Wednesday, April 17, 2013

How to Make an Excel Chart With a Negative and Positive Axis


Numerical (Value) Axis
1. Open the Microsoft Excel 2010 file that contains the chart you want to alter.
2. Click anywhere on the chart. Select the 'Format' tab at the far-right end of the ribbon. Click the drop-down box that appears on the far-left end of the ribbon. Select your desired axis from the list. Then, choose the 'Format Selection' button located right below the drop-down box.
3. Click the radio button next to 'Fixed' under the 'Minimum' heading. Place your cursor into the text box next to this button and enter the lowest number you want displayed on your axis. Place a dash before you enter the number to signify that you are entering a negative number.
4. Press 'Enter' to close the Format Axis window. Your chart will automatically update to show the negative axis.
Text-Based (Category) Axis
5. Open the Excel 2010 spreadsheet that holds the graph you want to manipulate.
6. Click on the top cell in any empty column on your spreadsheet. Enter the lowest value that you want your chart to display on the axis in this cell. Be sure to place a dash in front of a negative number. Press 'Enter' to move down to the next cell and then enter the next value you want displayed on the axis. Since you will be manipulating a text-based axis, you will have to specify each value here, as Excel will not treat these values as numbers. Continue to add values until you have added enough to fill your entire desired axis. If you are counting up from negative numbers into positive numbers, skip zero.
7. Select anywhere on the chart that you want to change. Click the 'Design' tab at the top of the screen. Find the 'Select Data' button, which is located in the Data area of the ribbon, and click it. The Select Data Source window will appear on your screen.
8. Click the 'Edit' button under the axis you want to change. The window will minimize. Select on the letter at the top of the column where you entered your desired axis labels. Choose 'OK' twice to use these labels instead of the default ones.
9. Click the 'Layout' tab at the top of the screen. Select the drop-down box that appears in the ribbon and select the axis that you just altered. Click the 'Format Selection' button.
10. Click the radio button next to 'At Category Number' under the Vertical Axis Crosses heading. Enter a number into the text box equal to the absolute value of the lowest number on your axis, plus one. So if your axis goes down to negative five, you would enter six into this box. Click 'Close' and your vertical axis will now cross your horizontal axis at the right spot.
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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

How to Import an Excel Spreadsheet into Another Sheet


Linking
1. Launch Microsoft Excel and open the source file that contains the data to be linked.
2. Open or create the destination file in which the data will be displayed.
3. Navigate to the source spreadsheet and highlight (or 'Select') the cell or range of cells to be imported by clicking the cell, or clicking the top left corner of the range of cells and holding the mouse button down while dragging the cursor to the lower right corner of the range of cells and then releasing the mouse button. Alternately, click the gray button that contains the row number or column letter to select an entire row or column, respectively, or click the gray button in the upper left corner of the spreadsheet between the row header '1' and the column header 'A' to select the entire sheet.
4. Right-click any cell in the selected range of cells and click 'Copy.'
5. Navigate to the destination spreadsheet where the data will reside and click once on a cell that you want to make the upper right corner of the copied data from the source spreadsheet. If an entire row or column was selected, click the first cell in the row or column or select the row or column by clicking the gray box that contains the number or letter of the row or column. If you selected an entire spreadsheet click the cell 'A1' or the gray button in the upper left corner of the spreadsheet between the row header '1' and the column header 'A.'
6. Right-click in the selected cell or header.
7. Select 'Paste' to copy the contents of the original cells exactly as they are to the new location, with no links back to the original data. This will allow a duplicate spreadsheet to be created including data and formulas, but subsequent changes to the original spreadsheet data will not be reflected in the new location. Formatting will be copied with this method.
8. Select 'Values' to copy the current values stored in each cell to the new location. This will not copy any formulas, but will copy the current results of any calculations performed by any formulas. Subsequent changes to the original spreadsheet data will not be reflected in the new location. Formatting will not be copied with this method.
9. Select 'Formulas' to copy all the existing formulas and values to the new location. Subsequent changes to the original spreadsheet data will not be reflected in the new location. Formatting will not be copied with this method.
10. Select 'Transpose' to copy the data and formulas along with the formatting to the new location in a transposed orientation, so that rows become columns and columns become rows. Subsequent changes to the original spreadsheet data will not be reflected in the new location.
11. Select 'Formatting' to copy the formatting of the selected cells but leave the cells empty. No values or formulas will be copied, but format attributes such as cell color and currency formatting will be reproduced.
12. Select 'Paste Link' to create a link to the source spreadsheet that will be updated when the original spreadsheet data is updated. This will allow the data from the original spreadsheet to be shown in the destination spreadsheet without allowing any changes to be made to the original spreadsheet from within the destination spreadsheet.
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How to Remove Duplicates From Access Query


