Changing paper size for a complete workbook:

If you need to change the size of paper on which your worksheets will be printed, it can be bothersome to make the change on each worksheet individually. Here's how to make the change on the entire workbook, at one time, regardless of how many worksheets it contains.
1. Right-click any worksheet tab. You'll see a Context menu appear.
2. Choose Select All Sheets. All the worksheet tabs should now be selected.
3. Display the Page Setup dialog box. (In Excel 2007 display the Page Layout tab of the ribbon and click the small icon at the bottom-right of the Page Setup group. In earlier versions of Excel choose File | Page Setup.)
4. Make sure the Page tab is displayed.
5. Using the Paper Size drop-down list, choose A4.
6. Click OK.
7. Right-click any worksheet tab. You'll again see a Context menu.
8. Choose Ungroup Sheets.

Recording a narration in Power point:

You can record a narration into a PowerPoint slide easily. To do this:
• Go to the Slide you wish to add a narration to.
• From the Insert menu select Movies and Sounds.
• Click Record Sounds.
• When ready, click the Record button (the red circle).
• When finished recording, click the black Stop button.
• Click OK.

Types of Software Testing Techniques:

Broadly, software testing techniques can be broken into two types:
1. Functionality testing
2. Non-functionality testing
Functionality testing
This means testing the behaviour of the application to see if it is doing what it is expected to do. If one person was to use a Windows calculator application, he should expect to see that addition, subtraction, multiple and division work accurately.
Example: If he enters 2, presses + button, enters 2, presses = button, the result displayed should be 4.
Which means the programming logic of the application should follow the actual requirement. This is functionality testing.
Non-functionality testing
Non-functionality testing is not really about programming logic. It's about how the same application would behave when run under different circumstances.
Example: If the above Windows calendar application works perfectly well for a single user on a machine with 512KB RAM and 20GB hard disk, assuming that 500 users are going to login to that machine and use that application at the same time, what would happen to it?
It is possible that the application might crash. If that happens, either the resource of the machine needs to be improved, like increase RAM or increase CPU, etc or the application code has to be improved to handle 500 users.
So, unless we run such a test, we will be at risk of the application crashing in production on a customer site when it comes under heavy load.
It is thus important, during requirements gathering, that not only functional requirements are detailed but also non-functional requirements.
An example of non-functional requirement can be '500 users must be able to use the Windows calculator at the same time'. It cannot be something like 'Many users should be able to use the Windows calculator at the same time'. There should not be any place for ambiguity.
It is the responsibility of the tester to get clarity on these requirements.

Weighted Voting:

Weighted Voting is a way to prioritize a list of issues, ideas or attributes by assigning points to each item based on its relative importance.

Tie and High:

Tie and High are the width and height of freight on pallets and warehouse storage racks. "Tie" refers to the number of dimensions of each tier (layer) of standard pack product while "High" means the total physical height of one or more "Ties" making up the unit load.

Sum Top 5 numbers in the List:

Use the Excel SUM function and LARGE functions together, to add the largest numbers in the list.
If a few numbers are to be summed, e.g. top 3, you can type the numbers into the formula. For example:
=SUM(LARGE(A1:A7,{1,2,3}))
The result is 70+60+50 = 180
Note: The second 50 is not included in the result, even though it is tied for 3rd place.
If many top numbers are to be summed you can include the INDIRECT function in the formula with the Excel SUM function. In the INDIRECT function, use row numbers that represent the numbers you want to include. In this example, rows 1:10 are used, so the top 10 numbers in the referenced range will be summed.
1. Type the formula:
=SUM(LARGE(A1:A50,ROW(INDIRECT("1:10"))))
2. This is an array formula, and must be array-entered. To do this, hold the Ctrl and Shift keys, and press Enter
If a variable number of top numbers are to be summed you can include the INDIRECT function in the formula with the Excel SUM function, as shown above, and refer to a cell that holds the variable..
1. In cell C1, type the number of top cells, e.g. 10
2. Type the formula:
=SUM(LARGE(A1:A7,ROW(INDIRECT("1:"&C1))))
3. This is an array formula, and must be array-entered. To do this, hold the Ctrl and Shift keys, and press Enter

Managing more address books:

Address Book. Contacts. Personal Directory. Little Black Book. There are many names for it, but no matter what you call it, essentially this is the place where you store the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of your friends, family, and coworkers.

In Lotus Notes, your personal address book is the database names.nsf.

