edatum Blog

Microsoft Excel Auto Fill is something a lot of people do not know about but it can be extremely useful and save a lot of time. Have you ever needed to setup an Excel spreadsheet that contains a list of dates, days or numbers that follow a pattern i.e. you might be creating a rota for your team and you need to make a list of each day of the week down the side of the spreadsheet, normally you would have to enter each day in manually until you had the right number of rows for your rota. By using Microsoft Excel Auto Fill you can do this very easily and quickly, follow the steps below to learn how to create lists automatically in Excel.

1. Open up a new workbook in Microsoft Excel, enter the following information on a new spreadsheet shown below.

2. Now click on cell A2 keep the mouse button held down and drag the pointer to A4 and release the mouse button to select the values Monday-Wednesday as shown below.

3. You will notice there is a little square at the bottom right of the selected cells, this is called the fill handle, if you drag and drop the fill handle down to cell A11 and release the mouse button will now see that the values of days have been automatically filled in for you. By default for days it fills the cells in with a 7 day week, this may or may not be useful, however in most cases you will only need a 5 day week Monday to Friday…………. this is easy to change. After you let go of the mouse button before you would have noticed that a little box appear, this will allow you to access the Auto Fill menu, click on the downward arrow and the menu appears, you will see an option called fill weekdays, select this your list now only shows values Monday to Friday.

4. Microsoft Excel Auto Fill can also be used to automatically fill in numbers and dates as well as giving you the ability to create your own custom lists, below shows a mixture of different lists you can use with the Microsoft Excel Auto Fill feature, type them in and repeat the above steps of using the Microsoft Excel Auto Fill feature go ahead and have a play around and see what the results are, have a think about how you can use this uility in your daily job.

5. Have fun!!!

Thank you thanking reading this tutorial we hope you enjoyed it, if you would like to learn more about Microsoft Excel or any other Microsoft Office product please visit our website to view our onsite Office 2007 training.

Tutorial provided by Edatum IT Solutions.

Microsoft mail merge is a very useful feature of Microsoft Word it allows you to quickly create multiple documents that contain the same base information but at the same time need to have unique data in, for example you may want to send out a letter to 100 people, the main body of the letter will be the same but for each recipient you want Dear <Name of recipient>, you could manually create an individual letter for each recipient, this method would be time consuming and also be open to typing errors, or you could use Microsoft Word mail merge.  Microsoft mail merge not only allows you to to merge batches of letters and documents it can also be used to create customised labels, envelopes, emails, postcards or even flyers, this is a great tool for sending out communications to your clients.

The below tutorial will take you through the steps of using Microsoft Word mail merge 2007 to create a set of letters:

You can create a mail merge manually but the easiest way to do this is to use the Mail Merge Wizard, this will take you through the 6 steps needed to complete your mail merge, lets get started below!!

 1. To start the Mail Merge Wizard first of all open up a new document in Micrsoft Word, at the top of the page click on the Mailings tab, then click on Start Mail Merge, a drop down menu will appear with a list of options, select Step By Step Mail Merge Wizard…..

2. You will now see the Mail Merge window appear to the right of your new document, this is the Mail Merge Wizard, notice at the bottom it says Step 1 of 6, this is to show you what stage you are on for the mail merge process, you can also see there is a Next link, as you go through the steps you will also see a Previous link you can use these to go forward and back through the steps if you decide you want to change anything at a certain point. We will now discuss each step of the wizard.

3. The first step of the Mail Merge Wizard asks you to specify what type of merge you want to create, as you can see you can create mail merges for letters, email messages, envelopes, labels and a directory, for this example we are going to create a letter merge, select Letters and click on Next: Start Document at the bottom of the Mail Merge Window.

4. The second step of the Mail Merge Wizard asks you to select a base template for your letter, you can choose from the current document, a Micrsoft Word template or an existing document that you have previously saved. We are going to use to the current document, select Current Document and click on Next: Select recipients.

