This week I have some video tips on some things I recently figured out while using Excel and I thought I’d share them on my blog.
Some spreadsheets I use daily gave me an annoying message every time I opened them about a circular reference error. A circular reference is created when you refer to same cell either directly or indirectly. For months I never stopped to figure out exactly where it was as I thought it would be too time consuming since my spreadsheets have multiple formulas in them.
I use Excel 2010 and it’s ridiculously easy to fix a circular reference. It’s up first here in the video.
Check your Formulas
When in Excel, click on the ‘Formulas’ tab at the top and you’ll find some very useful functions. In the video, I demonstrate how to ‘Trace Precedents’ and ‘Trace Dependents’. These tools tell you what cells are included in a formula and tell you what cells are affected by the value of the currently selected cells—well, it all makes more sense when you watch the video!
I hope you enjoy and please stop over at my YouTube channel as I have more short videos with tips and shortcuts that may be helpful to you.