Rating: 
Summary: He did it again
Review: JW did it again, every single one of his XL books is more than worth the price you pay. In addition to providing real explanations it is also fun to read. Time flies while you learn. I can only suggest to buy it if you want to get the feeling about the power of XL.
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Summary: compels you to consider and use the rigors of logic
Review: Mr. Walkenbach's book is interesting if only because it is so well written that it continually reinforces the imperative of sound logic in the design of spreadsheets. His instruction is very cogent; that cogency fosters an environment in which the reader is continually reminded of the concept that faulty assumptions several formulas back will pervert data which rely upon those faulty assumptions. If you can understand that concept intuitively as you design a spreadsheet--basically, if you can audit the logic and math of your spreadsheet--then you will go a long way with Excel (and other such applications of logic--be they programming, writing, etc.) In short, if you can focus on the rigor that Mr. Walkenbach applied to his book, then you can use that rigor in a variety of environments outside of Excel.
Rating:
Summary: Essential reference
Review: Not perfect by any means but to rate it below 5 stars would be mean. There's plenty here for intermediate to advanced readers: John certainly does teach old dogs new tricks!Superb on text handling and explains / demonstrates array formulas. Some areas needed expansion but with careful reading of this and the other two Walkenbach texts you really should be able to teach yourself (with the assistance of newsgroups: most of which are listed in the teaxt). After his Bible, and Power Programming what does John do to follow?
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Summary: If you use Excel, buy this book
Review: Simply, one of the best computer books I've ever seen--and I've seen quite a few of them. Walkenbach is awesome: there is so much good stuff in here, it's amazing. I don't use Excel (I don't even use Microsoft Windows), but the writing is clear, to the point, and you won't find this stuff anywhere else. Buy it!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: The book is an excellent tool for expanding your knowledge in Excel. The text is easy follow and provides real world examples of how and when to use which formula. A co-worker with more than twenty years experience in Excel concurrs in fact he called the secretary 10 minutes after reviewing the text to order the book. Although he still has my copy and is not willing to part until his copy arrives. :)
Rating:
Summary: A great tool for anyone looking at advanced features
Review: There is nothing more frustrating than an excel book claiming charting is an advanced feature. As an analyst for a consulting firm I am always pouring through different databases, and being quicker and more efficient is definitely something I wanted to accomplish. This book helped me immensely. My favorite discovery was array formulas, they are wonderful in cutting out a lot of middle steps in financial modeling. This book will save you lots of time and sanity - I highly recommend it for anyone who works in the manipulation of large amounts of data.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding investment
Review: This booked turned me from a good Excel user into a very strong user.
Even better, several colleagues are rapidly moving into being strong users. This is beyond a doubt the best book I have seen for any Microsoft Office application, both as a learning text and as a cookbook for five minute solutions.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding investment
Review: This booked turned me from a good Excel user into a very strong user.
Even better, several colleagues are rapidly moving into being strong users. This is beyond a doubt the best book I have seen for any Microsoft Office application, both as a learning text and as a cookbook for five minute solutions.
Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile
Review: This is a tuff book to write because the topic (IMHO) only justifies half a book. I was going to give 3 stars, but on second review decided that he really did a good job in covering the topic. If you want to learn a lot about Excel without messing around too much in VBA (there is some) then this book is for you. It's not just a rehash of the help files. The book is intermediate level and is meant for study, not reference. If you're patient, and spend time with it, and you're not already an expert (i.e. you don't spend the majority of your day in Excel) then you'll benefit. I do have one small peeve. In both this book and his other VBA book, Walkenbach has actually encouraged people to use complex "megaformulas" that are in his words "impossible to decipher or modify" because other people will be impressed with your abilities. This is ridiculous. Experienced programmers whose work affects other people, understand that readability is critical. An intentional megaformula is akin to writing a whole program in one subroutine, and it separates a freshman wannabe from an educated developer. Walkenbach should know better than to encourage this.
Rating:
Summary: A great investment!
Review: This is definitely one of the most useful books on the market for getting the most out of Excel. I've personally purchased about eight copies for colleagues and employees. What helped me the most after reading this book was that I now approach data and analysis problems much differently. John Walkenbach is great at showing the potential of Excel as a real problem solving tool; by the end of the book, you'll be putting together complex formulas and breezing through the most complicated analysis in ways you never knew were possible. If you only buy one book on Excel, this should be the one!
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