What other reviewers say about ?Spreadsheet Check and Control??It is excellent. I am embarrassed when I think of the shortcuts I generally take with spreadsheets and I have often paid the price. I think it will become, and it should be, required reading for all young trainee accountants.? Ciaran Walsh, senior finance specialist, Irish Management Institute.?It's super. I kept saying to myself, ?Wow, I didn't know you could do that.? A great job.? Ray Panko, the most cited authority on spreadsheet error, University of Hawai?I.?Spreadsheet Check and Control does what no other book before has attempted to do; provide standards for designing spreadsheets that lend themselves to a logical review by management and internal auditors. Following this author?s guide and insight can help your organization minimize spreadsheet errors and facilitate audit review to prevent and detect those errors.? Jim Kaplan, AuditNet.org.?I thought I knew a lot about Excel, but in the course of teaching me to be Excel-careful, O'Beirne taught me some new tricks and methods that both helped me build better financial models and track down errors.? Simon Benninga, author of Financial Modeling, MIT Press 2000 and Principles of Finance with Excel, Oxford University Press, 2005.'Save red faces all round by buying, absorbing and passing-on this book, especially if you personally develop spreadsheets or if your organization is subject to Sarbanes Oxley and related regulations. Avoiding even a trivial spreadsheet mistake may well pay for the book. Avoiding a large one may save your career.' Dr. Gary Hinson, independent consultant in information security and computer auditing, editor of security awareness website NoticeBored.com.'Probably one of the most important spreadsheet books ever written. Your customers and boss will be delighted with the increased usability, accuracy and reliability his techniques encourage. Be aware that the pages are packed with useful and usable advice, so the 200 pages is probably equivalent to 500 pages in many other books.' Simon Murphy, Codematic.net, author of XLAnalyst.'An essential guide for serious spreadsheet users. This book goes a long way to help spreadsheet users adopt methods that will reduce errors and thereby improve the quality of the information vital to the success of all organisations.' P M Cleary, University of Wales Institute Cardiff, Wales'This is an excellent, easy to follow book containing the key practices that will arm the novice and self taught spreadsheet user so they can create well designed, reliable and error free spreadsheets.' CPA Ireland magazine review'Minimizing or eliminating spreadsheet errors is Patrick O'Beirne's focus in this visual 200-page book, which is geared toward software testers, business managers, or auditors sleuthing for fraud'. CA Magazine (Canada) review Summary of contents

Why we need to stop wasting public funds on education Despite being immensely popular—and immensely lucrative—education is grossly overrated. Now with a new afterword by Bryan Caplan, this explosive book argues that the primary function of education is not to enhance students' skills but to signal the qualities of a good employee. Learn why students hunt for easy As only to forget most of what they learn after the final exam, why decades of growing access to education have not resulted in better jobs for average workers, how employers reward workers for costly schooling they rarely ever use, and why cutting education spending is the best remedy. Romantic notions about education being "good for the soul" must yield to careful research and common sense—The Case against Education points the way.

Learn to use Excel dashboards and reports to better conceptualize data Updated for all the latest features and capabilities of Excel 2013, this go-to resource provides you with in-depth coverage of the individual functions and tools that can be used to create compelling Excel reports. Veteran author Michael Alexander walks you through the most effective ways to present and report data. Featuring a comprehensive review of a wide array of technical and analytical concepts, this essential guide helps you go from reporting data with simple tables full of dull numbers to presenting key information through the use of high-impact, meaningful reports and dashboards that will wow management both visually and substantively. Details how to analyze large amounts of data and report the results in a way that is both visually attractive and effective Describes how to use different perspectives to achieve better visibility into data, as well as how to slice data into various views on the fly Shows how to automate redundant reporting and analysis processes Walks you through creating impressive dashboards, eye-catching visualizations, and real-world What-If analyses Excel Dashboards and Reports, Second Edition is part technical manual, part analytical guidebook, and exactly what you need to become your organization's dashboard dynamo!

Create dynamic dashboards and put your data on display with For Dummies No matter what business you’re in, reports have become a staple of the workplace, but what good is a report if no reads it, or even worse, understands it? This all new edition of Excel Dashboards & Reports For Dummies is here to help you make meaning of all your data and turn it into clear and actionable visualizations. Fully updated for the latest business intelligence and spreadsheet tools in Excel 2013, this book shows you how to analyze large amounts of data, quickly slice data into various views on the fly, automate redundant reporting, create eye-catching visualizations, and more. Helps you move beyond reporting data with simple tables, rows, and columns to designing high-impact reports, dashboards, and visuals Walks you through a wide array of technical and analytical concepts to give you the background you need to select the right tool for interpreting and displaying data Covers how to build a chart, work with pivot tables, group and bucket your data, represent trends, create What-If analyses, and increase the value of your reports Excel Dashboards & Reports For Dummies, 2nd Edition is the business analysis tool you need to transform your raw data into a powerful and effective presentation that is accessible to everyone.

