Excel Spreadsheets

[sarahwilson]

Has anyone done any courses for Excel at all?

I'm pretty incompetent with it beyond making a table, adding up a column and centring it all. I don't have much cause to use it where I work at the moment as I'm still on a learning curve but we do seem to use a lot of paper and I'm sure we could be more efficient if we got to grips with Excel.

I know further on in my career its going to be a necessity so I was thinking of an online course if anyone has any advice on them.

[purplegirl]

We did some pretty advanced stuff in our AAT Technician! Are you distance learning?
I have bought a Dummies guide to Excel and will be self-teaching myself to keep my knowledge upto date.
You could also do a ECDL.

[blobbyh]

I'd say that being able to efficiently use Excel is as crucial to modern accounting as learning how to do T accounts was crucial to old school accounting (not that I ever did any old school accounting!)

I have so many spreadsheets for recording everything from CIS tax in and out, accumulative PAYE, fixed assets and depreciation, accruals and prepayments, employee personnel details, recording employee holidays/sickness/lateness etc etc. Last count was approx. 130 different sheets which are all hyperlinked from one single Excel Index-sheet.

I can't imagaine how hard it would be to try and get by without Excel these days!

[sarahwilson]

This is exactly what I was thinking Robert. Currently we hold records of holiday and sickness in a folder on sheets of paper, not mention various other things that really should be on the computer as we back up the data and take it off site every night.

I can see its what we should be doing even if its in addition to the paper for a time (they are a bit old fashioned!!) but I don't want to suggest it without having the knowledge to back the suggestion up.

I am distance learning and as I don't work at a company that makes the best use of Excel I can't learn much here. I'll take a look at the Excel for Dummies purplegirl I hadn't thought of those.

Thanks both of you for your help.

[blobbyh]

Hello Sarah,

If you let me have your email address - by private message so it's not publicly available - I'll send you a copy of my new 2008 Holiday/Sick/Late planner. It's taken me three years to get to this design - 2006 & 2007 looked good but were unworkable - and now I've finally found one that actually seems to work 100% while still being simple to operate!

All you'll need to do is change the employee names which I can explain to you!

[sarahwilson]

Thanks for that Robert, I'll send you it now:001_smile:

[Sapphire]

Hi Robert

I was just reading your message about spreadsheets - would it be possible for you to send me a copy of your 2008 Holiday/Sick/Late planner - I hope you don't think I'm cheeky.

Thanks

Sapphire

[joy29]

Hi Robert

Sorry for being so cheeky but would it be possible to send it to me as well - it sounds just what I need.

Many thanks

Joy

[Essexgal]

Hi,

I may sounds very cheeky as im new on here but your spreadsheet sounds very helpful. If you could email it to me it would be much appreciated. I can use excel but only the basics.

Thanks

Essexgal

[Gem7321]

You could also do a ECDL.


I would defnately recommend ECDL, I was reasonably competent in using Excel anyway but I thought I may as well do it just to have another certificate in my folder! But it turned out to be really worthwhile.

[Stan Bown]

Robert, I don't know if you're still following this thread, but I'd really like to know how you hyperlink to other sheets in the same workbook.

Best wishes

Stan Bown

[sarahwilson]

I wouldn't mind knowing that either!!

[Cullen]

To create a hyperlink:
1 Open excel file.
2 On cell, key in name. Eg I have a hyperlink file, each column has similar types of files eg, ETBs or Fixed Assets, So each cell I want to link to a file I name the file.
3. Right click on cell, select hyperlink
4.Select either web page name or browse for file
5. Save excel file, I suggest on your desk top

If you have a lot of files on perhaps more than one drive having a "hyperlink" file saved to your desk top can save you a bit of time if you have to go in and out all day.

My colleague has a hyperlink file set up with a worksheet for each company that she does the accounts for and cells hyperlinked to lots of different spreadsheets.

You can create a hyperlink in Word or even here. Just right click on a web or email address and paste it where you want, like this:http://www.irishwolfhoundclub.org.uk/index1.htm. (Oh I hope this worked....)

The AAT do an excel help.....http://www.aat.org.uk/servlet/file/Excel%20guide.pdf?ITEM_ENT_ID=50419&COLLSPEC_ENT_ID=34

Hope this helps.

