Microsoft Excel Training

First you need to create an Excel spreadsheet and format it in an appropriate manner, keeping in mind that this will form the basic structure of your invoice and will eventually be seen by your clients. You don't include any Company contact details or logos in the spreadsheet though as these will be incorporated into the Word document.

The next step is to lay out the invoice itself in a Word document, based upon your normal Company letterhead. Leave the main body of the document empty as this is where the Excel spreadsheet will be embedded. All you need in this master Word document is your usual Company branding and contact information.

Now switch to your Excel spreadsheet and select the entire data table which you have created as the basis of your invoice. Either click the 'copy' button or simply right click and select 'copy', then transfer to your Word document and place the cursor where you wish to paste the spreadsheet.

What you do next really depends upon which version of Microsoft Word you are using. In Word 2007 you need to click the drop down arrow on the 'paste' button, which is the first icon on the 'home 'ribbon. Now you need to select 'paste special' and in the dialogue box choose 'paste link' and select Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object. If you are using Microsoft Word 2003, click 'edit' on the menu bar and select 'paste special'. The resulting dialogue box is the same as for Word 2007.

And that's all there is to it!

You have now created a dynamic link between your Excel spreadsheet and the Word document. That is to say, any changes which you make to the spreadsheet will be reflected within your Word document. Simply right-click the embedded object in Word after editing the spreadsheet and choose 'update link' to see the changes. You will also be given the option to update each time you open the Word invoice.

So as you can see, this is hardly an 'advanced' technique in Excel. It is however useful in several ways. Invoice data can be automatically calculated using formulas in Excel whilst presenting it in a professional manner to your clients. And by removing the necessity to duplicate data you cut down on the possibility of introducing errors.

I hope this simple technique may prove useful to you and your business. As far as I'm concerned, any opportunity to save time on office administration is always welcome! For more information about Microsoft Excel training visit our website at www.pbatraining.co.uk.

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