Control Excel data entry with these five powerful tips

Version 1.0 November 21, 2005

The tips contained in this document originally appeared in TechRepublic's Microsoft Office Suite newsletter. Help your users increase productivity by automatically signing up for TechRepublic's free Microsoft Office Suite newsletter, featuring Word, Excel, and Access tips, delivered each Wednesday. By Mary Ann Richardson

Hide cells in Excel to make data entry easier

You can use Microsoft Excel's split pane feature to edit or compare values in large spreadsheets. However, the split-pane method involves some scrolling before you can line up the values with their corresponding labels. A quicker method uses shortcut keys to hide the cells you don't need to see (see Figure A). For example, at the end of a semester you wish to compare the students' final grades which are listed in Column P with their names listed in Column A. Follow these steps: 1. Click and drag the mouse to select columns B through O. 2. Press [CTRL][0]. After viewing the grades, you can "unhide" the cells by selecting columns A and P and pressing [CTRL][SHIFT][0]. This method will also work when comparing or editing data across rows. For example, if you want to compare monthly income shown in row 100 whose labels are listed across row 4, follow these steps: 1. Click and drag the mouse to select rows 5 through 99. 2. Press [CTRL][9]. Pressing [CRTL][SHIFT][9] unhides the rows. Figure A

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Control Excel data entry with these five powerful tips

Prevent Excel users from scrolling outside data area

Do you find that users frequently scroll outside the data range and onto blank areas of their worksheet? You can create a macro that will automatically prevent them from moving outside the used range on a worksheet. Follow these steps: 1. Activate the worksheet. 2. Right-click the sheet name tab on which you want to limit scrolling and select View Code. 3. Enter the following code (see Figure B): Private Sub Worksheet_Activate() Me.ScrollArea = Range(Me.UsedRange, Me.UsedRange(2, 2)).Address End Sub 4. Press [Alt][Q] and save the workbook. Each time you activate the worksheet, this macro will run automatically to prevent scrolling outside the used range. When you need to enter data outside the used range, you will need to reset the scroll area. You can create a shortcut key that activates a macro to do just that. Follow these steps: 1. Press [Alt] [F11] 2. Select Insert | Module and enter the following code at the prompt: Sub ResetScrollArea() ActiveSheet.ScrollArea ='' End Sub 3. Press [ALT][Q] 4. Press [ALT][F8] and Select ResetScrollArea. 5. Click Options and assign a shortcut key. Figure B

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Control Excel data entry with these five powerful tips

Enter Excel data in multiple worksheets simultaneously

When you have a Microsoft Excel workbook that contains the same data on two or more worksheets, you could type the data first on one sheet, and then copy it on to the others. But a better method would be to use Excel's Grouping function. For example, suppose you are setting up your grade and attendance worksheets for the new semester. You will need to list each student's name on each worksheet. Follow these steps: 1. Press [Ctrl] while clicking the sheet name tabs of the Attendance and Grades worksheets. 2. Type the name of each student on the Attendance worksheet. As the data is typed, it will automatically be entered on the Grades worksheet. 3. Right-click on any Sheet Name tab and select Ungroup Sheets. Be sure to ungroup your worksheets before entering data that is not common to both worksheets. Figure C

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Control Excel data entry with these five powerful tips

Increase Excel data entry accuracy with drop-down lists

Giving users the option to select data from lists rather than type it manually can help eliminate many data entry errors. But you don't need to create the actual lists to ensure accuracy. After users enter an item once, Microsoft Excel automatically includes it in a drop-down list of entries that users previously typed in the column. For example, to access the list of vendors previously typed in the Vendors column of an Orders spreadsheet, follow these steps: 1. Select the cell under the Vendors column for the next order. 2. Press [Alt] and the down arrow (see Figure D). 3. Select the vendors name from the list, and press [Enter] or [Tab] to move to the next cell. If the vendors name is not on the list, users must type it manually. Excel will include the name the next time someone accesses the list. Figure D

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Control Excel data entry with these five powerful tips

Create a list box in Excel to ensure data entry accuracy

A list box makes it easier for Microsoft Excel users to avoid errors. For example, a State field requires users to know the two-letter abbreviation for each state. To ensure accuracy, let users select from a list. To create a list for the State field cells, follow these steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Select all the cells in the State column. Go to Data | Validation. On the Settings tab, select List from the Allow drop-down list. In the Source text box, enter the allowable entries separated by commas as follows: NJ, NY, PA, DE, etc. Select the In-cell Dropdown check box (see Figure E). Click OK.

Figure E

When users move to a cell in the State column, Excel displays a drop-down arrow. Clicking the arrow reveals a list of allowable states users can select for that cell (see Figure F). If users attempt to type an entry that's not on the list, Excel displays an error message. Figure F

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Control Excel data entry with these five powerful tips

Additional resources
TechRepublic's Downloads RSS Feed Sign up for our Downloads Weekly Update newsletter Check out all of TechRepublic's free newsletters Get the most from your Excel charts with these five tips 75 essential Excel tips Anatomy of Excel data analysis: Sorting and filtering information Quickly import data into Excel with these techniques Anatomy of an Excel formula: Use built-in functions to calculate answers Anatomy of an Excel Workbook: Build a foundation for success by mastering user fundamentals Master Excel 2003 Date and Time functions Create advanced Excel 2003 formulas

Version history
Version: 1.0 Published: November 21, 2005

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