Praise for Internal Control Strategies A Mid to Small Business Guide "Internal Control Strategies is an excellent field guide for the implementation and maintenance of efficient and effective internal control systems. The book provides a practical approach to interpreting guidance from oversight agencies and integrating it with industry practice in a real-world environment. This handbook is an essential tool for managers and professionals going through the day-to-day struggle of managing auditor expectations and permitting business to proceed in the most efficient manner." -Michael Rodriguez, former senior manager of finance, Qualcomm Incorporated "Internal Control Strategies is the clearest path forward for middle-market SEC registrants and their independent registered public accounting firms as they streamline the SOX 404 compliance process in 2008 and beyond." -Stephen G. Austin, MBA, CPA, Managing Firm Partner,Swenson Advisors, LLP, Regional PCAOB Accounting Firm "Clearly written and practical, Internal Control Strategies is a must-read for every chief audit, finance, or compliance executive." -Jeff Miller, Partner-in-Charge, Business Risk Services,Squar, Milner, Peterson, Miranda & Williamson, LLP "As a CFO of small to mid-sized publicly traded and privately held companies, one is usually faced with the challenge of developing and implementing the right levels of internal controls and compliance within the restrictions of limited financial and human resources. Internal Control Strategies presents the relevant topics in a clear and concise manner, allowing the reader to understand the internal control framework and specific underlying requirements quickly. The author's vast experience with SOX compliance ensures a targeted and pragmatic approach for the successful implementation of internal controls. Her recommendations are 'to the point' and eliminate some of the guesswork we all have experienced while working towards SOX compliance." -Robert S. Stefanovich, Chief Financial Officer, Novalar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The SEC requires all publicly traded companies to attest to theeffectiveness of their internal controls. Is your business ready? Internal Control Strategies: A Mid to Small Business Guide clearly explains the latest PCAOB, SEC, and COSO guidance, providing you with an effective tool and reference guide for successful implementation of sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Extremely knowledgeable and insightful, author Julie Harrer brings practical clarity to this complex topic, leading you step by step in addressing the challenges associated in bringing your business in compliance with SOX.

It’s time for some truly “Excel-lent” spreadsheet reporting Beneath the seemingly endless rows and columns of cells, the latest version of Microsoft Excel boasts an astonishing variety of features and capabilities. But how do you go about tapping into some of that power without spending all of your days becoming a spreadsheet guru? It’s easy. You grab a copy of the newest edition of Excel Dashboards & Reports For Dummies and get ready to blow the pants off your next presentation audience! With this book, you’ll learn how to transform those rows and columns of data into dynamic reports, dashboards, and visualizations. You’ll draw powerful new insights from your company’s numbers to share with your colleagues – and seem like the smartest person in the room while you’re doing it. Excel Dashboards & Reports For Dummies offers: Complete coverage of the latest version of Microsoft Excel provided in the Microsoft 365 subscription Strategies to automate your reporting so you don’t have to manually crunch the numbers every week, month, quarter, or year Ways to get new perspectives on old data, visualizing it so you can find solutions no one else has seen before If you’re ready to make your company’s numbers and spreadsheets dance, it’s time to get the book that’ll have them moving to your tune in no time. Get Excel Dashboards & Reports For Dummies today.

The consequences of taking on risk can be ruinous to personal finances, professional careers, corporate survivability, and even nation states. Yet many risk managers do not have a clear understanding of the basics. Requiring no statistical or mathematical background, The Fundamental Rules of Risk Management gives you the knowledge to successfully h

What’s the use of putting out reports that no one reads? Properly created dashboards are graphical representations that put data in a context for your audience, and they look really cool! How cool? You’ll find out when you see the dazzling examples in Excel 2007 Dashboards & Reports For Dummies. And, before long, everyone’s eyes will be riveted to your dashboards and reports too! This revolutionary guide shows you how to turn Excel into your own personal Business Intelligence tool. You’ll learn the fundamentals of using Excel 2007 to go beyond simple tables to creating dashboard-studded reports that wow management. Get ready to catch dashboard fever as you find out how to use basic analysis techniques, build advanced dashboard components, implement advanced reporting techniques, and import external date into your Excel reports. Discover how to: Unleash the power of Excel as a business intelligence tool Create dashboards that communicate and get noticed Think about your data in a new way Present data more effectively and increase the value of your reports Create dynamic labels that support visualization Represent time and seasonal trending Group and bucket data Display and measure values versus goals Implement macro-charged reporting Using Excel 2007 as a BI tool is the most cost-efficient way for organizations of any size create powerful and insightful reports and distribute throughout the enterprise. And Excel 2007 Dashboards and Reports for Dummies is the fastest you for you to catch dashboard fever!

As one of the most widely used desktop applications ever created, Excel is familiar to just about everyone with a computer and a keyboard. Yet most of us don't know the full extent of what Excel can do, mostly because of its recent growth in power, versatility, and complexity. The truth is that there are many ways Excel can help make your job easier-beyond calculating sums and averages in a standard spreadsheet. Analyzing Business Data with Excel shows you how to solve real-world business problems by taking Excel's data analysis features to the max. Rather than focusing on individual Excel functions and features, the book keys directly on the needs of business users. Most of the chapters start with a business problem or question, and then show you how to create pointed spreadsheets that address common data analysis issues. Aimed primarily at experienced Excel users, the book doesn't spend much time on the basics. After introducing some necessary general tools, it quickly moves into more specific problem areas, such as the following: Statistics Pivot tables Workload forecasting Modeling Measuring quality Monitoring complex systems Queuing Optimizing Importing data If you feel as though you're getting shortchanged by your overall application of Excel, Analyzing Business Data with Excel is just the antidote. It addresses the growing Excel data analysis market head on. Accountants, managers, analysts, engineers, and supervisors-one and all-will learn how to turn Excel functionality into actual solutions for the business problems that confront them.

Creating tables in Excel allows for easier formatting and reporting, but the new syntax that it implies can be intimidating to the uninitiated. In this guide, one of the developers of the official Microsoft Excel 2013 templates—all of which employ tables—helps introduce readers to the multiple benefits of tables. The book begins by explaining what tables are, how to create them, and how they can be used in reporting before moving on to slightly more advanced topics, including slicers and filtering, working with VBA macros, and using tables in the Excel web app. Novice Excel users and experts alike will find relevant, useful, and authoritative information in this one-of-a-kind resource.