Vanilla Excel is a powerful Excel Mini Tutorial:Use Boolean Logic to Process Complex Data Logic Mini Tutorial:Use Boolean Logic to Process Complex Data The logical operators IF, NOT, AND, and OR can help you get a new user of Excel for your use. We explain the basics of each feature and demonstrate how you can use them to get the best results. Learn more, be accurate, and perform miracles with data. Mini Excel Tutorial:Using Advanced Counting and Adding Features in Excel Mini Excel Tutorial:Using Advanced Counting and Adding Features in Excel Counting and adding formulas can seem mundane compared to more advanced Excel formulas. But they can help you save a lot of time when you need to gather information about the data in your spreadsheet. Read more . And it can do even more for you and your data!
You can enhance your Excel experience with add-ins. From Data Visualization 4 Data Visualization Tools to Captivate Data Journalism 4 Data Visualization Tools to Captivate Data Journalism Words and numbers are not enough. In the end, the visual will capture and convince your audience. Here are the tools to help you turn your data into something big. Read more to external databases Excel Vs. Access:Can a spreadsheet replace a database? Excel Vs. Access:Can a Spreadsheet Replace a Database? Which tool should I use to manage the data? Access and Excel both have data filtering, compiling, and querying. We will show you which one is the most suitable for your needs. Read More
Excel add-ins extend the functionality of the software. They are not limited to Excel either. You can find add-ins for Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint, Publisher, and now even Outlook. We expect to see the list grow when Office 2016 arrives on Windows 10 later this year. When is Windows 10 coming out, how can I get it, and what about the technical preview? When is Windows 10 coming out, how can I get it, and what about the technical preview? Windows 10 is coming soon. Still confused about how the update will work and wondering about the timeline? We have some answers, although more questions remain. Read more.
Actually, Excel comes with only a few popular add-ins, you just have to know where to look to activate them. Try File> Options> Plugins and see what's already available for your copy of Excel. Note the Manage dropdown box, and the Go button? Pressing Go takes us to the plugin installation/activation page. I have selected the Analysis Tools and the Solver Plugin. Once installed, these plugins introduce new functionality to the Data tab, under Analytics.
The plugins also come in slightly different flavors:
You can find information about installation or activation on the plugin download page, and there are plenty of posts online in case you come unstuck at any time.
Microsoft is slowly phasing out the term “add-ons” in favor of the popular and more relevant term. “Microsoft Office Apps Launches into a New Era with Touch First Apps and New Desktop Suite Microsoft Office Launches into a New Era with Touch First Apps and New Desktop Suite Office has been the gold standard for office suites for a long time. Microsoft is working hard to keep it that way as it expands to new platforms and technology. Read more ." If you sign in to Office, the Apps for Office button will appear on the Insert tab . Opening it provides a direct link to the Office Store and all the add-ins and apps found there.
Let's take a look at some of the best add-ins for Excel.
A business is only as good as its data. And some companies have all the data. Extracting the maximum value from your data can empower your business, allowing you to make informed and direct decisions backed by empirical evidence.
It can be a bit hard to get used to, and it has its own separate interface, but it will allow you to create beautiful data analysis dashboards. Visualize Your Data and Make Your Spreadsheets User-Friendly with an Excel Dashboard Visualize Your Data and Make Your Spreadsheets User-Friendly with an Excel Dashboard Sometimes a simple spreadsheet format isn't attractive enough to make your data accessible. A dashboard allows you to present your most important data in an easy-to-digest format. Read More And the people will be be impressed, especially if they haven't seen it before. You can refer to the detailed Power BI support pages to get started or when you're stuck.
A nice little plugin that allows you to send your data directly to the Power BI dashboard and analytics tool.
Excel is an excellent data visualization tool, Show, Don't Tell! Create an interactive data visualization with Tableau Public Show, Don't Tell! Create an interactive data visualization with Tableau Public Do numbers and spreadsheets make you yawn? With Tableau Public, free for Windows and Mac, you can turn .xls or .txt data into meaningful visualizations like charts and tables. Read More Although sometimes, we just want something a little different. This is where Bubbles comes in handy, giving you an interactive, fun and immediately accessible data visualization experience. Expand the sample table or insert your own data to see what it can do. And play with colors. Fun data times.
The second data visualization tool is the radar chart. Again, it is easy to use and gives you a new way to analyze your data How to Use an Excel Pivot Table for Data Analysis How to Use an Excel Pivot Table for Data Analysis Pivot table is one of the tools most powerful of Excel. 2013 repertoire. It is frequently used for big data analysis. Follow our step-by-step demo to learn all about it. Read more . I'd stick with the default colors - the Night Vision offering makes my eyes bleed.
The third data visualization tool is the People Graph, a nice little tool similar to an infographic design developed by Microsoft. It comes with 16 different shapes, 7 themes, and 3 chart types to bring your data to life.
Databurst is a very nice and well programmed interactive cross-platform visualization tool. It supports filters, slicers, formulas, hidden columns, and more, and you can access it from your desktop, tablet, or mobile device.
As a bonus, Databurst includes a number of sample weather and geographic data, but they don't compare to the analysis of my breakfast, included in the image.
Sometimes you just need more data, and if you're looking for some serious volume, these plugins will give you those extra logs you crave, you're a data freak, you. Quandle gives you that data functionality, letting you access its wide range of data sets. You can also cross-reference the dataset with charts found on your site.
Pro Tip :Follow the instructions on the page to search the Quandle plugin; worth it if you have something specific to find.
Now, I haven't had a chance to use this plugin, but it certainly looks very interesting. It pulls data from connected IoT devices and displays it in a worksheet for you to manipulate, and lets you share your personal data sets using JSON or XML. Best of all, it works in real time, so you know exactly what your devices or sensors are doing every minute of the day.
We recently wrote about the productivity gains you'll find using Excel templates. An Excel template for every occasion. An Excel template for every occasion. Skip the steep learning curve and get your life in order with the power of Excel templates. We've compiled a selection of auto-updating templates for tracking budgets, managing projects, and more. Read More This add-in consolidates many of your best templates into one convenient Excel application. You can even try it first in your browser. Use it!
This is very, very cool. Anyone who loves data visualization must Try this. The Audible Charts app lets you listen to your data. The higher the number, the higher the pitch. Listen and watch:
Slightly (completely) novel, but interesting nonetheless.
Bing Maps plots your worksheet's location data on a Bing map, providing a basic location-based visualization of data. In my quick mockup below, you can see select MakeUseOf employee locations by country, but this can be narrowed down by ZIP, ZIP, addresses, states, counties, and more.
If you have location-based relational data, you can select multiple columns and insert pie charts above their specified locations.
We've covered data visualization, business intelligence, templates, audio visualization, and dataset import. But there are plenty more Excel add-ins and apps out there that you can find, and as with most things in Excel, if you're thinking of something useful, chances are someone has read your mind.
Have you used Excel applications or add-ins before? Which ones are your favorites? Let us know below!