1. Open an Access 2007 database on your computer. Make sure it has a table that contains duplicate data. Select the 'Office' button and select 'Open.' Search your computer and locate the database. Click on the database and select 'Open.'
2. View the tables in your database in the Navigation Pane. Open one of the tables and visually note the duplicates and note the total number of records. Select the 'Create' tab on the ribbon. Click on the 'Query Design' button. Add the table you have just viewed by clicking on the table and selecting 'Add.' Select 'Close.' Add some fields to the query by double clicking on the fields.
3. Select the 'Properties' option by right clicking in the gray area of your query design field. This will display the Properties Sheet dialog box. Locate the 'Unique Values' field. Change the field to 'Yes.'
4. Run the query by clicking on the 'Run' button. The query will return the distinct values from the table. This is due to the Unique Values field being changed to Yes. Save the results by clicking on the 'Save' icon on the Quick Access Toolbar.
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How to Insert a Dynamic Date and Time in Excel


1. Start Microsoft Excel 2007, and open an existing spreadsheet from your files that you want to insert a dynamic date and time into. Or, start a new, blank spreadsheet.
2. Click to select the cell into which you want to insert the dynamic date and time. The cell will be outlined in a thick, black line indicating it is selected.
3. Use your keyboard to type '=now()' (without the quotation marks) into the selected cell. This is the formula that is used to instruct Excel 2007 to insert the dynamic date and time.
4. Press the 'Enter' key on your keyboard to enter the formula into the selected cell. You will now see the current date and time appear in the cell you typed the formula into. This date and time will update every time the 'Enter' key is pressed while working in Microsoft Excel.
5. Repeat Steps 2 through 4 above to insert the dynamic date and time into any other cells inside the open spreadsheet you would like to display the current date and time.
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How to Convert a Word Document to a CSV File


1. Open the Microsoft Word document in Word and save it as a '.txt' file. To do this, select 'File' and then chose 'Save As.' Next, use the down arrow next to 'File as Type' and select '.txt.'
2. Open the Microsoft Word document in MS Excel by selecting 'File' and then 'Open.' Find the file in the 'Look in' directory from within the 'Open' dialog box.
3. Click option 'Delimited' and then click '1' beside 'Start Import at Row' to indicate the first row to import the data. Next, select the geographical location of the original file format beside 'File Origin.' When done, click 'Next.'
4. Click 'Tab' under Delimiter preference and then click 'Next.' Additional options include 'Semicolon,' 'Comma,' 'Space' and 'Other' for you to customize the separating character type.
5. Click 'General' as the format option for the 'Column Data 'and then click 'Finish.' Other column data formats include 'Date,' 'Date' and 'Do not import column (skip).'
6. Select 'File' and then choose 'Save As' from the toolbar menu.
7. Choose '.csv' as the 'Save as Type' and then click 'Save.'
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Monday, April 15, 2013

How to Convert Word to Excel 2003


1. Open the Word document with the data you want to convert to Excel 2003.
2. Highlight the data with your mouse. Choose 'Convert Text to Table' from the 'Insert' menu and convert the text into a table if it is not already.
3. Hover your mouse over the table until you see a ' ' appear in the upper-left corner. Click on the ' ' sign to select the entire table.
4. Click 'Edit' and then 'Copy.'
5. Launch Excel 2003 and click into a blank cell.
6. Click 'Edit' and then 'Paste.' Your data will appear within Excel.
7. Click 'File' 'Save As' and choose 'Excel Workbook (.xls)' from the 'Save as Type' drop-down field. Click 'Save.'
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How to Change the Axis on Excel 2007


Swap X and Y Axes
1. Open the Excel file that contains the chart you want to manipulate.
2. Right-click anywhere within the chart itself. Choose 'Select Data' from the pop-up menu. A small data window will appear on the screen.
3. Click the 'Switch Row/Column' button in the middle of the window. Click 'OK' to confirm your changes. Your X and Y axes will now be swapped on the graph.
Alter an Individual Axis
4. Open the Excel 2007 file that holds the chart you want to change.
5. Select one of the cells that contain the information used in the axis you want to alter. Press 'Delete' to remove any incorrect information and type in whatever you want to replace it. The Excel chart will update as you type.
6. Click anywhere within the chart and click the 'Design' tab at the top of the screen. Press the 'Select Data' button on the left side of the ribbon. Press the 'Edit' button under the 'Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels' area to select a new set of cells to make up the horizontal axis. Click and hold on the first cell then drag the mouse to the last cell and release the button. If you want to remove an individual label from the axis you will first need to press the 'Switch Row/Column' button to get the X-axis items on the left side of the screen. Select the item and choose 'Remove.' Then press the 'Switch...' button again. Click 'OK' to close the window.
7. Right-click on any piece of text in the horizontal axis. Choose 'Format Axis' from the pop-up menu. A small window will appear on the screen. Click and drag the top of the window to the side of your chart so that you can see your changes as you make them.
8. Make changes to how the chart displays the tick marks in the first two sections of this window. You can also alter the 'Axis Labels' to move the labels around the chart or remove them entirely. At the bottom of the window you can alter how the two axes intersect. Click on any of the six other options on the left side of the window like 'Number,' 'Line Fill' or 'Line Style' to alter how the text appears on the axis. Click 'Close' when you are done.
9. Right-click on any text on the vertical axis and choose 'Format' axis from the menu. You can change the way that the numbers are displayed at the top of the new screen that appears. Near the middle of the screen you can alter the tick marks and axis labels and near the bottom you can change how the two axes intersect. This menu also contains an additional six settings on the left that will affect how the axis label text appears. Click 'Close' when you are done.
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How to Recover an Excel 2007 File


