Disaster Proof Spreadsheet

Learning Objectives

• To identify the button within the Scenario Manager dialog box that allows you to apply a given scenario.
• To identify the command within the Tools menu within the Save As dialog box that enables you to password protect an Excel workbook from being opened or modified.
• To Recall the section of the Excel Options dialog box where the AutoRecover setting resides that controls how often Excel creates a back-up copy of your workbooks.

Course Description

It's always a sickening feeling when something goes awry in an Excel spreadsheet. In this online CPE course Excel expert David H. Ringstrom, CPA pulls together a number of techniques that you can use to give yourself fall-back positions and insurance against things going awry with your spreadsheets. 

David demonstrates every technique at least twice: first, on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps, and second, in the subscription-based Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) version of Excel. David draws your attention to any differences in the older versions of Excel (2019, 2016, 2013, and earlier) during the presentation as well as in his detailed handouts. David also provides an Excel workbook that includes most of the examples he uses during the webcast.

Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based product that provides new feature updates as often as monthly. Conversely, the perpetual licensed versions of Excel have feature sets that don't change. Perpetual licensed versions have year numbers, such as Excel 2019, Excel 2016, and so on.

In this online CPE webinar following major topics are covered:

• Exploring Excel’s Scenario Manager feature that enables you to store various sets of inputs, such as best case, worst case, and most likely, without having to replicate worksheets or workbooks.
• Exploring options for recovering lost passwords for Excel spreadsheets.
• Improving the stability of Excel by deleting accumulations of temporary files in Windows.
• Learning the mouse trick that lets you quickly make a copy of an existing worksheet.
• Learning what steps to take if you can’t open a damaged workbook.
• Limiting access to sensitive workbooks by way of password protection.
• Protecting a worksheet to ensure users are limited to changing only specific areas of a worksheet.
• Protecting hidden sheets from within a workbook.
• Protecting sensitive information by marking key worksheets as Very Hidden.
• Tweaking Excel’s Auto Recover settings to raise the odds of recovering your work after an Excel crash.
• Understanding the risks and nuances of the AutoSave feature in Microsoft 365 (former Office 365).

Overview

• Auto recover settings

  5 mins
• Automatic backup of key excel workbooks

  10 mins
• Password protect the workbook

  21 mins
• Scenario manager feature

  34 mins
• Repairing damaged workbooks

  49 mins