Chandoo.org Podcast Sessions Archives » Page 3 of 9 » Chandoo.org

CP022: What’s a Macro? Introduction to Excel VBA, Macros & Automation

In the 22nd session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets do some macros.

What is in this session?

VBA (or macros, automation) is a mystery for many of us. So in this podcast, lets unravel the mystery behind it and get you started with the awesome world of automation. In this podcast, you will learn,

What is a macro?
What is VBA then?
Reasons for using VBA Macros
- Automation
- Extending Excel's capabilities
- Efficiency
- Applications
How to get started with VBA Macros?
Using Recorder
Example Macro
Going beyond recorder - Learning VBA

CP021: How to quickly compare 2 lists in Excel

In the 21st session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets compare lists. Quickly What is in this session? Comparing things is a favorite pastime for analysts all over the world. Sadly, it is also an area where we waste hours. So in this episode, I share my top secret comparison techniques to save you time. Note: This is a short format podcast. That means you spend less time listening to it, while becoming more awesome. In this podcast, you will learn,

Why I sound like I am on a secret mission at a mafia hideout.
5 ways to compare 2 lists
- Manual method
- Conditional Formatting
- Row Differences
- LOOKUP formulas
- COUNTIF formulas
Bonus tip: Removing duplicates
Conclusions

CP020: Top 10 time saving strategies for business analysts

In the 20th session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets save some time.

What is in this session?

We all want to save time and stay productive. The obvious answer seems like using keyboard shortcuts. But they can only get you so far. So what about the real productive strategies? That is what we address in this podcast. In this podcast, you will learn,

Announcements
5 key areas of business analyst work - tracking, analysis, reporting, data management & modeling
Time saving strategies for tracking
for analysis
for reporting
for data management
for modeling
Conclusions

CP019: 6 Tips for Best Practice Modeling – Interview with Danielle from Plum Solutions

In the 19th session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets talk about modeling best practices.

What is in this session?

I am very happy to interview my good friend, blogger, author, excel trainer & business-women - Danielle Stein Fairhurst for this session. I first met Danielle when I went to Sydney, Australia in April 2012. Our friendship & collaboration grew a lot in the last 2.5 years. She is a great speaker & trainer. This episode is loaded with her trademark style commentary, explanation & tips for better modeling. I hope you will enjoy it. In this podcast, you will learn,

Introduction to Danielle & her work
6 Tips for Best Practice Modeling
- Write consistent formulas
- Avoid hard-coding
- Smart referencing
- Ditch the bad habits
- Document assumptions
- Format & label things
Resources for learning more

CP018: Dont be a Pivot Table Virgin!

In the 18th session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets loose your Pivot table virginity. Note: This is a short format episode. Less time to listen, but just as much awesome.

What is in this session? Pivot tables are a very powerful & quick way to analyze data and get reports from Excel. But surprisingly, not many use them. Today, lets bust your pivot table virginity and understand the concepts like pivoting, values, labels, filters, groups and more. In this podcast, you will learn,

Announcements
What is a Pivot Table?
Example of business data & reporting needs
Key pivot table terms to understand
Creating your first pivot table
Learning more about pivot tables

CP017: Top 10 non-Excel MS Office tips for you – Interview with Paul Woods – Office MVP & Blogger

In the 17th session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets leave Excel aside and talk about other MS Office apps. Thats right. We will be learning 10 tips on how to use Word, Power Point, Outlook etc. Ready? In this podcast, you will learn,

About Paul
Ten tips for MS Office
1. Use Excel to communicate instead of just calculations
2. Paste Special
3. Double click trick!
4. Inserting screenshots
5. Turning off notifications
& more...

CP016: 3 Must have books for aspiring analysts

In the 16th session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets review 3 very useful books for aspiring analysts. What is in this session? Analytics is an increasingly popular area now. Every day, scores of fresh graduates are reporting to their first day of work as analysts. But to succeed as an analyst? By learning & practicing of course. And books play a vital role in opening new pathways for us. They can alter the way we think, shape our behavior and make us awesome, all in a few page turns. So in this episode, let me share 3 must have books for (aspiring) analysts.

CP015: Handling big data, Controlling model railroad sets, Overcoming Excel obsession & more – ASK CHANDOO

In the 15th session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets answer some of your burning Excel questions.

What is in this session? Around last week, I invited you to ask me anything. More than 150 people responded to this call and sent in their questions. Since answering all the questions is not possible, I handpicked roughly 10 questions to answer in this episode of Chandoo.org podcast. In this podcast, you will learn,

How to fill blank cells with data from above
How to work with Big data in Excel
How to combine data from multiple sources & analyze it in Excel
How I am managing my life after starting Chandoo.org
How to create and distribute stand-alone Excel products
How to control a model railroad set using Excel VBA (not fully answered)
& more...

