Excel Help

[mitcho_uk]

Hi all,

My boss is an arse and when he gets something into his head thats what you have to create no matter how difficult or on numerous occassions, impossible it is to achieve. Therefore i have a problem with which somebody may be able to help.

He wants me to create a form using excel so that our sales reps can send in quotation requests to the admin staff. I have created a basic form that allows the rep to select the relevant data and paste it into the form, it is easy and it works. However he wants to use a drop down list (we have 1800 products) I can create a filter which will do this easily enough but that will only let them select one product. He seems to think that you can have numerous drop down menus, one under another to select numerous products, however I cannot figure out how to do this, I have searched on the web but I have not seen anything like it.

Any ideas?

 

[Macky]

I'd doubt you'd be able to do anything that complex in excel, how are your Visual basic skills?

 

[joe501]

Try it on Microsoft Access if you can, also ask on the "Tech Support Guy" forums, they might be able to help.

 

[ELUR - CFCL]

Hi all,

My boss is an arse and when he gets something into his head thats what you have to create no matter how difficult or on numerous occassions, impossible it is to achieve. Therefore i have a problem with which somebody may be able to help.

He wants me to create a form using excel so that our sales reps can send in quotation requests to the admin staff. I have created a basic form that allows the rep to select the relevant data and paste it into the form, it is easy and it works. However he wants to use a drop down list (we have 1800 products) I can create a filter which will do this easily enough but that will only let them select one product. He seems to think that you can have numerous drop down menus, one under another to select numerous products, however I cannot figure out how to do this, I have searched on the web but I have not seen anything like it.

Any ideas?

Excel ain't the answer... what you want is an access database with input and output forms/reports (will store all quotes, all products and all prices by sales person by client which can all be updated etc)... big piece of work!! As a consultant to set this up I would charge anything upwards of 5k... Get learning and have a look at http://www.utteraccess.com/!!

 

[joe501]

You charge 5k to set up an Access database with forms and reports!!??!! Can I have your job? :icon_lol:

 

[ELUR - CFCL]

No!

 

[Darth Vodka]

are you trying to create more than one drop down?

or a drop down with a menu hierarchy?

 

[Matt_B]

you can do it in Excel, you would need a sheet with the products, and then create an area selection which can be put into as many dropdowns as you need. However Access would be much quicker and easier, as a programmer I would charge £4999.99, so would be your cheaper option!

 

[Cate Fox]

access is definitely the easier route for this...

 

[mitcho_uk]

Hi, thanks for all of your help. I am trying to steer away from Access as we already have to many databases to look after which I am trying to simplify and amalgamate. He will just have to do it the way I showed him or he will have to give Beighton £4999.99p to do it for him. He is always on about making our systems as simple as possible to use, yet complicates it all at every given opportunity.

 

[Darth Vodka]

if you are trying to use drop downs many times to enter a few products into a sales quotation...

and you have to stay in excel...

i'd say create drop downs where the data links off the preceding drop downs, sounds easy

if you want to attach it or PM me for my address, i'll show you how to go

think you can get away without using VBA too...or at least not much

 

[joe501]

My boss is an arse

Hopefully your boss can't monitor your internet history as well....:icon_lol:

 

[Matt_B]

Hi, thanks for all of your help. I am trying to steer away from Access as we already have to many databases to look after which I am trying to simplify and amalgamate. He will just have to do it the way I showed him or he will have to give Beighton £4999.99p to do it for him. He is always on about making our systems as simple as possible to use, yet complicates it all at every given opportunity.

This is a generic traight in non IT literate bosses. We deal with alot, they don't bother to plan out everything they want from the off, then get arsey when it costs twice as much to hammer it in later.

 

[Darth Vodka]

to be fair, i had a look at the spready and all it needs it a bit of data>validation>list and some VLOOKUPs (or my preferred MATCH/INDEX formulae)

not difficult

 

[mitcho_uk]

Thanks for your help darth, I've had the day off today but I will be looking at it again tomorrow.