The documents and workbooks on this site are for Fuqua MBA students looking for review and practice materials for Microsoft Excel. In examples and illustrations I use primarily the 2002 (XP) version of Excel. Most of the information is not version-specific and can be useful for users of 2000, 2002, and 2003 as well. A look at the new Excel Version 12 (2007) is available from a lin under "Useful Web Sites".

Many of the documents are in PDF format and require the PDF-reader to view or print. If you don't have the PDF-reader, obtain it from the Adobe download site.

Also listed are recommended reference guides, tutorial texts, video and CD-ROM training materials, and Excel-information websites.

2006 - 2007

New to Excel?     Excel Tips    Working Smarter    Charting Ideas    Calculations    Special Tools    Lists (Databases)    Modeling Practice   
Add-Ins    Add-Ins Sources    Tutorial & Reference Guides    Useful Web Sites

New to Excel?                                             

• Getting Started (PDF, ~280K)
• A Review of Excel Basics (PDF, ~575K) and the accompanying Excel practice workbook BasicsPractice.xls (~1,400K).
• Excel Logic Practice.xls (~630K).
• More Excel Logic Practice.xls (~920 K).
• ChartingBasics.xls (~780K).
• Addressing.xls (~540K).
• ExcelAuditing.xls (~700K).
• UsingOnlineHelp.xls (~720K).
• FormulaReview.xls (~790K).
• Bad and Good Formula Writing Technique (~390K).
• EXCEL LOGIC EXERCISES ON PAPER (PDF, ~495K)
• A NUTSHELL INTRODUCTION TO EXCEL (for decision modeling; PDF, ~590K)

Excel Tips: Workbooks      (Note that some of these workbooks contain macros. )

• BadTechnique (~25K, Illustrates a critical worksheet design mistake and how to correct it.)
• 3-D References (~749K)
• Excel Array Formulas (~54K)
• A Chart Technique (~82K, -defining data in the formula bar- )
• Using Excel's Built-In Calendar (~72K)
• Notes on Excel DFunctions (~672K)
• Create a Simple Drop-Down for Data Entry (~127K)
• Dynamic Range Names (~100K)
• Forecasting Tools (~49K)
• On the Listbox and Spinner controls, the Index and Lookup functions (~36K) Note that this is not an entirely self-explanatory workbook.
• IF and Logic Demo ( ~60K)
• Recording IF in a Macro (~80K)
• Call Solver with a Macro (~309K)
• Out of the Ordinary ( ~173K, A grab bag of formulas, formatting, drawing and graphics, etc.)
• Hiding & Protection Notes (~39K)
• Cautions on List Sorting and Formulas (~14K)
• Hiding, Unhiding, and Working with Visible Data (~380K)
• Excel's Projection And Regression Tools (~165K)
• Outlining and Grouping (~259K)
• Subtotals (~968K)
• Dynamic Chart Titles and Legends (~66K)
• Worksheet Headers and Footers (~103K)
• Look Ahead (~26K, A technique to flag when data values in a column change.)

Working Smarter                                           

• Excel Design & Audit Tips (PDF, ~349K)
• Excel Efficiencies (PDF, 1,615K)

Excel Charting Ideas

• Charting Primer I.xls (Excel XP, ~1,036K; enable macros for navigation.)
• Charting Primer II.xls (Excel XP, ~1,160K; enable macros for navigation and point labelling.)
• To add labels to points in an XY Scatter plot: See this Microsoft web page  as well as the AppsPro chart labeler web page with a free utility by Rob Bovey and Aaron Blood's Charts & Graphs Downloads page.

