M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

D atas h e e t
Copy righ t2008 Proph e tTe ch nol
ogie s Pty Ltd
ISBN 9 78-0-9 8049 22-0-0
Th is w ork is l
ice nce d unde r th e Cre ative Com m ons A ttribution-Noncom m e rcial
-Sh are
Al
ik e 2.5 A ustral
ia Lice nse . To vie w a copy ofth is l
ice nce , visit
h ttp://cre ative com m ons.org/l
ice nse s/by -nc-sa/2.5/au/
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e tte r to Cre ative Com m ons, 171 2nd Stre e t, Suite 300, San Francisco,
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Page 1

Page 3

Page 5

H ow do I cre ate
an IF form u la?
Page 8

H ow do I
s u m a s e tof
nu m be rs th at
m e e tm y crite ria?
Page 18

H ow do I
look u p ans w e rs in
anoth e r table?
Page 26

Trick s 'n Tips

H ow do I
h igh ligh ta ce ll
bas e d on s pe cial
conditions ?

M icros oft Exce l2003

H ow do I
cre ate a s e rie s
of nu m be rs ?

H ow do I
s e e allth e
form u las on a
w ork s h e e t?

H ow do I
fre e ze h e adings s o
I don'tlos e th e m
w h e n I s croll
arou nd?
Page 32

H ow do I
cou ntth e ce lls
th atonly m e e t
m y crite ria?
Page 12

H ow do I
h ide s om e of
m y w ork s h e e ts ?
Page 23

H ow do I
m ak e m y
w ork s h e e ttabs
colou rfu l?
Page 35

H ow do I cre ate a s e rie s of num be rs ?

Au tom atic Se rie s Com pl
e tion
Th e re are m any tim e s w h e n you w ant to cre ate a s e rie s of num be rs or date s
acros s a row or col
um n. You can cre ate a s e rie s m anual
l
y by typing 1, 2, 3, into
th e ir re s pe ctive ce l
l
s or by us ing a form ul
a s uch as C4+ 1, C5+ 1, e tc.
M icros oft Exce lprovide s a conve nie nt s h ortcut to cre ating a s e rie s , s im pl
y by
s tarting th e firs t and s e cond ce l
l
s in th e s e rie s , s e l
e cting th e tw o ce l
l
s and th e n
dragging s e l
e ction are a out to th e re q uire d s e t of ce l
l
s.

Sce nario Cre ating a s e rie s of ye ars

Cons ide r a cas h fl
ow tabl
e th at s um m aris e s th e incom e and e xpe ns e s ove r a
s e rie s of ye ars as s h ow n be l
ow .

Ste p 1: Ente r th e firs t tw o ye ars of th e s e rie s

To cre ate a s e rie s w e ne e d to te l
lExce lw h at th e s e rie s is . In our e xam pl
e Ce l
lB3
is 01/01/2000 and C3 is 01/01/2001 as s h ow n be l
ow . Note th at th e ce l
l
form atting in th is e xam pl
e is s e t s o th at onl
y th e ye ar is s h ow n.

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

Ste p 2: Se l
e ct th e ce l
l
s th at s h ow firs t and s e cond e l
e m e nts of th e s e rie s
Cl
ick -and-drag w ith th e m ous e to s e l
e ct ce l
l
s B3 and C3.

Ste p 3: Cl
ick -and-drag th e b ottom -l
e ft corne r of th e ce l
land drag to
com pl
e te th e s e rie s
Us e th e m ous e to cl
ick -and-h ol
d th e bottom -l
e ft corne r of ce l
lC3.
Th e drag th e s e l
e ction out untilG3. Th e s cre e n s h oul
dl
ook s im il
ar to be l
ow .

O nce th e s e rie s re gion is s e l

e cte d th e n re l
e as e th e m ous e button.
Finis h : Exce lw il
lautom atical
l
y com pl
e te th e s e rie s for th e s e l
e ction.

