It Girl's Guide to Becoming an Excel Diva

Apply Excel daily and smooth out life's wrinkles

Who knew a spreadsheet could do as much for you as your favorite moisturizer? Become a Microsoft Excel Diva with this sassy guide and discover what hip IT Girls already know: smart is beautiful. Impress the heck out of everyone at work with your stylish reports. Do a budget and see exactly what you can spend on shoes. Get better organized. Who has time for dull technical manuals? Learn all of Microsoft Excel's secrets in this girl-talk guide.

Welcome to the party!

Relax, refresh, and reward yourself at the end of each chapter with fun, stress-reducing chats, like why soy Chai lattes are better than regular lattes. Don't miss these gems!
* Meet Microsoft(r) Excel(r) 2007, the Louis Vuitton of spreadsheets
* Join the conversation with these basic Excel terms
* Learn the fine art of Excel formulas and functions
* Dress up Excel data with SmartArt, WordArt, and other chic accessories
* Build a shopping spree budget from scratch
* Show off by adding Excel data into Word and PowerPoint(r)

Biography

Ani Babaian is the Senior Product Manager for Webmaster and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools with the Live Search team at Microsoft Corporation. She has also been a Web developer and systems engineer, specializing in .NET development, SQL Server, and other Microsoft technologies. Ani travels the world speaking at conferences, user groups, and code camps. She is an avid blogger, so contact her at http://blogs.msdn.com/AniB (aka XAMLChick) and www.LiveWithAni.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction.

PART I: Learn IT!

Chapter 1: The Four-One-One of Excel.

Excel 2007: The Louis Vuitton of Spreadsheets.

What Excel Can Do for You.

Excel Can Beautify Your Data.

Excel Formulas: It All Adds Up!

File Formats and How to Share with Your Friends.

Review Before You Print.

Online Help.

Chapter 2: Excel Diva: Where to Begin with Excel.

Technology Smarts.

Do You Need to Register?

Waiter, I Think There’s a Bug in My Software.

Excel Lingo.

What a Worksheet Is; What a Workbook Is.

Inside a Cell.

Shortcuts Aren’t for Everybody.

This Ribbon Isn’t for Your Hair: Introducing the Excel Ribbon.

Using the Office 2007 Ribbon for Formatting.

Finding the Special Tools.

A Quick Save Tip.

Creating a New Workbook.

Chapter 3: Make Minor Alterations to Your Data.

It’s All about the Data.

Entering and Editing Data—Copy and Paste Is Our Friend.

Copy (and Paste) Is Key.

Cut and Paste.

Paste, But Not Paste-y White.

Special Pasting.

Introducing Cut’s Best Friends, Undo and Redo.

Painting Isn’t Just for Fingernails: Meet the Format Painter.

Inserting and Deleting Rows and Columns.

Formatting Cells.

PART II: Live IT!

Chapter 4: Worksheet Presentation: Data Meets Intuition and Utility.

Appreciate Your Selection.

Waltz the Regions.

Filling the Cells.

Making the Information Fit.

Getting Symbolic: Entering Symbols in Your Worksheet.

So You’re Not Perfect: Editing Your Input.

Worksheets Are Like Purses.

Inserting and Deleting Worksheets.

Rename Your Worksheets.

Copy and Move Your Worksheets.

It’s All In How You Look At It: Worksheet Presentation.

Splitting into Panes.

Freezing Panes (and Thawing Them Too).

Zooming.

Chapter 5: The Fine Art of Using Formulas.

Persuading Data with Formulas.

Cell Referencing.

The Order of Operations.

Inserting Formulas into a Worksheet.

Copy and Paste Meet Formulas.

Cross Referencing Cells Across Worksheets.

Paste Special.

Common Errors.

Chapter 6: Put Excel Functions to Work for You.

What Is a Function?

The SUM Function.

The AVERAGE Function.

The MEDIAN Function.

The DOLLAR ($) Function or Monetary Display Format.

Adding Decimals.

The Count Numbers, MAX, and MIN Functions.

