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Excel Community resources

Key resources for Excel Community members.

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Charts and graphs

Articles and webinars on Excel charts and graphs.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Simple but effective tables, part 9
  • 09 Sep 2024
  • Simon Hurst
In this series we are going to examine some of the capabilities of Excel Tables. We will be concentrating on the practical use of Tables to improve spreadsheet productivity. The previous two-part article looked at the use of structured references to refer to all or part of an Excel Table, from cells outside of the Table as well as cells within the Table. We are going to conclude our exploration of Tables by looking at Filtering and Sorting, and using Sparklines and check boxes in Table columns. Then, in the next part of the series, we will look at how Tables work with Power Query.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Excel Tips & Tricks #489 – The basics of charts in Excel part 2: Combo charts
  • 08 Apr 2024
  • Tom Edmunds
Hello and welcome back to Excel Tips and Tricks! This week, we have a Creator level post exploring the concept of a combo chart in Excel that can be used for two or more series of data.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Excel Tips & Tricks #488 – The basics of charts in Excel
  • 11 Mar 2024
  • Thomas Edmunds
Hello and welcome back to Excel Tips and Tricks! This week, we have a Creator level post exploring the basics of the different chart types in Excel.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Enhancing data display and entry with Excel Form Controls
  • 13 Nov 2023
Form Controls are objects that can be used to display data or make it easier for users to enter data, to perform an action or to make a selection.
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Data tables

View our helpful guidance and advice on using data tables.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Simple but effective Tables. Part 10
  • 23 Sep 2024
  • Simon Hurst
In this series we are going to examine some of the capabilities of Excel Tables. We will be concentrating on the practical use of Tables to improve spreadsheet productivity. We are going to conclude our series of articles on the practical use of Excel Tables by looking at how Tables work with Power Query.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Simple but effective tables, part 9
  • 09 Sep 2024
  • Simon Hurst
In this series we are going to examine some of the capabilities of Excel Tables. We will be concentrating on the practical use of Tables to improve spreadsheet productivity. The previous two-part article looked at the use of structured references to refer to all or part of an Excel Table, from cells outside of the Table as well as cells within the Table. We are going to conclude our exploration of Tables by looking at Filtering and Sorting, and using Sparklines and check boxes in Table columns. Then, in the next part of the series, we will look at how Tables work with Power Query.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Simple but effective tables, part 8
  • 07 Aug 2024
  • Simon Hurst
In this series we are going to examine some of the capabilities of Excel Tables. We will be concentrating on the practical use of Tables to improve spreadsheet productivity. Last time we started looking at the use of structured references to refer to all or part of an Excel Table, using examples based on referring to the Table from cells outside the Table. This time we will look at structured references within a Table and some more advanced examples of how to use structured references.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Simple but effective tables, part 7
  • 24 Jul 2024
  • Simon Hurst
In this series we are going to examine some of the capabilities of Excel Tables. We will be concentrating on the practical use of Tables to improve spreadsheet productivity.
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Filtering and queries

Articles and webinars on filtering and queries.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Simple but effective Tables. Part 10
  • 23 Sep 2024
  • Simon Hurst
In this series we are going to examine some of the capabilities of Excel Tables. We will be concentrating on the practical use of Tables to improve spreadsheet productivity. We are going to conclude our series of articles on the practical use of Excel Tables by looking at how Tables work with Power Query.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Simple but effective tables, part 9
  • 09 Sep 2024
  • Simon Hurst
In this series we are going to examine some of the capabilities of Excel Tables. We will be concentrating on the practical use of Tables to improve spreadsheet productivity. The previous two-part article looked at the use of structured references to refer to all or part of an Excel Table, from cells outside of the Table as well as cells within the Table. We are going to conclude our exploration of Tables by looking at Filtering and Sorting, and using Sparklines and check boxes in Table columns. Then, in the next part of the series, we will look at how Tables work with Power Query.
EXCEL COMMUNITY Your Questions Answered #11 – Tips and Tricks Live extended
  • 11 Jul 2024
  • David Benaim
In last month’s ‘Excel Tips and Tricks live – your questions answered’ webinar, David Benaim and Ian Pay tackled Excel questions and queries covering best practices when using Power Query, the use of formulas such as XLOOKUP, and a range of techniques for data handling and analysis in Excel. In this article, David returns to answer some of the unanswered questions from the webinar.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Avoid Column Name errors in Power Query
  • 24 May 2024
  • Mark Proctor
Changing column names are a frequent cause of Power Query errors. This article explores a few techniques to avoid those errors and ensure Power Query refresh runs smoothly.
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Formulas and functions

