Tips, Tricks, and Answers

The following articles are available for the 'Data Entry' topic. Click the article''s title (shown in bold) to see the associated article.

   Accepting Only a Single Digit
Want a quick way to enter a series of single digits into consecutive cells? The best approach is with a macro, and this tip examines a couple that may do the job for you.

   Entered Values are Divided by 100
Enter a value into a cell and "poof!" it is automatically divided by 100. What's going on, and how can you fix it so that Excel actually enters what you type into the cell?

   Entering Data as Thousands
There are many different ways you may need to enter data in a worksheet. For instance, you might want to enter data in thousands, without the need to type the trailing zeroes. This tip examines several ways you can enter this type of data easily.

   Entering Dates in Excel
When you type information into a cell, Excel tries to figure out what type of information you are entering. If Excel can reasonably assume you are entering a date, it will convert the entry into a date, internally, and format the cell as a date.

   Entering Dates without Separators
When doing data entry into a worksheet, you might want to enter dates without the need to type the separators that are normally part of those dates. Here's a discussion on how this can be done in Excel, along with the benefits and drawbacks of using such an approach.

   Entering Large Time Values
If you need to input humongous times into a worksheet, you may run into a problem if you need to enter times greater than 10,000 hours. This tip explains the full problem and provides some ideas on getting around the problem.

   Inserting Symbols
Using the Character Map to insert symbols in Excel.

   Jumping to the Start of the Next Data Entry Row
Want a quick way to jump to the end of your data entry area in a worksheet? The macro in this tip makes quick work of the task.

   Modifying Default Year for Dates
When entering dates into a worksheet, you may want the dates to default to last year instead of this year. Here's a way you can accomplish this type of data input.

   Quickly Entering Dates and Times
Excel provides keyboard shortcuts for a variety of purposes. This tip examines two such shortcuts, designed to allow entering times and dates quickly.

   Recording a Data Entry Time
When entering information in a worksheet, it is common to also note a date or time corresponding to the entry. There are several ways you can enter such information, ranging from manual to automatic. Here are a few techniques you can use for recording times.

   Requiring Input
If you distribute a workbook that is used by others for data entry, you may want a way to make sure they fill in certain cells before closing the workbook to send it back to you. Excel doesn't provide a way to require input, but you can create a macro to do the task.

   Using Early Dates
Excel is brilliant at handling datesâ€"as long as they aren't dates earlier than the base date used by the program. If you need to use earlier dates, then you'll want to be aware of the information in this tip.