Financial Portal
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The Audit Excel website acts as a financial portal regarding spreadsheet tools, resources and training to help companies in using spreadsheet models more effectively. Many of the resources offered are free and can even be downloaded from our site. As a financial portal we offer a wide range of services such as Spreadsheet Professional training, free Excel training, and information on common spreadsheet mistakes.
Useful information regarding for instance, common mistakes in Excel and how to avoid them is provided. Some of the mistakes discussed in-depth through our financial portal are shared with you.
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Lookup tool
Although an extremely useful tool to locate specific entries in an Excel spreadsheet, the lookup tool needs to be used correctly to work. People more often than not complain that they just cannot find what they are looking for with the lookup tool. To get the most from the tool, you need to state exactly what you need to find and also state whether you want an exact match or an approximation. To use the tool more effectively you should also have a clear understanding of how sorting of lists takes place in the spreadsheet.
Inserting mistakes
When you insert a row, column or cell in the spreadsheet, you need to make sure that the insertion is also part of the calculation. This is especially true when the insertion is made at the end of the calculation range when the range is not adapted to also include the row, cell or column. It is one of the mistakes that can easily be identified through the spreadsheet auditing tool, Spreadsheet Professional.
Ignoring hidden cells
If someone else developed the spreadsheet, you may find that your calculation is incorrect when you make changes. The reason for this can often be traced to hidden cells, columns or rows. The same applies for copying cells. You may very well copy over hidden cells and thus corrupt the calculation
Browse through our tips on how to identify and correct Excel mistakes as part of our financial portal service and become skilled in the use of spreadsheets.
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Through the provision of centralized access to accounting records
contained in spreadsheets for a specific group, the confidentiality
of the data can be protected. This is made possible with features
allowing view rights restrictions and making sure that the copy
shared is always the most current one.
Excellent Control
The Excel Server control provides more consistency for information
sharing and updating within the enterprise. Delivering performance
is increased and through automatic refresh functions the latest
version of a spreadsheet can be seen.
Contact and sharing through database functionality
Excel has gone one step further to improve access and importation
of data into spreadsheets. It is now possible to access data and
use it in the spreadsheets without knowing all the data sources.
The enterprise IT division can make a set of databases available
to the employees, which can be accessed through the Data Connection
Library. This makes it possible to use the vital sources and import
the required data into specified spreadsheets without passwords.
Accounting records contained in spreadsheets can also be managed
through snapshots. Although the snapshot has the same look as the
original copy, it only holds the values and format of the original
one. Formulas and confidential or restricted properties are hidden.
The value of the snapshots view is in sharing information with clients
in a secure form without compromising sensitive information. It
is also the ideal tool to use in analysing data for the purpose
of trend identification and compiling reports.
With the SharePoint Server 2007 an additional benefit is gained
in Excel; that of View Item Right, which restricts the execution
of files available on the server and access in the snapshot view
to hidden values and formulas contained in specific sections of
the spreadsheet. This is especially important to protect sensitive
information contained in accounting records. It prevents the downloading
of a whole spreadsheet by clients. This is an improvement in security
and safeguarding of enterprise intellectual property. Even with
the restriction in place, interaction is still possible and users
can still view the required data through a web browsing facility.
Uploading spreadsheets to share on SharePoint Server 2007
The new version of Excel and the provision for uploading data to
the SharePoint Server holds several advantages for the users and
the enterprise alike:
- Secure publishing since Excel Services makes files available
- held in the administrator folders. The list of locations where
the files are stored is provided to allow SharePoint Server to
make it available.
- Control is maintained when documents are published to the SharePoint
Server through access restrictions to parts of sheets within spreadsheets.
- Simplification of the maintenance for specific data connections
through the Data Connection Library is obtained.
Reporting enhanced
Excellent report management is available that enables clients and
or colleagues to view specific information contained in the spreadsheets
while the company intellectual property is still safeguarded. It
is possible to select which cells to publish so that the required
information can be shared.
Obtain feedback
After you have created the spreadsheets, they can be forwarded
to colleagues for feedback via electronic mail. If you need feedback
urgently, you can also make use of the review workflows application
available on the SharePoint Server and Excel. To do this, simply
select the relevant SharePoint Server workflow in Excel. Tasks are
created for all the participating persons and they are notified
of the attachments needing review. Once received, they can update
their status in the completion form supplied.
If your company makes use of Excel as part of its daily functions,
visit the Audit Excel site on a regular basis where Miricle Solutions
provides innovative solutions to risks associated with spreadsheets
usage, including the sharing of accounting records in Excel spreadsheet
formats.
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