NWIITT

PowerPivot for Excel 2010

NWIITT — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:14:23 +0000

PowerPivot for Excel 2010 is a FREE add-in from Microsoft. In addition to enabling users to create powerful BI solutions, it aids sharing and collaboration through it’s integration with SharePoint Server 2010. For more information, tutorials and to download the software, visit the dedicated PowerPivot website.

Defining and Using Range Names in Excel

NWIITT — Sun, 23 May 2010 13:02:33 +0000

Excel allows you to assign a name to an individual cell or a range of cells. That name can be used in a formula and can help to make the formula easier to understand. Names can also make it easier to navigate around a large spreadsheet. In Excel 2007 and 2010, names have a scope assigned to them, meaning that a name can be a worksheet-level name or a workbook-level name.

Defining a Name – 1

Select the cell or cells that the name will refer to

Click the Formulas tab on the Ribbon

Click the Define Name button in the Defined Names group

Defining a Name – 2

The New Name dialog box is displayed

Type an appropriate name into the Name field (1). The name should describe the data that will be stored in the cell(s)

Select the appropriate value from the Scope drop down list (2). In the example above, there are 4 worksheets – North, South, East and West. Each sheet is laid out identically. The range B2:E2 in each sheet needs to be assigned a name. In previous versions of Excel, each name would have to be unique, for example, SalesNorth, SalesSouth, etc. The Scope allows you to restrict the use of the name to a specific worksheet or, by selecting Workbook from the list, make it available throughout the workbook. Names must be unique within their scope. So you cannot have two identical names in the same sheet, but you can use the same name in different sheets.

The optional Comment field (3) is used to document the name

Refers to (4) indicates the range that the name refers to

Click the OK button

The Names Box

The Names Box is to the left of the Formula Bar, just above columns A and B. Clicking the dropdown arrow will display a list of Names in the current workbook. To quickly navigate to a named cell/range, simply select the name from the list.

To quickly create a name, select the cell/range that the name will refer to, type the name into the Names Box and press Enter. Names created in this way will automatically have Workbook scope applied to them.

If a name has been assigned to a cell or range, when that cell or range is selected, the name will be displayed in the Name Box – in the above screenshot, G1 has been assigned the name VAT

Using Names in a Formula

In the above screenshot, G1 has been assigned the name VAT. Instead of typing G1 into the formula in C2, the name VAT has been used. Not only is the name easier to remember than the cell references, but also the formula will make more sense to other users of the worksheet.

An additional benefit is that Names are always absolute. In the example above, when the formula =VAT*B2 is copied down the column, the new formula will read =VAT*C3, etc.

Word 2007 Images – Amending Alternative Text

NWIITT — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:44:31 +0000

The Save As PDF command in MS Office 2007 allows you to create a PDF from a Microsoft Office document even if you haven’t got Adobe Acrobat installed. However, if the Office document contains images (and the images have been inserted using the Insert > Image command rather than copy and paste), the image in the PDF document will have "alt text" attached to it.

What is Alt Text?

The purpose of alt text (short for alternative text) is to provide a textual description of the image. This description will be displayed as a tooltip when a user hovers their mouse over the image. The description will also be "heard" by anyone using screen reading software.

By default, the filename is used for the alt text as shown in the screenshot above. If the filename is either meaningless (for example1.jpg) or not overly-descriptive, it is recommended that the alt text is amended.

Changing the Alt Text – 1

To change (or remove – although that is not recommended for the reasons already stated) the alt text for an image, right click the image and select Format Picture…

Changing the Alt Text – 2

Click the Alt Text tab, delete the existing text and type in the new text into the Alternative Text box.

Click OK to complete the process.

Going Technical – Demystifying the Microsoft Certifications

NWIITT — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:30:34 +0000

Overview

MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCSD are to name a few of the Microsoft certifications. Over the last two years Microsoft has added numerous new certifications. Many people are confused over which certification is best for them, and the pathway to gain that certification. Are you an applications or web trainer who would like to go technical, but don’t know where to start? Not all Microsoft certifications require a year of study. Recently Microsoft has filled the gap in the market between high level Application users who want to know more technical information and those who want full technical knowledge. Come and hear about the certifications available and maybe move your career in a new direction.

Date and Time

26 April 2004, 19:30 – 21:30 BST

Presenter

Jane Howell

Broadband and ISP’s

NWIITT — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:29:19 +0000

Overview

Looking for an ISP and Broadband provider can be quite a chore. You talk to people and tell them you have AOL and they pull a face. You hear about free ISPs and you don’t know whether they are any good or not. Don’t despair! Here is some help!

Date and Time

24 May 2004, 19:30 – 21:30 BST

Presenter

Mike Thomas

Visual Basic for Applications in Access

NWIITT — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:26:08 +0000

Overview

VBA is Microsoft’s macro language for Microsoft Office and other desktop products.

VBA enables customers to buy off-the-shelf software and customize it to meet their specific business processes, rather than build solutions from scratch. This helps them save time and money, reduce risks, leverage their programming skills, and deliver precisely what users need.

Valerie will be demonstrating several practical implementations of VBA in Access.

Date and Time

26 July 2004, 19:30 – 21:30 BST

Presenter

Valerie Jones

Digital Imaging

NWIITT — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:23:19 +0000

Overview

So you’ve got your digital camera and probably taken a few (hundred!) photos. What next? Using both Photoshop and PaintShop Pro Elaine will be covering:

How to rescue problem photographs
Applying special effects
Watermarking your images
Optimizing photos for e-mailing and web use
Creating an online gallery

Date and Time

11 August 2004, 19:30 – 21:30 BST

Presenter

Elaine Giles

Practical Bid Solutions

NWIITT — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:21:36 +0000

Overview

Insight into the tendering process with practical guidance as to the do’s and don’ts to be successful in your bids.

Date and Time

28 January 2003, 19:30 – 21:30 GMT

Presenter

Alan Mannion

Flash: More than Skip Intro?

NWIITT — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:20:15 +0000

Overview

Ask most people about Flash and the first thing that comes to mind is the pervasive web site welcome animations accompanied by the ubiquitous Skip Intro option. However, there is much more to Macromedia Flash – come along and discover a whole range of features!

Date and Time

24 February 2003, 19:30 – 21:30 GMT

Presenter

Elaine Giles

Search Engine Optimisation and FTP

NWIITT — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:20:08 +0000

Overview

FTP is used to upload your website to a webserver. But there’s more to it than that. Did you know that there are several different ways to do this – and some of them are free! Learn about the different options and find out about some handy shortcuts too.

Once your website is uploaded, you’ll want it to be listed in search engines. Although you cannot guarantee a top 10 listing, you can maximise your chances using some relatively inexpensive methods.

Date and Time

23 August 2004, 19:30 – 21:30 BST

Presenter

Mike Thomas