Collaborative Post¦ Excel programming is the key to unlocking the full potential of the Excel programme. However, this means different things to different people, depending on their familiarity with the programme. To some, using functions and formulae to perform basic tasks and calculations are ‘programming’, while to others automating the processes you perform most often would be ‘programming’. Excel consultants can help with all levels of Excel functioning. They can be used to correct a single formula that you just cannot get to work or to perform a full check of your existing Excel systems and automate or speed these up.
There are, therefore, different levels of competency when using Excel, and an understanding of these will help your business to assess its own level of in-house competence and consider what might be practical and realistic for you to achieve yourself. Moreover, a consultant will ensure you have any programs you need. After all, Excel doesn’t come with all Mac computers, and so this is something to consider. Head to https://setapp.com/how-to/alternative-to-notepad++-for-mac for advice on other programs you may need for Macs. It should also give you an idea of what Excel solutions might be achievable if you do use Excel consultants. At the basic level, people can use Excel as a data store, being able to enter words and numbers into a spreadsheet and potentially performing some formatting functions. They can use a more complex sheet, but only at the data entry level.
At the next level, users understand how to use simple formulae such as =SUM and =AVERAGE to interrogate data. They have the skills to use the tools, formulas, and functions needed to analyse and interpret the data. They are able to produce, for example, monthly expenditure and sales figures and develop graphs of the results. Reports show that this is the level that the majority of regular business users have achieved. More advanced computer users can use more complex formulae such as =VLOOKUP or INDEX-MATCH-MATCH, and understand and use, for example, data restrictions, data validation, pivot tables, and data maps. They can produce their own more complex spreadsheets, for instance, carrying out a cost-benefit analysis or creating personalised customer quotations from a standard price list. These users are more effective programming in Excel but may need the input of consultants to help with or check more complicated formulae.
More advanced Excel programming seeks to automate functions within and between Excel spreadsheets. Head to https://www.automateexcel.com/excel-automation-tools for tips. To perform this type of function, you need to develop the use of Excel macros. This sounds complex, but in essence, macros are small programs that an Excel programmer will write to run within Excel and help automate many common repetitive tasks. For example, a macro might be a computer ‘button’ on a spreadsheet that automatically generates a graph from your data when pressed, or it might update information on a number of linked sheets when a new entry is made on any sheet.
This might, for instance, be used to update your profit & loss sheet when pressed based on the most up to date information from other sheets such as sales and purchases, staff costs, and overheads etc. You might, of course, get the macro to perform these tasks automatically without the need to use a ‘button’. In fact, the limits on the scope of macros that could be developed are only the creativity of Excel programmers and the criteria set by the business developing the spreadsheet. Macros can save hours of data manipulation and boost business productivity. Microsoft reports indicate that while macros might be one of Excel’s most powerful features, they are also one of the most underused.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.