Sorting, Filtering, Subtotaling Lists in Excel

A list in Excel is a “chunk of data”. Usually the data has headings across the top of the chunk. A list should contain no empty rows or columns, it can contain empty cells (because sometimes you don’t have the data necessary to fill in the cell.)

Examples of lists – mailing list; list of sales people including their territory and sales figures for several years; Top 100 Businesses in your area including # of employees, sales, name of CEO.

Although we often think of Excel as a tool for performing calculations, some lists may contain only text (such as a name and address list.) The value of creating and maintaining this type of list in Excel vs. Word is the many tools available to sort, filter, subtotal, extract, merge, and otherwise evaluate and manipulate the list data.

More Tips Than You Can Shake a Stick At

The Best Computer Tips and Software Deals on the Internet! Visit WorldStart’s home page and peruse their archived computer tips, newsletters, and software store. I receive their MS Office and Computer Tips newsletters and enjoy the variety of information and how well it’s presented.

The Virtual Chase

Just to prove what a geek I am … I’m not a legal professional, although I do work with them. But I truly enjoy perusing Genie Tyburski’s The Virtual Chase.

The Virtual Chase
Teaching Legal Professionals How to Do Research.

The Virtual Chase is a service of the law firm Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. Genie Tyburski is Web Manager of The Virtual Chase. She writes for Law Office Computing, and speaks about Internet research issues at library and continuing legal education programs.

What’s Your Document’s Security Risk Rating?

Download Trace! Document Security Freeware for Microsoft Office, from Workshare. You can run Trace! against any Microsoft Office document on your computer, company network, or oninternal or external websites. Trace! analyzes your document’s security risk rating. Workshare provides a Quick Reference Guide and Trace! Release Notes in PDF.

Resizing Tables

A resize handle exists for tables. This is handy when you want to make a table bigger, width- and or height-wise.

Hover the mouse pointer near the lower right corner of the table. A small square appears, and you’ll notice the mouse pointer changes to a diagonal pointer with an arrow at each end.

Press and drag, you can make the table wider/narrower; taller/shorter; or change size in both directions.

The Valley of Despair

I came across this great illustration of an adult learning curve at Jim Eidelman’s Learning Curve Tips. Check it out.