Excel
Compound Annual Growth Rate, CAGR, is your rate of return for an investment over a specific period. Calculating CAGR by hand is a rather involved process, so below we’ll go over how you can quickly calculate CAGR in Excel. CAGR Excel Formula The formula for calculating CAGR in Excel is: =(End Value/Beginning Value) ^ (1/Number of Years) – 1 The equation uses three different values: End value, which is the amount of money you’ll have after the period has passed. Beginning value, which is the amount of money you began with. Number of years, which is the total number of years that have passed. Below we’ll go over an example of how to calculate CAGR for a five years time frame in Excel using the sample data set shown below: 1. Identify the numbers you’ll use in your equation. Using the sample data set above, The end value is 2143 (in…
Let’s pretend you have a spreadsheet with 1,000 rows of data — it would be pretty difficult to spot patterns in the data with the naked eye. Enter conditional formatting. This powerful tool highlights cells that meet a specific condition or “rule.” In other words, it brings your spreadsheet to life by adding color to patterns and trends. Here, we’ll cover how to apply, edit, and copy and paste conditional formatting. Conditional Formatting Based on Text In this example, let’s use conditional formatting to an attendance list to highlight who was absent. The image below is the data set I’ll use to run through this explanation: 1. First, select the column or row you want to apply conditional formatting to. In this case, we’ll select column B. 2. To highlight who was absent, navigate to the header toolbar and select Conditional Formatting, as shown in the image below. 3. When…
Excel is a great tool for all of your marketing needs. You can create graphs to visualize your data, use formulas to calculate conversion rates, or even create social media calendars. You can also monitor trends in your marketing campaign data and, in this post, we’ll explain how to do so with the sparklines tool. Already know what you need? Jump there with our Table of Contents. How to Add a Sparkline in Excel Create a Column Sparkline in Excel How to Ungroup Sparklines in Excel How to Mark Data Points in Sparkline Charts How to Color Code Excel Sparkline What are sparklines in Excel? Sparklines are charts in individual cells that provide visual representations of trends in your sheet data. For example, if you track month-over-month progress, a sparkline can show you how each month compares to the other. There are three different sparklines you can add to your…
Adding a checkbox to your workbook may sound simple but it can expand the possibilities of what you can do in Excel. From checklists to graphs, there’s so much you can do. However, it starts with the checkbox. Learn everything you need to know about checkboxes below. How to Insert a Checkbox in Excel Add the developer tab to your Ribbon. Navigate to the Developer tab and locate the “Checkbox” option. Select the cell where you want to add the checkbox control then click the checkbox. Right-click the checkbox to edit the text and adjust sizing. To do this on Windows, click File > Options > Customize Ribbon. Then, select the Developer checkbox and click “save.” On IOS, click Excel > Preferences > Ribbon & Toolbar > Main Tabs. Then, select the Developer checkbox and save. On Windows, there are a few extra steps to see the checkbox option. Under…
Sometimes, Excel seems too good to be true. All I have to do is enter a formula, and pretty much anything I’d ever need to do manually can be done automatically. Need to merge two sheets with similar data? Excel can do it. Need to do simple math? Excel can do it. Need to combine information in multiple cells? Excel can do it. In this post, I’ll go over the best tips, tricks, and shortcuts you can use right now to take your Excel game to the next level. No advanced Excel knowledge required. What is Excel? Microsoft Excel is powerful data visualization and analysis software, which uses spreadsheets to store, organize, and track data sets with formulas and functions. Excel is used by marketers, accountants, data analysts, and other professionals. It’s part of the Microsoft Office suite of products. Alternatives include Google Sheets and Numbers. Find more Excel alternatives…
Excel is an incredibly powerful software – if you know how to leverage it. With so many functions and formula options, there’s something new to learn every day. The INDEX/MATCH formula can help you find data points quickly without having to manually search for them and risk making mistakes. Let’s dive into how that formula works and review some helpful use cases. Understanding INDEX and MATCH Functions Individually Before you can understand how to use the INDEX and match formula, it’s valuable to know how each function works on its own. That will offer some clarity on how both work together once combined. The INDEX function returns a value or the reference to a value within a table or range based on the rows and columns you specify. Think of this function as a GPS – it helps you find data within a document but first, you need to narrow…
Without freezing rows or columns in your Excel spreadsheet, everything moves when you scroll through the page, as shown in the gif below. This can be frustrating if you can’t always see key data markers that explain what data is what, like column headers or row titles. As with many things on Excel, there are tricks that help you make your spreadsheets easier to read, like the freeze function. In this post, learn how to freeze rows and columns in Excel to ensure that, when you scroll around, you’ll always be able to view the key data points that matter most. How to Freeze a Top Row in Excel The image below is the sample data set I’ll use to run through the explanations in this piece. 1. To freeze the top row in an Excel spreadsheet, navigate to the header toolbar and select View, as shown in the image below.…
The pivot table is one of Microsoft Excel’s most powerful — and intimidating — functions. Powerful because it can help you summarize and make sense of large data sets. Intimidating because you’re not exactly an Excel expert, and pivot tables have always had a reputation for being complicated. The good news: Learning how to create a pivot table in Excel is much easier than you might’ve been led to believe. But before we walk you through the process of creating one, let’s take a step back and make sure you understand exactly what a pivot table is, and why you might need to use one. In other words, pivot tables extract meaning from that seemingly endless jumble of numbers on your screen. And more specifically, it lets you group your data in different ways so you can draw helpful conclusions more easily. The “pivot” part of a pivot table stems…