what-if analysis

By using what-if analysis tools in Microsoft Office Excel, you can use several different sets of values in one or more formulas to explore all the various results. For example, you can do what-if analysis to build two budgets that each assumes a certain level of revenue. Or, you can specify a result that you want a formula to produce, and then determine what sets of values will produce that result. Excel provides several different tools to help you perform the type of analysis that fits your needs.

Overview
What-if analysis is the process of changing the values in cells to see how those changes will affect the outcome of formulas on the worksheet. Three kinds of what-if analysis tools come with Excel: scenarios, data tables, and Goal Seek. Scenarios and data tables take sets of input values and determine possible results. A data table works only with one or two variables, but it can accept many different values for those variables. A scenario can have multiple variables, but it can accommodate only up to 32 values. Goal Seek works differently from scenarios and data tables in that it takes a result and determines possible input values that produce that result. In addition to these three tools, you can install add-ins that help you perform what-if analysis, such as the Solver add-in.

The Solver add-in is similar to Goal Seek, but it can accommodate more variables. You can also create forecasts by using the fill handle and various commands that are built into Excel. For more advanced models, you can use the Analysis Pack add-in. Top of Page

Use scenarios to consider many different variables

A scenario is a set of values that Excel saves and can substitute automatically in cells on a worksheet. You can create and save different groups of values on a worksheet and then switch to any of these new scenarios to view different results. For example, suppose you have two budget scenarios: a worst case and a best case. You can use the Scenario Manager to create both scenarios on the same worksheet, and then switch between them. For each scenario, you specify the cells that change and the values to use for that scenario. When you switch between scenarios, the result cell changes to reflect the different changing cell values.
Worst case scenario

Changing cells Result cell

Best case scenario

Changing cells Result cell

If several people have specific information in separate workbooks that you want to use in scenarios, you can collect those workbooks and merge their scenarios.

After you have created or gathered all the scenarios that you need, you can create a scenario summary report that incorporates information from those scenarios. A scenario report displays all the scenario information in one table on a new worksheet.
Scenario summary report

Note Scenario reports are not automatically recalculated. If you change the values of a scenario, those changes will not show up in an existing summary report. Instead, you must create a new summary report. Top of Page

Use Goal Seek to find out how to get a desired result

If you know the result that you want from a formula, but you are not sure what input value the formula requires to get that result, you can use the Goal Seek feature. For example, suppose that you need to borrow some money. You know how much money you want, how long a period you want in which to pay off the loan, and how much you can afford to pay each month. You can use Goal Seek to determine what interest rate you must secure in order to meet your loan goal.

Note Goal Seek works with only one variable input value. If you want to determine more than one input value, for example, the loan amount and the monthly payment amount for a loan, you should instead use the Solver add-in. For more information about the Solver add-in, see the section Prepare forecasts and advanced business models, and follow the links in the See Also section. Top of Page

Use data tables to see the effects of one or two variables on a formula
If you have a formula that uses one or two variables, or multiple formulas that all use one common variable, you can use a data table to see all the outcomes in one place. Using data tables makes it easy to examine a range of possibilities at a glance. Because you focus on only one or two variables, results are easy to read and share in tabular form. If automatic recalculation is enabled for the workbook, the data in data tables immediately recalculates; as a result, you always have fresh data.

A one-variable data table

A data table cannot accommodate more than two variables. If you want to analyze more than two variables, you can use scenarios. Although it is limited to only one or two variables, a data table can use as many different variable values as you want. A scenario can have a maximum of 32 different values, but you can create as many scenarios as you want.

Prepare forecasts and advanced business models

If you want to prepare forecasts, you can use Excel to automatically generate future values that are based on existing data, or to automatically generate extrapolated values that are based on linear trend or growth trend calculations.

You can fill in a series of values that fit a simple linear trend or an exponential growth trend by using the fill handle or the Series command. To extend complex and nonlinear data, you can use worksheet functions or the regression analysis tool in the Analysis ToolPak Add-in. For more information, follow the links in the See Also section. Although Goal Seek can accommodate only one variable, you can project backward for more variables by using the Solver add-in. By using Solver, you can find an optimal value for a formula in one cell called the target cell on a worksheet. Solver works with a group of cells that are related to the formula in the target cell. Solver adjusts the values in the changing cells that you specify called the adjustable cells to produce the result that you specify from the target cell formula. You can apply constraints to restrict the values that Solver can use in the model, and the constraints can refer to other cells that affect the target cell formula.

What is PPT ? Definition: Ppt is often used as a short form for the program Microsoft PowerPoint. Users of the program sometimes write that they are creating a PPT presentation rather than write out the word PowerPoint in full. Ppt is also the file extension used for the program PowerPoint. The .ppt at the end of the filename, such as in mypresentation.ppt indicates to your computer that this file was created using PowerPoint. Examples: Mary emailed to her colleague that she had just created a PPT presentation for the next sales meeting, instead of using the full name of the program ... PowerPoint.

