Top 5 Tips For Solving Your Common Digital Document Problems

Technology Support

As a PDF converter solutions company, we’re no strangers to document-related stress. We deal with it on a daily basis. And because of this, we’ve shared a number of tips that have made working with documents and their content less stressful.

We’ve covered solutions to some of the most stressful and, unfortunately, common issues that can pop up at any given time. To ensure you have a solution when you need it, we’ve collected some of our best hits into one single mashup where you can access and find that one tip you’re looking for.

We have the low-down on a good workaround if you are….

…Required To Send Both A PDF File And A Word Document

PDF Embedded Word File

It’s known that you could always add other files, like MS Word to PDF documents. But what about the other way around? This post on How to Attach a PDF File to Microsoft Word Documents  shows you an MS Office feature which allows you to do just that.  The feature we cover can be a timesaving workaround when you need to attach multiple files to an email.

…Working With An Expired Microsoft Office Subscription 

Now that Microsoft Office  is offered as a subscription service, free MS Word alternatives can act as a good emergency backup.  When your Office subscription expires, your documents are left uneditable, locked in viewing mode. And when it does, Google Drive is generally the number one solution. So for this, we included our post on using Google Docs and Sheets Add-ons which offers you a look at how you can create a research paper from beginning to end right in your browser if needed.

…Trying To Edit PDF Text And Pages

When you need to make changes to your PDF, your natural instinct is to do it directly on the page. Why ignore that knee-jerk reaction? This article on How to Edit a PDF Document will show you how you can naturally and intuitively make changes to both text and pages in your PDF without Acrobat.

…Struggling To Work Efficiently Between OpenOffice And Google Docs

Entering GoogleDocs Credentials

Working between a desktop and online document processor is now a quick and easy way to get things done. You create a document on your desktop, save it and then upload the file to the online application. But believe it or not, you can make things even simpler than that when working OpenOffice and Google Docs. How to Export Open Office Files to Google Docs features a tutorial on how to transfer OpenOffice documents directly from the application to the online suite with one simple extension.

…Stuck With PDF Documents In a Different Language

Can’t speak 50 different languages? Don’t worry. We included our post on How to Translate PDF Documents without Learning Another Language to this list because working with PDFs in other languages can be a part of how you categorize, research and process documents in your work. In the post, you’ll learn a few ways to translate PDFs on-the-spot with the help of the web.

We know this list is short compared to the list of document-related problems you may have. But let us know what document issues you need a workaround for in the comments and we’ll see if we have a post on it that we can add to the above.

Top 10 Open Data Resources Online

There’s a lot of hype around big data these days. And it isn’t any wonder with everything going digital. We’ve been generating a large mass amount of data that’s becoming more and more valuable.

Think of publicly available and open data.  You may be asking why is it so important? Using open or publicly available data can be extremely useful. Some examples include:

  • Analyzing global trends
  • Measuring the efficiency of government policies
  • Innovating a new service
  • Improving your company’s products

Because of the wide range of applications, not just data scientists, but journalists, marketers, business professionals, and even freelancers, are learning how to access, clean and interpret raw data.

While you may already have access to data analytics tools or a topic to research, all that may be missing are the big data sources to work with. Wondering where to find statistical data? Below is a list of databases you can start with.

1. The World Factbook –The CIA website has an open source library where you can find its World Factbook, which offers the public opendata on 267 countries on topics ranging from history and government to geography and military.

2. Amazon Web ServicesAmazon Web Services offers a suite of cloud computing services for database, computing, storage and analytic solutions to name a few. AWS also hosts a number of public datasets, which you can access. You will need to have an AWS account or access to its command line tools.

3. Open Government Data—Looking for data from major governments? You can search through data available publicly from the Governments of Canada, the USA and the UK. The official portal for European data – data.europa.eu – can give you access to a range of data produced by member countries of the European Union.

4. Open Data Network – The Open Data Network, launched by Socrata.com in 2014, is an online data catalogue that makes finding the data you need as easy and familiar as finding data with Google. Its latest enhancements include updates for elements like autosuggestion and easier mobile navigation. This site covers all major US regions including public data sources for areas like finance, health, infrastructure, education and social services to name a few.

5. Google Public Data Explorer– What better place to explore datasets than on Google? Google Public Data Explorer makes it easy for anyone to access and interact with public data from international organizations and academic institutions. You can upload, share and visualize datasets. Here’s an overview to get an idea of how to use Google Public Data Explorer.

6. DBpediaDBpedia is a crowd-sourced effort to pull structured data from Wikipedia into an accessible database form on the web. According to the site, the advantages of the DBpedia knowledgebase are that “it covers many domains; it represents real community agreement; it automatically evolves as Wikipedia changes, and it is truly multilingual.”