After an Excel Crash
1. Restart Microsoft Excel 2007. You may also need to restart your computer if you had a system crash or power outage. The document recovery task pane should automatically open on the left side of the screen.
2. Scroll through the documents in the 'Available Files' list. Excel will try to recover up to three versions of the document you were most recently working on.
3. Select a file from the list. Click the down-arrow icon.
4. Click 'Open' to view the recovered document. If you know you want to keep the file, click 'Save as' to rename it. Click 'Delete' if you want to delete the particular file. Save the recovered file that is most useful.
Avoid Losing Data
5. Open Microsoft Excel 2007.
6. Click the 'Microsoft Office Button.'
7. Click 'Excel Options.'
8. Click the 'Save' link.
9. Select 'Save AutoRecover Information Every x Minutes.' Enter the number of minutes in the 'Minutes' list. This will be how often Excel will automatically save your work and program state.
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Sunday, April 14, 2013

How to Merge Data From Two Spreadsheets


1. Open Excel 2010 and locate the workbook containing the worksheets that will be merged. Click the 'File' tab and select the 'Open' icon. Find the workbook and double-click it.
2. Click in the next blank worksheet in the workbook. Select the 'Data' tab. Click 'Consolidate.' The Consolidate dialog box opens.
3. Select the function you will use to merge the data. If you are adding the merged values, select 'Sum.' Click the red box in the reference section.
4. Click the worksheet that contains the first set of data that will be merged. Highlight the range and click the 'Add' button. Select the worksheet containing the second set of data that will be merged. Highlight the range and click the 'Add' button.
5. Select the option that displays the location of the row or column headers in this merged data. Select either 'Top Row,' 'Left Column' or both. Click 'OK.' The data is merged in the new worksheet.
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How to Define Cell Ranges in Excel


1. Enter Microsoft Excel and open a worksheet.
2. Select the range of cells (or even the nonadjacent cells) that you want to name.
3. Locate the name box at the top-left of the formula bar, just above the row and column headings.
4. Click in the box and type the name you want for the cell range.
5. Press Enter to accept the name.
6. Use the name in formulas you create.
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How to Disable a Date Autofill in Excel


Disable the AutoComplete Option
1. Open the Excel file.
2. Click the 'File' tab on the command ribbon. A list of basic commands appears.
3. Click 'Options.' The 'Excel Options' window appears. The left pane includes the 'Advanced' command.
4. Click 'Advanced.' A list of editing options appears.
5. Clear the check box for 'Enable AutoComplete for cell values.'
6. Click 'OK.' This button is located at the bottom of the dialog window. The 'AutoComplete' command no longer copies the cell data to new cells. The worksheet is open for editing.
Disable the AutoFill Option
7. Open the Excel file.
8. Click the 'File' tab on the command ribbon.
9. Click 'Options.' A list of basic commands appears.
10. Click 'Advanced.' A list of editing options appears.
11. Clear the check box for 'Enable fill handle and cell drag-and-drop.'
12. Select the check box for 'Alert before overwriting cells.' This text may appear faint.
13. Click 'OK.' The worksheet opens. The fill handle does not activate in the corner of the cell.
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How do I Create Mailing Labels in MS Word From an MS Excel Spreadsheet?


