I use excel a lot in my work and I always struggle to understand how a sheet is put together. I simply can't remember how all the formulas in the cells link together and where the calculations come from. If I get a spreadsheet from someone else then its even harder. Does anyone else have the same problem? I know about trace precedents but I don't really find it helps. Do you know of any techniques or tools that help?
One thing I use if you are trying to figure out is: Evaluate Formula....in 2010, under the Formulas tab and in the formula auditing there is a button called "Evaluate Formula"....this will step through a formula using the exact logic that will happen when the formula is executed...this may help....
Ernest
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Nothing drives me crazy - I'm always close enough to walk....
Thanks, I've just tried out evaluate formula tool and I'm sure I will use it in future. But I guess, maybe I'm after a plugin which just shows this in a better form like a tree or something. I can select a cell, trace the precedents then evaluate the formulas of the precedents but this is quite a tedious process with lots of steps when your dealing with a big sheet. Do you find this a problem or is this just something that you get better at by using excel more?
I don't know of any, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there. You could probably research something along those lines. I guess I just got better with time on troubleshooting and walking through an Excel sheet...sorry....
It partly depends on the structure. One technique I use especially on financial statements is to create a function
and include this on a column so that you can see the formulae.
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But it usually hardwork alone that brings understanding.
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