STOP Fixing Data In Excel! START Using Excel Data Validation Like A Pro ...
STOP Fixing Data In Excel! START Using Excel Data Validation Like A Pro ...
Don’t get me wrong – I love fixing something in Excel as much as the next person. I always say you should guard against a ‘smartest guy in the room’ mindset; but, genuinely helping somebody out with my expertise, well it does give me a kick!
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One such job is data cleansing. You know, when random entries in your data have spaces after them which are impossible to detect by eye. Now, since you’re following 30 Day Excel Analyst, you know you can fix that with formulae or Power Query using functions such as TRIM and CLEAN. Job done! Another happy customer …
But, over the years, I’ve come to view this kind of problem differently. You see, ‘non-clean’ data is a symptom. And, by focusing your skill development on data cleansing, you’re perhaps missing the point. You’re treating the symptom rather than the cause.
A different perspective might be, ‘How did the data get into this state in the first place?!’
It’s a great question, and one that might lead to serious gains for you as an Excel analyst. It guides us towards a different area of Excel practice, often overlooked, that also falls under the umbrella of data management: data validation.
In this session, I’ll explain the concept of data validation. We’ll look at how to create data validation in Excel by exploring cell validation options. The fact these are underutilized or ignored altogether by many professionals leads to frustrating and time-consuming data cleansing exercises! And, though you can deal with that as a student of 30 Day Excel Analyst, it’s a problem we can avoid altogether with proper application of data validation. Let’s explore the options today …
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