Favorite Excel Feature

[Anne Troy]

What is your favorite Excel feature and why?
You have one week to respond.
If someone has already chosen your favorite feature, choose another or don't post.

Please don't post anything else here except your response.

THANKS!!

[Jacob Hilderbrand]

My favorite feature of Excel is Validation. Specifically validation lists that can use a drop down.

Its a really nice feature that allows you to select from a list instead of typing the data in. Also it forces the user to input correct data, otherwise there would be misspelling and everyone just typing in whatever they wanted.

[Adaytay]

Wow there's so many to choose from. :dunno

I think porbably the most useful one for me personally has got to be the AutoFill feature - you know, when you enter a really long formula and need to copy it down the rest of the sheet, you can just double-click on the little box on the bottom right corner of the active cell.

Makes my life sooo much easier!!!

Ad

[Zack Barresse]

Conditional Formatting! :D

There's so much you can do with it. It's great for error checking, identifying extraneous entries without any 'hazardous' warnings or errors. Also great for 'constant' formatting.

[Tommy]

Sorting and Subtotaling:

Sort, subtotal and total all at once, gotta love it! The grouping feature for the subtotals also allows quick viewing of similar data.:vv

[countingapples]

The insert function button.

Everything you need and can never remember in one easy to use location.

[TonyJollans]

I think I'd have to say the SUMPRODUCT function. Just when you think something can't be done up pops a new use for this remarkable function - it's like a program all by itself.

[shades]

Having spent the last two days doing nothing but this (manually and through VBA), I have to say Pivot Tables.

The flexibility, refresh capabilities, and expandability with calculated fields are enough to justify this claim. :)

[mark007]

I like the commandbars - in particular creating addins to create new commandbar options with my macros on them.

:)

Of Excels built in features Data Validation is probably highest up I guess - though who can forget the wonderful charts you can produce at a click of a button!

:)

[jamescol]

How did we ever survive without Formula Auditing! This feature enables the users to step through formulas one caluclation at a time and easily identify problems.

James

[Mike_R]

My favorite feature is that Excel can be Automated from either a VB6 Application or from another MS Office Application such as Word or Access. This brings its functionality to a new level...

[XL-Dennis]

The Pivottable for its ability to work in a powerful way with large amount of data.

(I total agree with Mike_R with the twist of manipulating other programs with Excel :) )

Kind regards,
Dennis

[herilane]

I'm with Dennis: the features I like best are the ones that help you make sense of big amounts of data.
Charts are great - most often I need to see data visually in order to be able to grasp them.
I also like array formulas a lot. They provide shortcuts to things that you can otherwise only achieve with VBA. (I know we all like VBA... but it's not ALWAYS necessary. :))

[Anne Troy]

It's not? Hmph. LOL!!

[Brandtrock]

Since my first two favorites have been covered, I'll say Naming. Identifying formulas or dynamic ranges by a name is way cool.

[Zack Barresse]

Ooh! All these good ideas!!! (Can I change mine to binary range matches? :rolleyes: )

[Mike_R]

Hey Zack, what do you mean by a "Binary Range Match"?

[Zack Barresse]

Oh, doing searches for the last entered value in a row or column, using 9.999999999E+307 or REPT("z", 255) coupled with the MATCH function, which will search for a cell length instead of cell value. They aren't value dependent and act quite differently than other types of functions. Basically, are the cells filled or not, type of searches. Works great for making formulas dynamic.

[brettdj]

Alt F4

[Zack Barresse]

Alt F4
:D Beautiful!!

[SJ McAbney]

Filters. AutoFilter and different criteria.

[NateO]

Matrix math capability/arrays, both in the front end and back.

Cross compatibility with other apps, including non Microsoft ones, is a major plus as well! :vv

[50gumbys]

F4 rocks!
:006:

[Anne Troy]

Okay. It's been close enough to a week for me.

Each of you is now invited to write about your favorite feature. I am in the process of writing "the be-all, end-all Microsoft Excel book". Our goal is 1000 pages and 100 sample workbooks. This book will have everything. You can be a "guest author". Here's how:


Do a real nice writeup on your favorite feature
You are writing to an audience who knows VERY LITTLE about Excel, so KISS (keep it simple, as Dennis likes to say)
Include a real-life scenario if at all possible
Nothing fancy, we're not trying to impress, just inform
Include a sample file
Send it to me by the end of October
Include screen shots, but I'll have to recreate them (so they match the rest of the book), so don't spend too much time on them
Include any desired personal information right at the top of the file: Your real name, your screen name, your online hangout, your web address (don't want it published? don't include it)
I must reserve the right to edit (sorry!), and may ask for clarification
If you don't intend on submitting, maybe someone else would like to, so it might be nice if you post your intentions either way.

This book is scheduled to be published about one year from now. I would love to compensate everyone, but that would be a bookkeeping nightmare for such a small portion.

Thanks!!
All submissions should be emailed to anne@ (this site).
Any questions, ask here.
Any private questions, email. :)

[Brandtrock]

I'm in. I'll get crackin' and have something to you shortly. How exciting!

[Anne Troy]

GREAT! You never know how people will take something like this.
I was hoping people would think it was cool--an opportunity to be *in print*.

:)

[XL-Dennis]

Anne,

Nice to hear about the upcoming book and I encourage members here to contribute with their favourite tools.

Personally I'm out of print ;)

Kind regards,
Dennis

[sebastienm]

:-D good one, Dave.

For me, maybe the Array Formulae.
... so usefull when than SUMPRODUCT() can do.

S?bastien