CP014: How to create awesome dashboards – 10 step process for you

In the 14th session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets figure out how to make awesome dashboards.

What is in this session?

Excel based dashboards are much in demand these days, thanks to advancements in Excel & growing pressure on costs. Now a days, analysts & managers are expected to quickly put together a dashboard using Excel. But how do you make a dashboard? What process you should follow? These are the questions we address in this podcast. In this podcast, you will learn,

Announcements about upcoming dashboard classes
Ten step process for creating awesome dashboards
1. Talk to your end users
2. Make a sketch of the dashboard
3. Validate your understanding
4. Collect data
5. Structure the data
...

CP013: Is this a FIFA worldcup of late goals, lets ask Excel [How to analyze data to answer questions like these…]

In the 13th session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets turn our attention to on-going FIFA worldcup and ask an important question. What is in this session? A week ago, we discussed "Has it been a late goal FIFA worldcup?" and used various charts & analysis techniques to answer the question. In podcast, lets tackle the same problem, understand various approaches to answer questions like these & shares some lessons for all the analysts.

CP012: Top 10 Excel Keyboard Shortcuts for you

In the 12th session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets get productive fast. Announcement: Short format podcasts sessions once a month Based on listener feedback, I am adding short format sessions (20 mins). This short format sessions will run once a month (along with longer sessions that we publish almost every week) so that you have something light & easy to chew between heavy doses of Excel awesomeness. I hope you like this new format. Do let me know what you think in comments. And I really appreciate your reviews & comments on iTunes. Please click here and post your review.

CP011: 5 Excel magic tricks to impress your boss

If you want to create magical effect with your Excel workbook (or report, dashboard, model), then hear no further. In this episode, we explore 5 very powerful magic tricks you can apply to get jaw dropping reactions from your bosses, clients & colleagues. In this podcast, you will learn,

Annoucements
Why magic
5 Excel Magic Tricks
1: Conditional formatting
2: Form controls + Charts
3: Pivot tables + Slicers
4: Macros + Automation
5: Using right feature @ right time
How to learn these magic tricks
Conclusions

CP010: Averages are Mean – 8 Techniques for making your analysis above average

This is a continuation of Session 9 - Averages are mean In the earlier episode, we talked about AVERAGE and why it should be avoided. In this session, learn about 8 power analysis techniques that will lift your work above averages. In this podcast, you will learn,

Re-cap - Why avoid averages
8 Techniques for better analysis
#1: Start with AVERAGE
#2: Moving Averages
#3: Weighted Averages
#4: Visualize the data
...
Conclusions

CP009: Averages are Mean – Know these things before you make any more AVERAGE()s

In the 9th session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets raise above AVERAGEs. AVERAGEs are a very popular and universal way to summarize data. But do you know they are mean? Mean as in, AVERAGEs do not reveal much about your data or business. In episode 9 of Chandoo.org podcast, we tackle this problem and present solutions. In this podcast, you will learn,

What is AVERAGE?
Pitfalls of averages
5 statistic concepts you must understand
- Standard Deviation
- Median
- Quartiles
- Outliers
- Distribution of data
What next?

CP008: 6 Tips to handle workbooks made by someone else, #4 is something I struggle with too!

Here is a problem we all face once in a while. We inherit this bulky, bloated, leaking at the edges workbook from a colleague. Now the onus of maintaining it is on us. The person who made this workbook is nowhere to be found. May be she is vacationing in Hawaii sipping pineapple juice. May be he became a vice president and roaming the country in your company's private jet. So what do we do? How do we handle this inheritance? That is the topic of our podcast, episode 8. In this podcast, you will learn,

An overview of the inheritance problem
6 Tips to understand workbooks made by someone else
Tip 0: Talk to the creator
Tip 1: Model the workbook on paper
Tip 2: Locate the engine, ie the formulas
Tip 3: See what else is under the hood - hidden sheets, names, VBA code
Tip 4: Annotate (add comments) as you learn
Tip 5: Locate the controls - inputs, assumptions, scenarios
Tip 6: Re-construct from scratch
Deep dive in to understanding the formulas
Deep dive in to understanding VBA code
Conclusions

CP007: aweSUM() – Overview of SUM functions in Excel

In the 7th session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets make you aweSUM(). Imagine for a second that Excel cannot add up numbers. And no it cant subtract them either. What would that look like? A glorified Notepad. That's right. Excel's ability to add up numbers, along with features like formulas, charts, pivot tables & BHATTEXT() are what make it such a lovely software. May be not the BHATTEXT(), but we all agree that Excel is so versatile and useful because it can add up numbers (and perform other calculations) with ease. But how well do you know the SUM formulas of Excel? In this podcast, you will learn,

Special personal fruit announcement :P
+ operator
Status bar & total rows in tables
Auto Sum feature
SUM() function
SUMIFS function
Special cases of SUMIFS function
SUBTOTAL & AGGREGATE functions
Other summing functions - SUMPRODUCT etc.

