How would you optimize a large Excel file to reduce file size and improve performance?

Thank that's a great question, particularly relevant for roles like a Data Analyst, where managing large datasets is a daily task. Excel is a powerful tool for data analysis, but its performance can significantly deteriorate when dealing with large files. Based on my experience, there are several strategies to optimize Excel files, ensuring both size reduction and performance improvement. First, let's clarify by 'large Excel file', we are typically referring to files that are cumbersome to open, operate, or save - often these files are several hundreds of MBs, densely packed with data, formulas, and sometimes, images or charts. My approach to optimizing such files involves a multi-faceted strategy focusing on reducing file size and enhancing processing speed. One effective strategy is to convert formulas to values wherever possible. For data that doesn't need to be dynamically updated, converting formulas to values reduces the computational load on Excel...