Excel Calculations                                       

• Notes on Excel Calculations (PDF, ~461K)
• EXCEL LOGIC EXERCISES ON PAPER (PDF, ~495K)

Special Excel Tools                                      

• Notes on Excel Forecasting Tools (Data Table, Scenario Manager, Goal Seek, & Solver) (PDF,~620K), ForecastingTools.xls (accompanying Excel workbook, ~36K)
• Data Tables (PDF, 338K)
• Introduction to Excel 2003 Pivot Tables (PDF, ~680K)
• The XY (Scatter) Plot (PDF, ~161K)
• Worksheet Controls (PDF, ~303K)
• Web Queries (Microsoft article, Word, ~25K)

Excel Lists (Databases)                             

• List Management Tips (PDF, ~144K)
• Filtering Tips (PDF, 96K)
• Advanced Filter Notes (PDF, ~81K)
• Introduction to Excel 2003 Pivot Tables (PDF, ~680K)

Excel Modeling Practice                              

• Proficiency Exercises (PDF, ~470K) and Solutions.xls (Excel, ~106K)
• The Svelte Glove Problem - With Step-By-Step Instructions and Workbook (PDF, ~121K and Excel, ~104K)
• The Oak Products Problem, a sample workbook, and its Word data file (PDF, ~428K, Excel ~72K, and Word, ~23K)
• The Padgett's Widgets Problem (PDF, ~52K)
• Gila Shoes Exercise - IF, MAX, and MIN, With Step-By-Step Instructions and workbook (PDF, ~75K, Excel, ~95K)
• Excel Solver Practice and Workbook (PDF, ~47K and Excel, ~67K)
• EXCEL LOGIC EXERCISES ON PAPER (PDF, ~495K)

Excel Add-Ins                                             

• Treeplan (to Fuqua-only download)
• Sensit (to Fuqua-only download)
• Notes on SensIt and Treeplan (PDF, ~173K)
• Regress User's Guide (The author's documentation, Word, ~778K)
• Regress Quick Guide (What you need to run Regress, PDF, ~160K)
• Regress Skill Building and Quick Guide (Same as above plus step-by-step skill-building demo notes, PDF, ~420K) and sample files: SmythPieData.xls and Calculus.xls.
• How to Install Regress for XP (Word, ~26K)

Excel Add-Ins: Sources & Information      

• Crystal Ball
  Decisioneering, authors of this 3rd party Excel add-in for forecasting and risk analysis.
• Excel's Solver
  Frontline Systems, authors of this Excel add-in (packaged with the MS Excel application).
• Treeplan and SensIt
  DecisionToolPak, commercial source for these add-ins.

Excel Tutorial & Reference Guides 

      Excel 2002 (XP)

• Excel 2002: The Complete Reference
  Ivens and Carlberg, Osborne, reference text.
  ISBN 0-07213-2450, paperback, 759 pages

• Excel 2002 Formulas
  John Walkenbach, Wiley, formula reference.
  ISBN 0-76454-800-X, paperback, 825 pages, CD ROM
  
• Special Edition Using Microsoft Excel 2002
  Blattner, Que, reference text.
  ISBN 0-78972-5118, paperback, 953 pages
  
• Microsoft Excel Version 2002 Inside Out
  Dodge, Microsoft Press, reference text.
  ISBN 0-7356-1281-1, paperback, 1104 pages, CD ROM
  
• Microsoft Excel 2002 Step by Step
  Frye, Microsoft Press, beg/int tutorial guide.
  ISBN 0-7356-1296-X, paperback, 352 pages, CD ROM
  
• Microsoft Excel XP/2002: Illustrated Complete
  Cram, Course Technology, beg/int tutorial guide.
  ISBN 0-61904-5051, paperback
  
• Microsoft Excel XP/2002: Comprehensive
  Ageloff, Course Technology, intensive tutorial guide
  ISBN 0-61902-092-X, paperback, 808 pages
  This text offers a case-based, problem-solving approach especially recommended for a good MBA pre-program review. It's not necessary to go through the entire book. Instead, we recommend you focus on the discussions and complete the primary exercises from the following list of sections. The data files used in the exercises may be downloaded from the publisher's website. See the textbook for complete instructions.
      Tutorial 1: Using Excel to Manage Financial Data
      Tutorial 2: Working with Formulas and Functions
      Tutorial 3: Developing a Professional-Looking Worksheet
      Tutorial 4: Working with Charts
      Tutorial 6: Working with Multiple Worksheets and Workbooks
      Tutorial 7: Developing an Excel Application
      Tutorial 9: Data Tables and Scenario Management
      Tutorial 10:Using Solver for Complex Problems

       Excel 2003

• Microsoft Excel 2003: Comprehensive
  Ageloff, Course Technology, intensive tutorial guide
  ISBN 0-61920-665-9, paperback, 842 pages
  This text offers a case-based, problem-solving approach especially recommended for a good MBA pre-program review.
  
