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Excel Links – Change in Posting Schedule Edition
excel links - 9 comments
Ok, this is bound to happen. After regularly writing for about 2 years now, I have decided to revise posting schedule on Chandoo.org. Usually I write 5 posts per week (about 21-22 per month). While I have not ran out of ideas yet (my notebook still has 94 different ideas yet to become posts), I am running out of time. So, going forward, I will be writing 3-4 times per week on Chandoo.org (usually on Monday, Wednesday and Friday). I know this might come as a surprise to the regular readers, but please note that this no way will lead to reduced post quality or awesomeness. It is just that I want to spend a little more time learning new things (Tableau, Protovis, Access, VBA come to mind) and work on some more exciting projects (new products, online courses etc.).
What is your say on new posting frequency at chandoo.org?
Are you worried about reduction in number of posts? Or, are you at relief knowing about one less email per week? Do let me know what you think thru comments.
Here is a list of Excel related links for this week:
Importing Text Files into Excel – a Primer
Here is a primer on Importing Text files in to excel, a very detailed step by step tutorial exploring various settings and behaviors of text file imports. From MSDN blogs.
Chart Makeovers – Interesting Case Study
Juice Analytics is one of my favorite place to pick up new stuff and ideas on chart design and presentation. In this new article, they show us how to remake a set of charts to bring the messages out. Very useful advice for chart makers, designers and presenters all around.
Combine Data and Charts in your Dashboards
Robert shows us the virtues of combining data and charts in dashboard tables. This is a very powerful and useful technique that I usually employ in my dashboards. While we all agree that charts are much more easier to read and can bring patterns out quickly, having raw data appeals to manager / decision makers urge to know the numbers. Plus numbers are comparable immediately.
Junk Charts shows a charting tool loved by statisticians – Scatter Plot Matrix. Think of it like a panel chart showing correlations between variables. Since the correlation scatter plot for x versus y and y versus x are same, the scatter plot matrix is actually a triangle instead of square. Check out the post on Junk Charts to find-out more about this technique.
Generating Sample Data for Your Excel Adventures
Dick Kusleika has taken inspiration the much loved random data generator add-in from JP and created a random data generator of his own. Very useful if you are in to excel based development (or development at all) and looking for test data constantly.
Write for Chandoo.org:
Do you have an exciting idea or cool implementation of excel trickery and want to share it with our readers? Email me with what you have in mind.
Hello Awesome...
My name is Chandoo. Thanks for dropping by. My mission is to make you awesome in Excel & your work. I live in Wellington, New Zealand. When I am not F9ing my formulas, I cycle, cook or play lego with my kids. Know more about me.
I hope you enjoyed this article. Visit Excel for Beginner or Advanced Excel pages to learn more or join my online video class to master Excel.
Thank you and see you around.
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At Chandoo.org, I have one goal, "to make you awesome in Excel & Power BI". I started this website in 2007 and today it has 1,000+ articles and tutorials on data analysis, visualization, reporting and automation using Excel and Power BI. 
9 Responses to “Excel Links – Change in Posting Schedule Edition”
Chandoo,
Good for you - I'm glad to see that you are expanding your horizons. I hope that you will graciously continue to share your new skills and knowledge with your loyal readers. I just looked up Tableau and Protovis, and both are quite intriguing. Also, Access is something that I've always wanted to be proficient in, but I've never been able to fully grasp it. As much as I love Excel, and it truly pains me to say this, I often feel that there might be something better out there for certain tasks.
One project that I've been working on for several months is a dashboard for our local government. It's purely Excel based, but I have some trouble with distribution as it only works properly in Excel 2007, which not everyone has yet. I'd love to be able to publish it to a secure website where people could view the data and manipulate the perspective. It looks like this is a functionality that is offered by Tableau. I'd love to learn more about that program and figure out if it could work for us.
Thanks for all you do!
Sincerely,
Tom
Chandoo,
First off, let me thank you for the fantastic work that you are doing, it is selfless and I cannot even begin to calculate the amount of time that you have spent on this.
You have also made me push the boundaries on my use and understanding on Excel and made me enjoy working with the challenges that Excel can throw up.
Best of luck in your pursuit to increase your knowledge and something tells me that in the end we will all be the winners out of that.
Thanks for all that you do for us.
Kanti
Chandoo,
Once again thank you for your ongoing support for all of us out here in the wider world. Publication at a less frequent rate is fine by me. The quality of what you publish is value enough.
Cheers,
Mark
Chandoo, its all about quality and not quantity. I'm just so thankful you are sharing many fantastic ideas within an open forum. My co-workers are just amazed at what I have achieved in a matter of months thanks to your material.
If I feel I urge to look for new ideas I still have many archived pages on your site to filter through.
Once again thank you for sharing your knowledge and it's great to see your seeking for continue improvement.
Richard
Chandoo,
I think posting 3-4 times will be great. It gives us (or me) more time to absorb the information and practice it before being introduced to another awesome idea by you. Thank you so much for even asking what we think.
Appreciate you!
Chandoo,
For me, advancing my Excel skills has always been during stolen moments of time, in between the always flowing work currents. Learning really new ways of working, thinking and expressing in Excel and, most importantly, integrating the new stuff into current work flows (within a work team) is unbelievably difficult and time consuming. My hat off to you and hearty thanks Chandoo for the inspiration to keep moving forward. Thank you for sharing.
bill
Chandoo, you have been doing a great work and this minor change in frequency will not affect our interest in excel. Who knows, this may even increase the eagerness!
Murugaraj
[...] blogging time. Before my hiatus I was posting 4 or 5 articles a week, but I may take a lesson from Chandoo and aim for 2 or 3 weekly [...]
I actually think thats a good thing Chandoo. Now I will be able to absorb all the more and happily go through the diamond mines that is the archive. Best,