"Just show me the numbers."

That’s what your manager says after you’ve spent hours perfecting your visual.

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

• Tables for details, charts for decisions
• AI-powered data cleaning feature in Excel
• Copilot on Windows and Mac

Presenting data in tables

Excel tables for analysis and tables for presentation are two different things.

Which table is easier to interpret at a glance?

How to achieve this clean design?

• Use whitespace between groups to visually separate them.
• Use white vertical borders to create a clean split between columns.
• Prefer cell borders (or “fake” borders created by filling the cell color in an empty row below the header) over colorful headers.
• Don't overdo it with color, use it subtly and consistently.
• Green and red (or their variants) are universally accepted to indicate positive and negative change.
• For everything else, stick to neutrals (shades of grey work best in the business context - you don't need 50 😉).
• Bring attention to the key message you want to communicate.

When a Table Needs More Than Just Numbers

If you're comparing actuals to previous year, the key insight is the difference between them.

A table helps, but the real story pops when you visualize the change.

That’s where charts inside tables make all the difference.

The data bars feature in Conditional Formatting can do that in no time.

Learn more here.

Charts for Decisions

Some managers love digging into the details, but most just want to see the big picture - fast. And that’s where charts do the heavy lifting.

A good chart makes decisions easier. It shows trends, highlights changes, and gets straight to the point.

No squinting at rows of numbers required.

And since most of us present in PowerPoint, building those charts needs to be fast and frustration-free, not a manual time-suck.

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🤓 Geeky News

🧹 Clean Data in Excel

Previously introduced in Excel for the Web, a new feature has made its way to Excel Desktop (currently Insiders Beta).

You'll find it on the Data tab, next to Text to Columns.

It's called Clean Data.

It's able to spot and correct issues with your data, like extra spaces, inconsistent text spelling (e.g., XelPlus and Xelplus), and numbers formatted as text.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work on dates formatted as text. Probably because of the difficulty of interpreting months and days in various regions.

But as all AI features, it comes with a disclaimer that "AI-generated suggestions may be incorrect". It's speedy and convenient but doesn't free you (the Human*) from ensuring its accuracy.

(*We assume 😉 but no worries - we won't make you click on all traffic lights 😉)

✈️ Copilot app for Windows & Mac

Microsoft releases yet another version of the Copilot app for Windows.

This one - currently rolling out to Windows Insiders - shows some potential. It's native to Windows and offers better performance than previous web-based iterations.

This version of the AI chatbot is system-aware, so it can provide specific technical advice that works with your operating system. For now, there's no word whether it will be able to affect system settings for you.

Microsoft has also released Copilot for Mac. It's a stable version, available via the App Store. It includes Think Deeper, the "advanced reasoning" model that's better at processing the context of your prompts. Something that the Windows app doesn't have it, at least not yet, but you can use it through the browser.

📝 AI-powered Rewrite in Notepad

Since all the Office apps are getting AI, the humble Notepad didn't want to be outdone.

It now comes with Rewrite, which allows you to change the tone and modify the length of your text.

With "custom rewrite", you can change the tone to more formal, inspirational, or persuasive. Or adapt the format, choosing between Marketing, Business, Academic, and even poetry.

It requires a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription with Copilot credits to work, though.

👏 Power Stories

Sometimes, like Marcus reminds us, we need to step out of our usual patterns and explore the possibilities.

Excel charts (and tables) are much more versatile and compelling than most realize.

Congrats to Marcus on completing the Business Charts in Excel course and stepping up his charts game!

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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