The Standard Deviation (STDV) Function.

Other Functions.

Chapter 7: Excel Fashion and Color Coordinating.

Make Over Your Data.

The Basics of Data Makeover.

Pretty Up the Data Like an Excel Diva.

Conditional Formatting.

Format as Table.

Cell Styles.

Cell Formatting the Easy Way.

Now for That Perfect Dress: Applying Themes.

Dazzle the Numbers.

Chapter 8: Dazzle Your Next Meeting with a Print.

What’s Your Worksheet Size?

Pear Shape or Just Tall.

Paper Size.

Margins.

Page Break.

Headers and Footers.

The Magic Mirror: Print Preview with Enabled Changes.

What to Print.

Select Print Properties.

Find a Printer.

How to Print.

Chapter 9: Add Pictures to Your Spreadsheet.

Using Shapes and Clip Art in Your Worksheets.

Clip Art.

More Clip Art Options.

Shape it Up.

Rotate Your Shape.

Formatting Shape Effects.

Adding Lines to Your Worksheet.

Rectangles.

Adding Common Shapes to Your Worksheet.

Block Arrow.

Adding Equation Shapes to Your Worksheet.

Flowcharts.

Stars and Banners.

Callouts.

Chapter 10: Add Visual Power: Use WordArt and SmartArt.

Using WordArt.

Adding Text to Your WordArt.

Special Effects for WordArt.

Be Smart About Your Art.

Choose Your Art Wisely.

Customizing SmartArt.

Adding Pictures.

Chapter 11: Charting Your Course with Excel.

Know Your Charts.

Creating a Chart in Excel.

Different Chart Types.

Creating a Chart.

Moving Your Chart.

Modify the Chart’s Appearance.

Changing Axis Names and Labels.

Dress Up Your Chart.

Some Finishing Touches.

Modify the Layout of Your Chart.

Format.

Insert.

Labels.

Axes and Background.

Creating Tables and PivotCharts in Excel.

Design Your PivotChart.

PART III: Love IT!

Chapter 12: Build a Shopping Spree Budget from Scratch.

Budget Basics.

Create Your Own Diva Budget Worksheet.

Formatting Your Budget Worksheet to Add Pizzazz.

Displaying Your Budget with Charts.

Chapter 13: Save Time with Macros and Mail Merge.

Automate Excel 2007 with Macros.

Defining a Macro.

Zip Your Purse: Enabling Macros.

Making Your Favorite Moves: Using Macros.

Record a Macro.

View a Recorded Macro.

Delete a Macro.

A Few Advanced Tips for the Diva in You.

Automate Excel 2007 with Mail Merge.

Merge Like a Pro.

Chapter 14: Sharing Your Worksheet.

Link it Up.

Existing File or Web Page.

Current Folder.

Browsed Pages.

Recent Files.

Place in This Document.

Create New Document.

E-mail Address.

Share with Care.

Outlook.

Other Email Clients.

Chapter 15: Show Off: Importing Excel into Word and PowerPoint.

Inserting Excel into Microsoft Office Word 2007.

Insert an Excel 2007 Table into Word 2007.

Keep Source Formatting.

Match Destination Table Style.

Paste as Picture.

Keep Text Only.

Keep Source Formatting and Link to Excel.

Match Destination Table Style and Link to Excel.

Insert an Excel 2007 Chart into Word 2007.

Inserting Excel into Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007.

Insert an Excel 2007 Chart into PowerPoint 2007.

Chart (Linked to Excel Data).

Excel Chart (Entire Workbook).

Paste as Picture.

Keep Source Formatting.

Use Destination Theme.

Insert an Excel 2007 Table into PowerPoint 2007.

Chapter 16: Securing Excel.

Inspect Worksheets for Personal Information.

Protection from TS (“Toad Syndrome”).

Protecting Worksheets.

Protecting Workbooks.

Must Have the Magic Password to Gain Access.

Appendix: Further Resources: Ask the Guide Next Door.

Epilogue.

Index.

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