7. Worldbank.org—Made up of five international organizations, the World Bank Group is the largest development bank in the world, working towards ending poverty and shared prosperity. The organization offers “free and open access to data about development in countries around the globe.”

8. UNDataUNData is an internet based data service from which you can access datasets that include statistics from countries that are part of the United Nations.

9. World Census Open Data—Need census data from other countries? Get census results from other places around the globe like Argentina, New Zealand, Romania, and Egypt. This source is valuable for those gathering geographical or localized statistics. In addition, you can find census data for the USA and Statistics Canada in the linked sources for easy access.

10. Open Data Portals –At Dataportals.org you can find a curated list of open data resource portals around the world. It will help you start broadly and then narrow down your search by location. With 519 portals, as of this writing, the site welcomes additions or feedback to create one of the most widely curated free public data sources online that every user can benefit from.

Dealing with datasets can get overwhelming. You can expect your data to be disorganized and unruly. And as easy as these sites are to visit, be warned that you may come across hard to access formats requiring you to first convert a scanned PDF to Word before being able to use it. But don’t get discouraged. The potential of that data is unlimited.

Did we miss any? Add your own main sources to this collection—the more on this list, the better!

4 Simple Ways Budding Project Managers Can Start Creating Gantt Charts

Organized Project Planning When remote teams are becoming more and more common, it isn’t surprising to see project managers struggling to stay on top of things. One project involving a number of tasks with just as many people working on it can spin out of control.  You’re not only working with people, but you’re also working against time and resources.

And this is where a Gantt chart steps in. If you aren’t using one as a budding project manager, you may want to. Gantt charts are an essential tool to project management. They keep a detailed track record of a project’s critical path at any given moment.

It keeps you up to speed on important factors like the progress or status of a task. Interdependent tasks and resources can be allocated, visualized, and coordinated. And with the internet and your everyday computer, Gantt charts can be updated as needed.

But technology needs and personal preferences are diverse. We know there are many other simpler, quick fix tools that can be used to manage projects to varying degrees. Looking to step things up? Need more complex features?

Whether you’re stepping into a project mid-stream or need to consolidate your project calendar with an existing one, there are ways you can integrate existing tracking sheet and schedule data into a Gantt chart.

1. Convert Google Calendar, Base Camp & Trello Into A Gantt Chart

Now Google Calendar, Base Camp or Trello are probably the most popular free tools online. They’re easy to set up, offer the basic project tracking essentials and can quickly get you started.

Google Calendar, as a project planning tool, needs no explanation.  Basecamp, known for its highly collaborative nature and tracking features, is a popular go to option for managing teams. And Trello is a web app that uses individual (and collaborative) task cards grouped into boards in lieu of a To-do list.

So if you need to suddenly create professional-looking tracking reports or share your calendar with others, great news is that you can create a Gantt chart from all 3 tools using Ganttify.

Gantt Chart Creation Webapp

Ganttify is a webtool that does what it sounds—it takes your data and “Ganttif-ies” it without having to do much but log into your accounts (note that with Trello, though, your task cards need to have a start and end date included).

2. Create Gantt Charts In Microsoft Excel

If you’re just starting out on managing your first project, chances are you’ll turn to familiar tools like Excel where you’ll construct your own tracking sheet with basic formatting and formulas. However, don’t be afraid to get a little more complex and use Excel to create a Gantt chart.

Officetimeline.com, for instance, offers up a detailed, step-by-step tutorial manual on how to create a Gantt chart Microsoft Excel users can set up. Note, that creating one from the beginning can be time consuming, but as your projects become more complex, you’ll be glad you invested the time.

For those who don’t want to create things from scratch, though, you can still get the job done by using a Gantt chart template.  You can find a variety of them online. Here are a few to start you off:

  • A simple 4 week project timeline Excel template from Office.com
  • A free version of Gantt Chart Template Pro from Excel expert, Jon Wittwer, at Vertex42.com
  • GanttExcel.com also has a template you can download that has both a paid and free version
  • Chandoo.org offers a variety of Gantt chart templates for project management

3. Import Excel Data Into Microsoft Project 

For a more specialized project management tool, Microsoft created MS Project. While part of the popular MS Office suite, the project management software program isn’t included with the desktop suite.

This program offers the high end features that are needed for more multi-level complex projects that need high level monitoring and workflow analysis, cost calculations, in-depth planning, enterprise-wide access and more.

However, if you started tracking your project with MS Excel and are switching over to MS Project, there’s good news. You can simply import Excel into Microsoft Project. When you create a new project, choose to create one from Excel. From there, the MS Project import wizard will guide you through the rest.

4. Create A Gantt Chart Online

Online project management is common nowadays. And with cloud storage and remote teams, being able to take and keep things online is essential.

It isn’t any wonder that you can create Gantt charts online free from the very beginning, making it easily accessible from wherever you or your team are. Though you get what you get with online versions, the essential features are there.