What are the new features in PPT Office 15 and your comments
I hope opening this thread is allowed. I know i can google and read reviews but I'd like to start a (new/revised) feature by feature list here Let me start 01. A colour eyedropper is now available from within powerpoint 02. Merge3 shape has a new fucntion - Fragment (Union, Combine, Intersect, and Subtract are already there in Office 2010 - it just happens to be hidden away, preied out and added to the ribbon) 03. The default opening of a new Powerpoint Presentation is widescreen 04. A ppt file can now be encoded to mp4 video format (in additiuon to the existing wmv option now available in PPT 2010)

Custom Animation
Custom Animation is a set of effects which can be applied to objects in PowerPoint so that they will animate in the Slide Show. They can be added under the Custom Animation function or through the use of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). PowerPoint 2000 and earlier versions introduced basic effects such as Appear, Dissolve, Fly In and so forth. In PowerPoint 2002/XP and later versions, the Custom Animation feature was improved, adding new animation effects grouped into four categories: Entrance, Emphasis, Exit, and Motion Paths. The effects were later modified in PowerPoint 2010. Transitions are effects similar to Custom Animation, but are different in that they can only be applied singularly to individual slides as they change from one slide to another and are limited in options. More slide transitions were added to the selection in PowerPoint 2010. Entrance effects can be set to objects so that they enter with animations during Slide Show. Emphasis effects animate the objects on the spot. Exit effects allow objects to leave the Slide Show with animations. Motion Paths allow objects to move around the Slide Show. Each effect contains variables such as start (On click, With previous, After previous), delay, speed, repeat and trigger. This makes animations more flexible and interactive, similar to Adobe Flash.
Animation Trigger

Animation Trigger is another feature introduced in Microsoft PowerPoint 2002/XP and the later versions (but, to date, not for Macintosh). This feature allows animators to apply effects that can be triggered when a specific object on the Slide Show is clicked. This feature is the basis for the majority of PowerPoint games, which usually involve clicking objects to advance.

Slide Transitions in PowerPoint

If you view the presentation for this section, you'll see that each slide comes in from the left hand side of the screen, and moves its way to the right hand side. This is called a Transition. You'll now see how to add Transitions to your own presentations.

Your presentation should now have 8 slides in it. The PowerPoint outline view on the left should look like this:

Click on slide 1 to highlight it. From the PowerPoint menu bar, click on Slide Show. From the Slide Show menu, select Slide Transition:

When you click on Slide Transition, you'll see the following dialogue box appear in PowerPoint 2000 (for PowerPoint 20003 users, you'll see a list of all the effect in the Task Pane on the right hand side of your screen):

At the moment, the dropdown is set to No Transition. Click the black down arrow to see the list of available effects:

The one we chose for our slides was Cover Right. Click on this one and you should see a preview of it, just above the dog (or is it a cow?).

Go through the list and see which one you like best. When you're happy with your choice click the Apply to All button. (In PowerPoint 2003, click the Apply to all Slides button at the bottom of the task pane.) This will ensure that every slide covers the previous one from left to right. If you only want the effect to appear on the selected slide, click the Apply button instead of Apply to All. Before you click a button, though, have a look at the rest of this dialogue box: PowerPoint 2000

PowerPoint 2003

The Slow, Medium, and Fast options refer to the speed of the transition. Again, you'll see a preview of what they do when you select each option.

You can also play a Sound when each slide appears. Click the dropdown list to see the available options. But they are the same sounds you heard for the bullets. You have to decide whether playing a sound with each new slide is suitable for the presentation. If it's a professional, work-based presentation then the answer is almost always No. After all, do you really want your boss scared half to death by the sound of Gunshots and Explosions? OK, don't answer that! The other option is Advance. The default is to have each slide transition after the mouse has been clicked. You can also tick the box next to Automatically after. This lets you set how many seconds/minutes to wait before the next slide appears. But when you've finished experimenting, click either the Apply to All, or Apply to all Slides button. This will return you to your main presentation. Press F5 and run your presentation. Ask yourself, Do the slide transitions look OK, or a bit gimmicky?

Adding Video
Step 1: Creating Before you can place a video file in Microsoft PowerPoint, it must be digitally encoded using a video encoder. When encoding video, you must use a compression scheme or codec. Codecs are types of compression schemes. There are many (Sorenson, Real, WindowsMedia). The codec you will use for Microsoft PowerPoint will be Apple Cinepack or just cinepack.

After encoding your video, you must make sure the file has a suffix name of .mov or .qt for Windows machines.

If you do not have equipment or software to digitize and compress your media content, Space Planning and Operations Audio Visual staff will provide you with the service.

Step 2: Saving When saving your files, create a new folder in which to place all of your encoded media files that will be used in the presentation. Save the PowerPoint file to the same folder.

When traveling to another computer be sure to transfer the entire folder, NOT the PowerPoint file alone, or else the video will not play.

Step 3: Inserting Video into PowerPoint When you have your video files, you can insert them directly into PowerPoint. There is nothing complicated about inserting a video file into PowerPoint, as the steps are very similar to those for inserting sound: 1. Select Insert Menu < Movies and Sounds < Movie from File 2. Find the movie file in your folder and double-click on it.