Excel is a powerful spreadsheet program that can be used to manage your finances to create graphs and charts. With Excel, you can use many different techniques for the same task. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of Excel.

Use Pivot Tables to Recognize Patterns

If you have a large data set, it cannot be easy to see patterns. Pivot tables can help you see relationships between data points. Select the Data you want to analyze and go to Insert > PivotTable to create a pivot table.

In the Create PivotTable dialog box, choose where the pivot table should be placed and click

OK. A pivot table will be created with the default settings. To change the settings, go to

PivotTable Tools > Options. You can change things like the layout, what Data is shown, and how it’s sorted.

Use Filters to Simplify Your Data

Excel has a built-in filtering feature that can be used to hide data that you don’t need to see. Select the Data you want to filter and go to Data> Filter to use filters.

A dropdown menu will appear in each column header. Click the dropdown menu and select the criteria you want to filter by. Learning how to insert a dropdown in Excel is something many excel users focus more on. A dropdown menu is great for data validation. You can also use filters to create a dynamic range.

A dynamic range is a named range that automatically expands or contracts when Data is added or removed. Select the information you want to include in the range and go to Formulas > Name Manager to create a dynamic range. In the Name Manager dialog box, click New.

Remove Duplicate Data Points or Sets

If you have duplicate data points or sets, you can use the Data> Remove Duplicates feature to remove them. Select the Data you want to remove duplicates from to use this feature and go to Data> Remove Duplicates. Select which columns you want to check for copies and click OK in the Remove Duplicates dialog box.

You can also use the Data> Consolidate feature to combine data from multiple ranges into one range. Select the Data you want to consolidate and go to Data> Consolidate to use this feature. In the Consolidate dialog box, select which options you want and click OK.

Use Data Validation to Restrict Data Input

When you want to restrict the Data that can be input into a cell, you can use data validation. Select the cell you want to validate and go to Data> Data Validation to use data validation. In the Data Validation dialog box, select the criteria you wish to use and click OK.

For example, you could use data validation only to allow numbers to be input into a cell. Or you could use data validation only to let data that are in the future be input into a cell.

Split Up Text Information Between Columns

Sometimes when you have text information in one column that you want to split up into multiple columns, you can use the Text to Columns feature. Select the column of Data you want to split and go to Data> Text to Columns to use this feature. Select the delimiter you want to use in the Convert Text to Columns Wizard and click Finish.

A good example is when you have a column of data that contains both first and last names, you could use the Text to Columns feature to split the data so that each person’s first name is in one column and their last name is in another column.

Transpose Rows Into Columns or Columns Into Rows

You can use the Paste Special feature when you want to transpose rows into columns or columns into rows. Select the Data you want to transpose and go to Edit > Paste Special to use this feature. In the Paste Special dialog box, select Transpose and click OK.

This is a helpful tip when you want to change the orientation of your data without having to manually copy and paste each piece of data into a new location. You can also use the Text to Columns feature to split the data so that each person’s first name is in one column and their last name is in another column.

Combine Multiple Workbooks Into One Workbook

You can use the Merge feature if you have multiple workbooks that you want to combine into one workbook. Go to File > Merge and select the files you want to merge to use this feature. You can also use the Consolidate feature to combine data from multiple ranges into one range.

There are some helpful Excel tips that everyone should know about. They include filtering data, removing duplicates, using data validation, and splitting text information between columns. Understand how to transpose rows into columns or rows using the Paste Special feature.