All posts by Jordan Goldmeier
Blogging Buddies: Meet Alex of “It’s not about the cell”
Each month, we’ll introduce you to up-and-coming and new-to-the-scene Excel and data analysis blogs. We know how hard it’s to start a new blog, particularly in this space. So with this series, we want to give new bloggers a platform to help spread their message! Below we’ve asked Alex Powers, owner of Itsnotaboutthecell.com, answer some questions […]
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Blogging Buddies: Tristan of ExcelSide.com
As we kickoff this new year of Excel.TV, we’re proud to pioneer the new series, Blogging Buddies. Each month, we’ll introduce you to up-and-coming and new-to-the-scene Excel and data analysis blogs. We know how hard it’s to start a new blog, particularly in this space. So with this series, we want to give new bloggers […]
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Three Common Dashboard Mistakes
I recently contributed to the article on MRC’s Cup of Joe Blog called 7 harmful business dashboard mistakes. I’ll excerpt a version of what I said below, but you should follow the link to read the whole thing. (I’ll use the original version I sent to blog so as not to compete for search keys.) I’ll […]
Continue readingHappy Holidays 2015
OK, so I know a few days ago I said I had written my last blog posted before the end of the holiday. But then I’ve released holiday cards in both 2013 and 2014, so this year should be no different. So I went with a topical Star Wars theme. The text being shown is […]
Continue readingAdvanced Excel Essentials for $10
EDIT: Unfortunately, the deal has ended. I’m writing this from my car on my way to visit family so forgive the brevity and potential spelling errors. Thanks to fellow Apress author, Debra of Contextures.com, for letting me know! You can get my first book in ebook/pdf format for $10.00. Follow this link to get your […]
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Enlarging Form Control Option Buttons
In a previous tip, I had complained about form control option buttons. I had argued they suffer because you can’t change the font size nor the “punch circle.” But then an idea dawned on me that builds off of that previous tip. We could use the same dynamic described in that earlier article and combine […]
Continue readingAuto highlighting Excel charts
On your dashboards, reports, and charts it’s a good idea to alert the user to certain types of values. In a recent post, we discussed how to alert users to certain records on tables using custom formats. We’ll build upon that here but transition to how we might achieve a similar effect on a chart. Take […]
Continue readingBetter Option Button Controls
So let’s take a look at your standard form control option buttons. In the image below, I have three buttons linked to cell F3. Cell F3 shows a three since the third option button has been selected. But I’m not in love with option buttons mostly because I can’t really do a whole lot of […]
Continue reading“Everyday” Random Shuffling with Formulas
In this article, we’ll talk about how to complete random shuffling with only formulas. Shuffling methods via VBA or a dime a dozen. But it’s much harder to perform a formula-based random shuffle since formulas don’t really allow for iteration. Non-VBA methods therefore require we think about these problems differently (what I describe in Dashboards […]
Continue readingCustom Formats for Dashboards and Spreadsheet Applications
Conditional formats are volatile. If you have too many, you see the effects of this volatility in serious calculations slowdown. As the function guru Charles Williams puts it, “…conditional formats seem to be super-volatile: they are evaluated each time the cell that contains them is repainted on the screen, even in Manual calculation mode….” But […]
Continue readingDude, where's my book?
Yes, it’s delayed, but hopefully not for long. Apress has decided to use their new cover design for the book. That means the new cover needs to get approved by the higher-ups, which has taken some time. But once approved, the book goes to print. Here’s that new cover design, by the way. Pretty snazzy, […]
Continue readingGet a free bonus video when you purchase Dashboards
Until the end of September, Chandoo and I will be offering a free, one-hour bonus video with all purchases of Dashboards for Excel. Here’s how to qualify for this offer: Purchase a copy of the book form Amazon (you can also buy it from a bookstore, but I’m not sure if they’ll be on shelves […]
Continue readingDashboards for Excel… it's finally finished!
It’s finally done! That’s right: the entire manuscript is done and in production. It’s going to the printers soon. My publisher hasn’t yet updated the Amazon page, but the planned release date is September 15th! Now, as you might recall, we spun out eight chapters from Dashboards to become Advanced Excel Essentials. So if you already […]
Continue readingLong time no see
It’s been a long time since you last heard from me. Several things have happened in my life. Well, first, I had to get a job. My consulting business was doing well, and I was actually pretty good at it (at least, I thought so). But circumstances unforeseen changed what I had to do next; […]
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Making Better Spreadsheet Models
At the PASS Business Analytics Conferences, I spoke about building better Excel models. Some of this was technical, but a good portion of my advice had to do with thinking about problems differently. Indeed, I suggest we must think differently about development specifically. There were three objectives I discussed: Development Memory Model Transparency Model Efficacy […]
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