exercises)

  • Wall Street Prep FInancial Training Solutions Crash course in excel, including "Accelerate the internalization of key time-saving shortcuts via exercise-based internalization drills, audio guidance, and interactive quizzes."

  • A Perspective from the blog Stuff Investment bankers like - "The other thing investment bankers love about Excel are macros and shortcuts. Where would my life be without you Alt+E+S+T? (Allows you to paste the format from one cell to another). These little shortcuts allow investment bankers to make our worksheets proper and save us a great deal of time... During training, the programs like Training the Street even have contests to see how quickly investment banking analysts can format in Excel using all the shortcuts we have been taught. The sad thing is, they brainwash us to the point where we think it's cool and really want to be the fastest. Who wants to play the guitar or go for a run outside when you can be the fastest Excel formatter in the land? The programs keep a scoreboard from all the banks and lead us in cheers for our top competitors. The fastest formatter can wear this title like a badge of honor and even put this accolade on the good ol' resume."

up
Excel Websites

  • On Excel 2010's PowerPivot add-in:
    =powerpivot(pro) - Great site for intro and advanced users.
    PowerPivotGeek - primarily problem analyses.
    MrExcel PowerPivot Forum - Q&A.
    Kasper de Jonge PowerPivot Blog - "Bringing BI to the masses."

  • Excel Now! For purchase self-contained tutorial of Excel essentials. Reasonably priced. Well organized and easy to use.

  • Excel Audit: Managing spreadsheet risk. Website that gives chilling examples of the impact of failing to manage risk, gives suggestions for managing spreadsheet risk, and provides a survey to see how well you're currently managing spreadsheet risk.

    More on auditing and spreadsheet risk:
    SSRB    : Spreadsheet Standards Review Board (publishers of "Best Practice Spreadsheet Modelling Standards"), and

    Spreadsheet Safe - Skills and training course website, and

    EuSpRiG - The European Spreadsheet Risks Interest Group. An interest group of academia and industry promoting research regarding the extent and nature of spreadsheet risks, methods of prevention and detection of errors and methods of limiting damage. An especially useful article on that site:e:     Spreadsheet Modelling Best Practice.

  • CF (Goodwill Community Foundation) - Excel basics in text and video. Free online lessons.

  • PErceptual Edge: Visual Business Intelligence - Fabulous, thought-provoking website and blog by Stephen Few. "Perceptual Edge focuses on the tools and techniques of visual business intelligence to help you make better use of your valuable information assets."

  • Topo.ly - Data visualization professional Drew Kesler makes mapping simple. The what, why, and how of mapping in your business. Map locations from an Excel spreadsheet. Tutorials, blog, support.
  • CHANDOO: Learn excel & charting online, A lively and witty site packed with practical techniques, approaches, and tips. Every Excel business user (with the energy) should be following Chandoo's quickly-expanding blog. Chandoo's web-based "Excel School" is also occasionally available along with interesting guest bloggers. Follow this site long enough and you'll not only become an Excel expert, you'll also feel like you've known Chandoo for years.

  • ExcelCharts.com - An attractive, thoughtful, practical, and entertaining site by Jorge Camoes, in Lisbon Portugal. Jorge writes on data visualization, business charts, and dashboards. His site includes both free- and fee-based tutorials and his posts are always thought-provoking. Interested in exploring Tableau? Follow Jorge's experience.

  • Clearly and Simply: Intelligent Data Analysis, Modeling, Simulation and Visualization - This blog's title pretty much says it all. An intelligent and elegant website by Robert Mundigl (Germany) that includes many interesting and thought-provoking free example files and templates, mostly for Excel. Robert's blog title is from this quote by Karl Popper: "Anyone who cannot speak clearly and simply should say nothing and continue to work until he can do so." Robert also addresses Tableau visual analysis software in his blog.

  • PERCEPTUAL EDGE - Articles by Stephen Few, author, critic, designer, and inventor. This link is to his Library. Also available: Blog, Discussion, Examples, etc.

