Hi Derek!
You asked for literature (websites, books, etc). Here's a standard
updated collation of resources:
Here's standard posting on Excel Resources:
Perhaps the very best resource is yourself! Few experts have gained
their in
depth knowledge other than by banging their heads on the keyboard
trying to
work out solutions to problems. It's sometimes frustrating but even
blind
alleys teach you things and successes are very rewarding and current
hard
stuff becomes easier as you progress.
I use a program called NetCaptor that allows multi-tabbed copies of
Explorer
and I have "Captor groups" set up in three blocks as follows:
Prime Sites
Secondary Sites
Microsoft Sites
PRIME
Chip Pearson:
http://www.cpearson.com/excel/topic.htm
Ranked number one equal because his index is so crystal clear and
content so
broad
Dave McRitchie
http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/xlindex.htm
Ranked number one for breadth of content but the index is necessarily
more
difficult.
John Walkenbach
http://j-walk.com/ss/excel/index.htm
Lots of useful Add-ins and downloadable examples from one of the most
popular writers of Excel texts.
Then there's a special link that is worth going to immediately:
SPECIAL
Ron de Bruin
www.rondebruin.nl/Google.htm
Ron has an Add-In that you can download free of charge. It installs a
Google
search tool under your Help menu in Excel. If you don't Google search
Excel
problems now, you will soon do so when you get the hang of it.
SECONDARY
I've left out many real gems on the web and I plead guilty and ask for
the
need for selectivity to be taken into account. Plus, even with
NetCaptor it
does take time to download all the front pages. But just briefly and
all
with different strengths in different areas:
Stephen Bullen (Includes hosting of several MVP's material)
http://www.bmsltd.co.uk/Excel/Default.htm
Debra Dalgeish (Lots of tips plus a book list):
http://contextures.com/tiptech.html
Ole P. Erlandsen (Plenty of VBA plus special function and formula
topics):
http://www.erlandsendata.no/english/index.htm
Karl Peterson (Lots of code here to look at and examples to download):
http://www.mvps.org/vb/
Charles Williams (Expert tips on performance issues):
http://www.decisionmodels.com/calcsecretsj.htm
Dolphin Technology Corp (Tips and tricks and quickies):
http://www.vbapro.com/
Rob Bovey's (Excel VBA Tips and Tricks):
http://www.rb-ad.dircon.co.uk/rob/excelvba/tips/index.htm
Tushar Mehta (Newsgroup stats, Addins and tutorials):
http://www.tushar-mehta.com/
Then there's tutorial sites:
Texas Uni
http://www.itts.ttu.edu/documentation/excel/
Uni S. Dakota:
http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/excel/
J. Rubin Excel Tips:
http://www.exceltip.com/
PC Mag Excel Tips:
http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,4148,2143,00.asp
MICROSOFT
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;en-us;kbinfo
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.asp?
http://www.microsoft.com/
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=/support/Excel/Content/CoolTips/cool.asp#E10E28
NEWSGROUPS
But don't forget the newsgroups. It's the number one learning tool on
the internet. Post a question and it usually doesn't take more than an
hour to get a reply or three. Posters are all volunteers who give
their expertise freely and cheerfully. It's not total altruism at work
because they know that it is also by far the best way to extend their
skills, keep them at their finger tips and solve the particular
problems they have (or might not realize they have!) Most often you'll
get a solution or a reference to the place to go that covers the
problem definitely (well.....) or in depth.
You can also gain very valuable experise by "lurking" and seeing what
replies are to various questions that interest you and even more so by
attempting answers yourself even if at first you don't send but see if
you
are right. But don't worry about making bloopers as we all do that and
I've
not yet known anyone treated other than with respect when they are
trying to
help or are being helped.
The top three newsgroups in terms of usage are:
microsoft.public.excel.misc
microsoft.public.excel.programming
microsoft.public.excel.worksheet.functions
You might now add:
microsoft.public.excel.newusers
Post only to one group and select the one you think most likely to be
the
right one for your query. If in doubt use misc but not to worry
because
you'll probably get an answer on whatever group you go for. But don't
attach
files as this is very much frowned on because of download times and
costs if
it became too prevalent and because of fear of viruses etc. Generally
the
very act of describing your problem triggers the solution before you
finish
asking the questions (and sometimes triggers it just as you click
"send"
<vbg>)
Make sure that you connect through:
msnews.microsoft.com
It's faster and quicker to update. Also make sure you read Chip
Pearson's
and Dave McRitchie's Hints for new posters. A wealth of useful
information
on getting the most out of newsgroups.
BOOKS
But there's still no substitute for some good hard copy text for
structured
and comprehensive coverage of the area. Here, you might do some
preliminary
research on what's available at:
http://www.amazon.com
Don't forget to use their search tool. Most texts are available
through them
at a discount and it's well worth reading the Author reviews and the
reviews
posted by readers. Don't just go for star rating or even Amazon
ranking but
if it sounds good, rates good and ranks good (established texts only)
it's
probably worth having a good look at it. Amazon are quite cheap and
pretty
fast; that can be quite important when the good bookshops are hard to
find
and / or carry limited stock and / or (like Australia) if it takes at
least 6
months before the new title is floated across the ocean on a raft.
John Walkenbach is regarded as one of the leading writers on Excel and
many
swear by (and occasionally at) his "trilogy" Excel 2002 Bible, Excel
2002
Power Programming with VBA and Excel 2002 Formulas. Don't worry about
Version number as the earlier Version differences are clearly
signposted.
But there are other extremely good texts that are worth browsing
before
buying as it is a matter of taste. For a downloadable recent list of
the
range of current material available go to:
Debra Dalgleish
http://contextures.com/tiptech.html
Debra maintains the current list of published texts with
classification,
titles, prices and ISBNs.
FINALLY
Don't forget the online Help that comes with Excel. Too many people
deride
it as being written for geeks by geeks. It does have it's moments but
generally it is getting better and better with each succeeding
version.
That should keep you busy for a while. But remember that one of the
main
joys of Excel is that it is so broad and so deep that you will never
know it
all. Also it has so many applications to different disciplines and
sub-disciplines that you will never stop finding hidden depths and
applications.
--
Regards
Norman Harker MVP (Excel)
Sydney, Australia
Holidays and Observances Tuesday 22nd July: Gambia (Liberation Day),
Poland (National Liberation Day), Slovenia (People's Uprising Day),
Swaziland (Birthday King Sobhuza II)
(e-mail address removed)
Excel and Word Function Lists (Classifications, Syntax and Arguments)
available free to good homes.