Ganttic.com is an online resource planning, scheduling and management tool. While paid accounts will provide you with more features, for project managers that are bootstrapping it, there’s a limited free account available. It allows you only 10 resources to track. but despite the limitation, Ganttic.com has features that are streamlined and simplified.

Ganttic Introduction from Ganttic on Vimeo

Second is Gantter.com which is a free cloud-based project management tool. This one sticks out because it works tightly with Google Apps and Google Drive, which, if you’re working with a Google based team, is perfect.

Its features leverage the power of Google’s cloud services, including real time editing, chat, and Google Drive access. You can even import and export files from Microsoft Project. Not a Google user, though? Don’t worry.  Gantter.com offers a smartapp.com edition that ties in other cloud drives you may be using.

How are you keeping track of your project and your team? If you know of any other Gantt Chart tips to expand on this list, let us know in the comments.

6 Online Dashboards To Present Your Google Sheets Data

Excel Spreadsheet Diagram

When it’s more and more common for teams to collaborate around data in Google Sheets, you’ll find yourself needing a way to work with and access that data whenever you need to–not whenever your data analyst gets a chance.

But the problem is that if you aren’t too savvy with MS Excel, putting together your own dashboard for your Google Sheets data is  downright overwhelming.  It can be a steep learning curve you neither have the time nor the patience for.  

As businesses are analyzing data that’s more complex than ever before, vendors specializing in data and business intelligence tools are offering out-of-the-box, online tools to make it easier.

These type of online dashboards can be the perfect solution. They let you get the same professional data visualization and analysis without all the technicalities.

The following 6 dashboard tools, for instance, have simple to use interfaces, features and data connection widgets that can integrate your Google Sheets data. Check them out.

1. Geckoboard

Geckoboard starts our list with its free account option. Powerful enough for Salesforce data and simple enough to use with Google sheets data.  You can set it up as you would upload a file. It’s just a matter of creating a connection to your Google account or linking to the file via URL as a data source. You can find a good run down of Geckoboard’s spreadsheets integration on the site.

2.VizyDrop   

VizyDrop is a data visualization tool that can easily integrate your Google Sheets data. Features with this tool include chart sharing, a dashboard editor, updated data visualizations, the ability to work with custom sources, and built-in app connectors.

This tool is on the simplistic side, but it’s free to use. You can start dropping in your data in their demo space, but you’ll have to sign up to save your data.

3. Slemma

Slemma also makes things super easy for you with its built-in integration with Google Drive available for all types of accounts. This dashboard tool provides you with automatic update and scheduled report delivery features.

Other features include one-click integration, calculations, automated pivot tables, and email dashboards. And if you’re new to working with data and aren’t sure how to best visualize it, you can get some inspiration from the data visualizations and dashboards other Slemma members have done. There’s a free 14-day trial available to check out.

4. BIME Analytics

Connecting Data BIME AnalyticsSource:  BIME Analytics

You can connect a number of any data sources you have with BIME Analytics–including online cloud services like Google Drive.  BIME Analytics allows you to pull data from Google Sheets and cache datasets. There’s no storage; analysis is always live and direct.  You can test it out with a 10 day free trial from the site.

5. Cyfe

In addition to other integrations to third party services like Google Analytics, Cyfe can also integrate your Google Sheets data directly. You have the ability to archive data, export reports, and share your dashboards.  Its widgets will allow you to connect any of your data that’s on the web. You can sign up for free or go with the premium account for $19 /month.

6. Datahero

This tool touts itself as the “fastest and easiest way to understand your data”. DataHero is a data visualization tool that works with the data you already use in cloud storage services, or in files on your computer. 

Import your data from cloud services, create insightful charts and organize them in separate dashboards to get the most out of your data.  Once you sign up you get free trial access to their Premium service, which is a good starting point for exploring your dashboard needs. As a bonus, there is also a free account which will do just fine for visualizing your data on a lower scale.

 

Marrying business intelligence and Google Sheets data doesn’t have to be complicated or something you dread. On the contrary, it can be as simple as uploading your data online. See if any of the above are a good fit for your data needs.

15 Best Online Free Resources For Mastering AutoCAD

Creating CAD Drawing

Learning how to use AutoCAD doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. With free online learning tutorials, courses, videos and other totally free learning materials, it can be easy to find the help you need. The only problem lies in sifting through search results, doing your research, and picking the right resource.  

To help cut down on the search time, we went ahead and did the research for you. And from our findings, we created a list of top free AutoCAD tutorials and tips on the Web. We even listed the top AutoCAD blogs in the industry to follow if you want to become and stay  a top AutoCAD user and professional.

