While working on a client’s sales plan last week, I had to count the orders for a couple of specific customers.  Here’s a screenshot of some sample data, with the customer names in column B.

Count cells that are an exact match
In Excel, you can use the COUNTIF function to count cells that meet a [...]

If you’re having a party this weekend, you can use Excel to plan the guest seating. And if you sent me an invitation, it hasn’t arrived yet!
In this example, you’ll enter the guest names on an Excel worksheet, then fill the tables by selecting names from data validation drop down lists. After you’ve selected a [...]

You might not love the Ribbon in Excel 2007, but the user interface does have new features that are an improvement over Excel 2003. The new features are useful when you’re working with large formulas or long names.
Change the Formula Bar Height
In Excel 2003, if you click on a cell that contains a long formula, [...]

You have two Excel lists, and you’re trying to find the items that are in both lists. You know there are matching items, but your VLOOKUP formulas can’t find them. In this screenshot, the tiptech.html page is in both lists, but the VLOOKUP formula in cell C2 can’t find it.

Spot the Differences
Working with Excel [...]

You can create order forms and price lists in Excel, and automatically show a price when a product is selected in the order form. But what happens if you want to give some customers special pricing, or offer sales pricing occasionally?
Using the VLOOKUP Function
With a simple VLOOKUP function in Excel, you can pull a product [...]

Can you remember how old you are? Or are you like me, and have to ask, “What year is it?” and then subtract your birth year?
Fortunately, Excel can help you with that calculation, if you use the handy, but poorly documented, DATEDIF function. You won’t find DATEDIF in Excel’s help, and the Microsoft website [...]

It’s Price Book publishing week for one of my clients, and we’ve been making lists, and checking them twice. Or 3 or 4 times, or more!
When comparing the new prices to the previous prices, an Excel AutoFilter comes in handy. You can select the same product or model in each workbook, and easily compare item [...]

That’s my dad in the picture, proudly holding the catch of the day. He tried to teach me how to fish, but without much success.  (Worms…ewwww.)
This week someone asked me to explain the Excel OFFSET function, saying “Please teach me to fish.” That’s when it struck me that using OFFSET is similar to fishing.

When [...]

After a long day of dealing with Excel formulas, pivot tables, and hidden Ribbon commands, you might be ready for an evening cocktail. Or six!
I found a link to this Canadian drinking study in the Toronto paper today, and it looks like we’re a nation of teetotalers. Is your country the same?
Apparently most Canadians don’t [...]

Last Friday, January 8th, would have been Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday. Sadly, he died in 1977, so he never had a chance to work with Microsoft Excel. A Twitter challenge on the weekend was to rename some of Elvis’ hit songs, using Excel references. Who says Twitter is just a waste of time?
One of my [...]