Calculating a Weighted Average

Averages and weighted averages are two related figures that must be approached differently from each other. This tip explains how to properly calculate both types of averages.

Read this tip »

(Thanks to Jos Graindor, Steve Aprahamian, Alan Cannon, John Vander Linden, James Woolley, Michael Avidan (MVP), Tomek Dluzniewski, Walter Kumar, Rick Rothstein, Elliot Penna, Alec Whatmough, Andrew Gray, Wm Field, Hector Lattes, Michael Valley, Yvan Loranger, Rick Stockton, and Steven Morgenstern for contributing to this tip.)

Counting Asterisks

For some operations and functions, Excel allows you to use wild card characters. One such character is an asterisk. What if you need to count the number of asterisks in a range of cells, however?

Read this tip »

Serious about Sorting?

Organize your data in the order that makes sense to you. Excel's sorting tools make it easy to get at the data you need. Get a firm grip on sorting today and your data management tasks will be easier than ever!

Totaling Across Worksheets

Want to sum the values in the same cell on a range of worksheets? It's not as easy as summing a range on the same worksheet, but it can be done. Here's how.

Read this tip »

Accessing Dependent and Precedent Information

The auditing tools provided in Excel can provide some very helpful information about how your formulas and data are related to each other. If you want to grab the dependent and precedent information maintained by the auditing tools so you can use it in different ways, this tip can help.

Read this tip »

This section is for those having problems making Excel behave. If Excel is giving you fits, feel free to submit your own Help Wanted question.

If you have a solution for the problems below, click the link after the problem to send us your answer. (All responses become the sole property of Sharon Parq Associates, Inc., and can be used in any way deemed appropriate.) If your response is used in a future issue, you will be credited for your contribution to the answer.

Opening Workbooks at Startup

I need two workbooks automatically opened when I start Excel. I put the two workbooks in a folder and then entered the path to that folder in the Advanced tab of the Excel Options dialog box, under the General section. Excel won't load the files, however. I get no messages; Excel just opens a blank workbook. How can I get Excel to open the two workbooks I need?
—David Zannino (provide an answer for this Help Wanted question)