Archive for February, 2009
Excel How-to: Creating a Pivot Table
A pivot table is a merely a summary of data in a format that you can manipulate to suit your needs. Almost any array of data can be used to create a pivot table, given some simple rules:
- The column labels must be in the first row, and have distinct names
- The data must be in a list format
- There should be no blank rows
- Don’t include subtotals when selecting the data
Note: You can follow along with the how-to by clicking on the following Excel file link: Pivot Table Creation.xls
The pivot table starts with the data in a list format:
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Forget the Resolutions - Let's Get Cracking! Now that all of our New Year's Resolutions have been broken, it's time to get our acts together. Don't bother with mourning some half-hearted New Years Resolutions - we're going to streamline our systems to make this the best work year ever. Here's a framework that's worked for me: 1....... -
Low Budget Circumstance has forced my hand, To be a cut price person in a low budget land - from Low Budget, by The Kinks, circa 1979 They say the more things change, the more they stay the same. I remember when that song came out; we were embroiled in controversy with...... -
Best of Money Carnival #26 Photo by ishrona Welcome to the 26th edition of the Best of Money Carnival! This was my first-ever hosting experience, and I was blown away by all of the quality submissions. It was extremely tough whittling the list down to just 10; I could have easily picked twice that......
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How to catch hackers on your wireless network [/caption] Wireless networks are a wonderful invention. They give us the ability to easily deploy a complex network of computers without the need to physically wire them up. However, this ease of use can also mean that, without proper precautions, neighbourhood parasites can leech bandwidth and generally use your network...... - Can You Really Use Articles To Build Your List Obtaining customers in your website ought to continually be ranked as high as the importance of the standard and therefore the excellence of the product and therefore the services you provide. They must go hand in hand in providing your customers the satisfaction they get in exchange for the money......
Excel How-to: The SUMIF Function
The SUMIF function is an easy way to get a subtotal of specific data that meets a certain condition, without going through the trouble of producing a Pivot Table. It’s most useful when working with long arrays of diverse data:
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Related Posts - Low Budget Circumstance has forced my hand, To be a cut price person in a low budget land - from Low Budget, by The Kinks, circa 1979 They say the more things change, the more they stay the same. I remember when that song came out; we were embroiled in controversy with......
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Excel How-to: Creating a Pivot Table A pivot table is a merely a summary of data in a format that you can manipulate to suit your needs. Almost any array of data can be used to create a pivot table, given some simple rules: The column labels must be in the first row, and have distinct...... -
Excel Tip: Have Your Cell Contents = Tab Names It's time for another edition of Stupid Excel Tricks! One of my coworkers recently asked me an Excel question. He had a spreadsheet with multiple tabs, and wanted to have the value in cell A1 on the respective worksheets to be the name of each tab. I knew that it......
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The Friday gathering - Updates and cell phones I've received a number of emails from readers asking about the status of our move. First let me say thanks. I am always overwhelmed at how much you guys care about my life and what's going on. I also have a number of reader's who've said they are praying...... -
Red Nag Champa - 100 Gram Box - Shanthimalai Incense User Reviews Send this to a friend Red Nag Champa - 100 Gram Box - Shanthimalai Incense Manufacturer: Shanthimalai Customer Rating: List Price: Varies based on product options Sale Price: $7.95 Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours Free Shipping Available Buy Now Product Description Exquisitely perfumed, this incense sets...... -
Sarasota Realtor Discovers 'Secrets' Of Successful Short Sale Settlement & Finally Resuscitates His Dead Real Estate Business! Sarasota Realtor refuses to be scammed by another ridiculous (sounding) claim of "short sales riches." In a fit of anger, Sarasota Realtor Mike Payne fires off a "hate" email...that backfires on him. ...pleasantly backfires on me. That's right. But wait, I'm getting a head of myself. First, I want you......
A Foolproof File-Naming System
Posted by enrique s in Money, Organizing on February 23rd, 2009
It happens to all of us: we’re asked for an electronic copy of a file that we created, and suddenly the panic sets in! In order to avoid that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, it pays to implement a file-naming system. Coupling it with a search feature like Windows Desktop Search, you’ll be able to retrieve that file easily. Read the rest of this entry »
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Related Posts - Three Excel How-Tos: Now With Linked Files I've gone back and revised three previous Excel how-to posts. I've added links to live Excel files, which will make it easier to follow along with my ramblings. Here are links to the new and improved posts: Excel How-to: The SUMIF Function Excel How-to: Creating a Pivot Table Excel How-to:......