Articles and webinars on formulas and functions.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY From numbers to pictures – using INDEX() with MAKEARRAY()
  • 13 Dec 2024
  • Simon Hurst
Having in the previous post used several of the new LAMBDA() helper functions, most notably MAKEARRAY(), to calculate the total number of gifts given across the 12 days of Christmas, this time we are going to replace our numbers with pictures that represent each of the gifts.
EXCEL COMMUNITY Excel, Teams, Power BI, Canva, Zoom, Google Sheets++: New tech features for Sep-Dec 2024
  • 09 Dec 2024
  • David Benaim
Our digest of new features across Microsoft 365 & other business tech products in written, images & video format covering the last three months.
EXCEL COMMUNITY Excel’s GROUPBY and PIVOTBY functions vs PivotTables
  • 29 Nov 2024
  • David Benaim
One of Excel’s most significant updates this decade is without a doubt the new GROUPBY and PIVOTBY functions, these can replicate PivotTables functionality through formulas, so here I will compare and contrast both methods whilst providing possibly the most complete guide on the internet currently of GROUPBY.
EXCEL COMMUNITY Excel’s GROUPBY & PIVOTBY functions vs PivotTables
  • 29 Nov 2024
  • David Benaim
One of Excel’s most significant updates this decade is without a doubt the new GROUPBY and PIVOTBY functions, these can replicate PivotTables functionality through formulas, so here I will compare and contrast both methods whilst providing possibly the most complete guide on the internet currently of GROUPBY.
View all

PivotTables

Articles and webinars on PivotTables.
EXCEL COMMUNITY Excel’s GROUPBY and PIVOTBY functions vs PivotTables
  • 29 Nov 2024
  • David Benaim
One of Excel’s most significant updates this decade is without a doubt the new GROUPBY and PIVOTBY functions, these can replicate PivotTables functionality through formulas, so here I will compare and contrast both methods whilst providing possibly the most complete guide on the internet currently of GROUPBY.
EXCEL COMMUNITY Excel’s GROUPBY & PIVOTBY functions vs PivotTables
  • 29 Nov 2024
  • David Benaim
One of Excel’s most significant updates this decade is without a doubt the new GROUPBY and PIVOTBY functions, these can replicate PivotTables functionality through formulas, so here I will compare and contrast both methods whilst providing possibly the most complete guide on the internet currently of GROUPBY.
Exclusive Power Tools Part 4: Build dynamic dashboards with Power Pivot
  • 04 Mar 2024
  • ICAEW
This webinar explores the fundamentals of Power Pivot and how to best use this functionality in Excel to structure and analyse data, based on real-life examples accounting and finance professionals will encounter.
EXCEL COMMUNITY Excel's new functions might change data analysis forever
  • 29 Feb 2024
  • Liam Bastick
Excitement is building, as a range of new functions introduced by Microsoft towards the end of last year are – hopefully – edging closer to general release. Here, Microsoft MVP Liam Bastick explores how they work and what they might mean for you.
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Reports and dashboards

Articles and webinars on reports and dashboards.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Bringing financial reports alive in Excel with visualisation
  • 26 Nov 2024
  • John Tennent
This is the first article of a series that supports the lunch and learn webinars that will show you how to bring the financial reports alive in Excel with visualization. This article will explore the journey from raw data to actionable insights.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Enhancing data display and entry with Excel Form Controls
  • 13 Nov 2023
Form Controls are objects that can be used to display data or make it easier for users to enter data, to perform an action or to make a selection.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Excel – smarten up your dashboards
  • 19 Dec 2022
  • Simon Hurst
It might have taken you hours, or even days, to turn your data into an interactive Excel dashboard, driven by multiple Slicers, but investing just a few more minutes on improving the presentation of your dashboard can give it greater impact and help it communicate its message even more effectively.
Exclusive Traffic cameras - incorporate real traffic lights in your Excel reports
  • 22 Nov 2022
  • Simon Hurst
Although the imminent new Excel IMAGE() function provides additional options for displaying pictures that change dynamically based on values in cells, there is already a way to do this using the Excel Camera. The examples in this article show you how to display product pictures and real traffic lights.
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VBA and macros

