Today in Episode #1422, a call to Excel-lers! What is the craziest newbie Excel question you've ever heard - or asked!? Send in your questions for a chance to win a prize.
Transcript of the video:
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Learn Excel from MrExcel podcast, episode 1422.
The Craziest Newbie Question?
Hey! Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast.
I'm Bill Jelen.
You know, I mentioned when I came back from the hiatus, that I'm working on a new book.
This book is for people who are terrified of excel and I want to have a little contest to get your best story.
Obviously, if you're watching this you use Excel all the time, you understand Excel.
But you have co-workers around you, who might be completely new to Excel.
Here's one of my best ones.
I was on a finance committee and the person had put together, next Year's budget on a piece of notebook paper, like this and he was adding it up with a calculator.
I said John that would be so much easier in Excel, and it just so happened that the first heading that he had it enter was for 2010, 2011.
It was like a fiscal year and the way that he had that written down was he came to this column and put 10, 11 right and he presses [ enter ].
Without any reason, his heading of ten dash 11, changes to a day, hour 11th.
Right and that was it, he was done.
He says if I can't even trust it to accept that.
I'm certainly not going to start to enter some numbers, it's going to just randomly change those numbers as well, and he went back to paper and I never got him to use Excel.
Well of course, you know, the answer here is if you want that to be 10 dash, let me have to put apostrophe (') 10 11 and I say of course because we just accept that, right.
We've been around for a long time and we understand this is one of the things that Excel's changing it to a date.
But for someone who's completely new to Excel, this makes no sense at all, looks like voodoo.
What, why you have to enter an apostrophe before or you have to change it to text before.
I can enter that simple level heading.
Are you crazy? they say.
You know, where the other one they just open up Excel and they want to do a little, do a little math.
So, 55 11 and It doesn't do the math.
It's not even as good as a calculator.
What is this stupid program? They say.
All right! So, here's the chat.
You know, over the next couple of weeks, shoot me a note Bill@MrExcel.com.
With the story of the worst question, that you ever encountered.
Someone starting out with Excel and just completely flummoxed by something that Excel does and we all accept it now that you have to enter, apostrophe to changes to text or put an equal sign before that formula.
But it is completely confusing to them.
We put the best stories out on the blog.
It'll be interesting and choose from those selection of books from MrExcel store.
So, shoot that in, oh! By the way, if you're watching this.
Why doesn't Excel do the calculation?
You have to start with either an equal sign or a plus or a minus, in order to get that to work, of course if you're watching netcast.
You know, that but looking for those great stories.
Won that contest, all right!
Hey! I want to thank you for stopping by, we'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
Learn Excel from MrExcel podcast, episode 1422.
The Craziest Newbie Question?
Hey! Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast.
I'm Bill Jelen.
You know, I mentioned when I came back from the hiatus, that I'm working on a new book.
This book is for people who are terrified of excel and I want to have a little contest to get your best story.
Obviously, if you're watching this you use Excel all the time, you understand Excel.
But you have co-workers around you, who might be completely new to Excel.
Here's one of my best ones.
I was on a finance committee and the person had put together, next Year's budget on a piece of notebook paper, like this and he was adding it up with a calculator.
I said John that would be so much easier in Excel, and it just so happened that the first heading that he had it enter was for 2010, 2011.
It was like a fiscal year and the way that he had that written down was he came to this column and put 10, 11 right and he presses [ enter ].
Without any reason, his heading of ten dash 11, changes to a day, hour 11th.
Right and that was it, he was done.
He says if I can't even trust it to accept that.
I'm certainly not going to start to enter some numbers, it's going to just randomly change those numbers as well, and he went back to paper and I never got him to use Excel.
Well of course, you know, the answer here is if you want that to be 10 dash, let me have to put apostrophe (') 10 11 and I say of course because we just accept that, right.
We've been around for a long time and we understand this is one of the things that Excel's changing it to a date.
But for someone who's completely new to Excel, this makes no sense at all, looks like voodoo.
What, why you have to enter an apostrophe before or you have to change it to text before.
I can enter that simple level heading.
Are you crazy? they say.
You know, where the other one they just open up Excel and they want to do a little, do a little math.
So, 55 11 and It doesn't do the math.
It's not even as good as a calculator.
What is this stupid program? They say.
All right! So, here's the chat.
You know, over the next couple of weeks, shoot me a note Bill@MrExcel.com.
With the story of the worst question, that you ever encountered.
Someone starting out with Excel and just completely flummoxed by something that Excel does and we all accept it now that you have to enter, apostrophe to changes to text or put an equal sign before that formula.
But it is completely confusing to them.
We put the best stories out on the blog.
It'll be interesting and choose from those selection of books from MrExcel store.
So, shoot that in, oh! By the way, if you're watching this.
Why doesn't Excel do the calculation?
You have to start with either an equal sign or a plus or a minus, in order to get that to work, of course if you're watching netcast.
You know, that but looking for those great stories.
Won that contest, all right!
Hey! I want to thank you for stopping by, we'll see you next time for another netcast from MrExcel.