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Progress Report: Giving Up Coffee, Part 2 annia316 Here's an update from an earlier post on giving up coffee: I'm down to two cups a day! I haven't been down to two cups a day since my twenties. And I'm not a walking zombie, either. I'm having one cup in the morning, and one after dinner. ...... - Excel Tip: Have Your Cell Contents = Tab Names It's time for another edition of Stupid Excel Tricks! One of my coworkers recently asked me an Excel question. He had a spreadsheet with multiple tabs, and wanted to have the value in cell A1 on the respective worksheets to be the name of each tab. I knew that it......
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Chicken with strawberries salad Try out this delicious green and fruity chicken salad and I'm sure your family will love you for this simple yet satisfying salad! It's definitely something different from the usual vegetable salads and it doesn't take long to toss this salad together to impress all at the dining table! This...... -
10 Simple Google Search Tricks [/caption] By SIMON MACKIE of GigaOm I’m always amazed that more people don’t know the little tricks you can use to get more out of a simple Google search. Here are 10 of my favorites. 1. Use the “site:” operator to limit searches to a particular site. I use this...... -
Observations from my tax returns I have been filing with Turbo Tax since the 2001 tax year. The nice thing about the service is that I can see all of my prior year returns anytime. It is kind of interesting to see summary of the information over the years. Incidentally, 2001 is the year......
Helping Your Coworkers Selflessly
I’m pretty proficient with computers, and frequently asked by my coworkers for help with computer problems. These range from troubleshooting Excel formulas to finding certain queries on our Oracle database. Usually these are at crisis moments for my coworkers, and they need my help immediately. Even if I’m busy at the time, I’ll stop what I’m doing in order to help with their problem. I do this because of the many benefits of being helpful: Read the rest of this entry »
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The Spittoon Polisher Parkinson's Law - Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Truer words have never been written. Why does everything miraculously get finished at the deadline? Because that's how much time is allotted to complete the assignment. People who have sat on their ass all...... -
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Does Your Company Need a Blog? One of the latest trends is corporate blogging, but is it right for you company? Not every company under the sun can benefit from having a blog, but there are quite a few benefits that can be reaped in the right circumstances. First, you'll need to decide what you want...... - Beginner's Guide To Network Marketing (MLM) Network Marketing, also called MLM (multi-level marketing) can be very profitable. Many companies operate in this way, for example Amway, Kleeneze and the Body Shop. The main requirement for this business is to be good at selling. Don't despair if you're a shy wallflower as selling is a skill that......
Corporate Perks: Take Advantage of Company Discount Programs
Many companies enter into affiliations with retailers in order to provide their employees with discounts. This helps the retailer, who gets access to the company’s employees as potential new customers; the company, who can now pass on another benefit to its employees; and the employees, who reap the benefit of these discounts. I’ve used several of these discount programs to save money, and they can be a valuable benefit. Read the rest of this entry »
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Productivity Tip: Three Things to Do Before You Leave the Office
Posted by enrique s in Organizing, Productivity on February 20th, 2009
I’ve gotten into a good routine over the past several years: I do three things before I leave the office for home. What are these magical tips? Whatever you want them to be.
There’s no magic here, just some end-of-the-day maintenance. You don’t have to accomplish anything difficult or elaborate. The things that I usually focus on are simple tasks that take little time, and don’t keep me from getting out the door: Read the rest of this entry »
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Holiday Traditions Photo by *Sally M* We all have our favorite holiday traditions. I'll be celebrating one of them tonight, as my family will gather for the traditional Italian-American fish-themed Christmas Eve dinner. But, I've got several hours to kill before I gorge myself on bacalla and lunguine with clam sauce,...... - The Awful Truth I'd like to talk about a character that everyone claims they want to hear more from: The Truth. Not a day goes by without someone demanding, "I want the Truth!" In the Gospel of John, we're reminded that, "The truth shall set you free." Superman fought for truth , justice,......
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Time Management for Online Marketers The Problem Of Internet Marketing Time Management In The Effective Executive Mr Drucker (one of the world's most revered management thinkers) says: "Effective Executives do not start with their tasks. They start with their time.†But I would guess that most Netrepreneurs, certainly until achieving a ‘satisfying income’, hardly have......
