Tech Tips – Page 41

Pivot Tables in Excel 2013

By: Rajat Shetty

Excel Pivot tables help summarize your data. They also allow you to avoid using complex formulas like Vlookup, SumIF, etc. to create a table. It can take a little while for a newbie to get the hang of Pivot tables. However, the 2013 Excel updates make creating Pivot tables even simpler.

A few years back, we had to follow these steps to create a simple pivot table:

Select the data range
Insert pivot table from the Insert tab
Go to the new worksheet to check if all the fields are appearing or not

4. Manually drag and drop the required fields according to our requirements to calculate-Sum, average, percentage, etc.

With the new Microsoft Excel-2013, you are just one click away from creating a basic pivot table. The best part is you do not have to drag and drop anything into the field list. As seen to the right, you can pull the exact information you need from a complex spreadsheet without having to go through the above mentioned steps for Excel-2010.

How do you create Pivot tables in 2013?

Instead of inserting a Pivot table from the Insert tab, just click on the “Recommended Pivot Tables” option on the Insert tab.

As you can see in the above image, Excel automatically suggests three or four options for your data range. All you have to do is make sure that your cursor is in one of the data entries on the main sheet before you click on “Recommended Pivot Tables”.

When you select one of the recommended Pivot tables, it automatically adjusts the fields without the user having to drag and drop in the Pivot table field list. Once the Pivot table is created you can customize the fields according to your requirements.

In summary, we use the following steps to create a Pivot table using Excel-2013:

1. Organize and arrange data in columns
2. Make sure each column has a heading
3. Click on Insert and select the “Recommended Pivot Charts” option
4. Choose the desired Pivot table
5. Sit back and relax

Here’s looking forward to future updates from Microsoft Office. Maybe next time Excel will be even more intuitive.

Where’s My Volume?

by Adam Jones

In the Classroom Support office we get a lot of phone calls from professors who are having trouble setting the volume in their rooms. Since this comes up so often, I’ve decided to write a guide to help you.

While this might seem simple to experienced computer users, it is still confusing to others. (Which is exactly how I feel when my father tries to explain what an intake manifold does. No idea.) For those of you who have trouble with sound settings, just follow these instructions, and you’ll know what to do. Continue reading Where’s My Volume?

No More Clunky Documents

Whether you are working on a thesis or a project report, any lengthy document can be cumbersome to work with. Two new enhancements to Word 2013 that I really find useful are the ability to expand and collapse headings and to set collapse by default.

When you hover over a heading within your document you’ll see the triangular Expand/Collapse button. You can open or close that heading just by clicking on the button.

To expand or collapse all the headings in your document, right click a heading and choose an option from the Expand/Collapse menu.

If you want, you also have the ability to set the default to open in a collapsed mode. Once you have your cursor placed in a heading, navigate to the Home tab. In the Paragraph section select the Paragraph Settings button (#1). Then, select the Collapsed by default option (#2) and click OK. Viola! You should now have a document that is much easier to work with and looks something like the example below.

If you would like a tour of Office 2013 and learn a few shortcuts like these, come join my webinar on Sept 26 or Oct 30.

Digital Note Taking: Tips and Tricks for Keeping Track

by Zach Peterson

The whirlwind hustle and bustle of the new semester is behind us, and everyone is starting to settle in and focus on their studies. Whether you take notes on paper or digitally, your notebooks can get awfully cluttered and confusing as the semester rolls on. Once finals come around, you’re lost in a sea of information.

Taking notes shouldn’t have to be a pain! Since it is one of the most critical parts of a successful college career, it’s important to find a system that you’re comfortable with and one that is helpful when review time comes.

The Cornell System

If you’re a fan of the tried-and-true pen and paper, the Cornell System can make your note taking much easier and useful. It was first created by Cornell education professor Walter Pauk. It’s a simple method of splitting a single page into three sections; one for general notes, a small sidebar for keywords, and a small bottom strip to summarize the notes on that page. For more info and a template to take it for a spin, Lifehacker has you covered.

Evernote

One of the most popular web-based note taking applications out there is Evernote. It has applications available for PC, Mac, Linux, and most mobile devices. They can all sync to your account, so you’ll never be far away from your notes. You can also add multimedia and share your notes quickly with others. There are both free and paid versions of Evernote, with the paid version providing more features and storage space.

OneNote

If keeping your notes in the online cloud isn’t your bag, Microsoft has a great solution for Windows users that you may already have on your computer! It’s called OneNote, and it is included with most versions of Microsoft Office. OneNote is a powerful system that allows you to create multiple notebooks for different classes, projects, or anything else you may need. It’s super easy to edit text and insert multimedia like images, videos, and audio. OneNote also is capable of sharing notes with others. For Mac users, a good alternative to OneNote is called Outline.

Livescribe Pens

If you like a mix of both the old-fashioned and the high-tech, an option for you could be a smartpen. Using specially-designed paper notebooks and an infrared camera, smartpens are able to save a digital copy of your handwriting for storage and searching. In addition to saving your writing, the pen can also save audio recordings and sync them with your handwriting, allowing you to tap on any portion of the page and replay audio. Just be sure your professor is okay with it before recording! These pens start at around $100 and can also work in conjunction with Evernote.

No matter what method you choose to take those notes this semester, it’s just important that you do!

From Blah to Beautiful

All of us have messages that we want to share with others, and let’s face it. Most of us don’t want to stare at pages of plain text all day.

How do we go from busy, text filled pages to something that your average Joe might want to read? Great question!

First, I remember back to mom’s art lessons. (It’s amazing what you can learn as the child of an artist!) She asked, “When you look at the page, what do you see first?” The goal is to grab the reader’s eyes at the beginning and pull them through your page. Often that means top left zig-zagging to the bottom right, but that’s not always the case. To the right the orange numbered arrows direct the reader through the document in a creative way.

You’ve got your reader’s attention. Now, how do you keep it? One method is using visuals or info-graphics… without sacrificing readability.

Info-graphics are intuitive, memorable, and often leave your page with desirable white space (the artsy term for the part of your page not covered with stuff). The example above is easy to read and engaging. To the left, you’ll see a graphic on Harry Potter book sales. While it’s visually super cool, you probably aren’t going to take the time to read all the way through that busy page (unless you’re a huge fan).

Appropriate formats vary by setting and audience. While not all of us are info-graphic design rock stars, would your readers rather read the plain text below or the vibrant info-graphic? Which stirs more creativity in the would-be social writer? And, what creative ways can you make your content pop?

The Main Steps for a Successful Ebook info-graphic was from http://blog.widbook.com/infographic-steps-for-a-successful-ebook/.

5 Steps to Make Your Social Content Great was from http://www.graphs.net/201210/5-steps-to-create-great-social-content.html/5-steps-to-create-great-social-content.