The best features of Excel 2013 – Part 1

 Nov 19, 2015

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The first thing you will see when you open Excel is a brand new look. It is cleaner, but it is also designed to help you get professional-looking results quickly. You will find many new features that let you get away from walls of numbers and draw more persuasive pictures of your data, guiding you to better, more informed decisions.

Top features to explore

Get started quickly

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Templates do most of the set-up and design work for you, so you can focus on your data. When you open Excel 2013, you will see templates for budgets, calendars, forms, reports and more.

Instant data analysis

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The new Quick Analysis tool lets you convert your data into a chart or table in two steps or less. Preview your data with conditional formatting, Sparkline, or charts, and make your choice stick in just one click.

Analyse your data instantly

It used to take a bit of work to analyse your data, but now it only takes a few steps. You can instantly create different types of charts, including line and column charts, or add miniature graphs (called Sparklines). You can also apply a table style, create PivotTables, quickly insert totals, and apply conditional formatting.

  1. Select the cells that contain the data you want to analyse.
  2. Click the Quick Analysis button that appears to the bottom right of your selected data (or press CRTL + Q).
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  4. In the Quick Analysis gallery, select a tab you want. For example, choose Charts to see your data in a chart.
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  6. Pick an option, or just point to each one to see a preview.

You might notice that the options you can choose from aren’t always the same. That’s because the options change based on the type of data you have selected in your workbook.

Which analysis feature should I use?

If you are not sure which analysis option to pick, here is a quick overview.

Formatting lets you highlight parts of your data by adding things like data bars and colours. This lets you quickly see high and low values, among other things.

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Charts

Excel recommends different charts, based on the type of data you have selected. If you don’t see the chart you want, clickMore Charts.

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Totals let you calculate the numbers in columns and rows. For example, Running Total inserts a total that grows as you add items to your data. Click the little black arrows on the right and left to see additional options.

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Tables make it easy to filter and sort your data. If you do not see the table style you want, click More button.

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Sparklines are like tiny graphs that you can show alongside your data. They provide a quick way to see trends.

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More new great features in Excel 2013 are coming soon.

For more information, take a look at our Excel training courses.

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About the Author:

Magdalena Todor  

With over 20 years experience as a facilitator and university lecturer, Magda is one of our most senior and experienced trainers. With previous practical on the job experience as a project manager she embodies a brilliant balance of training experience and business knowledge. With every event she delivers, Magda takes a wholehearted approach to ensure every course is impactful, relevant and a genuinely positive learning experience for all.

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