lilliebet

I currently have around 200 different Excel spreadsheets feeding into several others which feed into more and so on and so on until all the figures are summarised in just two. It's like spreadsheet spaghetti! Needless to say, someone is always doing something to mess up one or other worksheet and working back through the links to find the source of the problem is nigh on impossible.

So, today, I thought it's time to tackle this. Let's get the whole thing simplified, make it user-friendly and tamper-proof. I knew what I wanted to do but had no idea a) whether excel could do it; or b) how to do it if it could. So I enlisted the help of Ian the Geek. (I probably shouldn't call him that in case I need his help again but, hey.) When I say I enlisted his help, what I did was told him what I wanted to do then sat back and waited for him to come up with a solution. And what a solution it was when he came back half an hour later. The guy's a genius!

And how does he learn all this you ask? By reading the Excel help files that's how. He's had no Excel training whatsoever, he's entirely self-taught but he makes the damn software jump through hoops I tell you. Perhaps now you can see why I call him a Geek?

And for those of you who are saying "well obviously, that's what the help files are for...", try it - go on, I dare you. Trust me, it's like teaching yourself Greek (or should that be Geek?)

Anyway, I took away the formula he'd devised and put it to the test. Eureka! I now have just twelve spreadsheets feeding into the two summaries and it all works like a dream. All thanks to Ian the Geek of course, damn I wish I had his talent!