+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 5 of 5

Automation Tips?

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    03-09-2015
    Location
    US
    MS-Off Ver
    2010
    Posts
    26

    Automation Tips?

    I have a multiple spreadsheet workbook that covers a 2 year time span. Spreadsheets include monthly data of Payroll, Quotas, Expenses, and a Summary of year 1 and year 2. I don't need help with it, but interested in what kind of automation others use. I tried to search for general tips, but unless the search was very specific, the results tended to be businesses trying to sell services or simple things like pivot tables.

    What I use:
    • Dynamic named ranges using the Offset function for dropdown lists of positions, quota types, expense types (eg monthly, annual), and a site list.
    • These selections above autopopulate other cells using Index Match for salary, quota, revenue, and expense data.
    • I have monthly workdays listed that remove holidays based on a cell with the start date using several functions: Networkdays, Eomonth, Date, Weekday, and Choose. These are used in several calculations and now update from a single cell's date update.
    • Year 2 is dependent on year 1 inputs so it should require few adjustments.
    • Everything rolls up into the summary worksheet that shouldn't need to be touched.

    Now that I've typed it out, it doesn't seem like a lot, but it's made my spreadsheets much less manual. If anyone knows of a place to read more about things like this I'd be interested. What kind of things do you use?

  2. #2
    Forum Moderator AliGW's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-10-2013
    Location
    Retired in Ipswich, Suffolk, but grew up in Sawley, Derbyshire (England)
    MS-Off Ver
    MS 365 Subscription Insider Beta Channel v. 2404 (Windows 11 22H2 64-bit)
    Posts
    80,647

    Re: Automation Tips?

    Hi, Ziggy!

    Please attach the workbook. By seeing the data in situ, it will be much easier to advise.
    Ali


    Enthusiastic self-taught user of MS Excel who's always learning!
    Don't forget to say "thank you" in your thread to anyone who has offered you help.
    You can reward them by clicking on * Add Reputation below their user name on the left, if you wish.

    Forum Rules (updated August 2023): please read them here.

  3. #3
    Forum Expert
    Join Date
    05-20-2015
    Location
    Chicago, Illinois
    MS-Off Ver
    2016
    Posts
    2,103

    Re: Automation Tips?

    As Ali notes, you'll get better advice if you can offer more context, but it sounds like your workbook is already in pretty decent shape. It might be worth your time to browse through the vba archives to see what seems interesting or relevant.

    At my work, one of the more useful automation steps I've used (several times) is some variation on an "import from folder" procedure, in which the user can click a button on the main workbook and the workbook will reach out to a designated folder and import the info from each of the files in the folder. I use a version of this procedure to simplify my own work, but it's also been a valuable addition for some of our other departments because it simplifies the training for some of our data entry folks (we use many temps). Rather than train them to analyze their reports and trust them to aggregate it all correctly, they can just dump the reports into the "Magic Folder", click the "Magic Button", and all of the work is done for them. No user error, minimal training, more productivity. It's been a major time and money saver. If that sounds helpful to you, it might be worth your time to check out some of the ample resources available for vba code that selects a folder and acts on every file in the folder.
    If your problem has been solved, please use "Thread Tools" to mark the thread as "Solved".

    If you're grateful for this site's existence and would like to contribute to the community, please consider posting something hilarious in our joke thread:
    https://www.excelforum.com/the-water...ke-thread.html

  4. #4
    Registered User
    Join Date
    03-09-2015
    Location
    US
    MS-Off Ver
    2010
    Posts
    26

    Re: Automation Tips?

    Thanks CAntosh. Your example is more what I was looking for. I don't need help with my file, but spoke of it as an example of what I've done. I'm more interested in what others do so I can learn more. Whether it's useful to me or not, knowing it exists and is possible is a benefit.

  5. #5
    Registered User
    Join Date
    10-30-2018
    Location
    Ramat Gan, Israel
    MS-Off Ver
    Office 365
    Posts
    15

    Re: Automation Tips?

    That's really cool! Thanks a lot!

+ Reply to Thread

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Formatting tips
    By great_AS in forum Excel General
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 02-03-2017, 03:19 PM
  2. Formatting tips
    By great_AS in forum Excel General
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 02-03-2017, 09:07 AM
  3. Chart Tips
    By PTech9500 in forum Excel General
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 03-27-2007, 08:27 PM
  4. Tool tips or screen tips
    By Andrew B in forum Excel Programming / VBA / Macros
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 04-27-2006, 02:50 AM
  5. Screen tips
    By Andrew B in forum Excel Programming / VBA / Macros
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 04-24-2006, 10:20 PM
  6. [SOLVED] Excel Tips
    By Jack in forum Excel Formulas & Functions
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 04-21-2006, 05:40 AM
  7. need some tips!
    By cjjoo in forum Excel Formulas & Functions
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 10-19-2005, 02:11 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts

Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0 RC 1