Every employer these days is looking for candidates proficient in Excel to analyse, sort and record data. Microsoft Excel has become a popular software worldwide because of its user-friendly functions. Industries like accountancy depend highly on Excel to perform their daily data entries. But still, most people are unaware of the many valuable functions of MS Excel. Below we have tried to give you a general idea about different Excel functions and how you can apply them in your day-to-day work.
Different Functions of Excel
Microsoft Excel, a spreadsheet programme, is an integral part of Microsoft Office Suite, which is used mainly to create grids of text, numbers, etc. You can also use Excel commands to import data from external sources. Excel is an essential asset of various business organisations. It carries out functions like data segregation, income and expenditure reporting, chart information, budget planning, data presenting etc., with ease. MS Excel keeps on updating, and new functions are getting added to it regularly. According to today’s reports, there are almost 479 Excel functions.
Top Excel Functions
MS Excel has numerous Excel functions. But we hardly use all of them. We are familiar with the most common Excel functions and neglect the other functions, not knowing that they make our work much more manageable. Here we have listed some of the underrated but highly efficient Excel functions.
Flash-Fill
This feature came into existence in 2013 and has given the software build a name. It automatically fills data in your spreadsheet whenever it notices a pattern, making it the most relevant feature of MS Excel.
For instance, you may have a list of things to enter in the first 20 cells of the spreadsheet. Suppose you don’t want letters. Only want numbers. You can get it done quickly using Flash-Fill. You can eliminate the letters using Flash-Fill. All you have to do is to enter your first number in the first cell. The Flash-Fill will recognise your pattern and do the rest of the job. To enable Flash-Fill, click the File option and turn on the Flash-Fill button. Or you can manually do it using the Ctrl+E button.
Index-Match
LOOK UP is the widely used Excel formula. But it has some limitations as it can search values only from left to right. It can only operate when the value is on the left side of the table. You can resolve this problem by using the Index and Match buttons, as they can search values from the entire table. If you use both buttons simultaneously, you can derive the information from a large data set. It may take some time to master this formula. But it will help you in the long run. Your efficiency will increase, and you will become faster in your work.
CTRL Z/ CTRL Y
It is the least used Excel function. Many people haven’t yet realised its usefulness. It is easy to work on an Excel spreadsheet. But mistakes are bound to happen, even for professionals. It would be best if you rectified these occasional mistakes. Ctrl Z and Ctrl Y will resolve your problems within seconds. When Ctrl Z is used to undo the mistakes, Ctrl Y is used to redo them. You can carry out modifications on an Excel spreadsheet using these two function buttons.
Freeze Panes
You will deal with a massive amount of data while working on an Excel sheet. So it is natural to lose track of the columns while scrolling. For situations like this, you can use the Freeze Panes Function, which allows you to freeze a specific row and column to check the data in other cells against it. To activate this function, you must first select the cells on the right of the columns or under the rows. Then go to the ‘view’ button and click freeze panes. You can also perform this function using the Alt+F command.
Remove duplicates
While handling a large number of data, you will have to remove duplicates. You can remove duplicates manually by selecting data or using the Alt H L command on the home ribbon under styles to highlight duplicate entries.
Excel has become an integral part of an accountant’s life. Knowledge of MS Excel is the primary criterion that everyone is looking for in any accounting course or job. To become an expert in MS Excel, you can enrol in the MS Excel certification course of Finprov Learning, India’s number one accounting training institute. Their program comprises two levels- beginner’s level and advanced. Join Finprov and find yourself amidst a vast number of opportunities.
