Spreadsheet Models for Managers
Getting Access to Spreadsheet Models for Managers
If 
you use Excel to model businesses, business processes, or
business transactions, this course will change your life. You’ll learn how to create tools for yourself that will amaze
even you. Unrestricted use of this material is available in two ways.
- As a stand-alone Web site
- It resides on your computer, and you can use it anywhere. No need for Internet access.
- At this Web site
- If you have access to the Internet whenever you want to view this material, you can purchase on-line access. Unlimited usage. I’m constantly making improvements and you’ll get them as soon as they’re available.
To Order On Line
| Order "Spreadsheet Models for Managers, on-line edition, one month" by credit card, for USD 69.95 each, using our secure server, and receive download instructions by return email. |
| Order "Spreadsheet Models for Managers, on-line edition, three months" by credit card, for USD 199.00 each, using our secure server, and receive download instructions by return email. |
| Order "Spreadsheet Models for Managers, downloadable hyperbook edition" by credit card, for USD 199.00 each, using our secure server, and receive download instructions by return email. |
To Order by Mail
Make your check payable to Chaco Canyon Consulting, for the amount indicated:
|
And send it to: Chaco Canyon Consulting 700 Huron Avenue, Suite 19C Cambridge, MA 02138 |
To use the course software you’ll need some other applications, which you very probably already have. By placing your order, you’re confirming that you have the software you need, as described on this site.
Spreadsheet Models for Managers
This reading is especially relevant for Session 1Software You Need for This Course
This page tells you what software you need for this course.
To complete this course, you need access to certain software. This page tells you what software and what versions you need. The headline: Microsoft Office, a Web browser, and virus protection. But not just any version will do, so read below for the details.
- Microsoft Excel
- For Windows, you need Excel, from Office 2007 or later, to do your homework, to do your course project, and to read the solutions to the homework. For the Mac, use Excel 2011. (Excel 2008 is inadequate because it doesn’t support macros.) Be certain that the version of Excel you have is an English edition.
- The various versions of Excel are not entirely compatible, in the sense that their file formats differ. Excel 2003-04 used one file format, commonly called “Excel 97-2003” or “Excel 97-2004”. Excel 2007+, on the other hand, uses a format called OpenXML, which many people call “2007 format.” Both sets of versions are capable of reading and writing both formats, if you have the latest updates installed. Nevertheless, we do not accept homework or projects in any format other than OpenXML.
- For those who elect to use Excel 2011 (Mac), please be aware that for Problem Set 6, you’ll need to use a different version of Excel. Excel 2011 doesn’t yet implement all features of charting that are required to solve Problem Set 6.
- Microsoft Word
- You need Word, from Office 2007 or later, to write some of the documents that accompany your course project. Be certain that the version of Word you have is an English edition.
- A Web browser
- You need a Web browser to read this material, to read the homework assignments, and to read the narrative part of the homework solutions. Examples of browsers that suffice are Google Chrome 17.0 or later, Mozilla Firefox 7.0 or later, Internet Explorer 7.0 or later, or Apple’s Safari version 4.0 or later. Other browsers might work, but we don’t make any guarantees. And please verify that you’ve enabled JavaScript.
- Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Reader
- The slides for each class are available as PowerPoint presentations, Adobe Acrobat files, and at the Web site as Web pages. You’ll need PowerPoint 2007 or later to read them in PowerPoint format; Adobe Reader version 6.0 or later to read the Acrobat files; or a Web browser as mentioned above to read them as Web pages. You don’t need all three. Any one will do.
- The Web page version is probably best for users of mobile devices, when you have Internet access. To read the slides on a mobile device at times when you are without Internet access, the Acrobat version is best, but you’ll need a way of storing and reading Acrobat files on your mobile device. For example, on iPhones or iPads, you can use iBooks for this purpose.
- Computer operating system
- Windows XP or later, or MacOS 10.6 or later.
- Virus protection
- You also need protection from software viruses.
The Microsoft Office files included in this course, such as PowerPoint slides, Excel solutions, Excel demonstrations, and the Excel add-ins, are offered in OpenXML format, which is the format of Office 2007+.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 27-Apr-2016 04:15:26 EDT
The first homework assignment has a fair amount of reading attached to it. Some students feel that the best approach is to read it all, and then try to do the homework. For most of us, such an approach doesn’t work very well.
Before you begin the course, read the general material, such as “Getting Started,” “Software You Need for This Course,” and “How to Work.”
Later, as you begin the homework, let the homework drive your reading choices. For instance, the first homework assignment does require that you master certain techniques. Read “Names” and “The Ripple Principle.” Then, if something confuses you, read up on it: examples are “The Basics of Recalculation” and “References.” Learning something when you need it, and only when you need it, is usually the best way to go.
Parentheses sometimes make a real difference. For instance A1*B1+2 is very different from A1*(B1+2). But A1*(B1*2) is exactly the same as A1*B1*2. When the parentheses don’t make any difference in the value of the result, it’s not usually a good idea to include them. They tend to make the formulas harder to read, and there’s always the chance that you’ll put them in the wrong place. More