Create a Calculated Field in a PivotTable

Calculated Fields in PivotTables are just an extra way to create different calculations for your data without messing with the source data. Say you had sales data and wanted to get the profit margin. Instead of adding an extra column in your source data for the PivotTable, you can can create the PivotTable and then use the calculated field command to create the formula to do that. It sounds complicated but it's not really that hard to do. Check out the video to see an example.

Use the Excel Solver Tool

There's a neat tool in Excel that helps you answer what if type of questions. It can help you solve some basic math problems or figure out how to price a product. See the video to learn how to use the solver tool with a simple example.

Create a Dynamic Named Range

Do you have a table that has data added/removed on a recurring basis and it's an input to other tables? When you add or remove records, you may have needed to change the references from the other tables. You can offset these work by creating a dynamic named range or an Excel table. Since I used the word "offset" in an earlier sentence it's a clue to the type of function that will be introduced. One way to create a dynamic named ranges is to use the OFFSET and COUNTA functions. It's a bit more involved in trying to understand what the combination of these two functions do, but if you're counting on learning some cool tips, check it out.