  • FLOWING DATA: Nathan Yau's brilliant depictions of data. Not necessarily Excel-oriented but stunning and inspiring.
  • MrExcel.com - Post an Excel question and get suggestions from a community of Excel users. Extensive archive of past Q&A. Access forum also available. Mr. Excel and associates have authored many books on Excel. Also lLearn Excel from MrExcel Video PodCasts. " Every weekday, I produce and send out a free 2-minute video demonstrating how to do a particular task in Excel. Initially, the podcast was a video companion to Learn Excel from MrExcel - but after 275 episodes, I had podcast the book in it's entirety. Today, any podcast episode might feature a viewer question or a concept from one of my Excel books."
     
  • Add-Ins.Com - An entire (long) page of Excel-topic web links from Macro Systems with links Organized by type (VBA, stock market, financial analysis, engineering, etc.).
     
  • Better Solutions - Addresses Word and PowerPoint as well as Excel.
     
  • Excel Tips - Beyond Technology Development Corp.
     
  • Excel User - Charlie Kyd's Excel website. Practical tips, advice, Excel version previews, etc.
     
  • http://www.excelbestpractices.com/excel/ - Loren Abdulezer's website supporting his often-referenced and outstanding book Excel Best Practices.
     
  • http://www.tushar-mehta.com/Excel/ - Fabulous website by the now legendary Tushar Mehta with ideas and add-ins for Excel charting along with notes on many other Excel topics.
     
  • http://peltiertech.com/ - A lively website by Jon Peltier with lots of business-focused Excel charting instructions and tips. Downloadable materials both free and for purchase. Dashboard recommendations and ideas plus a downloadable book on dashboarding with Excel.
     
  • Excel Web Reference - Pearson Software Consulting, LLC.
     
  • The Spreadsheet Page - JWalk & Associates, Inc. Prolific Excel book author John Walkenbach shares tips and views on this site. Also a humor corner.
     
  • Microsoft Excel Tips - Accounting Advisors.
     
  • The Excel Logic Page - Aaron Blood.
     
  • The Microsoft online Knowledgebase for Excel
     
  • Microsoft
    Office Assistance Online for Excel XP
    Excel 2010 Skills Builder (free online videos)
     
  • Rob Bovey's AppsPro Free Utilities Page
     
  • Excel User: For Business Users of MS Excel including an Excel Help Portal page.
     
  • VB Numerical Methods - Excel VBA code for financial and mathematical applications. Free downloads and a numerical methods discussion forum.
     
  • A page with links to other Excel information sites.
     
  • D. Dalgliesh's CONTEXTURES Excel site. Excel tips and techniques elegantly explained and illustrated.
     
  • Miricle Solutions List of Excel Links.
     
  • Aviran's Place: The Technology Hangout (includes articles on Office products)
     
  • Pioneer Training blog - Tips, tricks, opinions, and information for business computer users.
     
  • VISUAL BASIC EXPLORER - A website that helps a novice VB programmer learn Visual Basic (note: Not Visual Basic for Applications)
     
  • CLICK Consulting - Excel tips and training especially for accounting.
    Navigator + Project Finance Excel Shortcuts for financial modelers. Download a comprehensive list of Excel shortcuts. "The knowledge of the key shortcuts in Excel can make a big difference in the finance industry. Often things have to get done very quickly and yet big investments will be made backed up by your analysis. It is critical that you know the best ways of using common tools in Excel, and also know the best ways of minimising your mistakes. This collection of finance shortcuts for Excel will help you improve the quality of your work by adding consistency and efficiency to your keyboard skills. "
         
  • Joseph Rubin's Exceltip.com
     
  • Excel Wiki - A new public Wiki; a work in progress.
       
  • DataPig Technogies: Discover Your Data - An excellent free tutorial site created and maintained by author Michael Alexander, author of multiple books on Excel and Access including Excel 2007 Dashboards & Reports for Dummies.

  • JKP Application Development Services, Jan Karel Pieterse. Many useful articles, interesting Excel add-in downloads.

  • COdswallop technology & productivity - not just Excel but with links to lots of Excel resources. Especially see the list of "Online Tutorials and Videos".

  • Excel Hero - A blog by Daniel Ferry. An experienced Excel consultant shares some of his secrets.

 

       

  

Paula dot Ecklund at Duke dot edu
Duke's Fuqua School of Business
2012-2013
Last updated 9.2012