Happy New Year!

We're kicking off 2025 with more productivity tips. But today’s email is a little special.

Because 10 years ago, on January 2nd, I didn’t get in my car and drive to my corporate job.

Instead, I walked down to the cellar, where I had a small desk set up. That’s where it all began. My first year was freelance consulting and teaching in-person. The online side of XelPlus? That came later, in my second year.

When I quit, I didn’t plan to start an online training company. Honestly, I didn’t even know that was a thing.

But here we are. And I’m so grateful you’re here - reading this email, watching my tutorials, and taking my courses.

Leaving a secure, steady job wasn’t easy. I’m not the type to take big risks. But here’s something I’ve learned: you don’t grow through success. You grow by trying and trying again, especially when things don’t work out the way you hoped.

So here’s to taking chances. To learning through the mess. And to making those chances count.

Fun fact: Before XelPlus, I tried two business ideas on the side of my corporate job - a web design company and a wine label remover. Both failed.

In today's Between the Sheets, we’re exploring:

• different methods to combine columns (practice file included)
• more Copilot branding confusion
• upcoming Windows 11 updates

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Combine Columns in Excel

Say, you need to combine the first and last name from two separate columns into a single column.

What do you do?

Do you just start typing?

If Flash Fill kicks in, it should automatically combine all the entries based on the pattern you provided in the first row.

That's super handy. Definitely beats typing the names for all the rows.

The problem? This method is not dynamic.

If you get more data later or some of the data changes, the Full Name column will not update.

The alternative is to use a formula. You have a few options:

Ampersand symbol (&)

This is the one I default to. You combine the contents of two (or more) columns using the & operator.

You can also use it to add any text (or a space) that isn't in the cells. (Don't forget to put it inside double quotes.)

CONCAT function

This does the same but using a function. You put all the elements you're combining inside the brackets.

=CONCAT(A2, " ", B2)

I find the ampersand approach quicker, unless I'm working with ranges and don't want to select individual cell references.

(Think of it as the difference between the SUM function and using the + symbol.)

TEXTJOIN function

The TEXTJOIN function is great if you want to combine more than two columns, all separated by the same delimiter.

Because you don't have to repeat the delimiter. And if some of the columns are empty - no worries. The TRUE argument makes sure they're omitted.

To learn more about the different methods - and a BONUS one - check out our blog post.

Follow along in the practice file to get the hang of these features.

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Global Excel Summit - just a month left!

The Global Summit is almost upon us. A one-of-a-kind opportunity to meet with fellow Excel geeks.

It's all happening in London, 4-6 February, 2025.

There's still time to get your ticket (but they are running out).

A holiday sale is on. Until 10th January, you get 15% off.

Use code LEILA at checkout for additional 20% off.

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🤓 Geeky News

🤨 Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat... What?

Microsoft keeps pushing Copilot hard. When it comes to Copilot for Microsoft 365 functionality - I'm on board, as it keeps getting better.

But their attempts to push it in the branding only make things more confusing.

Apparently, Microsoft 365 will now be called Microsoft 365 Copilot. Even without the additional Copilot license.

Wait. What?!

Apparently, you can have "Copilot" without Copilot's AI functionality.

Also, "Microsoft Copilot for Entra Account" is now "Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat".

This is the Copilot online chatbot experience you get when you log in with your organizational account (Entra ID). It offers enterprise data protection unlike the regular chatbot for personal use.

It doesn't require a Microsoft 365 license, just the "Entra ID". So the "365" added to the name seems a little misleading.

I mean, aren't you confused just by reading this? 😵‍💫

Things get better...

If you do have Microsoft 365 but don't have a Copilot license, you'll still see the Copilot logo in the Microsoft 365 app. But it will take you to the "Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat" which doesn't have access to your files and data.

If you have both the Microsoft 365 and the Copilot license, you can interact with the AI within the M365 apps (Excel, OneDrive, etc.).

I don't see the new naming being widely adopted.

Be honest - who still refers to "Microsoft 365" as "Office"? 🙋‍♀️

What to expect from Windows 11 in 2025

💻 OneDrive files searchable via the taskbar:

Microsoft is testing a new “File Search” feature. It allows users to quickly find recently accessed and shared files directly from the taskbar.

💻 Improvements to File Explorer tabs:

You'll be able to open a folder from desktop as a new tab in an existing File Explorer window rather than opening a new one.

💻 Simplified system tray and more disk details in the Task Manager:

• set a short date & time and hide the notification bell in the system tray (via System Settings);
• the Performance section of the Task Manager now gives you more information about the disk type

💻 Minor enhancements of the Magnifier, Passkey & Task Managers:

• Magnifier gets a new shortcut (Ctrl+Alt+minus) to switch between current zoom and 1x;
• Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete) now matches your Windows theme;
• improved password syncing between your Windows devices.

💻 Extract text from scanned PDFs in Edge:

If you open PDFs with Edge, you might soon be able to select and copy text even from scanned PDFs (which are effectively images). Microsoft appears is testing a new "OCR for PDF" feature.

💻 New scam prevention feature in Edge:

Scareware is a full-page banner or popup that creates pressure to act. Edge is introducing a scareware blocker that gives you a warning when it detects a potential scam.

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👏 Power Stories

I'm all about saving your time. That's why I was super happy to hear from Tony who completed our Business Charts in Excel course.

He picked up techniques to create charts that are not only visually impressive, but also fully dynamic. When he gets new data, the charts update automatically.

I hope he continues to impress his benchmarking stakeholders and enjoys the free time gained. 🙌

Tony Cardenas

As the General Manager of a small propane distributor, I'm responsible for reporting on numerous data points. Though I've produced impressive dashboards for everyone in our company, including owners, CEOs, and managers in our benchmarking group, my lack of knowledge of Excel formulas and tables has resulted in these dashboards taking me days to complete, and I am "recreating" them every month. This business chart course has given me the knowledge and tools to cut my report creation time significantly. I will be able to complete my reports in hours instead of days, and they will look cleaner.

Got a success story about using your XelPlus skills? I’d love to hear it! Hit reply to share the details, and inspire other students 😇

See you next week,

Leila

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