Save Big Bucks by Brown-Bagging It
I started brown bagging my lunch several years ago, and can reveal that I’ve saved almost $5,000! My calculations follow. Read the rest of this entry »
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I Don't Have Time for This! Photo by fdecomite "I don't have time for this!" That was a favorite line of one of my bosses. Whenever he felt overwhelmed by problems or demands, he would recite his tagline. I always wondered how he had the time to leave work early for a golf game, but...... - Unpaid Overtime: Not Just for Brown Nosers Anymore country_boy_shane I worked with a guy many years ago who lived for overtime. Actually, I think he relied on it to live. Even though he had a college degree, and worked in the finance department, he would work overtime in the kitting department (the stockroom for you non-defense contractor......
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Woodley Island Marina, Eureka, CA Woodley Island Marina is located in: Eureka, CA Phone: 707.443.0801 Average Water Depth: The average water depth is around 14 feet, but we do recommend calling ahead to check before you arrive. Marine Standby Channel: Yes, the marina does monitor marine channels 14 and 16. Is there a pumpout station?......
Rant of the Day: Asking for Donations at Work
I consider myself a generous person. I regularly drop a couple of bucks in the Salvation Army bucket at Christmas time, and buy wreaths from the Cub Scouts. My old clothing gets donated to a veteran’s group. These things occur outside of work, where I don’t feel compelled to contribute.
At my job, there are a few worthy causes to which I gladly contribute. Read the rest of this entry »
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Productivity Tip: Script Your Action Items to Vanquish Procrastination
Posted by enrique s in Productivity on February 20th, 2009
Just like an NFL quarterback, having a defined script will help you blast through procrastination and start your day productively. This is the productivity version of the West Coast Offense. Each NFL quarterback has a wide wristband that lists his plays for the game.
But many teams have their first offensive series “scripted”, where the quarterback will run a number of plays that have been predetermined. While the quarterback will use this to pick out the other team’s defensive weaknesses, we can use the same strategy to kick-start our workday. Read the rest of this entry »
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The Softball Commitment Photo by geishaboy500 I think I'm pretty good at making, and keeping, commitments. I try to be a man of my word, and people know that they can count on me, whether they're family, friends, or coworkers. Once I commit to something, I'm in for good, thick and thin. Which has...... - Productivity Tip: Three Things to Do Before You Leave the Office I've gotten into a good routine over the past several years: I do three things before I leave the office for home. What are these magical tips? Whatever you want them to be. There's no magic here, just some end-of-the-day maintenance. You don't have to accomplish anything difficult or elaborate.......
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Barbaric Book Review: Who Moved My Cheese?
Posted by enrique s in Book & Product Reviews on February 20th, 2009
Most people are resistant to change and prefer to stay in their happy little comfort zone. This is especially true in the workplace. I was able to experience this phenomenon firsthand when my division recently was merged into a different entity. The new entity’s procedures and systems were completely alien to us, and we had to undergo months of training in order to adopt the software. As you can imagine, the “lifers” were the most resistant to change, and many opted for the nearest exit via an early retirement package. The transition was trying experience to those who remained, and chaos reigned as we faced this brave new world. Read the rest of this entry »
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Us and Them The division where I work was formed from the merger of two separate companies. Each company had a distinct product line, and there wasn't much interaction between the two sides. This did not change when the people were co-located in the same building. In fact, I think the close...... -
Slacking Off at Work Photo by cell105 As we get toward the end of the year, people in my area of expertise (finance) tend to get busy. Very busy. It starts just before Thanksgiving, and just gets crazier as the end of the year gets closer. So today it's Thanksgiving, and I'm planning...... -
Scotts EZ Seed Progress Update, Week 5 Just a quick update for those interested in my lawn reseeding. Well, they weren't lying. Scotts EZ Seed really works. The bare patch of ground that I reseeded 5 weeks ago is lush and thick. It was the best $30 that I've spent at Home Depot this Spring. You can......
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Bushnell Pro 1600 Slope Edition Laser Rangefinder with Pinseeker User Reviews Send this to a friend Bushnell Pro 1600 Slope Edition Laser Rangefinder with Pinseeker Manufacturer: Bushnell Customer Rating: List Price: $659.95 Sale Price: Too low to display Availibility: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Now Product Description Level the ups and downs in your quest for...... -
Golf Gifts & Gallery Mahogany 49-Ball Cabinet User Reviews Send this to a friend Golf Gifts & Gallery Mahogany 49-Ball Cabinet Manufacturer: Golf Gifts & Gallery Customer Rating: List Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $38.88 Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours Free Shipping Available Buy Now Product Description This quality 49 Ball Cabinet from Golf Gifts &......
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