So, without further ado here are 15 best online free resources for mastering AutoCAD:

myCADsite

myCADsite offers free online AutoCAD tutorials for both new and experienced users with no registration needed. Tutorials are organized into 4 levels: beginner AutoCAD, intermediate AutoCAD, introduction to 3D and advanced topics. Each set of lessons is followed by a quiz to test your knowledge. You’ll also find sample CAD files and videos to accompany the HTML AutoCAD tutorials. To stay current with news and tutorials as they’re produced, you can follow myCADsite on Facebook or Twitter.

Cadalyst

Cadalyst provides a wide array of AutoCAD and other CAD software tutorials, tips and training resources. They also have an extensive CAD tips video gallery with clips that teach you how to perform specific tasks in AutoCAD. For example, you can find videos showcasing three different ways to put a frame around your text in AutoCAD, how to scale object with a reference, and many more.

CADTutor

CADTutor offers free tutorials, tips and articles for AutoCAD, 3ds Max and associated software applications. Not only that, but CADTutor can easily put you in touch with other CAD learners and professionals their AutoCAD forums, which are a great free learning resource you can’t afford to miss out on.

Tutorial 45

This is another must-visit AutoCAD site to have on your list. Why? Tutorial 45 provides a set of free AutoCAD tutorials including practice exercises, lists of AutoCAD commands, 3D projects and easy to follow how-to articles. It offers all the basics you’ll need!

Ellen Finkelstein

Ellen Finkelstein’s AutoCAD tips blog is a huge repository of free AutoCAD tips, techniques and tutorials organized into categories that make it easy to navigate this rich AutoCAD resource. Sift through the number of categories that include: drawing, editing, text and dimensions, 3D, plotting and presentation, troubleshooting, AutoCAD customization, and layers. With the amount of resources available, you’re sure to find the help you need.

AutoCAD tutorial by Computer Aided Design Guide

Computer Aided Design Guide is actually a blog on all things CAD. Here you’ll find all AutoCAD related articles organized into a comprehensive list that makes for a good free AutoCAD tutorial resource you can bookmark.

The CAD Setter Out

The CAD Setter Out is another blog with all AutoCAD posts gathered under the AutoCAD tutorials category. To help readers and learners find the exact AutoCAD tutorial they need, their AutoCAD posts are further broken down with post tags like AutoCAD create, AutoCAD Edit, AutoCAD Productivity, AutoCAD Document, and AutoCAD Customization.

Draftperson.net

Draftsperson.net provides a set of free AutoCAD tutorials, tips and tricks, and articles. The resources don’t stop there though. You can find other free resources such as AutoCAD blocks, reference, and more.

CadOasis

CadOasis offers some free AutoCAD tutorials specifically designed to introduce AutoCAD functions to CAD users. So if you’re looking to get a good overview to the essentials on AutoCAD functions, this is the site to check out.

Blue Print Floor Plan

AutoCAD blogs

Lynn Allen

Lynn Allen’s blog is an extremely valuable AutoCAD learning and news resource adequate for both the beginners and experienced CAD users who want to stay current on industry news, events, and the latest on software updates and features. Lynn traditionally provides her blog followers with AutoCAD tips and tricks booklets you can download in PDF. From HTML how-to tips and tricks to videos that walk you through a new technique, you’re sure to learn your way around AutoCAD like a pro. Learn how to put a frame around your text, how to embed an image file in AutoCAD or even something as common as keeping track of your drawings. This site has it all.

AutoCAD Tips Blog

AutoCAD Tips is a blog that provides helpful AutoCAD tips for everyday users. Each tutorial is informative,  easy to follow, and with helpful screenshots to walk you through it, this blog is the perfect starting point for learning your way around both basic and advanced functionalities.

CADnotes

This blog is a treasure trove of AutoCAD learning material. CADnotes is a blog featuring AutoCAD tutorial series for beginners and other AutoCAD tutorials, articles and productivity tips.  

The CAD Geek

The CAD Geek aims to empower CAD professionals with informative and timely posts on AutoCAD and other CAD software. Owned by author and CAD thought leader, Donnie Gladfelter, this blog contains posts that go beyond the tutorial and software usage tips to give you a well rounded view of the CAD industry.

Through the Interface

Through the Interface is one of Autodesk’s blogs with over 900 articles on AutoCAD.  AutoCAD DevBlog is the number one go-to resource for software developers who work with AutoCAD and other Autodesk technologies. It abounds with information needed to quickly solve  programming problems and learn more about working with AutoCAD on a highly technical level.

Being Civil

Being Civil is one of AutoDesk’s blogs on AutoCAD Civil 3D. Its purpose is to provide value to users based on the support requests received every month from around the globe. This is a great blog to follow if you like staying in touch with the AutoCAD Civil 3D community or simply like learning how AutoCAD Civil 3D is being used. You’ll be able to find a ton of answers to user-submitted questions that you’ve probably had yourself!