This is not really a question about Excel, it just happens to be an Excel file you try to edit.

This kind of issue normally is about the app, in this case most likely the OneDrive app on your device. First thing I would do is to check for and install any upgrades for the Android OS, If there are issues still I would then go on with uninstalling the OneDrive app, restart the device and then install the app again. If the issue still persists, do the same for the Excel app.

If it is still issues, then perhaps a factory reset of the device is needed.

With this said, I have seen cases where issues has been caused by other apps, so if you go with a factory reset, do a clean setup without importing from previous backup.

Br,
Anders

For a short Excel test, they typically want to see that you can:

• Spot data quality issues (nulls, wrong types, outliers, duplicates).
• Use appropriate tools (Go To Special, Find & Replace, basic formulas, maybe Power Query if asked).
• Make reasonable assumptions and clearly document them.

A nice way to show this is:

1. Add a “Data Quality / Assumptions” sheet where you list:
   • What you found (missing values, outliers, odd categories).
   • What you did about them and why.
2. Keep your cleaning steps reproducible (formulas or Power Query steps, not just random manual edits).

This aligns well with the kind of data-cleaning workflow shown in these articles:

• Data cleaning techniques (Go To Special, fill blanks, Find & Replace, etc.):
  https://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/how-to-clean-data-in-excel
• Data analytics in Excel, focus on cleaning first:
  https://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/data-analytics-in-excel

Handling multiple blank cells

There is no single “correct” answer; what matters is that your choice is:

• Consistent
• Justified
• Documented

A good interview-safe approach:

1. First, understand the field
   • Is it required for analysis (e.g. turnover, venue ID)?
   • Is it an ID/key, a numeric measure, or a descriptive category?
2. Then choose a strategy per field type

a) Numeric fields (e.g. turnover, play time)
Options you can explain:

• If only a few blanks and they’re critical rows
  • Either:
    • Exclude those rows from specific calculations (e.g. use formulas that ignore blanks), and
    • Note: “Rows with missing turnover were excluded from turnover-based metrics.”
  • Or, if you must keep row counts (e.g. customer-level analysis), you can:
    • Impute with a simple method (e.g. average or median for that segment), but clearly state:
      “Turnover missing for 3 customers; imputed with segment median for this exercise.”
• If many blanks and you don’t know why
  • Safer to:
    • Leave them blank,
    • Flag them (e.g. add an extra column “Turnover_Missing = TRUE/FALSE”), and
    • Exclude them from charts where they’d distort results.
  • Document: “Significant missing turnover values excluded from turnover analysis.”

b) Categorical fields (e.g. venue, game type, platform)

• Replace blanks with a clear label like "Unknown" or "Missing" rather than TBC, so it’s obvious this is a data issue, not a real category.
• This is similar to using Find & Replace to standardise values, as shown here:
  https://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/how-to-clean-data-in-excel

c) IDs / keys (e.g. CustomerID, VenueID)

• Don’t guess or fill with made-up values.
• Either:
  • Exclude those rows from any analysis that relies on the ID, and
  • Note this explicitly.

Should you “create a note so they can see you identified them”?

Yes, but not just a comment on the cell. Better:

• Add a short section on your “Assumptions / Data Issues” sheet:
  • “Customer table: 12 blank values in ‘Platform’. Replaced with ‘Unknown’ so they appear as a separate category in analysis.”
• Optionally, use conditional formatting to highlight blanks so it’s visually obvious you checked:
  https://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/how-to-use-excel-conditional-formatting

This shows you saw the problem and made a conscious choice.

Handling outliers (e.g. turnover 90K vs 1-10K)

Again, they’re testing your judgement and communication.

Step 1: Identify and flag it

• Use filters, simple descriptive stats, or formulas to spot it.
• You can mention that outliers can distort averages and charts, which is why you’re treating it carefully.
• For more advanced roles, you might mention techniques like TRIMMEAN to exclude top/bottom percentages when calculating averages:
  https://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/excel-average-if-excluding-outliers

Step 2: Don’t silently overwrite the value

For an interview test, do not just replace 90K with an average and move on. That looks like you’re hiding data.

Better options:

1. Keep the raw value in the data, but exclude it from specific visuals/metrics
   • Add a helper column: IsOutlier = TRUE/FALSE (e.g. flagged if > some threshold).
   • Build your main chart off a filtered range where IsOutlier = FALSE .
   • Then:
     • Show a separate small table or note:
       “1 transaction with turnover 90K identified as an outlier and excluded from the main chart to avoid distortion. Included in total turnover figures where appropriate.”
2. Show two views if you have time
   • Chart A: All data (shows the distortion).
   • Chart B: Excluding outlier(s) for clearer comparison.
   • Add a short caption: “Chart B excludes 1 extreme value (90K) to better compare typical venues.”

This is very much in line with the idea of checking for outliers and then using appropriate summary statistics and visuals, as discussed here:
https://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/quick-and-easy-data-analysis-in-10-minutes

What to say in an interview context

If they ask you to explain, you can say something like:

“I identified a turnover value of 90K while most values were between 1K and 10K. For this short exercise, I kept the raw value in the data but excluded it from the comparison chart so the rest of the venues are readable. I flagged it as an outlier and noted that in a real role I’d investigate the source before deciding whether to correct or keep it.”

That shows:

• You understand the business impact of outliers.
• You’re honest about limitations.
• You think like an analyst, not just a formula user.

Quick tips for the day of the test

• Start with a data-cleaning pass :
  • Check for blanks, duplicates, wrong data types, merged cells, inconsistent categories.
  • Use tools like Go To Special > Blanks, Find & Replace, and Tables (Ctrl+T) as shown here:
    https://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/how-to-clean-data-in-excel
    https://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/excel-tables
• Create a simple, clear summary :
  • A PivotTable or two (e.g. turnover by game, venue, platform).
  • One or two charts that answer an obvious business question (e.g. “Which venues generate the most turnover?”).
  • This style of quick analysis is similar to the beginner data analysis walkthrough here:
    https://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/quick-and-easy-data-analysis-in-10-minutes
• Always leave visible documentation :
  • A “Read Me / Assumptions” sheet with bullet points of what you did and why.

Regards

Phil

Thank you I will give that a go and let you know. If I share my file, which has my personal information on it, will that be made public? I will practice some transactions as well. 

With the savings tracker - if I already have a balance as at 1 July I want to add into - should I just add a transaction say 30 June - Holidays $4325 and then start fresh from 1 July. Should I put the goal in the 30 June transaction?

Excel has always scared me, my husband is a whizz! Once this is all set up, I am going to look at doing the courses.

Go to the Data tab > Refresh All. The dates from your transactions table should now be visible in the PivotTable and slicer buttons available. If not, please share your file so we can see where it has gone wrong.

Mynda

I would very much appreciate some help please. I have downloaded the Excel Personal Budget Excel (from here). I am setting up the budget for 1 July 2026 to 20 June 2027 financial year here in Australia. I have entered my budget and figures and will start the transactions on 1 July. The report and analysis tabs show Jan-Dec. I was wondering how I update these to be the fiscal year please. I did have a look at the Excel Slicers for Fiscal year video, but unfortunately I just don't know where to start or even where to put those columns in the Excel Personal Budget download. I would really love some guidance and help please so the report and analysis tabs show the fiscal years. Happy to provide any other information and screenshots.

Thank you so much,

Jules