First In First Out (FIFO) and Last In First Out (LIFO) calculations are the integral part of an Accounting System. Neither calculation will affect the life to date (LTD) allocation. However, the choice of either FIFO or LIFO will affect the periodic recognization of profit or loss. It all comes down to the timing difference … Read more FIFO vs. LIFO Calculations using Visual Basic Modules
We frequently need to compare data from different sources to identify discrepancies. If there is a large data set that requires more than eyeballing, it is better to know what functions in Excel that might help. It is easy to compare data of two values. After you identify the discrepancies, you can use either the … Read more Compare Multiple Numbers and Text in Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Outlook has a wonderful voting feature that allows you do a quick poll. It is easy to use and it automatically summarizes the poll result for you. Let’s say you are in charge of a department luncheon and you want to know which restaurant your co-workers in the department would like to go. You … Read more Use Microsoft Outlook to conduct Voting
We sometimes get data in a crosstab table. Data in crosstab table are user-friendly to be read and understood by a human being. However, they are usually not compatible with data storage requirement in database. That causes many problems if you need to convert such data to be imported in a database or to make … Read more Convert a Crosstab Table into a Database Table Format
When you do a calculation, you have three components: inputs, formula, and result. The result is a function of the inputs and formula. In a more layman term, the result is calculated by a formula based on the input figures. In the below example, Sales Commission (result) is calculated by the Sales Amount (input 1) … Read more Use Goal Seek command to reverse engineer desired results
There are many shortcut keystrokes in Microsoft. You can see the full list of those shortcut keystrokes by visiting this Microsoft Support page (https://support2.microsoft.com/kb/126449). It may not be easy to memorize all of them but you will gain much efficiency by just memorizing a few of them. The below shortcut keystrokes are my favorites: CTRL+C: … Read more Gain Efficiency by using Shortcut Keystrokes
In Microsoft Office Suite, you can double click the image until you see the image format menu. On the left hand side of the “Format” menu, there is command called “Recolor”. Click it and choose “Set Transparent Color”. Your pointer will then be changed to a dropper. Now move the dropper to the white area … Read more Set Transparent Color for a Graphical Object
Parameter Query is a query that needs input(s) from the users before it can be run and produced a result. When a user runs a parameter query, a dialog box will pop up and prompt the user for a parameter value (or multiple parameter values). Parameter query greatly enhances the flexibility and versatility of a … Read more Use Input Form for Parameter Query
Mark-to-Market is an important accounting concept. It reflects the “fair value” of an asset or a portfolio based on the current market price. “Fair value” is normally called “fair market value” and is a critical part of the “General Accepted Accounting Principles” (GAAP). Market value of an asset or a portfolio may deviate from its … Read more Mark to Market Financial Report
When you deal with shape objects in Excel and need to do certain automation, it is critical to know the coordinates of the objects, especially for maps. The coordinates are calculated from the top left end of an Excel Worksheet. The very top left end of cell A1 will be (0, 0) for X and … Read more Find the Coordinates of a Shape Object