We can create new address books in Lotus notes.
Here is how you do it:

1. From the Notes menus choose File - Database - New. (or press CTRL+N)
2. In the dialog box, leave Local as the Server, and enter a Title and File Name. These can be whatever you would like. "Friends and Family", "Secondary Address Book", etc. The most important thing is that you choose "Personal Address Book" as the template, as shown by the arrow in the screen shot below.




3. Press OK, and Notes will create the new database for you.

Now we want to transfer contacts from your original Address Book, into the new one you just created. As with any change, you many want to make a backup before doing this, just to make sure you don't loose any data!


4. Open your original address book, names.nsf. Select the contacts you want to move. From the Notes menus choose Edit - Cut. (or press CTRL+X)


5. Open the new address book that you created in step #2. From the Notes menus choose Edit - Paste. (or press CTRL+V)

Now you have a nice and "clean" primary address book, and an archive that you can look up any of the old names if/when you need them.

7 Things never to say to your Boss:

Everyone has a boss. Even if you "work for yourself," you're still an employee to your client.
A big part of maintaining the boss-employee relationship is to never allow a boss to think you dislike your work, are incapable of doing it, or--worse--consider it beneath you.
These sound like no-brainers, but many statements heard commonly around the workplace violate these basic rules. Looking for an example? Here are seven heard in workplaces all the time. They may seem ordinary, even harmless. But try reading these from your boss's point of view. You'll see right away why it's smart to never allow these seven sentences to pass your lips:
"That's not my job." You know what? A lot of bosses are simple souls who think your job is to do what's asked of you. So even if you're assigned a task that is, indeed, not your job, refrain from saying so. Instead, try to find out why your boss is assigning you this task--there may be a valid reason. If you believe that doing the task is a bad idea (as in, bad for the company) you can try explaining why and suggesting how it could be better done by someone else. This may work, depending on the boss. In any case, remember that doing what's asked of you, even tasks outside your job description, is good karma.
"It's not my problem." When people say something is not their problem it makes them look like they don't care. This does not endear them to anybody, especially the boss. If a problem is brewing and you have nothing constructive to say, it's better to say nothing at all. Even better is to pitch in and try to help. Because, ultimately, a problem in the workplace is everyone's problem. We're all in it together.
"It's not my fault." Yet another four words to be avoided. Human nature is weird. Claiming that something is not our fault often has the result of making people suspect it is. Besides, what's the real issue here? It's that something went wrong and needs to be fixed. That's what people should be thinking about--not who is to blame.
"I can only do one thing at a time." News flash: Complaining you are overworked will not make your boss feel sorry for you or go easier on you. Instead, a boss will think: (1) you resent your job, and/or (2) you aren't up to your job. Everybody, especially nowadays, feels pressured and overworked. If you're trying to be funny, please note that some sarcasm is funny and lightens the mood. Some just ticks people off.
"I am way overqualified for this job." Hey, maybe you are. But the fact is, this is the job you have. You agreed to take it on and, while you may now regret that decision, it's still your job. Complaining that it's beneath you only makes you look bad. Plus, coworkers doing similar jobs may resent and dislike you. And guess what? Bosses will not think, "Oh, this is a superior person whom I need to promote." Nope, they'll think, "What a jerk."
"This job is easy! Anyone could do it!" Maybe what you're trying to convey here is that you're so brilliant your work is easy. Unfortunately, it comes off sounding more like, "This work is stupid." Bosses don't like hearing that any work is stupid. Nor do they really like hearing that a job is easy peasy. It belittles the whole enterprise. If a task is simple, be glad and do it as quickly as you can. Even "stupid" work needs to get done.
"It can't be done." Saying something can't be done is like waving a red flag in a boss's eyes. Even if the thing being suggested truly is impossible, saying it is can make you look ineffectual or incapable. Better to play detective. Why is the boss asking you to do whatever it is? What's the problem that needs to be solved? What's the goal? Search for doable ways of solving that problem or reaching that goal. That's what bosses really want. Most of them do not expect the impossible.
Last words: When in doubt, remember that silence really is golden.

Value Stream:

All activities, both value added and non-value added, required to bring a product from raw material state into the hands of the customer, bring a customer requirement from order to delivery and bring a design from concept to launch.