CP006: How to be a better analyst? – Road map for getting better at Data Analysis & Improving your career prospects

In the 6th session of Chandoo.org podcast, we focus on making you a better analyst and propose a road map for getting better at data analysis & improving your career prospects. In this podcast you will learn,

Why become a better analyst?
The road map for becoming a better analyst - BETTER framework
B for Business Knowledge
E for Examining user needs
T for Thinking about analysis
T for Tools of Trade ie Excel
E for Expression
R for Refining yourself
Conclusions

CP005: Introduction to Form Controls – an interview with Debra Dalgleish

In the 5th session of Chandoo.org podcast, we are going to demystify form controls. I am very happy and excited to interview my good friend, fellow Excel MVP, author, blogger and virtual mentor - Debra Dalgleish about this topic. In this podcast, you will learn,

What are form controls
When you would use them?
Example form control - Combo box
How form controls differ from active-x controls
How to enable form controls in your Excel?
Various important form controls
Special bonus & how to obtain it

CP004: Can I Pie Chart in Public? Discussion about Pie charts, their merits and drawbacks, when to use & when to avoid them

In the 4th session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets talk about Pie charts. Pie charts evoke strong opinions among analysts & managers. Some people love them and can't have enough of them in reports. Others despise them and go to any lengths to avoid them. And that is why we are going to talk about them in this session. You will learn,

Special, secret transmission from guest stars
What is a pie chart?
Why they work? 2 reasons
Why they don't work ? 4 reasons
Cousins & siblings of Pie charts
- Donut charts
- Gauge charts (speedometer)
- 3D pies
- Area charts
- Bubble charts
4 Situations when making a pie chart is ok
Alternatives to Pie charts
Mistakes you should avoid
About the resources
Conclusions

CP003: Business Intelligence for Masses – Interview with Mike Alexander

In the third session of Chandoo.org podcast, we are going to get BI curious. ;) Not that kind you silly, We are talking about Business Intelligence, Big Data, Power Pivot & other Power BI family members. In this session, I am happy to feature Mike Alexander - Microsoft MVP, Author, Blogger & a good friend. Mike talks about how Excel is shaping the BI (Business Intelligence) revolution with advent of Power BI functionality. You will learn,

Introduction, what Mike is up to these days?
What is BI, what does it mean to an average Excel analyst?
What BI capabilities Excel has - brief intro to each of them
- Power Pivot & what it does
- Power Query & why it is important
- Power View & how it works (and where it sucks)
- Power Maps
How to learn about these new technologies
- Recommended Books
- Websites
- Courses
- Live classes
Special gift for our listeners

Chandoo.org Podcasts

CP022: What’s a Macro? Introduction to Excel VBA, Macros & Automation

What is in this session?

CP021: How to quickly compare 2 lists in Excel

CP020: Top 10 time saving strategies for business analysts

What is in this session?

CP019: 6 Tips for Best Practice Modeling – Interview with Danielle from Plum Solutions

What is in this session?

CP018: Dont be a Pivot Table Virgin!

CP017: Top 10 non-Excel MS Office tips for you – Interview with Paul Woods – Office MVP & Blogger

CP016: 3 Must have books for aspiring analysts

CP015: Handling big data, Controlling model railroad sets, Overcoming Excel obsession & more – ASK CHANDOO

CP014: How to create awesome dashboards – 10 step process for you

What is in this session?

CP013: Is this a FIFA worldcup of late goals, lets ask Excel [How to analyze data to answer questions like these…]

CP012: Top 10 Excel Keyboard Shortcuts for you

CP011: 5 Excel magic tricks to impress your boss

CP010: Averages are Mean – 8 Techniques for making your analysis above average

CP009: Averages are Mean – Know these things before you make any more AVERAGE()s

CP008: 6 Tips to handle workbooks made by someone else, #4 is something I struggle with too!

CP007: aweSUM() – Overview of SUM functions in Excel

CP006: How to be a better analyst? – Road map for getting better at Data Analysis & Improving your career prospects

CP005: Introduction to Form Controls – an interview with Debra Dalgleish

CP004: Can I Pie Chart in Public? Discussion about Pie charts, their merits and drawbacks, when to use & when to avoid them

CP003: Business Intelligence for Masses – Interview with Mike Alexander

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