MSPNetworks Blog

With the full power of Microsoft Excel at your disposal, you can accomplish a lot of great things and streamline your data management and analysis. However, it doesn’t take an Excel wizard to use today’s tip, which focuses on the Auto Filter feature built right into the program. Let’s look at how even this small feature can provide a lot of value for your business.

Why Use Auto Filter?

If you use Auto Filter, you can easily show or hide data in columns based on specific parameters. You can organize the content in each column alphabetically, for example, or you can show or hide values according to what you’re looking for. It’s helpful and easy to use, making it a high-value tool that can help you get more out of Excel without investing a lot of time or energy into learning how to use it.

How Can You Enable Auto Filter?

Enabling Auto Filter is easy; just go to the Data tab near the top of your screen and select the funnel-shaped icon labeled Filter. You’ll then see little drop-down arrows appear in each cell within the first row of your spreadsheet. This is a clear indicator that Auto Filter is now turned on and ready to be used.

The fun starts when you click on the arrow. A window will appear that shows what you can do with the filter. You can sort your columns alphabetically from A to Z or Z to A, by color of the text or cell, or by specific text parameters (for example, if you want to see specific values or omit others). It’s a wonderful little tool that can help you be much more efficient with your time during data analysis.

In this window, you’ll also see a scrolling window filled with individual values found in the identified column. If you click on the checkbox for each of these, you can either enable or disable it, thereby removing it temporarily from the spreadsheet so you can find what it is you’re truly looking for.

Before we leave you to your Excel fun, we want to share a quick differentiator between “sorting” your data and “filtering” your data, as they are two different things. Sorting your data will organize it in a specific way so you can read it more easily. Filtering data, however, will omit data that you don’t want to see so you can focus on what you’re really trying to find, see, or analyze. Using filters effectively can be incredibly helpful and empowering for any budding Excel user, and it can open the doors to more advanced use of the program.

We share technology tips like this all the time, so be sure to check back periodically for the latest and greatest tech tips!

Subscription-based solutions are quite popular these days, and Microsoft Office 365 is perhaps one of the most important ones on the market. However, the services provided by Office 365 are contingent upon successfully renewing the subscription, making it critical that the user understands how this process works. Any user that fails to renew the subscription loses access to it, so we want to make sure you understand what happens when your subscription expires so as to avoid software access issues.

First, it’s important to understand Microsoft’s situation. Retaining a customer costs much less than actively seeking new ones, meaning that they aren’t going to want to lose their existing customers.

Microsoft has implemented a three-step process that is designed to help their customers have as much time as possible to decide whether or not they are serious about letting their subscription go. Here are the three steps.

Step 1: Expired

Following the expiration of your subscription, you have thirty days where Office 365 is still available for use. Any installed applications can still be launched, and you can still access additional solutions as well. Microsoft won’t remove any of your data from its servers. Admins can still add services or applications during this time, as well as back up any data. A global administrator can renew the subscription at any time during these thirty days.

Step 2: Disabled

After the first month has passed, your subscription status changes to Disabled, which remains in place up until the 120th day. This means that only administrators will have access to the admin portal and to back up any data that Microsoft has stored on their servers. Regarding the rest of your users, they might not have access to as many services and solutions. With access to their Office 365 accounts blocked, your users will find themselves between a rock and a hard place, unable to get their work done, access their email, or access OneDrive for Business. Locally installed applications will only offer limited functionality, and you won’t be able to edit or save your files. The global administrator still has access to the option to resume the licensing subscription at this point.

Step 3: Deprovisioned

After 121 days, administrators lose access to any data that remains on the servers. No backups can be taken, and any applications or services rendered will be inaccessible. At this point, Microsoft will start to remove your data from its servers, which you can have sped up through a process called deprovisioning. If your business wants to continue utilizing Office 365, new subscriptions need to be started.

Let Us Help Manage Your Office 365 Subscriptions

To keep lapses in your subscription from preventing your productivity, MSPNetworks can help. To learn more, reach out to us at (516) 403-9001.