Microsoft Excel can be a fabulous tool, whether you're adept at computers or not. Many folks think it's only for bookkeeping and accounting. Not so! Excel was designed to easily manipulate data, and that's exactly what I use it for. Numbers, of course, are a form of data, but so are names and addresses, dates, product descriptions, and any other item you can think of that needs to be tracked and organized.
If you go to my page Free Forms, you'll find quite a few Excel spreadsheets I've designed over the years, and you'll see what I mean. Excel is the Swiss army knife of software programs! You can calculate, sort, filter, track, and otherwise manipulate all sorts of data. Try it for yourself: open Excel and try typing in column A a list of family members' names, just for fun. Drag your mouse pointer over all the names you've entered - you'll see the shading change and a box appear around them. Go to the top right of your toolbar - click on Sort and Filter, then on Sort A to Z. See what happens? You've just alphabetized your names - GO YOU!
Go to my free forms and open one. Try the Contact Database for instance. I've already set up the column headings (they'll always be named Columns A-ZZZ, but you can make column headers like I did). Every entry you make will go down in rows 1-65,000 (and more if you need more!). Play around with it by entering data in all the columns - real or made up. Test the tools in the toolbar at the top to see what they do. You can format (i.e. set up) any cell (the box that marks the intersection of a row and column) in any way you wish - text, %, $, phone number, and much more.
I use Excel for my contact database, for event tracking, invoicing, product sales, budget sheet, and more. You can use the free forms I designed, or in Excel, click on File/New and look at the wide variety of forms Microsoft offers you, also free. All you have to do is enter your own data and see what you can do. All the templates you find will help organize your working life so you don't lose track of information.
Microsoft offers wonderful free tutorials on their website here. Between all the free templates and the tutorials, you'll get a handle on how to use this all-purpose tool. But remember, if you want customized training, get a group together and contact me at Holly@LightseedsOffice.com - I'm happy to give your group a class!
If you go to my page Free Forms, you'll find quite a few Excel spreadsheets I've designed over the years, and you'll see what I mean. Excel is the Swiss army knife of software programs! You can calculate, sort, filter, track, and otherwise manipulate all sorts of data. Try it for yourself: open Excel and try typing in column A a list of family members' names, just for fun. Drag your mouse pointer over all the names you've entered - you'll see the shading change and a box appear around them. Go to the top right of your toolbar - click on Sort and Filter, then on Sort A to Z. See what happens? You've just alphabetized your names - GO YOU!
Go to my free forms and open one. Try the Contact Database for instance. I've already set up the column headings (they'll always be named Columns A-ZZZ, but you can make column headers like I did). Every entry you make will go down in rows 1-65,000 (and more if you need more!). Play around with it by entering data in all the columns - real or made up. Test the tools in the toolbar at the top to see what they do. You can format (i.e. set up) any cell (the box that marks the intersection of a row and column) in any way you wish - text, %, $, phone number, and much more.
I use Excel for my contact database, for event tracking, invoicing, product sales, budget sheet, and more. You can use the free forms I designed, or in Excel, click on File/New and look at the wide variety of forms Microsoft offers you, also free. All you have to do is enter your own data and see what you can do. All the templates you find will help organize your working life so you don't lose track of information.
Microsoft offers wonderful free tutorials on their website here. Between all the free templates and the tutorials, you'll get a handle on how to use this all-purpose tool. But remember, if you want customized training, get a group together and contact me at Holly@LightseedsOffice.com - I'm happy to give your group a class!
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