[richardw]

There is a lot of info, how-to's etc available on the microsoft website:

Online training courses http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/CR061831141033.aspx

Help & how-to http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/FX100646961033.aspx?CTT=96&Origin=CL100570551033


learndirect also have a range of excel courses
http://catalogue.learndirect.co.uk/browse/usingit/category42/
they also do the ecdl http://catalogue.learndirect.co.uk/qualifications/details/547720/

If your interested in taking excel skills further, you can do a microsoft office specilaist course in it
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/officespecialist/default.mspx

[Jan]

Thanks Richard & Cullen - I have also been wondering where I could learn more. I did a CLAIT course last century (on old school Acorn computers!!!)and tried ECDL a while ago. Didn't get on with it very well - tutor wasn't that brilliant and I was only really interested in the Excel bit.
Might give one of the learndirect courses a go - and I should be able to use it as CPD (?)

Eh Robert, are you ignoring me or too busy sprucing up your cv? I pm'd you above your excel sheets and haven't received anything yet. :crying:

[CJC]

I started an ECDL course a while ago mostly just so I have a piece of paper showing I can do what I can do. I didn't get on too well with it either. For some reason the local college would (not the one I did the AAT qualifications with btw) wouldn't let me do the advanced courses without doing the entire basic course first. So, there I was, an IT professional having to show I know how to open a file. Sheesh.

Needless, to say I was bored rigid and gave it up as a complete waste of time. From my experience, the basic ECDL is only useful if you know virtually zero about computers or the Office apps or you need a basic qualification. If you want to learn Excel in depth there are plenty of excellent books that will serve you just as well.

[blobbyh]

Robert, are you ignoring me or too busy sprucing up your cv? I pm'd you above your excel sheets and haven't received anything yet. :crying:


Sorry Jan, I have been logging on and off occasionally but one of the disadvantages of the new forum over the old one is that new posts aren't so easy to spot and I don't subscribe to threads.

As I've now noticed, there are several requests for my 2008 holiday planner and not one e-mail address for me to where to send it to! So for those that requested it, it's a good idea to PM me your e-mail as the insolvency people unfortunately took back my crystal ball! :mad2:

[shbh80]

hi,

can you please email me 2008 holiday planner on shbh79@yahoo.com.

Many thanks
shbh

[blobbyh]

Have emailed it to you - please provide feedback for possible future improvements or report errors e.g. make it prettier, duff formulae etc

[richardw]

I did the ECDL a few years ago, mainly as I didnt have anything for IT after I did CLAIT at school. I did find it relatively easy, & have since gone past it with the MS Office qualifications, however, it is a recognised thing, & some employers may place a value on it, as proof that you can use IT, & have done something to prove it.
There is an ECDL Advanced available, dont know what it is worth though.

[Gianni]

I also did the ECDL a few years ago, I would say it's the most basic course I've ever completed in my life. I finished the thing in two afternoons. I'd hate to see what CLAIT is like as I believe ECDL is a step beyond! I also never state I've achieved it on my CV as I think it makes me look worse than I am, the fact I even took it (was free during my A Levels!) may raise concerns to an employer.

However in saying that, if you have no experience with computers it may be useful although I don't think it applies as much nowadays!

[Sapphire]

Hi Robert

Could you please email the 2008 planner and any other little gems you might have on jayne.morri@blueyonder.co.uk.

Thanks

[sinbadthesailor]

Hello Robert,

I wouldn't mind having a look at what you got on those spreadsheets either mate.

sinbadthesailor@hotmail.com is the e/mail address.

Many thanks in advance Robert.

Regards,

Sinbad.

[Fee]

Hi

I'm normally quite good at creating s/sheets but my work means that I have to have an electronic cash book for currency bank accounts and that for each transaction I need to work out the gains/losses. My s/sheet is looking a bit messy so I was wondering if anyone out there uses anything similar that they would be willing to share?

Thanks

[annabu]

Hello Robert,

Could you please e-mail me 2008 planner and any other spreadsheets on aanmar365@yahoo.com.

Many Thanks

[TT Dee]

Good morning Robert,

Would you please e-mail your 2008 planner and any other spreadsheets to dee.bean@hotmail.co.uk

Many thanks in advance.