Excel Tips

CPA Australia
  • 5.0 (1)
  • EDUCATION
Excel Tips

Excel Tips is a podcast for accounting, business and finance professionals who are looking to sharpen their spreadsheet skills and learn new hacks and tricks from Neale Blackwood CPA, a Microsoft Excel expert. Excel Tips helps spreadsheet users discover Excel’s hidden features and shortcuts and understand how best to apply the newest features and functionality. The podcast is a companion to regular articles in INTHEBLACK, CPA Australia’s award-winning business magazine. Every podcast episode includes links to the accompanying Excel Tips digital magazine article. Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. Subscribe today to stay up-to-date with the latest episodes. Excel Tips is presented by CPA Australia, one of the world’s largest accounting bodies, with core services that include education, training, technical support and advocacy. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts: With Interest, INTHEBLACK, INTHEBLACK Out Loud and Excel Tips. To find out more about our podcasts, visit https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts - or search for the shows in your podcast service. To contact the podcast team email us at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Improve your PDF data handling with Power Query

    Ever struggled to extract crucial financial data from PDF files into Excel?  As accountants and finance professionals, this can be a regular occurrence.   To help you, this episode explores Microsoft Excel’s Power Query feature. You’ll uncover how to seamlessly import data from system-generated PDFs like invoices and statements.  From tackling tricky formatting issues to cleaning up messy rows, learn through real-world examples using an Australian Tax Office (ATO) PDF as a case study.   Additionally, you’ll gain smart strategies for handling regularly updated PDFs to automate your workflows.   For fast access, use these timestamps: 0:17 - Introduction to Importing Data from PDFs using Excel's Power Query feature. 0:37 - Types of PDFs and Their Reliability 1:05 - Use Cases for Importing PDF data 3:17 - Accessing Power Query and Importing a PDF 4:15 - Tables vs. Pages in PDFs 5:40 - The Complexity of Importing PDF Data 6:25 - Removing Repeated Headers 7:05 - Addressing Errors and Dealing with Extra Rows 9:20 - Creating a Filter Column 9:45 - Reversing Rows Again 10:05 - PDF File Names 11:20 - Reusing Power Queries 11:42 - Conclusion If you’re ready to save time and streamline your data handling processes, this episode is a must-listen.  Host: Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting:   With Interest INTHEBLACK  INTHEBLACK Out Loud Excel Tips  Search for them in your podcast platform.   You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au

    13 min

  2. 12/01/2024

    Handy hack to create timeline charts

    Excel doesn’t have a built-in timeline chart but we’ll show you how to create one. In this episode you’ll learn how using a scatter chart can help you build a timeline chart. For easy reference, here are the episode timestamps: 0:17 - About timeline charts in Excel 1:33 - Hacking the scatter chart to make a timeline chart 2:43 - Formatting dates using the range 3:32 - Universal formatting shortcut 4:27 - Working with the data series and points 5:40 - The structure of the data to build the chart 7:21 - Linking the title to the cell 8:07 - The date format used by Excel and keyboard shortcuts 9:29 - Timeline charts overview and recap Whether you’re tracking historical events or planning future milestones, a timeline chart is a useful tool to create in Excel. Tune in now to learn this simple technique and start creating your own timeline charts. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: INTHEBLACK INTHEBLACK Out Loud With Interest Excel Tips Search for them in your podcast platform.

    10 min

  3. 10/31/2024

    Master calendar creation in Excel

    Calendars are your go-to tool for planning. In this Excel Tips episode, you'll learn the steps to create a single-month calendar from scratch. Discover how to combine advanced functions to build a two-dimensional calendar structure, and how to format your dates and highlight weekends and holidays. You'll also gain knowledge of how to customise the calendar to fit your specific needs. For quick reference, here are the timestamps: 0:17 – Introduction to building a calendar 2:12 – Functions used in this tutorial 4:29 – How the different functions work 8:11 – Using formulas to create headings 10:30 – Changing the calendar to start the week on Monday 11:53 – Building a custom function with LAMBDA 13:28 – Applying conditional formatting for weekends 14:59 – Shortcuts covered in the tutorial 15:58 – Recap and summary of what we've learned Tune in now to easily create personalised calendars that suit your planning needs. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: INTHEBLACK INTHEBLACK Out Loud With Interest Excel Tips Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au

