Springtime in the Rockies

The past week has been a little crazy when it comes to weather in our area. It is "springtime in the Rockies," which means unpredictability. We have had warm days and days with temperatures below freezing. We have had rain, sleet, snow, and wind in just about any combination you can think of. One day we woke up to about 3 inches of snow that melted completely by 10:00 am. Sooner or later the crazy spring weather will give way to summer, and then things should be more settled.

I hope that things have been good in your corner of the world and that you enjoy the tips in this week's newsletter.

—Allen
     

ExcelTips (ribbon) for 9 May 2026
Files
Converting a Range of Cells into Comma-Separated Values

Word allows you to save a workbook in a CSV format. If you want to save just a portion of a worksheet in CSV format, then you need to use the techniques described in this tip.

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(Thanks to Ryszard Raciborski, Brian Dorey, James Woolley, Michael Avidan (MVP), and Harlan Eshleman for contributing to this tip.)

 
Powerful spreadsheets
Rows in a PivotTable

PivotTables are used to analyze huge amounts of data. The number of rows used in a PivotTable depends on the type of analysis you are doing and the characteristics of the original data. If you need to determine how many rows are in a PivotTable, you can use the approaches described in this tip.

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Enhance Your Excel Skills with Macros

Macros are a great way to increase your productivity with Excel by making the program work the way you want it to work. Discover the true power behind macros; ExcelTips: The Macros puts almost 800 pages of macro-focused information at your fingertips. Discover more...

 
Powerful spreadsheets
Counting Ports of Call with a PivotTable

A PivotTable is a great way to aggregate and analyze data. Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to figure out how to best use a PivotTable to get the analysis you need. In this tip, I show you several ways you can analyze data that may be otherwise difficult to process.

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Graphics
Images Pile Up when Filtering

If you have a worksheet that has numerous pictures in a column, you may get an unwanted surprise when you try to filter the data in the worksheet. This tip explains how to make sure that pictures are hidden when the rows to which they belong are hidden in a filtered list.

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Help Wanted

This section is for those having problems making Excel behave. If Excel is giving you fits, feel free to submit your own Help Wanted question.

If you have a solution for the problems below, click the link after the problem to send us your answer. (All responses become the sole property of Sharon Parq Associates, Inc., and can be used in any way deemed appropriate.) If your response is used in a future issue, you will be credited for your contribution to the answer.

 
Determining the First Date with No Transactions

I have a worksheet that contains transactions from our accounting system. The worksheet is sorted by column A, which contains the transaction dates. Is there a formula that will let me know the first date in column A for which there is not at least one transaction?
—Mary Phillips (provide an answer for this Help Wanted question)

 
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