◆ Formulas II · drill · Spreadsheet Formulas & Data track
Replace hardcodes so it rolls forward
a rate typed inside a formula is invisible to every hardcode hunt there is — it looks like a live cell, and it freezes the page anyway.
This build computes, and it cannot be rolled forward: the growth rate and both cost rates are typed inside the formulas, so the page is frozen on last version’s assumptions. The v2 rates are already sitting in the panel above, labelled and read by nothing. Put every derived line onto the panel, ink the panel as the input block it now is, stamp the page v2 and hand it on. The numbers are supposed to move — that movement is the proof.
The shortcuts in this drill
Alt walks: tap Alt, release, then the letters in sequence — each key steps one ribbon menu. On a Mac, tap ⌥ and use the same letters (KeyTips, Excel 2024+).
Ctrl+R⌘R on macFill right from the cell to the left
Same as fill down, but across — one quarter’s formula becomes the whole year in two keystrokes.
Ctrl+H⌘H on macFind & replace
Find & Replace fixes a mislabeled quarter or a stale entity name across the whole tab in one pass.
Ctrl+B⌘B on macBold
Bold marks structure: titles, total rows, anything the reviewer’s eye should land on first.
Alt h b p⌥ h b p on macTop border
Top border above a total row — the accounting ruling that says “this line sums the ones above.”
The optimal line
the par-setting sequence, straight through:
seed C9 =B9*(1+$B$4) · fill right · same for both rate lines off $B$5 / $B$6 · select B4:B6 · alt h j → Input ↵ · ctrl+h v1 tab v2 ↵ · select B13:F13 · ctrl+b · alt h b p · ctrl+s
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