5. The third step of the Mail Merge Wizard prompts you to set where your list of unique values should come from you can choose from an existing list, your outlook contacts or create a new list, when selecting an existing list you can open up a range of data sources two of which can be either a Micrsoft Access database or a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, for this example will will create a new list, select Type a new list and then click on Create, the Address List window will appear.

6. The Address List Window shows a list of commonly used fields, you can enter data under any of these columns or you can create your own columns by clicking on Customize Columns….., for this example we will use the First Name and Company Name columns, type the following data into the Address List window as shown below, you will need to click on the New Entry button to create a new row, click OK when you have finished adding your data.

 7. You will be prompted to save your list the file will be saved in Access, browse to the folder of your choice and save the file as MyData.

8. Next the Mail Merge Recipients windows will open, you can use this window to deselect certain records in your data or apply a filter i.e if you had a really long list you might only want to create letters for people with their last name begining with A, we will not change the records we are going to use for this example, just click OK then click on Next:Write your letter.

9. The fourth step of the Mail Merge Wizard asks you to write the letter that you want to use for your mail merge in the blank document type the following:

Dear

This letter is an example of a mail merge document for your company  .

Kind regards

Your name

10. Now you need to add in the placeholder for where you want your unique data to be inserted, click after the word Dear to ensure your cursor is behind the letter r and press space, this is where we are going to insert our first place holder. At the top of the screen ensure the Mailings tab is selected and click on Insert Merge Field, a drop down menu will appear showing all the columns that where in the Address List window earlier, click on First_Name, you will see that <<First_Name>> appears after the word Dear, this is known as a place holder and tells Word to insert the column First_Name here.

11. Now we will add a Company_Name place holder, click behind the word Company on your letter so the cursor is behind the letter y, click on Insert Merge Field and select Company_Name, again you will see that <<Company_Name>>  appears behind the word company, now click on Next:  Preview your letter.

12. The fifth step of the Mail Merge Wizard allows you to view the results or you mail merge, if you scroll through the document you will now see that there is a new page for each recipient you created earlier. You have one final chance to scroll through you merge and remove any recipients letters before you confirm the mail merge, we will now go to the last step, click Next: Complete the merge.

13. Well done you have completed your mail merge!! You are given the options to either edit your letters individually or print them, you can also save your merge if you want to print it later the same you would a normal document.

Thank you thanking reading this tutorial we hope you enjoyed it, if you would like to learn more about Microsoft Word or any other Microsoft Office product please visit our website to view our onsite Office 2007 training.

Tutorial provided by Edatum IT Solutions.

Due to the success of their business Global Access Properties asked us to use our database consulting skills to centralise their existing client data into a new database system so they can easily account manage their clients and have visibility of current property deal status.

Global Access Properties

 “When we first contacted Edatum we needed a system that was going to consolidate all our customer data into one easy to use application, we had currently used Excel spreadsheets and Word documents to keep track of our client’s property deals, however due to the success of our company and increased business we needed something that was going to be easy to use and provide us with quick visibility on the progress of our property deals, this was acheived by a set of well thought out reports.  Edatum were extremely professional and friendly with their approach and we are extremely pleased with our new system it is easy to use and has saved us a lot of time with day to day operations, we now have more time to concentrate on growing Global Access Properties business.”  Richard Bassford, Managing Director.

www.globalaccessproperties.co.uk

Microsoft Excel 2007  is a really useful application that is part of the Microsoft Office suite, it allows you to perform advanced analysis, manipulation and calculations against your data helping you to make business decisions based on factual information, whether you are currently using Microsoft Excel 2007 or planning to upgrade your business to it, knowing what it is capable of and how to use it will provide your company with an extremely powerful and flexible tool.

