CPE Credit: 2 hours

In this presentation, author and Excel expert David H. Ringstrom, CPA, will reveal the often-overlooked capabilities hidden within Excel's Status Bar. Most users glance at the Status Bar only occasionally, yet it provides valuable insight into workbook activity, data analysis, navigation, calculations, refresh operations, and much more. David will demonstrate how to customize the Status Bar, use it to analyze data without formulas, monitor calculations and Power Query refreshes, troubleshoot circular references, navigate large workbooks, and take advantage of built-in viewing and zoom tools.

Along the way, you'll learn how Excel communicates important information through status messages and indicators that many users overlook. By understanding what Excel is telling you, you'll work more efficiently, troubleshoot problems more effectively, and gain greater confidence when working with complex spreadsheets.

David demonstrates every technique at least twice: first on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps, and then live in Excel for Windows using the subscription-based Microsoft 365 version. Differences between Microsoft 365 and earlier perpetual versions of Excel (2021, 2019, and earlier) are clearly identified during the session and reinforced in the accompanying handouts. Participants also receive an Excel workbook containing many of the examples used in the presentation.

Who should attend:

Professionals seeking to work more efficiently in Excel, better understand workbook activity and calculations, and discover overlooked productivity features will benefit from this webinar.

Topics typically covered:

• Customizing the Status Bar to display the information most relevant to your work.

• Using Status Bar statistics such as Sum, Average, Count, and Numerical Count to analyze data without formulas.

• Understanding the differences between COUNT and COUNTA when reviewing spreadsheet data.

• Monitoring workbook calculations and identifying when Excel is operating in Manual Calculation mode.

• Detecting and resolving circular references by using Excel's built-in indicators.

• Tracking Power Query refreshes, workbook connections, and background refresh operations.

• Using workbook statistics to better understand worksheet content.

• Navigating large workbooks with sheet counts, the Navigation Pane, and related tools.

• Improving visibility and productivity with zoom controls and workbook views.

• Recognizing Status Bar indicators related to macro recording, accessibility, and other hidden features.

Learning objectives:

• State how to customize the Status Bar to display additional information.

• Recall the difference between Count and Numerical Count as displayed on the Status Bar.

• Recognize the Status Bar indicators that alert users to calculations, circular references, and data refresh activity.
 

Level: Intermediate

NASBA Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge

Program Prerequisites: Prior experience with Microsoft Excel is recommended.

Advance Preparation: None