    17 min

  4. 09/30/2024

    How to add a user interaction into Power Query

    Reports are crucial to your work, aren't they? Power Query is a valuable tool for importing many types of data into Excel to help you create these reports. However, it does have limitations. In this episode, you’ll learn how to address one of Power Query’s key shortcomings: user interactions. By using staging queries, reference techniques and range names, users can dynamically filter data within Power Query based on user-selected criteria. For fast access, use these timestamps: 0:17 – About the variable Power Query function 3:37 – Implementing the query function 5:46 – Using a range name for a table 7:07 – Using a query to read the variable input 9:43 – Refreshing the power query 10:11 – Recap and use cases Listen now to learn how to add a user interaction into Power Query. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: INTHEBLACK INTHEBLACK Out Loud With Interest Excel Tips Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au

    12 min

  5. 08/31/2024

    Learn a smart way to hide blank or zero rows

    Looking to improve your report-building skills? If so, this is the episode for you. Uncover tips on how to leverage multiple Excel features to create a system that effortlessly hides blank and zero rows in your reports. Also in this episode, you’ll discover the subtotal function’s superpower and learn how you can use it to help identify if a filter needs reapplying. You can use these handy skills to boost your report-writing efficiency.  For fast access, use these timestamps: 0:20 – Using formatted tables instead of macros for hiding rows 2:38 – About the example and tutorial file 5:10 – Applying the filter and slicer 6:35 – The subtotal function superpower Listen now. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: INTHEBLACK INTHEBLACK Out Loud With Interest Excel Tips Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au

    10 min

  6. 08/01/2024

    The power of heat maps for sales and costs data

    Looking for ways to gain deeper insights from your sales and costs data in Excel? This episode explores the power of heat maps, a data visualisation technique often used for climate data, but equally effective for business analysis. For fast access, use these timestamps: 0:15 – Using heat maps for sales and cost information. 1:59 – Colour scales options and settings. 5:15 – Conditional formatting and top and bottom rules. 7:27 – Using the large and small function. Listen now for insights into this multi-functional Excel tool. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: INTHEBLACK INTHEBLACK Out Loud With Interest Excel Tips Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au

    10 min

  7. 06/30/2024

    3 powerful macros to streamline your workflow

    There's a misconception that Excel macros are outdated or unnecessary. In this episode we set the record straight and explore their continued value. Delve into three practical macros that can streamline various tasks in your Excel workflow. More importantly, you’ll come away with the knowledge to decide when creating a macro makes sense for optimising your efficiency. For fast access, use these timestamps: 0:20 - Why macros aren't dead. 1:39 - Macro warning! 2:18 - The problems macros solve. 3:07 - Macro 1 - editing column headings in pivot tables. 3:57 - Macro 2 - macro to format spill ranges. 5:07 - Macro 3 - building an index sheet in excel. 6:19 - Macro message boxes and examples overview. 7:35 - When to use macros. Listen now. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: INTHEBLACK INTHEBLACK Out Loud With Interest Excel Tips Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au

    9 min

  8. 06/03/2024

    Level up your custom functions skills

    Tune in to discover how mastering custom functions can help simplify two complex issues with Excel formulas. Improve your problem-solving skills by harnessing the power of custom functions. For fast access, use these timestamps: 0:20 - Custom functions, episode overview. 1:39 - Summing spill ranges. 2:58 - Using prefixes in functions. 4:07 - Setting up a switch function. 5:31 - Financial year custom functions. 6:27 - Setting up a financial year function. 8:09 - Using custom functions across multiple files. 8:53 - Custom functions overview. Listen now. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. You can catch up on a previous episode that explained custom functions. There is also an accompanying article to this podcast episode. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: INTHEBLACK INTHEBLACK Out Loud With Interest Excel Tips Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au

    10 min
See All (31)

About

Excel Tips is a podcast for accounting, business and finance professionals who are looking to sharpen their spreadsheet skills and learn new hacks and tricks from Neale Blackwood CPA, a Microsoft Excel expert. Excel Tips helps spreadsheet users discover Excel’s hidden features and shortcuts and understand how best to apply the newest features and functionality. The podcast is a companion to regular articles in INTHEBLACK, CPA Australia’s award-winning business magazine. Every podcast episode includes links to the accompanying Excel Tips digital magazine article. Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. Subscribe today to stay up-to-date with the latest episodes. Excel Tips is presented by CPA Australia, one of the world’s largest accounting bodies, with core services that include education, training, technical support and advocacy. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts: With Interest, INTHEBLACK, INTHEBLACK Out Loud and Excel Tips. To find out more about our podcasts, visit https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts - or search for the shows in your podcast service. To contact the podcast team email us at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au.

Information

  • Channel
    CPA Australia
  • Creator
    CPA Australia
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © CPA Australia
  • Show Website
    Excel Tips

More From CPA Australia

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada