Excel Book Suggestions

[Dave Schwartz]

I am working on a project and have decided to take my Excel knowledge to a new level.

Can anyone suggest a book for doing so?

[ThinkingAlways]

It depends on what you are trying to do. For analysis and modeling, I REALLY like Winston's book Excel Data Analysis and Business Modeling.

[wilderness]

Not a book, however you should be able to locate anything you wish to with the MVP Excel support pages (http://www.mvps.org/links.html#Excel)

[Dave Schwartz]

I guess I should have given you guys more. Sorry.

I am primarily concerned with appearance. I've got the formulaic stuff down.

BTW, thanks for the MVP link. :ThmbUp:

[Dave Schwartz]

BTW, I am also looking for examples of good looking handicapping spreadsheets. If anyone has such, please post a screenshot or email it to me.

[ThinkingAlways]

In addition to have a lot of great ways to tackle many challenging issues within Excel, Chandoo offers some great ways to enhance formats and the presentation of information. www.chandoo.org

[Dave Schwartz]

Thank you. Looking at it now.

[fast4522]

My composite screen, prior to post (PP order).

[fast4522]

Program order.

[redshift1]

Program order.

Got a primer for all those letters?

[fast4522]

Got a primer for all those letters?

The true primer is value is the key, how you get there needs to be fast.
I passed the race, in order to be under the size limit I only captured what I could leaving the programmed buttons out of the picture.
CSI is Cross speed index, AB is the ability number. In the composite screen there are 3 sort options programmed into buttons using excel's functions.

[DeltaLover]

May I ask why excel? I think that the open source alternative to it (Open
Office) is clearly a better solution and as time goes by it will only become
even better. Tons with free documentation, extremely active community, wide
adaption by other OS projects, python interoperability etc... make OO an easy winner when compared with proprietary closed and expensive programs like M$Excel.

[fast4522]

When you own it is why, I invested time into 123 that I also own before Excel.
Back to value, what your flavor of program it must be able to to have several tracks loaded and can scratch and sort fast if you play during the day.
When you consider a few years ago 3 and 4 to 1 shots that are paying $6 today Thanks to Dave and others your game has to be sharp and impersonal. Playing the one track was what your dad did.

[DeltaLover]

When you own it is why

Wow!!

This is a very convincing argument, I have never thought about before..

[BIG49010]

I never have understood the argument for open office, you buy MS Office with a computer your going to use for the next 5+ years, and you worry about a couple hundred bucks? The VBA part of MS Excel is worth that much.

[DeltaLover]

The reasoning about open source is well above merely pricing. It is that OS is
actually better than closed software.

This is why more and more companies are shifting towards OS solutions.

OS is way more flexible, offering frequent bug fixes, addition of new features, can be easily customized to fit special needs, adapts very well to open standards, can be installed easily on any number of machines,is fully audiable so that any claims about security, elimination of back doors,standards compliance etc can be inspected while the same does not hold true for proprietary software and many more...

[Dave Schwartz]

May I ask why excel? I think that the open source alternative to it (Open Office) is clearly a better solution and as time goes by it will only become even better.

My experience is that Excel is a far better product. This is especially true when it comes to good looks and functionality.

However, any spreadsheet I build must be re-tuned to work in OO. That is really the point, though: I usually must take things OUT to make it work in OO.

[jfdinneen]

Dave,

Can I recommend Professional Excel Development (http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Excel-Development-Definitive-Applications/dp/0321508793/ref=la_B001IGNIU4_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391279951&sr=1-1)? As a seasoned "Excel Handicapper", let me know if there are any particular nuances with which you are struggling - I may already have resolved them!

John

[barn32]

I like Excel. I use Excel. I'm used to Excel.

Open Office sucks.

[jerry-g]

I know Excel to be a very powerful program.
There are 1,048,576 rows and 17 Billion cells in each workbook.

Awesome for me.

I also have Oo but use Excel the most.

There are tons of free PDF books on line that teach you how to do
anything and everything with Excel from beginner to advanced programing.

[Dave Schwartz]

JFD,

Thank you for the kind offer.

I will remember that.

Dave

[Longshot6977]

BTW, I am also looking for examples of good looking handicapping spreadsheets. If anyone has such, please post a screenshot or email it to me.

Dave, here is a small sample of some of the formatting elements I used in my handicapping spreadsheet. Is this what you're referring to?
Click on objects on the dashboard, everything is functional(well, at least on my desktop, not sure after it gets posted here even though the hyperlinks are active). The graph is one of 7 that I use with the 3D format type.

Nevermind, the site says the file is 594k and only accepts up to 488k file, bummer. Let me know if you want it e-mailed.

[gregrph]

I never have understood the argument for open office, you buy MS Office with a computer your going to use for the next 5+ years, and you worry about a couple hundred bucks? The VBA part of MS Excel is worth that much.

Um, not everyone BUYS a prebuilt computer! I always build my own so no MS Office for me. I make do with Open Office.

[Dave Schwartz]

Thanks, Longshot. Received your email. Very nice work.

[raybo]

Um, not everyone BUYS a prebuilt computer! I always build my own so no MS Office for me. I make do with Open Office.

When I think of OO, and I have tried it many times over the years, that is what comes to mind - "make do".

I refuse to "make do". Excel is the best spreadsheet program out there, with the most features, and the most users worldwide. This alone would tend to make it the preferred app for "enhanced presentation" alone. With the newer versions (2007 and subsequent) the presentation options are literally endless. VBA automation and processing/manipulation of data is integrated into the app and can either be "recorded" and/or modified, or written from scratch, and there are hundreds, or thousands, of online sites offering expertise help with anything having to do with Excel. The same cannot be said of OO.

Having a negative bias against MS, for whatever reason, is no reason to not use the best spreadsheet app out there, IMO.

Dave, you can visit my website, or forum, for viewing/downloading my workbooks and presentations of data, free of course. Data presentation, IMO, is imperative to good usage of the data. Inclusion of macro buttons on each view/sheet, enables speed of analysis and automation activities which, in your case (commercial applications), should be of prime importance also. "User friendly" should be at the top of the list.