Green Computing:

Green computing or green IT, refers to environmentally sustainable computing or IT. It is "the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems—such as monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communications systems—efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment. Green IT also strives to achieve economic viability and improved system performance and use, while abiding by our social and ethical responsibilities. Thus, green IT includes the dimensions of environmental sustainability, the economics of energy efficiency, and the total cost of ownership, which includes the cost of disposal and recycling. It is the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently.
To comprehensively and effectively address the environmental impacts of computing/IT, we must adopt a holistic approach and make the entire IT lifecycle greener by addressing environmental sustainability along the following four complementary paths:
• Green use — reducing the energy consumption of computers and other information systems as well as using them in an environmentally sound manner
• Green disposal — refurbishing and reusing old computers and properly recycling unwanted computers and other electronic equipment
• Green design — designing energy-efficient and environmentally sound components, computers, servers, cooling equipment, and data centers
• Green manufacturing — manufacturing electronic components, computers, and other associated subsystems with minimal impact on the environment
These four paths span a number of focus areas and activities, including:
• design for environmental sustainability
• energy-efficient computing
• power management
• data center design, layout, and location
• server virtualization
• responsible disposal and recycling
• regulatory compliance
• green metrics, assessment tools, and methodology
• environment-related risk mitigation
• use of renewable energy sources and
• eco-labeling of IT products

Tonnage Throughput:

Tonnage Throughput is the number of tons of merchandise passing through a distribution center per labor hours for all workers in the center.

Regression Testing – A systematic Approach:

1. Coverage
2. Risk
3. Cost

Evaluate what tests can best address the most important risks with the most coverage given the time, tools and resources.

Understand the Coverage:
1. Start with large areas of coverage
2. Drill down into more focused areas within each of those large areas.
3. Followed by subsequent levels of detail until you get down to specific testable units.

Understand the Risk:
FIBLOTS mnemonic for performance testing works wonderfully for evaluating regression testing risk:
• Frequent: What risks are associated with the most used features?
• Intensive: For the intensive features in the application, what specific constraints are concerning, how the supporting platform or code base changed over time, or how the use changed?
• Business-critical: Which features are most critical to the business or the purpose of the application?
• Legal: What has to be tested because of legal requirements or SLAs?
• Obvious: What will happen if it doesn't work?
• Technically risky: Where's the technical risk and how has it changed over time?
• Stakeholder-mandated: What have been told to test?

Risk and Coverage Together:
Charter the work once the coverage (What to Test) and Risk (Why to Test) are identified.
1. Put all activity together meaningfully.
2. Prioritise the work
3. Evaluate what can realistically cover given the time, tools and resources
4. Review and agreement on coverage.
5. Schedule

Review the Coverage, Risk and Priority periodically.

Move Palettes:

If you have lots of formatting to do, it will be easier if the palettes are closer to the area where you’re working. You can detach the palettes from the toolbar, and move them onto the worksheet.
To move one of the “tear away” palettes (Font Color, Fill Color, Borders):
1. On the toolbar, click the dropdown arrow, to open the palette.
2. At the top of the palette, point to the thin grey bar.
3. When your pointer changes to a four-headed arrow, drag the palette down onto the worksheet.

When you’ve finished working with the palette, click the X at its top right, to close it.

Transfer Lotus Notes contacts to iPod:

Do you have Lotus Notes? Also have an iPod? Do you want to put your Lotus Notes Contacts on your iPod? Well, its easy!

Step 1. Attach your iPod to your computer. This should mount your iPod as a removable storage device, and you will see it has a folder called Contacts.


or

Step 2. Open your Lotus Notes Address Book to the Contacts view, and select the documents you want to export, or simply select all with CTRL+A.


Step 3. From the menus, choose File - Export. For "Save in" navigate to your iPod's "Contacts" folder. Provide a file name, I usually choose "Lotus Notes Contacts", and make sure to choose vCard for the "Save as type". Click Export.




You will be prompted with a few additional vCard export options, Leave them as is, and just click OK.




You'll see a progress bar as Notes exports the file, and you're done!

Disconnect your iPod, navigate to the iPod's Contacts application, and you'll see all your Lotus Notes contacts!

Tie in Promotion:

A promotion in which two products are displayed together and one item is given away or sold at a lower price with the purchase of the other.

Bug Classification:

Bugs are inevitable in any software development life cycle. Everybody knows that. However, you have a deadline to meet. You have a release to get over with. There comes a point in time for a release when you take a call and decide what bugs to fix and what not to fix.

Here comes the importance of bug classification. The decision on what bugs to fix and what not to fix is made based on the bug classification.

Bug classification is done primarily to separate the most important bugs from the not so important ones.

Bug severity describes how much damage a bug is doing.

Bug priority describes how important it is to fix that bug.

At first glance these two might appear the same. But they are different. They give a good picture of what to do when used together.