Prepare the Mailing List
1. Open a new spreadsheet and use the first row to create column headers across the top of the document. Name the top cell of each column to correspond with the address fields on your labels, for example: 'First Name,' 'Last Name,' and so on.
2. Start in the first cell on the second row and enter the data that corresponds with the cell header. For example, enter the recipient's first name in the row under the 'First Name' label. Continue until you have entered all of your mail recipients and save your document.
3. Highlight all of the data in the mailing list. Single-click on the first cell at the beginning of the first row of your address list. Scroll to the last cell, on the last row of your address list, hold down the 'shift' key and single-click on the last cell.
4. Click on the 'Formulas' tab, select the 'Define Names' group and click 'Define Name.' Type a name for your list and click 'OK.'
5. Save and close the Excel document.
Prepare the Label Document
6. Launch Microsoft Word to open a new document.
7. Click on the 'Mailings' tab and select the 'Start Mail Merge' group. Then click 'Start Mail Merge' and select 'Labels.' In Word 2010, select 'Start Mail Merge' from the 'Mailings' tab and select 'Labels.'
8. Select the type of printer, label vendor and type of labels. For example, if you are using an ink-jet printer to print Avery 15160 address labels, select 'Page Printers,' followed by 'Avery' from the 'Label Vendors' drop down, then scroll down and click on the correct product number.
9. Click 'OK' to have word create a blank label document.
Link the Labels to the Excel Document
10. Click the Microsoft Office Button in the upper left corner of the Microsoft Word screen. In Word 2010, click on 'File' and select 'Options.'
11. Select 'Advanced' and scroll to the 'General' section. Put a check in the box next to 'Confirm File Format Conversion on Open' and click 'OK.'
12. Click on the 'Mailings' tab and select the 'Start Mail Merge' group. Then click 'Select Recipients.' In Word 2010, select the 'Mailings' tab and click 'Select Recipients.'
13. Select 'Use Existing List' from the list of options. Navigate to the location of the Excel file, and double-click the file.
14. Highlight the name of the mailing list and click 'OK.' If prompted, select 'MS Excel Worksheets via DDE (*.xls)' and click 'OK.' All of the labels, except the first, should now say
>.
Format and Merge the Labels
15. Put your cursor in the first label field. Go to the 'Mailings' tab and click the down arrow next to 'Insert Merge Field.' Add each address field to the first label with proper formatting. For example:«first_name» «last_name»«address»«city», «state» «zip»
16. Click the 'Update Labels' button, to the right of the 'Insert Merge Fields' drop-down, to copy the address fields to the rest of the label template.
17. Click 'Preview Results' to view your labels.
18. Save your label template. Then click 'Finish and Merge.' Select 'Edit Individual Documents,' 'All,' and click 'OK.'
19. Save and print your new labels.
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How to Subtract Using Excel 2007


1. Double-click the Excel 2007 icon on your desktop or in your 'Programs' list to open the program to a blank worksheet.
2. Enter the numbers you want to subtract in separate cells in the spreadsheet.You can select any cells you would like, but it's usually convenient to place the numbers next to one another either horizontally, in two separate columns, or vertically, in two separate rows.If you want to work with data from an existing spreadsheet, open that file to begin working on it.
3. Enter a subtraction formula in a blank cell. The formula is an equal sign, followed by the first cell reference minus the second cell reference.For example, if your two numbers are in cells A1 and A2, then use a blank cell to enter the formula:=A1-A2
4. Click on another blank cell to activate the formula you just entered. The text for the formula will disappear, and the subtraction amount will appear in its place.For example, if cell A1 contains 100 and A2 contains 25, then the cell with the formula will display 75, since 100 - 25 = 75.
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How to Fill Cells With Colors in Microsoft Excel 2003


1. Select the cell that you wish to fill. You will need to left-click on the cell that you wish to fill with color in order to activate that cell.
2. Access the color-fill palette. The color-fill palette is located on the command bar and looks like an icon of a paint bucket spilling out paint. Simply left-click on this icon and a color palette will open.
3. Select a fill color. Once the color palette is open, just click on the desired color.
4. Fill the cell with the desired color. Once you click on the desired color, the cell will automatically fill with that color. You can easily change the color by following the above steps.
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Saturday, April 13, 2013

How to Divide a Cell in Two


1. Launch Microsoft Excel. Double-click the name of the document you want to edit on your hard drive to open it in Microsoft Excel.
2. Insert a blank column next to the cell or column of cells you want to split. Highlight your cell by clicking on it (or the whole column by clicking on the column heading) and hold down the 'Alt,' 'I' and 'C' keys at the same time to insert a new column.
3. Open the 'Convert Text to Columns Wizard.' In Excel 2003 and earlier versions, drop-down the 'Data' menu and select 'Convert Text Into Columns.' In Excel 2007 and 2010, navigate to the 'Data' tab and click the 'Text to Columns' button.
4. Divide your cell or cells in two. Choose either 'Delimited' or 'Fixed Width,' depending on whether or not a comma (or other character) or a space separates the data you want to split, respectively. Click 'Next,' keeping in mind that you'll need to enter whichever character you used to separate your data on the next screen if you selected 'Delimited.' Click 'Finish.' Your cell (or column) is now divided in two.
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