Software Africa Newsletter - November 2023

Main Article ~ Online Business Tip ~ Excel Tip ~ Training Tip

Rick's Editorial:

Welcome to the Software Africa Newsletter: Subscribed to by the Select, read by the Elite, acted on by the Exceptional.

Still thinking of spring, a price decrease has been sprung upon us.  Amazing.

In the Business Tip, saving your life on a Samsung smartphone.

In this month's Excel Tip we have more details on INDEX(MATCH), the alternative to VLOOKUP and similar functions.

Excel Macros and Excel for Engineers are ready for you as self-paced online courses.

Computius always has something spicy to add.

Stop Press!

Hold onto your hat!  There may not be any Black Friday Specials this year (we don't know yet) but, in a miracle more radical and recent than the loaves and fishes, our supplier has told us, "Due to the strengthening of the Rand against the US Dollar, we hereby give notice to decrease prices effective immediately"!  The price decrease turns out to be 3.13% on all products.

Big Brother is Watching!

To their surprise and horror, a customer received this email recently from Autodesk:

Subject: Autodesk non-compliance notification <Customer's Name Redacted>

During a routine review of the use of your Autodesk software, we have discovered certain licensing related irregularities. Attached you will find the misuse report.

Autodesk has identified that the following products used in your organization were activated with an invalid serial number. 

Non-valid software is software that is not manufactured by Autodesk, or which was subsequently altered or cracked by an unauthorized party. In either case, the installation and use of non-valid software is not allowed and creates risk for your company from malware, viruses, phishing, and other software-based attacks.

Attached you will also find a report from our analysts showing the full data for Known Pirated Serial Numbers.

Whenever there is non-compliance of any kind the way it is resolved is to purchase a valid license of a 3-year subscription for each non-compliant license.

Subscription Overuse:

Autodesk has also identified that you are using more subscription seats than you have purchased. An Autodesk subscription with single-user access authorizes a single user to install an Autodesk product on up to three devices simultaneously, as long as that single user only accesses or uses the product on one device at a time. Each user should have a single-user subscription seat. All users must have their own Autodesk user ID and may not share login credentials with any other user, see report attached for reference out-lining users and devices.

According to our records, the following license in your organization are being overused.

Autodesk has determined that your installation of, access to, or use is not in conformity with our Terms of Use. You will immediately purchase new subscriptions to remedy the non-compliance and pay Autodesk’s reasonable costs of the verification. The verification cost is 30% of the remediation value.

To resolve this issue and ensure your account meets all requirements, you must purchase new subscription licenses for a minimum value of $10.530 USD. You can purchase any product from our entire portfolio. This purchase can be made directly with Autodesk or via your chosen Authorized Autodesk reseller. If you wish to purchase via an Authorize Reseller, please forward me a copy of your written quotation before placing your purchase order. 

To resolve this issue and ensure your account remains in good standing and no further action is taken, Autodesk will expect this be rectified commercially by the way of new purchases by 23/10/2023.

You can get more information at Autodesk Genuine.

If you would like to discuss the matter further or have any questions, please confirm your availability in the coming days and I will schedule a call. 

Kind regards...

Autodesk's licensing system does not stop you overusing your subscription.  But they do monitor it.  Overuse it, and you may get a missive like that.  This sounds like a trap!  And, in a way it is.

We helped the customer sort this out, but they still had to buy considerable extra Autodesk software.  Autodesk customers, please be warned!

On-Line Business Tip #78 – Backup Your Samsung Smartphone

If you lost your phone –or if it was stolen– would you lose all your contacts?  That data could be worth many times the value of your phone, and whether you can insure for the loss is dubious.  Imagine having to recreate your entire phone list from scratch!

If yours is a Samsung, you are in luck.

Samsung Smart Switch will let you easily copy data from one mobile device to another, or to a personal computer. There are two forms of Smart Switch: the PC version (Smart Switch) and the device version (Smart Switch Mobile).

The original idea of the program was to allow you to move your data to your new phone when you upgrade –to another Samsung, of course!  However, Smart Switch on your phone and computer can backup and restore your personal data (contacts, schedules, memos, messages, and call history), photos, videos, alarms, bookmarks, and miscellaneous preferences.  This could be a lifesaver!  For the Windows or Mac version, on your computer, go here.  To install the app on your smartphone (you need both ends) search for Samsung Smart Switch on the Play Store.

Remember to back up reasonably often, say once a month, depending on how much you are willing to lose.

Excel for Engineers Online Self-Paced Course

Not for engineers alone, the Excel for Engineers course is available online as a self-paced course.  The same manual and examples as the live version.  The same trainer. Done at your own pace at times that suit you.  Take half an hour a day and complete it in a month.  Spend an hour a day and finish it in two weeks.  Or dedicate two days –a weekend, perhaps?– and crack the whole course.

Sign up now and get these Bonuses:

  1. Report, "Are You Making These Microsoft Excel Mistakes?"
  2. A Free Support Group
  3. Our Excel file "Excel Shortcut keys & My Macro Shortcuts" (you'll want this once you start building macros).

Take our self-paced online course in your own time and venue.  All the value at a quarter of the price of the live course.  Backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live Online Training Webinars: Excel for Engineers and Excel Macros

BEST (Built Environment Skills and Training (Pty) Ltd.) uses Rick to run these two courses regularly over two days. You get 2 CPA points from ECSA.  And lunch from Uber Eats.  Visit BEST here and book for next week.  Please tell them that Software Africa sent you.

Excel Tip #225 – Using INDEX(MATCH): The Optional 4th Parameter [area_num] of INDEX

In the previous issue we talked about INDEX(MATCH) instead of a LOOKUP Function, and the syntax of INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num]).  But wait, there's another syntax too...

This section is obscure and you’ll probably never need it but, just in case, for completeness…

When typing in an INDEX formula, you may see this:

The “reference” version of the formula takes an optional 4th parameter [area_num].  The syntax is

=INDEX(reference, row_num, [column_num], [area_num])

“Reference” can refer to many separate ranges. You can’t enter several range references as the first parameter when typing or using the formula editor.  But you can use a named range:

Here, we pre-defined the named range “Ref_Range” = B4:E7, B9:E13 (as highlighted in the picture).  For some obscure reason, we wanted to exclude Gizmos but didn’t want to create a new table.

We then use the range name Ref_Range as the first parameter.  Ref_Range consists of two ranges, B4:E7 and B9:E13.  In the above example, we use the optional 4th parameter area_num=2 to specify that we want data from the second block, B9:E13.  In that block, for row_num=1 and column_num=1, in cell A17, INDEX finds the value 1154 (circled above).

If area_num=1 or not used (cell A20), INDEX finds the value 1009 from the first block, B4:E7.

That almost completes "using INDEX(MATCH)". View the full post here.: Next time: The simplest way to use it!

Microsoft Excel Macros Online Self-Paced Course

Macros let you do repetitive work in a flash, instead of repeating the same boring stuff by hand.  Save hours not working late, and spend more time with your family ...or the cat.  Do you have a good knowledge of Excel, and now want to program your own time-saving applications?  Then this course is for you!

Do it in your own time, at your own venue and pace, cost-effectively.  The Software Africa Quick 'n Easy Turbo-Start Excel Macros course is waiting for you online.  Take it now!

Computius Say:

Build a system that even a fool can use, and only a fool will use it.

Remember:  We can make your business run better by:

All the Best from
Communication in Action cc trading as Software Africa

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