Some shortcuts you really should know when operating in Excel

I love shortcuts. And I am an Excel addict. Well. There are some shortcuts you might find useful. To add a timestamp to a cell you can use:

[CTRL]+[.]    insert date
[CTRL]+[:]    insert time

And if you work with long lists you might already know, that you can

[CTRL]+[ENTER]    inserting the same data in all selected cells

But wait: It is always the same question which is left. How can I copy and paste formatting from one cell to another? Maybe this is the question I leave to you to answer. BTW you should know that by double clicking the icon to copy and paste formats you can paste the format of the selected cell multiple times. Without any further clicking on this icon.

Why don't you try what happens when you do a [SHIFT]+[CTRL]+[C] and ...+[V] in Word? Ever tried?

The one basic rule to work with data in excel

If you decide to work with Excel there are several things you have to think of when you start. Believe it or not,but you have to keep in mind only one rule: Keep the layers separated!

Layer 1: data
Layer 2: operation (calculations)
Layer 3: representation (results)

I also tend to mix up this logical layers but by separating the data, the operational view and the representational view you will have some things easier lateron, e.g.: As your data layer doesn't have an impact on your representation layer, the adding of data columns does not alter the dashboard or representational view.

So the layering and separation will help you in maintaining your excel charts, it will make you  more flexible and the documentation a lot more easier.

But I can tell you right away: You will have to learn some things fast. Amongst these things are matrix formulas, the indirect functions and various lookups. Is there anything you want to add?