Thinking Spreadsheet: An Opinionated Guide to Problem Solving and Data Analysis Using Microsoft Excel

by Joel Grus

Whether you're a complete beginner or a grizzled veteran, Thinking Spreadsheet will make you an Excel expert. Its clear instruction and carefully-chosen examples will help you * Understand how spreadsheets work, what they do well, and what they don't do well. * Use the spreadsheet's structure to intelligently organize your data. * Solve problems using techniques that take advantage of the spreadsheet's strengths. * Build spreadsheets that are easy to understand and difficult to break. Along the way you'll learn core spreadsheet principles, basic tools like SUM() and IF(), advanced functions like MATCH() and VLOOKUP(), and power-user features like array formulas and pivot tables. You'll also learn a little bit of mathematics, a little bit of probability, a little bit of statistics, and a whole lot about how to intelligently solve problems. You might even laugh a few times!

432 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2011