Excel Tips

By: CPA Australia
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  • Summary

  • Excel Tips is a podcast for accounting, business and finance professionals who are looking to sharpen their spreadsheet skills and learn new hacks and tricks from Neale Blackwood CPA, a Microsoft Excel expert. Excel Tips helps spreadsheet users discover Excel’s hidden features and shortcuts and understand how best to apply the newest features and functionality. The podcast is a companion to regular articles in INTHEBLACK, CPA Australia’s award-winning business magazine. Every podcast episode includes links to the accompanying Excel Tips digital magazine article. Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. Subscribe today to stay up-to-date with the latest episodes. Excel Tips is presented by CPA Australia, one of the world’s largest accounting bodies, with core services that include education, training, technical support and advocacy. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts: With Interest, INTHEBLACK, INTHEBLACK Out Loud and Excel Tips. To find out more about our podcasts, visit https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts - or search for the shows in your podcast service. To contact the podcast team email us at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au.
    © CPA Australia
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Economics
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Episodes
  • New tool explained: boost your efficiency with checkboxes

    New tool explained: boost your efficiency with checkboxes
    Feb 2 2025
    Ready to unlock a hidden gem in your Microsoft Excel subscription? In this episode you’ll discover the power of checkboxes with practical examples to explore how this new function can streamline your workflow. This includes how to use TRUE/FALSE values in formulas and conditional formatting to dynamically control calculations and visuals. Learn from examples such as inflation adjustments in a budget model and applying a strikethrough format to a to-do list. Additionally, gain insight into how checkboxes are used in the logical test of the IF function and learn essential keyboard shortcuts for an efficiency boost. For fast reference, use the episode timestamps: 00:21 Introducing the new checkbox feature  01:03 How checkboxes work in Excel  02:35 Using checkboxes in budget models  03:23 Keyboard shortcuts for checkboxes  04:19 Protecting checkbox cells 04:50 Checkboxes with the IF function 05:32 Using checkboxes for task management 07:55 Checkboxes in formatted tables 09:20 Conclusion and further resources You’ll find the new checkboxes function in the insert ribbon between illustrations and charts in the subscription version. Level up your Excel game by tuning in now. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: INTHEBLACK INTHEBLACK Out Loud With Interest Excel Tips Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au
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    10 mins
  • Improve your PDF data handling with Power Query

    Improve your PDF data handling with Power Query
    Jan 2 2025
    Ever struggled to extract crucial financial data from PDF files into Excel? As accountants and finance professionals, this can be a regular occurrence. To help you, this episode explores Microsoft Excel’s Power Query feature. You’ll uncover how to seamlessly import data from system-generated PDFs like invoices and statements. From tackling tricky formatting issues to cleaning up messy rows, learn through real-world examples using an Australian Tax Office (ATO) PDF as a case study. Additionally, you’ll gain smart strategies for handling regularly updated PDFs to automate your workflows. For fast access, use these timestamps: 0:17 - Introduction to Importing Data from PDFs using Excel's Power Query feature. 0:37 - Types of PDFs and Their Reliability 1:05 - Use Cases for Importing PDF data 3:17 - Accessing Power Query and Importing a PDF 4:15 - Tables vs. Pages in PDFs 5:40 - The Complexity of Importing PDF Data 6:25 - Removing Repeated Headers 7:05 - Addressing Errors and Dealing with Extra Rows 9:20 - Creating a Filter Column 9:45 - Reversing Rows Again 10:05 - PDF File Names 11:20 - Reusing Power Queries11:42 - Conclusion If you’re ready to save time and streamline your data handling processes, this episode is a must-listen. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: With InterestINTHEBLACK INTHEBLACK Out LoudExcel Tips Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au
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    13 mins
  • Handy hack to create timeline charts

    Handy hack to create timeline charts
    Dec 1 2024

    Excel doesn’t have a built-in timeline chart but we’ll show you how to create one. In this episode you’ll learn how using a scatter chart can help you build a timeline chart.

    For easy reference, here are the episode timestamps:

    • 0:17 - About timeline charts in Excel
    • 1:33 - Hacking the scatter chart to make a timeline chart
    • 2:43 - Formatting dates using the range
    • 3:32 - Universal formatting shortcut
    • 4:27 - Working with the data series and points
    • 5:40 - The structure of the data to build the chart
    • 7:21 - Linking the title to the cell
    • 8:07 - The date format used by Excel and keyboard shortcuts
    • 9:29 - Timeline charts overview and recap

    Whether you’re tracking historical events or planning future milestones, a timeline chart is a useful tool to create in Excel.

    Tune in now to learn this simple technique and start creating your own timeline charts.

    Host: Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants.

    CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:

    • INTHEBLACK
    • INTHEBLACK Out Loud
    • With Interest
    • Excel Tips

    Search for them in your podcast platform.
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    10 mins

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