H ow do I s e e al
lth e form ul
as on a w ork s h e e t?
Vie w Form u l
ae In Ce l
l
s
Som e tim e s it is h andy to vie w (and print) th e form ul
ae in al
lth e ce l
l
s in a
s pre ads h e e t w ith out h aving to m anual
l
y e nte r e ach ce l
l
. Be ing abl
e to vie w al
l
th e form ul
ae m ak e s it e as ie r to de bug our ow n s pre ads h e e ts as w e l
las m ak ing it
s im pl
e r to unde rs tand oth e r pe opl
e s s pre ads h e e ts .

Sce nario Vie w ing th e form ul

ae in a tab l
e.
You m ay h ave a tabl
e th at contains a l
is t of nam e s (Col
um n A), th e ir ne t w e al
th
(Col
um n B) and th e num be r of ye ars th e y h ave be e n w ork ing (Col
um n C). Be h ind
th e s ce ne s th e s pre ads h e e t cal
cul
ate s th e am ount of m one y e ach pe rs on m ade
(Col
um n D ) and th e ave rage am ount m ade acros s our s am pl
e se l
e ction (Ce l
lD 19 ).

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

Ste p 1: Pre s s th e Ctrland ~ k e ys on th e k e yb oard at th e s am e tim e to

vie w .
Pre s s ing th e Ctrland ~ k e ys s h ow s th e form ul
ae in e ve ry ce l
lon th e w ork s h e e t.
You are now abl
e to vie w th e unde rl
ying l
ogic of th is s pre ads h e e t.

H el
ping Note : In th is curre nt vie w you can print th is page out to your printe r.

Ste p 2: Pre s s th e Ctrland ~ k e ys to re turn to th e norm alvie w .

H ow do I h igh l
igh t a ce l
lbas e d on s pe cialconditions ?
Cond itionalForm atting
Th e re are m any occas ions w h e re you m ay w ant to h ave Exce lch ange th e
form atting of a ce l
land its conte nts de pe nding on th e val
ue in th e ce l
l
. Th is coul
d
be h andy to h igh l
igh t s e ctions of your s pre ads h e e t bas e d on diffe re nt s ce narios .

Sce nario Bank Account Bal

ance
You m ay h ave a ce l
lth at contains th e totalbal
ance of al
lyour bank accounts and
it ge ts h igh l
igh te d in ye l
l
ow if th e bal
ance fal
l
s be l
ow $0.
Th e figure be l
ow s h ow s th e s pre ads h e e t w ith a Ne t Val
ue > $0.00. Th e
form atting of th is ce l
lis in its norm alform at.

For financials e curity w e w ant Exce lto h igh l

igh t th e Ne t Val
ue (ce l
lC9 ) w h e n
th e ne t val
ue am ount drops be l
ow $0.00.
Ste p 1: Se l
e ct th e ce l
lw e w ant to appl
y conditionalform atting to

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

Ste p 2: Se l
e ct th e Conditional
Form atting m e nu ite m as s h ow n righ t

Ste p 3: Te l
lExce lw h at th e s pe cialform atting conditions are

Ste p 4: Pre s s th e
Form at b utton to
s e t th e form at of
th e ce l
lw h e n th is
condition is m e t

Ste p 5: Pre s s O K to acce pt th e conditions and conditionalce l

lform atting
In th e Form at Ce l
l
s dial
og box, pre s s th e O K button to acce pt th e conditionalce l
l
form at.
In th e ConditionalForm atting dial
og box, pre s s th e O K button appl
y th e
conditions .
Le t us as s um e th at w e w e nt out s h opping th at day and s pe nt $2,000 us ing Cre dit
Card 1 and update d ce l
lC6 to re fl
e ct th is ch ange . As you can s e e , th e Ne t Val
ue
h as droppe d be l
ow $0 and th e ce l
lautom atical
l
y h igh l
igh ts th is .

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

H ow do I cre ate an IF form ul

a?
IF State m e nts
Norm al
l
y w e cal
cul
ate th e val
ue of a ce l
lbas e d on th e val
ue in anoth e r ce l
l
, for
e xam pl
e m ul
tipl
y a val
ue by 4 and put th at ans w e r in anoth e r ce l
l
. O ccas ional
l
y
w e w ant to cal
cul
ate th e val
ue of a ce l
lonl
y if a ce rtain crite ria is m e t.

