The Excel Team Blog

Simplify management of an Excel Power View template by using a VSTO add-in

Excel Blog — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:30:00 GMT

Templates are one of the cornerstones in modern professional Excel development. By using one or more templates, we can provide a structural approach for end users to acquire, store and present data. From a development point of view, we can simplify the maintenance. In this tutorial, Excel MVP Dennis Wallentin shows how to simplify management of a Power View template by using a VSTO add-in. ...( read more ) Read More......(read more)

New server release: Spreadsheet controls in Office 2013

Excel Blog — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:59:00 GMT

In April, we released 2 important new spreadsheet management server-based applications to complement the desktop spreadsheet management features we introduced with the release of Office 2013. Now available are Audit and Control Management Server (ACM), and Discovery and Risk Assessment, which are both designed to help you manage the use of spreadsheets and Access databases. Read on to learn more. ...( read more ) Read More......(read more)

Office Web Apps Announcements

Excel Blog — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:19:00 GMT

Yesterday we announced some exciting news about Web Excel (and all of the Office Web Apps) over on the Office 365 Blog. Specifically, we announced that we’ll be improving the Web Apps to be a comprehensive productivity experience (not just a companion to the desktop applications) on more browsers and devices over the next year and beyond. Head on over to the Office 365 blog to check it out! ...( read more ) Read More......(read more)

Summing data across multiple criteria on multiple worksheets

Excel Blog — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:06:00 GMT

Ever had to sum data based on multiple criteria situated in different Microsoft Excel worksheets? In this tutorial, Excel MVP Liam Bastick provides a quick tour of INDIRECT references and Table functionality while combining qualities of the SUMPRODUCT function with the SUMIFS function, providing a solution to the mother-of-all Multiple Criteria problems. ...( read more ) Read More......(read more)

Improved data grid for charts in Word and PowerPoint

Excel Blog — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:16:00 GMT

One of the improvements we made for Office 2013 to the way users work with Charts in Word and PowerPoint is to make the data grid easier to use and less intrusive. Now the data grid is displayed in a streamlined small input window that floats above the chart. Read on to find out more about these improvements. ...( read more ) Read More......(read more)

Excel Geek Express—otherwise known as Quick Analysis

Excel Blog — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 02:24:00 GMT

Guest blogger Emily Warn is a writer and confirmed Excel geek. In this post, she demonstrates how to use the new Quick Analysis feature in Excel 2013 to create a spreadsheet with book sales numbers that can be sorted by name and number in order to make data tell a story by presenting it visually. ...( read more ) Read More......(read more)

Dallas Utilities: Electricity seasonal use simulation using project codename “GeoFlow” Preview and Power View

Excel Blog — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:00:00 GMT

The Microsoft account team in Dallas, TX wanted to create a localized demonstration that would be recognizable to customers in the area. Taking advantage of publicly available residential data and awareness of the extreme summer temperatures in and around Dallas, the team decided to present simulated household energy consumption data using Excel 2013, Power View and project code name "GeoFlow" Preview for Excel, believing the presentation would peak customers' interests. Read on to...(read more)

Public preview of project codename “GeoFlow” for Excel delivers 3D data visualization and storytelling

Excel Blog — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Today we are announcing the availability of the project codename "GeoFlow" Preview for Excel 2013, a result of collaborations between several teams within Microsoft. GeoFlow lets you plot geographic and temporal data visually, analyze that data in 3D, and create interactive "tours" to share with others. Read on to learn how GeoFlow adds to the existing self-service Business Intelligence capabilities in Excel 2013, such as Microsoft Data Explorer Preview and Power View, to help...(read more)

Using conditional formatting to highlight dates in Excel

Excel Blog — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:00:00 GMT

Date functions in Excel make it is possible to perform date calculations, like addition or subtraction, resulting in automated or semi-automated worksheets. When you mix date functions with conditional formatting, you can create spreadsheets that display date alerts automatically when a deadline is near or differentiate between types of days, like weekends and weekdays. In this tutorial, Excel MVP Frédéric Le Guen shows how to put this functionality to work, with some examples in the...(read more)

Format and customize Excel charts quickly with the new Formatting Task pane

Excel Blog — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:01:00 GMT

The new Excel makes creating and customizing charts simpler and more intuitive. One part of the fluid new experience is the Formatting Task pane, which replaces the Format dialog box. The new Formatting Task pane is the single source for formatting--all of the different styling options are consolidated in one place. With this single task pane, you can modify not only charts, but also shapes and text in Excel. ...( read more ) Read More......(read more)

Use Webservice functions to automatically update Excel spreadsheets with online data

Excel Blog — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:00:00 GMT

Have you ever wanted to incorporate data from online resources into your Excel spreadsheets, such as stock quotes, weather, Bing Search results or even Twitter feeds? With new Webservice functions, now you can pull data from the internet into Excel--and the best part is the information updates automatically in your spreadsheet! Read on to find out how to put this functionality to work for you. ...( read more ) Read More......(read more)

Take the Excel Challenge for a chance to win a Kinect for Xbox 360 prize pack

Excel Blog — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:00:00 GMT

We have some great news for Excel fans around the world! Our friends over at Microsoft Business Intelligence have launched an exciting new challenge on Facebook to test your skills and knowledge of Excel. Join the So You Think You Know Excel Challenge to answer 15 questions about Excel and you could get your name up on the leaderboard. Challenge your friends and colleagues or just play for fun. And you'll have the chance to enter the sweepstakes portion of this event, where we'll randomly...(read more)

Join Tuesday’s webinar: 5 Things about Freezing Panes in Excel

Excel Blog — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:25:00 GMT

Need to navigate that huge spreadsheet quickly? Freeze panes can help by allowing you to view your column and row headings continuously while you scroll your document. In this webinar, we'll demonstrate how to freeze panes in an Excel workbook, plus, we'll give you 5 tips of this feature, just in case you've ever been stumped while trying to freeze panes. We start our Office 15-Minute Webinar at 9:15 am Pacific Time, with a Q&A to follow. Click the link below or go to http://aka.ms...(read more)

Which keyboard shortcuts should we add next to Web Excel?

Excel Blog — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:09:00 GMT

We're currently planning the next round of keyboard shortcuts to add to Web Excel and would love to hear your input. Let us know about your favorite shortcuts in desktop Excel by filling out this survey . ...( read more ) Read More......(read more)

Data Explorer brings Big Data connectivity to Excel 2013

Excel Blog — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 19:02:00 GMT

Today we continue our series of BI related posts highlighting a recent announcement for a new add-in for Excel. On Wednesday, we announced an early look at a future addition to our self-service line-up with Microsoft "Data Explorer" Preview for Excel. "Data Explorer" enhances the self-service BI experience in Excel by simplifying data discovery and access to a broad range of public and enterprise data sources, enabling richer insights from data that has traditionally been difficult...(read more)