This second edition of Excel Basics to Blackbelt capitalizes on the success of the first edition and leverages some of the advancements in visualization, data analysis, and sharing capabilities that have emerged over the past five years. As with the original text, the second edition is intended to serve as an accelerated guide to decision support designs for consultants and service professionals. This 'fast track' enables a ramping up of skills in Excel for those who may have never used it to reach a level of mastery that will allow them to integrate Excel with widely available associated applications, make use of intelligent data visualization and analysis techniques, automate activity through basic VBA designs, and develop easy-to-use interfaces for customizing use. In other words, this book provides users with lessons and examples on integrative Excel use that are not available from alternative texts.

Review of previous edition:‘There's nothing else out there that covers the full potential of Excel in the way that this text does. It's easy to read even if you're a novice to graphical decision support tool development, but it has gems that I doubt some of the most advanced developers are even aware of. The presentation of various approaches to leveraging Excel with other applications such as MS MapPoint, XLStat, and RISKOptimizer is particularly valuable. Similarly eye-opening are the unique tactics Bendoly presents for capitalizing on many of the built-in but underutilized capabilities of Excel. The application examples provided serve as the building blocks for a whole universe of DSS development now made accessible to readers at all levels. This book should become a standard reference for analysts and consultants regardless of industry.'

Daniel Bachrach - University of Alabama

Review of previous edition:‘This is a must-read book for people seeking to get the best out of the wonderful tool of Excel. It fits in the sweet spot between the ‘Excel made simple' and the math- and stat-based Excel technical manuals. The practical feel of the book is conveyed through such evocative section headings as Harvesting Intelligence and Leveraging Dynamic Analysis. Though each of the chapters is worthy of comment, I think that the chapter on Scenario Generation and Optimization is of particular interest to managers wanting to put some real muscle behind their search for the best decision in the face of uncertainty. All together, this book is a major contribution to the business literature.'

Richard B. Chase - University of Southern California

Review of previous edition:‘Excel is the duct tape of decision support – handy, pervasive, and surprisingly effective. Bendoly's book helps users unlock its considerable power while avoiding costly errors. You'll be amazed at all you can do with a spreadsheet.'

Thomas H. Davenport - Babson College

Review of previous edition:‘Excel Basics to Blackbelt provides the guidance and tools needed to help anyone develop a solid analytical skill set from the ground up. The skills I learned were instrumental in helping me differentiate myself from my peers and [become] a go-to resource for both my team members and clients.'

Geoffrey Grant - Deloitte