Edatum provides training for Microsoft Excel 2007 in the comfort of your own office, we are fully insured and the cost for a course is £375 +VAT and can hold up to 8 people in a training session. There are 3 different Microsoft Excel courses we provide:

Microsoft Excel courses: Basic, intermediate or advanced.

Our Microsoft Excel courses includes:

•  A morning of instructor led training taking you through our study book which you will be able to keep for future reference.
• An afternoon of onsite expert consultancy giving you a chance to use our professional knowledge to look at existing business needs or issues you are having with guidance on how to setup customised solutions via Microsoft Office.

Learn the potential of Microsoft Excel and how it can help your business through Microsoft Office 2007 Training, Contact us now.

Microsoft Word 2007  is a really useful application that is part of the Microsoft Office suite, some but not all of its features allow you to create advanced documents, perform mail merges, publish to .pdf format and create HTML documents. Whether you are currently using Microsoft Word 2007 or planning to upgrade your business to it, knowing what it is capable of and how to use it will provide your company with an extremely powerful and flexible tool.

Edatum provides training for Microsoft Word 2007 in the comfort of your own office, we are fully insured and the cost for a course is £375 +VAT and can hold up to 8 people in a training session. There are 3 different Microsoft Word courses we provide:

Microsoft Word Courses: Basic, intermediate or advanced.

Our Microsoft Word courses includes:

•  A morning of instructor led training taking you through our study book which you will be able to keep for future reference.
• An afternoon of onsite expert consultancy giving you a chance to use our professional knowledge to look at existing business needs or issues you are having with guidance on how to setup customised solutions via Microsoft Office.

Learn the potential of Microsoft Word and how it can help your business through Microsoft Office 2007 Training, Contact us now!!

Microsoft PowerPoint 2007  is a really useful application that is part of the Microsoft Office suite, Powerpoint allows you to create professional and impressive presentations to use for showcasing your idea or work to external or interenal clients, you can create moving slide shows and integrate pictures, videos and other files from the Microsoft Office suite such as an Excel Spreadsheet or Word document. Whether you are currently using Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 or planning to upgrade your business to it, knowing what it is capable of and how to use it will provide your company with an extremely powerful and flexible tool.

Edatum provides training for Micrsoft PowerPoint 2007 in the comfort of your own office, we are fully insured and the cost for a course is £375 +VAT and can hold up to 8 people in a training session. There are 3 different Microsoft PowerPoint courses we provide:

Microsoft PowerPoint courses: Basic, intermediate or advanced.

Our Microsoft PowerPoint courses includes:

•  A morning of instructor led training taking you through our study book which you will be able to keep for future reference.
• An afternoon of onsite expert consultancy giving you a chance to use our professional knowledge to look at existing business needs or issues you are having with guidance on how to setup customised solutions via Microsoft Office.

Learn the potential of Microsoft PowerPoint and how it can help your business through Microsoft Office 2007 Training, Contact us now!!

Microsoft Outlook 2007  is a really useful application that is part of the Microsoft Office suite, its most common use is to send and receive emails, however it can also be used to create mailing lists, rules on incoming and outgoing mail, provide a calendar to schedule your time in and invite others to meetings as well as many more features. Whether you are currently using Microsoft Outlook 2007 or planning to upgrade your business to it, knowing what it is capable of and how to use it will provide your company with an extremely powerful and flexible tool.

Edatum provides training for Microsoft Outlook 2007 in the comfort of your own office, we are fully insured and the cost for a course is £375 +VAT and can hold up to 8 people in a training session. There are 3 different Microsoft Outlook courses we provide:

Microsoft Outlook courses: Basic, intermediate or advanced.

Our Microsoft Outlook courses includes:

•  A morning of instructor led training taking you through our study book which you will be able to keep for future reference.
• An afternoon of onsite expert consultancy giving you a chance to use our professional knowledge to look at existing business needs or issues you are having with guidance on how to setup customised solutions via Microsoft Office.

Learn the potential of Microsoft Outlook and how it can help your business through Microsoft Office 2007 Training, Contact us now!!

