learning to like excel..a little

[evedawn]

Some of you know I have been cursing Excel whilst tying to learn it. anyway today I created a very handy spreadsheet for my husbands expenses (complete with formulas for totals, VAT etc.) It is handy!!!! So although I do not LOVE excel ...today I hate it slighty less than before.

[Count-A-Strong]

Excel is a very clever bit of programming. Persevere and you'll hate it even less.

[evedawn]

I so appreciate all the help that fellow ebayers have given me. Heled loads. So I'll keep on perservering ay Count.

[craft1948]

At one point in my career my entire working day comprised of spreadsheets, using mainly Excel but also Access. Five years after retiring I can hardly remember how to use either :-(

[gen2]

Evedawn, I hope you put the VAT rate in a cell near the top (eg B1) and then used absolute referencing ($B$1) in all other cells that required to use the VAT rate in a formula.

If you didn't, you'll have a major re-write to do when the VAT rate goes up in January.

If you did, then all you will need to do is change the contents of cell B1.

[ummmm]

Same craft...I was a bit of a wyz on excel. I can't remember much now.

[New Judge]

I'm exactly the same, craft. Used Access and Excel to analyse data and prepare management reports for years, feeding data to and from each application as appropriate with the processes automated by extensive use of macros and VB routines. Would struggle now to design the simplest of systems.

Don't do what gen2 says if you want the transactions up to 31.12.10 to remain with a VAT rate of 17.5% and only the later ones to attract the new 20% rate,eve.

If you do as suggested, then all the transactions (including the earlier ones) will be calculated at 20% VAT, which I'm sure is not what you want.

You could, of course, enter two VAT rates (old and new) and use the Excel's "IF" function in your formulae to test the date before making the appropriate calculation.