Microsoft Excel tips and tricks for accountants

TOPICS

June 1, 2020

Reaching the SUMIF

The SUMIF function provides a quick and simple way to create a sum based on a specific criterion, such as the type of audit.

April 14, 2020

Use Excel’s AutoSum button to add up rows and columns with just one click

Want to quickly add up rows or columns of data in your gradebook (or elsewhere)? The AutoSum function makes it easy.

March 10, 2020

Sort by color to group highlighted cells in Excel

Highlighting cells with different colors can help you quickly identify information in a spreadsheet. Excel also lets you sort by color to easily group all the information you’ve highlighted with a given color. Learn how.

March 1, 2020

Keeping up with deadlines using a dynamic spreadsheet

Microsoft Excel can keep track of deadline information in several ways.

March 1, 2020

The IF function mastered

Once you master the IF function, you will wonder how you ever lived without it.

March 1, 2020

Excel vs. Tableau: See your data differently

This article compares the data visualization program Tableau to Excel, examines their relative strengths, and provides a simple walk-through on how to use Tableau.

February 11, 2020

Use Excel’s Flash Fill to automatically fill in data quickly

How to use Excel’s Flash Fill feature, including a keyboard shortcut for both Windows and Excel for Mac.

February 1, 2020

The easy way to join text in Excel

If you have Excel 2019 or Excel 365, you can use the function TEXTJOIN to quickly join text in one cell and separate the text with any delimiter, even if you have many rows or columns of data to join.

February 1, 2020

Replace Excel errors using this function

IFERROR can be used to eliminate formula errors and replace those errors with something else.

January 14, 2020

Use IFS function to calculate letter grades in Excel

Added by Microsoft in 2016, the IFS function replaces the need for multiple nested IF statements. You can put all your conditions (percentage grade cutoffs in this example) in one function, making it easier to follow.

January 1, 2020

2 simple ways to visualize data

Supplementing spreadsheet data with visual representation aids the user in identifying trends and patterns that may not be evident otherwise.

October 1, 2019

How to access Excel’s revived real-time stock prices

We’re happy to report that Microsoft has now brought back real-time stock prices, but they are available only in Office 365, and the steps for creating such a link are different.

August 1, 2019

Troubleshooting a dating issue with Excel’s Fill Handle

An issue stems from the use of a European-style date format rather than a U.S.-style date format as your default Windows setting.

July 1, 2019

How to quickly replace ‘misspelled’ words in Excel

Instead of pressing the Change button for each misspelled word in the document, you can correct all of your misspelled cities as larger blocks of corrections.

July 1, 2019

A quick tip for breaking links in Excel

This action will remove all links from your workbook but leave your formulas intact so your recipients can still edit the data to produce “what-if ” scenarios for deeper analysis.

FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

Cannabis dispensary denied ERC

The Court of Federal Claims held that Sec. 280E, which prohibits deductions and credits for businesses trafficking in controlled substances, applies to the employee retention credit (ERC), including its refundable portion, and denied a cannabis business’s claim for a refundable ERC.