Excel Hacks, Second Edition ~ Windows Fanatics

 Here’s a book that’s on my wish list now.  As much as I have a love-hate relationship with Excel, it’s also an app I know has far more potential to it.  I don’t think of myself as an expert, but watching folks struggle with it makes me wonder why all the power has been made so seemingly hard to tap into.  From Windows Fanatics:

So think of this book as a toolbox. When a need arises or a problem occurs, you can simply use the right tool for the job. Hacks are grouped into chapters so you can find what you need quickly, including ways to:

• Reduce workbook and worksheet frustration: Manage how users interact with worksheets, find and highlight information, and deal with debris and corruption.
• Analyze and manage data: Extend and automate these features, moving beyond the limited tasks they were designed to perform.
• Hack names: Learn not only how to name cells and ranges, but also how to create names that adapt to the data in your spreadsheet.
• Get the most out of PivotTables: Avoid the problems that make them frustrating and learn how to extend them.
• Create customized charts: Tweak and combine Excel’s built-in charting capabilities.
• Hack formulas and functions: Subjects range from moving formulas around to dealing with datatype issues to improving recalculation time.
• Make the most of macros: Including ways to manage them and use them to extend other features.
• Use the enhanced capabilities of Microsoft Office 2007 to combine Excel with Word, Access, and Outlook.

 Source: Excel Hacks, Second Edition ~ Windows Fanatics

Being able to do powerful sorts and formatting tricks can make a huge difference.  And as much as I really like Office 2007, I’m still saying “where the heck is…” sometimes.  Maybe I don’t need Excel Hacks as much as Office 2007 Ribbon for Dummies.