Copyright

All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise , without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2004100887

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing: May 2004

07 06 05 04 4 3 2 1

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Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Warning and Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied . The information provided is on an "as is" basis. The author and the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this book.

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Credits

Publisher

Paul Boger

Associate Publisher

Greg Wiegand

Acquisitions Editor

Stephanie J. McComb

Development Editor

Laura Norman

Managing Editor

Charlotte Clapp

Project Editor

Tonya Simpson

Copy Editor

Mike Henry

Indexer

Erika Millen

Proofreader

Kathy Bidwell

Technical Editors

Debra Dalgleish

Jon Price

Publishing Coordinator

Sharry Lee Gregory

Interior Designer

Anne Jones

Cover Designer

Anne Jones

Page Layout

Eric S. Miller

Dedication

Once again, this is for Toni Messer and for Tabben -who are still with me, thank heaven. And it's for Tigger and for Button -who left us far too early but will live in our hearts forever.

About the Author

Conrad Carlberg is president of Network Control Systems, a firm that develops event and statistical analysis software for the health care industry. He holds a doctorate from the University of Colorado and has authored nine books on Excel, including Que's Business Analysis with Excel . Carlberg lives near San Diego, and would go sailing more frequently if his loved one would just take the man overboard drill again.

Acknowledgments

My thanks go to this book's technical editors, Debra Dalgleish and Jon Price, who curbed some of my wilder flights of fancy. To its development editor, Laura Norman, who tactfully handled my optimistic page counts and my other editorial ineptitudes. And to Stephanie McComb for pulling it all together.

It's long past time that I acknowledge people who have taught and encouraged me. Gene Glass, who thought better than he might have of my early attempts to get Excel to extract principal components . Dave Derby and Bev Monigal, who taught me relational database theory in the context of a very different version of Excel -not Microsoft's but SBC's. My fellow Microsoft MVPs from the CompuServe forum days, Rob Bovey, David Hager, Tom Ogilvy, Jim Rech, Bob Umlas, and others who showed me the elegance that Microsoft built into Excel, as well as the errors, both egregious and subtle, that seem to never go away. Finally, of course, John LaTour, who ran the forum with such grace when we let him and such persuasiveness when we didn't.