Sce nario Appl

ying an autom atic dis count on an invoice .
In th is e xam pl
e w e w ant to cre ate an invoice th at autom atical
l
y appl
ie s a 10%
dis count if th e originalval
ue of th e orde r e xce e ds $100.
Th e figure be l
ow s h ow s a s am pl
e invoice s pre ads h e e t. Each l
ine (Line s 4, 5, 6
and 7) is individual
l
y tal
l
ie d and th e n s ubtotal
l
e d in Ce l
lE9 .

Ste p 1: Se l
e ct
th e ce l
lth at
w il
lcontain
th e conditional
cal
cul
ation (IF
s tate m e nt).
Cl
ick on th e E10
ce l
l
.

Ste p 2: Se l
e ct th e Pas te Function M e nu ite m
as s h ow n righ t

Ste p 3: Se l
e ct th e IF s tate m e nt from th e Pas te Function s e l
e ction b ox

In th e Pas te Function dial

og box, s e l
e ct Logical
from th e Function Cate gory and
IF from th e Function Nam e th e n pre s s th e O K button.

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

Ste p 4: Ente r th e conditionalform ul

a into th e Pas te Function h e l
pe r

H el
ping Note : You can m ove th e h e l
pe r box around th e s cre e n by cl
ick -anddragging anyw h e re in th e gre y are a of th e box.
Th e Logical
_te s t fie l
d de te rm ine s w h at s pe cialconditions w e w ant to appl
y. In
th is cas e , th e s pe cialcondition is w h e n th e s ubtotalfie l
d (Ce l
lE9 ) is gre ate r th an
$100.00 (100).

In th e circum s tance s w h e re th e Logical

_te s t is True th e n th e Val
ue _if_true
fie l
d is appl
ie d. In th is cas e th e s ubtotalfie l
d (E9 ) e xce e ds $100.00 (E9 =$270.40)
s o th e Logical
_te s t is true and w e w ant to appl
y a dis count of 10% to th e s ubtotal
am ount (form ul
a = -10% *E9 ).
In th e circum s tance s w h e re th e Logical
_te s t is Fal
s e th e n th e Val
ue _if_fal
se
fie l
d is appl
ie d. In our form ul
a w e w ant a dis count of $0.00 appl
ie d w h e n th e
s ubtotalfie l
d (E9 ) is l
e s s th an or e q ualto $100.00.
Pre s s th e O K button w h e n you are s atis fie d th at th e form ul
a is corre ct.
In our e xam pl
e th e s ubtotalval
ue is $270.40, w h ich e xce e ds th e $100.00
th re s h ol
d s o a 10% dis count is appl
ie d.

If for s om e re as on w e de cide d not to orde r any Exe cutive Gift Se ts (D 7=0) th e n

th e s ubtotaldoe s not e xce e d th e $100.00 th re s h ol
d and no dis count is appl
ie d.

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

H ow do I count th e ce l
l
s th at onl
y m e e t m y crite ria?
CO UNTIF State m e nts
O ccas ional
l
y you m igh t h ave a l
is t of ite m s and you w ant to count h ow m any
tim e s ce rtain crite rion is m e t. For e xam pl
e you m igh t w ant to count h ow m any
D avids th e re are in a l
is t of Ch ris tian nam e s or count h ow m any purch as e s
e xce e de d $100.00.

Sce nario Count h ow m any fail

s occurre d in a l
is t of pas s /fail
e xam re s ul
ts
In th is e xam pl
e w e h ave a l
is t of s tude nts and th e ir pas s /failre s ul
ts of a re ce nt
e xam as s h ow n be l
ow and w e w ant to count h ow m any s tude nts pas s e d th e e xam .

Ste p 1: Se l
e ct th e ce l
lw e w ant Exce lto re turn th e num b e r of PASS
m ark s in.
Us e th e m ous e to cl
ick on Ce l
lB15 to s e l
e ct th e ce l
l
.

