Spreadsheet Roundup 2021-08-31

by Debra · Published August 31, 2021 · Updated July 5, 2022

Here is a Summer 2021 roundup of spreadsheet articles that I’ve read recently. You’ll find interesting tips, and new ideas for your own spreadsheets.

For Excel tips and tutorials, visit my Contextures website.

Data and Charts

Database: Simon Hurst explains how the IEACW’s new Spreadsheet Knowledge Base was built, using Excel and Power BI.

Data Analysis: If you love spreadsheets and Orcas, take a look at the resource material on Microsoft’s Day of Data: Orcas page. The 2 lessons are designed for 11-14 year old students, but you’ll find some interesting ideas and techniques in them too.

Charts: On his Junk Charts blog, Kaiser Fung shows how two charts can show a different story, with the same data and chart type. Click this link to learn more about the chart trifecta that he mentions.

Future of Spreadsheets

Google Functions: Google Sheets is getting a new feature – auto-suggest for formulas and functions, based on your sheet’s data. So far, I’ve only seen it suggest SUM and AVERAGE, if I type an equal sign in the cell below a column of numbers.

Excel Plans: On the Forward Thinking CFO podcast, Brian Jones (Head of Product, Excel) discusses Microsoft’s strategy for Excel. There are 2 episodes — Part 1 and Part 2

Danger?: Tom, at The Analyst Cave, is excited about Excel’s new LAMBDA function. But Mike James, at I Programmer blog, disagrees, saying “Spreadsheets are dangerous enough”

Spreadsheets: Have you used any of these 8 Excel alternatives? I use Google Sheets occasionally, and tried Numbers briefly, but I’m happy to stick with Excel.

Just for Fun

Movies: Did you know that spreadsheets played an important role in the children’s movie, “Babe”? The livestock manager used a spreadsheet to keep track of all the piglets who played Babe, during the 6 months of filming. Can you guess how many piglets they used?

Secret Features: Excel used to have a hidden flight simulator, but that’s long gone. However, Google Sheets can be magically rainbow coloured.

Spreadsheet Tweets

Finally, here are a few recent spreadsheet tweets, for a bit of humour.
This roundup’s tweets are all about the joys(?) of pivot tables.

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Started from the bottom – first time I opened MS Excel was on my first day of work
Now we here, making pivot tables

— Beatriz (@quesodebea) August 29, 2021

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I think I just tore a muscle making a pivot table in Excel

— Evan Jackson (@EvJackk) August 27, 2021

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As an analogy- if you only use Excel to make your school schedules, you won’t miss it if you go back to paper. But if you use it for pivot tables, meal planning, or discounted cash flows? Forget it. You’ll never stop using it.

— Jeff Moore (@ragnarisapirate) August 26, 2021

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Pivot tables are overrated and there to solve the problem of people using excel to replace a database.

— thefluffinator (@thefluffin8r) August 28, 2021

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I successfully used a pivot table today without having to google “how to create pivot table in excel” first. I think I’ll buy myself something.

— SIDNEE (@sidneeking) August 24, 2021

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When you’re trying to pivot, excel is like nope and then you remember one of your top cells is empty and hidden. pic.twitter.com/AJSxPQaG8N

— Runaround Aric (@PhatEmoKid) August 21, 2021

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