Make the most out of what you can get with Excel by following these 5 Excel optimisation tips and applying it to your daily Excel projects. By optimising what you can get out of Excel, you will be able to accomplish even more than you are currently capable of. Here are what you should know:
- Add Ins
Add ins are an excellent tool to use when it comes to Excel optimisation. Since they are catered for different purposes, there are add ins specifically created to speed up and make Excel function more effectively. Take a good look and determine if the add ins are worth the use first before you actually begin using it, when you find the right fit, you’ll find that it improves your overall Excel experience instead of dragging you down.
- Organise
Try to organise and keep all other relevant information within the same workbook. What a lot of Excel users don’t know is that when you link or reference other workbooks, it takes a longer time for Excel to do so and thus causes the program to slow down for a fraction of a time. Excel optimisation can be done in arranging information all in one source, even if they are on separate seats. Check your file- are there any details that are absolutely unnecessary? Cut down and keep track of the used range ( CTRL + END) and delete all irrelevant information.
- Volatile functions
The troublesome effect that volatile functions have against Excel optimisation is that Excel will have to recalculate every time you make a change in it’s presence. Instead of doing so, consider substituting the formula into another one that could achieve the same purpose! At the very last resort, take care of volatile functions by isolating it and referencing that in your formula, this way it will only be calculated once instead of all the time.
- Substitution
Formulas like Array formula are excellent in terms of getting things done, but unfortunately, they also take up a lot of memory. If you are working on a large worksheet, an alternative could be to substitute with formulas that get your objective done all the same. Formulas that could help you achieve the results are SUMIF(), COUNTIF() and VLOOKUP.
- UDF
User defined functions are written in the VBA codes to achieve functions and results as desired, used much like built in functions. However unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that when you use UDF, it doesn’t speed up anything and will work roughly at the same pace as Excel’s already present functions. In fact, it takes a small fraction of time longer since it has to use several nested functions at the same time. So one of the ways to increase Excel optimisation is to refrain from using UDFs unless the excel function is unavailable.
These 5 Excel optimisation tips will contribute in speeding up your excel workbook, practice and try it out- you will definitely be able to spot a distinct difference!