• MICROSOFT EXCEL 2003 STEP BY STEP
  Curtis Frye, Microsoft Press, Tutorial
  ISBN 0-7356-1518-7

• Microsoft Excel 2003 Inside Out
  Craig Stinson and Mark Dodge, Microsoft Press
  ISBN 0-7356-1511-X
  
• Excel Best Practices for Business and the Excel Best Practices for Business author's website for the book.
  Loren Abdulezer, Wiley, Covers Excel 2003, 2002, and 2000.
  ISBN 0-7645-4120-X
  
• MICROSOFT EXCEL: DATA ANALYSIS AND BUSINESS MODELING
  Wayne L. Winston
  Microsoft Press, ISBN 0-7356-1901-8
  
• ACCESSING AND ANALYZING DATA WITH MICROSOFT EXCEL
  Paul Cornell
  Microsoft Press, ISBN 0-7356-1895-X

       Recommended Video/CD-ROM Excel Courses

• Excel Training
  KeyStone Learning Systems, Video or CD-ROM formats. Beginning and intermediate training. Order online or 1-800-581-9732.
• Excel Training
  LearnKey Training,Video or CD-ROM formats. Order online or 1-800-865-0165.

Excel Websites

• MrExcel.com - Post an Excel question and get suggestions from a community of Excel users. Extensive archive of past Q&A. Access forum also available.
• Add-Ins.Com - An entire (long) page of Excel-topic web links from Macro Systems with links organized by type (VBA, stock market, financial analysis, engineering, etc.).
• Better Solutions - Addresses Word and PowerPoint as well as Excel.
• Excel Tips - Beyond Technology Development Corp.
• http://www.excelbestpractices.com/excel/ - Loren Abdulezer's website supporting his book Excel Best Practices.
• http://www.tushar-mehta.com/ - Fabulous website by Mr. Tushar Mehta with ideas and add-ins for Excel charting along with tips on other Excel topics. Also see a document describing Tushar Mehta's chart add-in (Word, ~105K) and download the add-in itself (zip format, ~134K). Also see Mr. Mehta's suggestions for additional Excel links at http://www.tushar-mehta.com/benefici.htm.
• http://peltiertech.com/ - A helpful website by Jon Peltier with lots of Excel charting instructions and tips.
• Excel Web Reference - Pearson Software Consulting, LLC.
• The Spreadsheet Page - JWalk & Associates, Inc.
• Microsoft Excel Tips - Accounting Advisors.
• The Excel Logic Page - Aaron Blood.
• Microsoft's Excel 2003 PRODUCT INFO Page
• Microsoft's List of Excel XP Keyboard Shortcuts
• The Microsoft online Knowledgebase for Excel
• Microsoft Office Assistance Online for Excel XP
• Rob Bovey's AppsPro Free Utilities Page
• EuSpRIG, an interest group of academia and industry promoting research regarding the extent and nature of spreadsheet risks, methods of prevention and detection of errors and methods of limiting damage. An especially useful article on that site: Spreadsheet Modelling Best Practices.
• Excel User: For Business Users of MS Excel including an Excel Help Portal page.
• VB Numerical Methods - Excel VBA code for financial and mathematical applications. Free downloads and a numerical methods discussion forum.
• A page with links to other Excel information sites.
• D. Dalgliesh's CONTEXTURES Excel site. Excel tips and techniques elegantly explained and illustrated.
• Miricle Solutions List of Excel Links.
• Microsoft Introduction/Preview to Excel Version 12: MS Office Excel 2007
• Aviran's Place: The Technology Hangout (includes articles on Office products)