Microsoft Access 2007  is a really useful application that is part of the Microsoft Office suite, It allows you to create databases to store your business data on in a relational format and create secured forms to update this data, it also provides you with the ability to produce reports on your companies information helping you to make business decisions on factual data. Whether you are currently using Microsoft Access 2007 or planning to upgrade your business to it, knowing what it is capable of and how to use it will provide your company with an extremely powerful and flexible tool.

Edatum provides training for Microsoft Access 2007 in the comfort of your own office, we are fully insured and the cost for a course is £375 +VAT and can hold up to 8 people in a training session. There are 3 different Microsoft Access courses we provide:

Microsoft Access courses: Basic, intermediate or advanced.

Our Microsoft Access courses includes:

•  A morning of instructor led training taking you through our study book which you will be able to keep for future reference.
• An afternoon of onsite expert consultancy giving you a chance to use our professional knowledge to look at existing business needs or issues you are having with guidance on how to setup customised solutions via Microsoft Office.

Learn the potential of Microsoft Access and how it can help your business through Microsoft Office 2007 Training, Contact us now!!

Microsft Office is the most commonly used application suite in the business environment, it contains 5 different applications, Word for writing documents, Excel for performing numerical calculations, Powerpoint for creating presentations, Access to create databases to hold data and allow reporting and Outlook for sending and receiving emails.  Above is a very high level description of what these applications can actually help you achieve, Microsoft Office contains a wide range of powerful features that can help any business grow if used correctly.  The key to using Microsoft Office to its maximum potential is to know what features are available and how to use them. Whether you are currently using Micrsoft Office 2007 or are looking to upgrade to it, Microsoft have really created some fantastic new features making the suite more useful than ever.

Edatum can help you make use of  this potential by providing your business with onsite Office 2007 Training, we are fully insured and will come and train you in the comfort of your own office. We charge £375 + VAT per course and each course can have a maximum of 8 people. Please see below a list of the training courses we provide:

Microsoft Word Courses: Basic, Intermediate or Advanced
Microsoft Excel Courses: Basic, Intermediate or Advanced
Microsoft PowerPoint Courses: Basic, Intermediate or Advanced
Microsoft Outlook Courses: Basic, Intermediate or Advanced
Microsoft Access Courses: Basic, Intermediate or Advanced

All courses consist of hands on tutorials throughout the day stepping through Edatum’s training manual which each attendee will be able to keep for reference afterwards, at the end of the session there will be chance to look at and get advice on how to apply what has been learnt to business related processes or issues you may be experiencing.

Learn the potential of Microsoft Office and how it can help your business through Microsoft Office 2007 Training, Contact us now.

Edatum up and running

Wednesday 3rd March 2010

The entrepreneurial spirit is thriving in York and North Yorkshire as the bold launch of another business demonstrates.

Caralyn Ford launched Edatum IT solutions after working as an IT consultant for 11 years. Currently based at her home in Newton-on-Ouse near York, Edatum will provide IT solutions to small and medium sized businesses across North Yorkshire.

“In my previous role I’d had a lot of customers facing experience and it made me realise I had a talent for talking to people in a way they could understand, and that’s quite rare in the IT field,” laughs Caralyn who says that her ability to empathise with her customers is an important part of her customer offer.

“After a while I realised that I could use that ability in my own business, it’s important not to talk down to people and to make them feel included in the process of finding the best solution for their business, and that’s something which Edatum will do.”

And, having decided to launch her business only last September, Edatum went live on March 01.

Caralyn says: “Once I decided to take the plunge it was a pretty quick process. I spoke to people like Business Link to get some advice and I must admit I was really nervous about handing in my notice in but I’m really glad I went through with it.

“We’ve already got a couple of clients whom we’re working with now. I’d really like the business to grow to a point where I could provide job opportunities for other people and have premises of our own.”