Tuesday, November 2, 2010
MS Excel, Chapter 4 Financial Functions, Data Tables, and Amortization Schedules
For those of you that have different levels of expertise regarding MS Excel, I would like you to use this space as an opportunity to share your skills and/or request support if you are having difficulty with any of the tasks at hand. Prior to posting a request for support, you should do your own research and look for support online (or other resources). If you have run into an issue and found online support, I would like you to clearly identify your issue and provide either the steps you have discovered or the online links that have provided you with the appropriate solution.
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Looks like I missed how to Print formulas version of a work sheet, can anyone help?
ReplyDeleteI had a problem with this too... I also can't seem to find the function for subtraction. I've even googled it and there doesn't seem to be one.
ReplyDeleteOn the forumlas tab there is a button that says "show formula" I believe it's the black/white trianges that make a square button.
ReplyDeleteThe subtraction funtion is actually the SUM function with a negative sign. Adding a negative & a positive has the same effect as subtracting two positive numbers.
Hope that helps
But I did want to point out that I did feel the test had items that weren't explicity explained in the book... either that or when I looked up the subject in the index the page it would reference was absent from my textbook which I found frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI searched the web and peiced together information from multiple sites & then experimented to find the results I posted previously for the formula on subtraction since I couldn't just type the formula that I normally use.
I don't necessarily understand why the test restricts you from using an alternate method.
Thanks Sacha! Totally makes sense. I didn't even think about it that way. Because the test said use the insert function button, I was looking for just a simple function to subtract like the SUM function. Also, Mark, you can use CTRL + ` (accent mark) to show the formulas and then print like normal.
ReplyDeleteI found the training for this test to be utterly useless. I had trouble with many of the questions. The data table questions, the format only cells question wouldn't let me do it the same way as the training, the printing formula version, and the insert formula one though I will try Sacha's suggestions thank you! The last few SAM assignments I have had no problems with and the last test was fine. I received a 100 on the assignments and on the test, after I went through the training, I received a 97 on the first try with this one I received a 65, not good at all.
ReplyDeleteI did the training and didn't think it prepared me for some of the functions on the test. I was unclear on the data table entries so I went back and did the training again. I feel at this point some of the wording on the questions on the data tables appeared different from the wording in the book and the training. I am going back into the test and trying it again.
ReplyDeleteI just completed the test and it went much better. I used the help function to get through the explanation of the double variable table. This helped to explain the difference between the row and column input.
ReplyDeleteIs anyone else having trouble with formulas in the In the lab-2 assignment? When I try to complete step 4 a-g I get a series of pound symbols ex. ######### instead of a number. I've tried to fix and I've tried to research what went wrong and have not found an answer.
ReplyDeleteHaving a hard time understating the training part of the Sam2007 site because it seems to not be in order when it has you do it. Do i even need to do the training first to take the Exam or is that more a study guide ?
ReplyDeleteHi Hope, Take a look at how you have the number field formatted. The same thing happened to me until I looked at the decimal positions.
ReplyDeleteIf you're looking for the function to subtract or add or divide you
ReplyDeletedon't really need to look in the f(x) tab or formula tab you can just
write the formulas yourself. For example if you wanted to subtract cell
B4 from cell E4 you can write this out =E4-D4 or if you wanted to
divide it type =E4/D4.
Hope-
ReplyDeleteThe ##### symbols in a cell are usually indicative that the value in the cell is longer than the value the cell allows for.
ex: colum is only wide enough for 6 characters like "100.00" but the value that is actually in the cell has 7 or more characters like "1000.00")
I forgot to add... changing the column width will correct the problem (as will deleting decimal places to shorten the value in the cell as was mentioned in a prior post)
ReplyDeleteLinda- The test requires you to use the insert function menu & you unfortunately can't just type =SUM(A2-A3)for example... it makes you do it the (very) long way.
ReplyDeleteTristan- The training is just like a study guide... I found it to be pretty useless but I still recommend looking through it since the test is very particular about the process you use to accomplish a task (basically makes you do everything the long way in my opinion & won't let you use shortcuts like right clicking, etc for a lot of the questions.
Like Sacha said I found that this SAM training wasn't as good as the last. But it was still pretty helpful.
ReplyDeleteI like others got the subtract insert funtion question wrong. I looked in the book and on microsoft help but wasn't able to find the solution.
Thanks for the post now I know how...
Kristin
Thank you so much everyone for your help with the assignment and the test. I really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI just finished my second attempt on the exam and don't think the training really showed another method for the questions6 and 12 on the exam. Had a hard time trying to figure it out the long way.
ReplyDeleteAntonio
ReplyDeleteWhat was the other problem you had besides the subtraction on the test. I can't remember but I know there was another question I didn't get either
kristin
Hi, I am doing the Lab2 assignment and I am stuck on # 14 I am not sure if I use the same worksheet or start a new one.
ReplyDeleteAlso, do I use the data from Table 4-9 to complete it.
Thanks
Like I said questions 6 and 12 were my issues. Also the question where you have to make a double variable Excel table.
ReplyDeleteI found this chapter quite challenging. I did not do good on the test at all. 2 of the problems I encountered were finding the formula for subtraction using the insert button, and turning the cells into a dual variable grid. I searched the internet and found that there was no insert function for subtraction. I can make it myself by doing the =a2-a1 but that was not what the test was looking for. The other part of making a double variable I have no idea. I couldn't find it in the book at all. The lab assignment went well, I didn't have any major problems there, just the usual issues like the instructions telling you to add the information in the cell and make it like the image posted on the page but not giving you the font sizes etc in order to do so. I the lab directions lacking clarity quite a bit. This test is the lowest grade I have received in my last three semesters at BCC.
ReplyDeleteHi Hope & Wendy,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about the training for the exam. It did not prepare us for most of the exam. I found it to be of little to no help.
I believe the training would've been more helpful if the formulas were visible so you could completely follow the formulas you were inputting. I was able to recreate the formulas by trial and error which did take some time but eventually I came across the solutions.
ReplyDelete