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This is one of the 33 lessons from the
Tutorial on Excel
Lesson 2-1: General Reporting Tips
To design great reports you need to dsign great analyses. As a first step you validate the data on the data sheet using the database functionalities. Then you validate the reports using the calculator.
Once the data and the reports are validated you can then print them or publish them.
Dynamic Reports
Using drop-down lists (see chapter 1B) you can create a single report for 50 departments and by changing the value in the drop-down list you show the numbers for each department. Then you print it or extract the sheet and send it to the appropriate recipient. See the workbook "excel-example-dynamic-report.xls".
Drop "Power Point"
In Excel you can add a map of USA and when you click on one of the States you are taken to the sheet that shows the table of data for the selected State. It is called image map. See it at work in the downloadable workbook "excel-example-imagemap.xls" (see the advertisement below). From then on you can forget about learning Power Point. You can develop a real show with Excel and because it is in Excel it looks more credible than in Power Point.
Extracting Reports
To extract the report from a workbook developed with the "Datasheet Approach" you right click on the tab of the report sheet. The following window appears:
DO NOT FORGET to check the "Create a copy" check box. In the "To book:" text box select (new book) and click "OK" . The in this new workbook you want to replace all the formulas by values to avoid having outside links. Select all the cells by clicking on the small square between the row numbers and the columns letters:
Click on the "Copy" icon then go to the menu "Edit/Paste Special" select "Values" and click "OK" . Select cell A1 and save the new workbook with an appropriate name.
Printing Reports
One of the great functionality in Excel allows you to set the size of your report so that anybody with any printer will get the same output. Go to "File/Page Setup/Page" :
Use the "Fit to:" section. You can force the report to print on a single page (1-1) or on many pages (1-22). You can also use the "Adjust to:" . No other program offers you this flexibility.
This is one of the 33 lessons from the
Tutorial on Excel