Microsoft Excel has several functions that an accountant would be lost without. One of these is a function that allows one to compare Excel files. As this function is self-explanatory, it is better then to explain why an accountant would need it. The nature of the work of an accountant is to work with figures and balance sheets. Therefore being able to compare Excel files would mean that a person would not need to keep shifting and wasting time comparing two worksheets because the function will point out the differences automatically. 

However that is not the only function in Excel that is indispensable. The Excel NOW function is used to keep the dates and time current. All the user has to do is enter =NOW() into a cell. Unfortunately, it will adjust automatically whenever you save or open the file again.  For date input without time, the command is =TODAY().

For fixed dates, you will need to press the Control key at the same time that you press the semicolon key. These functions are good to know because they give help you keep track of your work and change the data accordingly.

Naturally, the computation functions are vital to using Excel. But accountant often need more than just basic math. They use percentage and will find the Paste function to be critical to working faster. By inputting 1.05 on a blank cell, you can automatically increase the figures by 5%. This comes in handy when a store experiences a price increase of 5%. If the increase is more than the .05 becomes a .10 for a 10%, and so on. It beats having to calculate manually or coming up with a formula that would convert the values. To complete the process, after you encode the figure, follow it up with the command Edit>Copy>Control-C. Then, select your range that are to be changed and enter the following command: Edit>Paste Special>Multiply>OK.

There are some other magical Excel functions that makes an accountant’s  life simpler like the option to shade alternate rows, protecting and hiding your formulas so no one can edit or tamper with your worksheet, and detecting multiple entries.