Coordinating a massive amount of data in Microsoft Excel is a time-consuming headache. Thankfully, you don’t have to. The VLOOKUP function can help you automate this task and save you tons of time. What does VLOOKUP do, exactly? Here’s the simple explanation: The VLOOKUP function searches for a specific value in your data, and once it identifies that value, it can find — and display — some other piece of information that’s associated with that value. Microsoft Excel’s VLOOKUP function is easier to use than you think. What’s more, it is incredibly powerful, and is definitely something you want to […]

Knowing the ins and outs of Excel is essential for organizing data, understanding analytics, and getting the most from your marketing efforts. The tool is great for quickly processing vast amounts of data, but it can be overwhelming if you don’t spend the majority of your workday whipping up spreadsheets. Fortunately, a few basic skills are all you need to put together an easy-to-read spreadsheet. One is knowing how to merge cells in Excel. Whether you’re planning blog articles for the upcoming quarter, creating an email list for a targeted campaign, or designing SEO-friendly Google ads, merging cells is a […]

Heat maps in Excel help businesses to visualize large data sets, transforming a pool of numbers into easily interpretable graphs. For example, a retailer can use a heat map to analyze sales data and find products that sell more during specific seasons. In short, heat maps help you find and color-code correlations that may have been difficult to discern from raw data. This guide will show you how to create heat maps in Excel of different types: A simple heat map with conditional formatting. A heat map with a custom color scale. A geographic heat map. Let’s get started. What […]

Microsoft Excel remains the go-to option for many businesses to perform data calculations and create charts based on the results. The Gantt chart is a useful guide that isn’t naturally available in Excel. Great for project management and milestone tracking, Gantt charts can help companies better visualize operations and streamline current processes. In this piece, we’ll dive into the basics of Gantt charts and explore their benefits, then provide a step-by-step guide to creating them in Excel, along with some useful examples. Before long, you’ll be able to use Excel like a pro. What are Gantt charts? The Benefits of […]

To enjoy Excel fully, you must know how to use the IF-THEN function. The IF-THEN is one of Excel’s most impressive functions, as you can use it to analyze data, draw inferences and make decisions under certain preset conditions. But what exactly are IF-THEN statements, and how can you start using them? In this guide, we’ll show you how to use IF-THEN statements to improve your mastery of Excel. Table of Contents What are IF-THEN statements in Excel? The Benefits of IF-THEN Statements in Excel How to Use IF-THEN Statements in Excel Best Practices for IF-THEN Statements in Excel What […]

Excel is one of the world’s most popular spreadsheet programs, with an estimated 1.1 billion people using it for data organization, analysis, and reporting. While it’s a commendable data system for teams within a business, it’s not free. A standalone copy of Excel costs $159.99, and a personal Office subscription is $69.99 per year for one user. Microsoft Excel might be the big cheese of data analysis and management, but it’s not the only tool in town. So, whether you’re looking for a free alternative, a cloud-based solution, or a tool with more advanced features, this article has something for […]

Knowing how to sort in Excel can feel like a superpower. But unfortunately, many go through the tedious route of sorting and organizing data manually. However, like many operations on Excel, there’s a workaround to sorting and organizing data with a few clicks. In this guide, we’ll show you the different ways to use Excel’s sorting feature that you may not know about — so you can start using Excel like a pro. Let’s start with the basics. Table of Contents How to Sort in Excel How to Alphabetize in Excel Sorting Multiple Columns Sorting in Custom Order Sorting a […]

Microsoft Excel’s versatility and sheer number of features make it one of the most complex software programs to master. While you might want to learn every feature in Excel, you’ll likely need to know just a limited number to get the best from the software. Macros are small and simple programs that can make your work much easier and are favored by expert users. The good thing is that learning how to enable macros is relatively easy, and in this article, we’ll show you how to enable macros in Excel, since they are disabled by default. What are macros in […]

The pivot table is one of Microsoft Excel’s most powerful — and intimidating — functions. Pivot tables can help you summarize and make sense of large data sets. However, they also have a reputation for being complicated. The good news is that learning how to create a pivot table in Excel is much easier than you may believe. We’re going to walk you through the process of creating a pivot table and show you just how simple it is. First, though, let’s take a step back and make sure you understand exactly what a pivot table is, and why you […]

Building charts and graphs are one of the best ways to visualize data in a clear and comprehensible way. However, it’s no surprise that some people get a little intimidated by the prospect of poking around in Microsoft Excel. I thought I’d share a helpful video tutorial as well as some step-by-step instructions for anyone out there who cringes at the thought of organizing a spreadsheet full of data into a chart that actually, you know, means something. But before diving in, we should go over the different types of charts you can create in the software. Types of Charts […]