Using data validation to create drop-down lists is a fabulous way to avoid data entry errors in your spreadsheets. In this article I want to take drop-down lists one step further. Let's imagine that you are creating a time sheet that needs to have departments and employee names included. You could create two totally separate lists, one with all of your departments and one with all of your employees, but that would allow you to accidentally put an employee into the wrong department. Instead, you can create a dependent validation list, so the only employees you will see are the ones that match the department you have chosen.

As with any data validation list, you need to begin by creating the options that will appear in the drop-down lists. I recommend doing this on another worksheet in your workbook and then creating named ranges. For more information about doing this, see my Ezine article 'Avoid Data Entry Errors by Using Drop-Down Lists.'

Start by creating a database with the departments across the first row and the employees listed in the appropriate cells underneath. Choose the cells in the first row and name the range 'Departments.' You now need to name the range of cells that contain the employees. A quick way to do this is as follows:

1. Select your database

2. Ctrl + Shift + F3

This should open the 'Create Names from Selection' dialog box.

3. Make sure there is a check mark in the location of your headers - in this case 'Top Row'

4. OK

If you click on the arrow beside the name box (to the left of the formula bar), you should see the named range 'Departments' as well as the name of each department.

Go to the cell of the sheet you want the list to appear in. We will start by creating a normal data validation list to show the departments:

1. Make sure you are on the cell, or cells, you want the drop-down for the departments to appear in

2. On the Data ribbon click on the top half of the Data Validation button in the Data Tools group

3. In the Data Validation dialog box, choose List for the value to Allow

4. In the source box, type '=' and then 'Departments,' or whatever name you used for your range

TIP: To see all the ranges in your workbook, press the F3 key. You can then choose the appropriate range from the box.

5. OK

6. Select a cell that you added this validation to and make sure the list of departments show when you click on the drop-down arrow

If this has worked, continue with the following steps:

7. Choose the cell, or cells, that you want to contain the drop-down of employee names

8. On the Data ribbon click on the top half of the Data Validation button in the Data Tools group

9. In the Data Validation dialog box, choose List for the value to Allow

10. In the source box type '=' and then 'Indirect'

This function will look for a named range that matches the value that is in the Departments cell. If you chose 'Sales,' Indirect will be looking for a range of cells that are named 'Sales.'

11. Behind the function name 'Indirect,' type an opening bracket, the cell reference for the first cell in the 'Departments' range, and then a closing bracket

Ensure that the 'Indirect' function cell referencing is not absolute. If it is, remove the dollar signs. An example of what you typed may be '=Indirect(A1)'

12. Click on a cell in the departments column and choose the desired option

13. Click on the employee cell in the same record and select the drop-down arrow

You should see only the names of the employees that are in that department.

TIP: If your list changes frequently, turn your database into a Table. This will create a dynamic range for your spreadsheet. Whenever someone is added to or removed from the table, the change will be reflected in the data validation lists.

Tired of people choosing an apple variety when they are filling in an order for cherries? Put dependent lists to work and create accurate data in your spreadsheets.

Reen Rose is an empowerment expert who believes in aiding businesses of all sizes, by helping individuals and teams acquire the skills they need to be happy and successful in their work. She is an experienced Microsoft Certified Trainer, Microsoft Office Specialist Master and a Myers Briggs certified practitioner.

She has been described as 'focused, fun and very effective'.

To find out more about Reen and the training and corporate services she offers, please visit her website at http://www.ReenRose.com.

The internet has transformed the way people live. It has changed everything from the way we learn to the way we shop. We use the internet to carry out a number of activities ranging from reading news, playing games and interacting with friends and family, besides a number of other things. We think that we only receive information from the internet; however, this is far from the truth. In the process of browsing the internet, we actually send out a lot of information such as our identity and location. We generally aren't as safe on the internet as we may think we are.

For instance, when shopping online, our name, address, and credit card information are transmitted over the internet to the vendor. With such private information being channeled through the internet, it is vital that certain measures be taken to ensure privacy and confidentiality of the data. Latest information technology news tells us that the number of cyber crimes is on the rise.

This is where encryption comes in. Simply put, encryption scrambles the data which is to be transmitted over the internet in a way that can only be decrypted by someone who has the encryption key.

The concept of encryption is based on cryptography, and it is of two types:

Public Key Encryption

With this type of encryption, two different keys are used. There's a public key and there's a private key. For example, if a person wants to send encrypted data over the internet, the public key is used to encrypt the data; however, the data can only be encrypted by the recipient using their private key.

This method can be used to send secure emails and to digitally sign the documents. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and its newer method, the Transport Layer Security (TLS), are examples of public key encryption systems.

Symmetric Key Encryption

In this method of encryption, both the sender and the receiver use the same encryption key. This simplifies the process and makes it faster. Nonetheless, the key and the data can be compromised while in transit over the internet. Data Encryption Standard (DES) was a type of symmetric key encryption that is replaced by a more modern Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).

Encryption of Data

The advantages of encryption aren't just limited to the internet; you can encrypt your data on your computer, your USB storage devices, hard drives, mobile devices and numerous other data storage devices in order to prevent misuse of data if your devices are lost or stolen.

Importance of Encryption

As learnt from the latest information technology news, the number of cyber crimes is on the rise and this makes it necessary for computer users to keep their data safe from hackers. Large corporations and governments require high levels of encryption in order to protect their sensitive plans such as business secrets and confidential data. It also gives us peace of mind that our data is not getting into the wrong hands.

Moe Tarhini is the Senior Technical Writer at @Technogigs. Technogigs is an online news and information portal dedicated to people who wish to keep pace with the fast-paced tech world. For more information, please visit: Technogigs.

Nothing beats the performance of a brand new Mac. It's quick to load up, and can tackle multiple tasks with ease. While you may do your best to keep your Mac clean, photos, documents and your iTunes library may actually be slowing things down. Here are 3 simple and proven ways to speed up your Mac.

How to Speed Up a Mac

Fine Tune Your Startup

If your Mac is slow to startup, you may have too many unnecessary apps trying to load up. Cleaning up your startup will fix the problem. Instead of waiting for your browser to load and a host of other apps, you can start using your Mac right away.

To fine tune your startup, head over to System Preferences > Users & Groups and select your username. Click on the "Login" items, and take a look at the list of apps that startup when you boot your Mac. Uncheck any apps that you don't need. This is the simplest way to speed up a Mac and one of the most effective.

Clean Up Your Hard Drive

Macs use any free hard drive space as virtual memory, so lack of hard drive space can really hinder performance. Freeing up some hard drive space can speed up Mac Pro by providing more virtual memory.

Start out by emptying your Trash and removing any unused apps on your Mac. There's a good chance that you have quite a few apps that were mistakenly installed or only used once. Deleting these from your hard drive will provide you with more space and more virtual memory.

Use the Activity Monitor

Your Mac's Activity Monitor can give you a little insight into which apps are "memory hogs." The Activity Monitor lists all of the running apps, CPU usage, RAM usage and virtual memory usage. If an app is using a considerable amount of virtual memory, you may want to get rid of it or minimize your usage of it. Make sure not to download anything from internet without seeing it properly. These can contain virus, trojan with it that can harm your mac and you might not able to recover it from this issue.

These are three simple ways to speed up your Mac, but you may also want to consider using cleaning utility tools as well. By keeping your hard drive clean and free from unnecessary apps, your Mac should run in tiptop shape at all times.

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