Microsoft Excel 2010: Data Analysis and Business Modeling by Wayne L. Winston

Summary: become familiar with Excel built in functions

Microsoft Excel 2010 is typical FAQ/lecture like book. What you get is a list of issues that you probably encounter, sooner or later, during Excel programming. Each chapter is organized the same way. At first, you get the list of questions that are related to topics covered within chapter. Then, you get answers to questions explained by examples. This way you can easily find solutions for problems that you have recently encountered and want to have them solved by the Excel. What is a benefit here is that knowledge is not just a plain theory. Contrary, what you get is a purely pragmatic approach – problem/solution. In order to check your knowledge, each chapter contains brain teasers that will force you to think a little bit. You are asked to solve a problem that can be solved using knowledge you have acquired while reading the chapter.

I have mixed feelings when it comes to this book. At one point you should have it in your own library as a reference. On the other hand, I don’t like editorial side of the book at all. It’s too simple and too plain. I know you can say that lecture script is not required to look fancy and nice, but I simply like well edited books. I know that judging book by it’s cover might be very unfair by in case of this one, editorial side of the book took advantage over the content. However, if you don’t pay that much attention to look over the content you should consider buying this one. You will find quite a loot of examples that will guide you through the mysteries of the Excel. And you don’t have to know Visual Basic at all.

Product page:

O’Reilly: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780735643369/
Amazon (in Books): Microsoft Excel 2010: Data Analysis and Business Modeling
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