Articles and webinars on VBA and macros.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Excel’s real-life superpowers
  • 24 Oct 2024
  • Simon Hurst
Useful as some features are when used in a spreadsheet, they could be even more empowering if available in real-life. In this article we consider some examples and explore the use of AI in illustrating the possibilities.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Excel Tips & Tricks #493 - How to add a custom ribbon to your workbook part 2
  • 14 Aug 2024
  • Ruth Butler-Lee
This week, we have a developer level post which explores how to set up your custom ribbon with tailored buttons.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Office Scripts vs VBA: What’s the difference?
  • 13 Feb 2024
  • Mark Proctor
Office Scripts are a new scripting language for automating Excel. In this article, Mark Proctor explores how Office Scripts differ to VBA and what we can or cannot do with each.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Your Questions Answered #6 – Financial Modelling and Scenario Planning continued: What are your thoughts on incorporating macros into models?
  • 31 Jul 2023
  • Ben Ducker
In a recent webinar on 'Financial Modelling and Scenario Planning: Mastering Effective Decision-Making', Craig Stirk and Ben Ducker explored why scenario planning is important and why structured models can help. Ben returns to answer some questions from the webinar they were unable to respond to during the session.
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Worksheet design & formatting

Articles and webinars on worksheet design and formatting.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Your 2025 Excel Community Guide
  • 11 Dec 2024
  • Bani Lamba
As we step into a new year, we’re delighted to welcome all our members to the growing Excel Community. With over 1,000 articles, over 490 tips, 4 thought leadership guides and an extensive archive of webinar recordings, we realise that it can sometimes be tricky to find what you’re looking for. So, here is a guide that you can use as a starting point to make the best use of your community.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Excel’s real-life superpowers
  • 24 Oct 2024
  • Simon Hurst
Useful as some features are when used in a spreadsheet, they could be even more empowering if available in real-life. In this article we consider some examples and explore the use of AI in illustrating the possibilities.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Multiple conditional formats
  • 18 Oct 2024
  • Simon Hurst
It is possible to apply multiple conditional formats to the same cell or range of cells. Where rule formats don’t clash with other rules, then all the rules that satisfy the condition will be applied. However, where rules are mutually exclusive, for example where they both change the font colour, rules are evaluated in a specific order of priority. In this article we look at making sure that your rules are in the right order.
Exclusive EXCEL COMMUNITY Using slicers with PIVOTBY, GROUPBY and FILTER
  • 01 Oct 2024
  • Mark Proctor
The newest functions, GROUPBY and PIVOTBY will be rolling out to users over the next few months. In this article, we uncover the techniques we can implement for using slicers with these new functions.
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Wider productivity tools

Articles on other business tech products and wider productivity tools such as the Microsoft Office suite.
Excel, Teams, Power BI, Canva, Zoom, Google Sheets++: New tech features for Sep-Dec 2024
  • Article
  • 09 Dec 2024
  • David Benaim
Our digest of new features across Microsoft 365 & other business tech products in written, images & video format covering the last three months.
Exclusive Unsend your emails
  • Article
  • 09 Oct 2024
  • Simon Hurst
Inspired by a recent catastrophic email event that made the national news, we once again abandon Excel to look at another Office application, this time Microsoft Outlook. In particular, we see how Outlook can help to protect us from ourselves.
Exclusive The one click solution to all your Word problems
  • Article
  • 23 Sep 2024
  • Simon Hurst
We venture outside the world of Excel to examine how you can resolve all your Word issues with a single mouse click or keyboard shortcut.
Excel, Teams, Power BI, Canva, Zoom, Google Sheets++: New tech features for Jun-Aug 2024
  • Article
  • 09 Sep 2024
  • David Benaim
Our digest of new features across Microsoft 365 & other business tech products in written, images & video format covering the last three months.
View all

Excel Community archive

This archive of Excel Community content from the ION platform will allow you to read the content of the articles but the functionality on the pages is limited. The ION search box, tags and navigation buttons on the archived pages will not work. Pages will load more slowly than a live website. You may be able to follow links to other articles but if this does not work, please return to the archive search.

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