Consider these scenarios:
1. A bug may do a good deal of damage. But if it rarely occurs, it may be less important to fix
2. A bug may do some damage. But if it occurs consistently, it may be more important to fix

How to determine bug severity
Severity How much damage the bug does
Blocker Application or major section freezes, crashes, or fails to start. Data is corrupted.
Critical Key feature does not work, cannot be used, or returns incorrect results.
Major Key feature is difficult to use or looks terrible. A secondary feature does not work, cannot be used, or returns incorrect results
Normal Secondary feature is difficult to use or looks terrible. Minor feature does not work, cannot be used, or returns incorrect results
Minor Secondary feature has a cosmetic issue. Minor feature is difficult to use or looks bad.
Trivial Minor glitches in images, not so obvious spell mistakes, etc
Enhancement Improvement to product features due to bad usability or based on feedback from users. This is not part of product requirements / design originally.

How to set bug priority

Priority Priority description Which severity bugs
P1 Must be fixed All blockers and criticals. Majors affecting many customers.
P2 Highly desirable, scheduled, but not stop ship Majors affecting some customers. Normals affecting many customers.
P3 Nice to have, but not scheduled Normals affecting some customers. Minors and trivials that affect many customers
P4 Not likely to be fixed soon Minors and trivials affecting a few customers

Theory of Constraints (TOC):

TOC is a lean management philosophy that stresses removal of constraints to increase throughput while decreasing inventory and operating expenses. TOC’s set of tools examines the entire system for continuous improvement. The current reality tree, conflict resolution diagram, future reality tree, prerequisite tree and transition tree are the five tools used in TOC’s ongoing improvement process. It is also called constraints management.

MICR Code:

All of us have heard about the MICR code, it is present on all our cheque leaves. The MICR code is also essential for online money transfers.
MICR is an abbreviation for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition

MICR on your cheques
The MICR code is a 9 digit code, which is printed at the bottom of a cheque.

Composition of the MICR code
A MICR code is unique to each bank branch. Thus, a MICR code can be used to uniquely identify any bank branch.
It comprises of 3 parts:
• The first three digits represent the city (City Code). They are aligned with the PIN code we use for postal addresses in India.
• The next 3 digits represent the bank (Bank Code)
• The last 3 digits represent the branch (Branch Code)

Example 1
Lets say have an account in the Indira Nagar, Bangalore branch of ICICI Bank.
• City code for Bangalore: 560
• Bank code for ICICI Bank: 229
• Branch code for Indira Nagar: 013
Thus, the MICR code is: 560229013

If you have the MICR code, you can find out the bank name, branch and city by just reversing the process!

How a MICR code makes cheque processing faster
As we saw, MICR stands for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition. Thus, it is actually the name of the technology using which the code is printed. And therefore, the code is known as MICR code.

So, how does this MICR technology work, and how does it help?

On the cheque, the MICR code is printed using a special kind of ink or toner, an ink that contains magnetic material (usually iron oxide). The code is also printed using a specific font.

This ink is machine-readable due to the presence of the magnetic material (just like the strip at the back of a credit or debit card).

When the cheque is inserted in a reading machine or a cheque sorting machine, it can read the MICR code even if there are other marks or stamps on it. Thus, the machine can easily find out which branch the cheque belongs to.

This helps a lot in automating the cheque clearing process. And since this is automated, there is little possibility of any error!

Bottomline: Cheques get cleared faster, and you get your funds earlier!

Give a Break:

When we are performing a search on a large database and sometimes we might want it to quit.

To stop several Notes actions, such as searching in a view and opening a large database, you can press CTRL+Break and it should cancel the action. You may have to press it a few times if the computer is really really busy and not paying attention to the keyboard.

Takt Time:

Takt Time is the rate of customer demand. Takt time is calculated by dividing production time by the quantity of product the customer requires in that time. Takt is the heartbeat of a lean manufacturing system.

Quickly entering current date and time:

If you are looking for a quick way to enter the current date or time into a cell, Excel provides an excellent shortcut. To enter the current date, just select a cell and press Ctrl+; (that's the semicolon). Closely akin to that is entering the time, which is done by using Ctrl+: (that's the colon).
These shortcuts work even when you are entering formulas. For instance, let's say you wanted to have today's date as a string (within quote marks) in a formula. All you need to do is enter your formula, up to the first quote mark. Then type Ctrl+; and the date appears in the formula. Type your closing quote mark, and you can continue with your formula.

Tare:

Tare is the weight of the packaging subtracted from the weight of the product, so the customer doesn't pay for the container. The allowance for perishable shrinkage between the weights marked on the item when packed and the actual weight when sold.