Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought this book because it addressed a need I have - how to make better charts with the newest version of Excel (2007), and do it in a dynamic manner, i.e. with data that changes.
This is a typical computer book, with many hundreds of pages and an included CD of examples and other things.
One of the other things on the CD is an explanation of the author's "rS1.method" methodology (even the name should be a clue), which is used throughout the book and is used "in all the author's books" as though it were some kind of standard. In it the author prescribes a very set methodology and structure for laying out your multi-worksheet spreadsheets, and all the examples are based on it. If you need some discipline and like methodology, you will like this.
But if you are like me, impatient for results and not willing to be bound by a rigid framework, you will not like it.
The other thing I didn't like was the author's rambling and lecturing style. It was hard to wade through a long discourse on every subject before getting to the meat. One place in the small print it mentions that this book is "somewhat unusual" and is a "translation from the German" so that might explain why this is. I have read other books (history) that are direct translations from other languages (German in particular), and also from the one foreign language that I can read directly I know that the writing style differs by country and can seem quite strange to a reader in a different country. That seems to be the case with this book so it made tough going for me.
Anyway, there is useful material here and the book has helped me some, thus a generous 3 stars, but I wouldn't have bought it if I had known then what I know now.
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Extend your Excel 2007 skills—and create more-powerful and compelling charts in less time. Guided by an Excel expert, you'll learn how to turn flat, static charts into dynamic solutions—where you can visualize and manipulate data countless ways with a simple mouse click. Get the hands-on practice and examples you need to produce your own, professional-quality results. No programming required!
Maximize the impact of your ideas and data!
Learn how your design decisions affect perception and comprehension
Match the right chart type to your communication objective
Visualize—then build—your solution using the author's five-step approach
Apply the science of color to make the right things pop
Add controls—such as drop-down lists and scroll bars—without coding
Use conditional formatting to dynamically highlight and analyze data
Unleash your chart-making creativity—and bring numbers to life!
CD includes:
More than 150 sample, customizable charts for various business scenarios
Helpful worksheets and job aids
Bonus content and resources
Fully searchable eBook
A Note Regarding the CD or DVD
The print version of this book ships with a CD or DVD. For those customers purchasing one of the digital formats in which this book is available, we are pleased to offer the CD/DVD content as a free download via OReilly Medias Digital Distribution services. To download this content, please visit OReillys web site, search for the title of this book to find its catalog page, and click on the link below the cover image (Examples, Companion Content, or Practice Files). Note that while we provide as much of the media content as we are able via free download, we are sometimes limited by licensing restrictions. Please direct any questions or concerns to booktech@oreilly.com.
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