Ste p 2: Se l
e ct th e Pas te Function
m e nu ite m as s h ow n righ t

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

Ste p 3: Se l
e ct th e CO UNTIF s tate m e nt from th e Pas te Function s e l
e ction
b ox.
In th e Pas te Function dial
og box, s e l
e ct Statis tical
from th e Function Cate gory
and CO UNTIF from th e Function Nam e th e n pre s s th e O K button.

Ste p 4: Ente r th e re q uire d inform ation into th e Pas te Function h e l

pe r

H el
ping Note : You can m ove th e h e l
pe r box around th e s cre e n by cl
ick -anddragging anyw h e re in th e gre y are a of th e box.
Th e Range fie l
d de te rm ine s th e range of ce l
l
s Exce lw il
ll
ook to pe rform th e
count in. W e can e ith e r us e th e m ous e to s e l
e ct th e range or m anual
l
y type th e
ce l
lre fe re nce s dire ctl
y into th e te xt box. In our e xam pl
e th e ce l
lrange s tarts at
B4 and goe s dow n to B13.

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

H el
ping Note : Ce l
lrange s can be a s e l
e ction of ce l
l
s , a col
um n, row or box of
ce l
l
s , or a pre -de fine d nam e d range . Ce l
lre fe re nce s can be of any type incl
uding
re l
ative (e g B4), abs ol
ute (e g $B$4), m ixe d re fe re nce (e g B$4), and nam e d.
Th e Crite ria is a conditionals tate m e nt th at is s im il
ar to th e conditional
s tate m e nt in th e IF s tate m e nt. In our cas e w e w ant to count th e num be r of ce l
l
s
w ith PASS in th e ide ntifie d range . Re m e m be r th at te xt fie l
ds are a s pe cials ort
of fie l
d and ne e d to s tart and e nd w ith inve rte d com m as .
Pre s s th e O K button w h e n you are s atis fie d th at th e form ul
a is corre ct.
Ste p 5: Re pe at s te p 4 to count th e num b e r of fail
s.
Se l
e ct Ce l
lB16.
Us e th e Pas te Form ul
a function and s e l
e ct Statis tical
from th e function cate gory
l
is t and CO UNTIF from th e function l
is t.
Fol
l
ow Ste p 4 above m ak ing th e Range = B4:B13 and th e Crite ria = FAIL
.
Pre s s th e O K button w h e n you are s atis fie d th at th e form ul
a is corre ct.

Finis h : Th e s pre ads h e e t now counts th e num b e r of pas s e s and fail

s from
th e l
is t.
Th e s pre ads h e e t w il
lnow l
ook s im il
ar to th e figure be l
ow .

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

H ow do I s um a s e t of num be rs th at m e e t m y crite ria?

SUM IF State m e nts
SUM IF is a function th at al
l
ow s you to add toge th e r val
ue s from a l
is t if a
nom inate d crite ria is m e t. For e xam pl
e , you m igh t w ant to totalth e am ount of
h ours w ork e d by ful
l
-tim e e m pl
oye e s out of a ge ne rall
is t containing ful
l
-tim e ,
part-tim e and cas uale m pl
oye e s .

Sce nario Cal

cul
ate th e w innings from a l
is t of s ports b e ts .
In th is e xam pl
e w e h ave a s pre ads h e e t th at l
is ts th e be ts pl
ace d on w h o w il
lw in
various te nnis m atch e s on th e w e e k e nd (Col
um n A), th e am ount be t on th at
m atch (Col
um n B), th e odds of w inning (Col
um n C), and th e pote ntialw innings
(Col
um n D ). At th e e nd of th e w e e k e nd w e w il
le nte r th e re s ul
ts of e ach m atch
and w e w ant Exce lto autom atical
l
y cal
cul
ate h ow m uch our w innings are .

Ste p 1: Se l
e ct th e ce l
lth at w il
lcontain th e w innings re s ul
ts
Us e th e m ous e to cl
ick on Ce l
lF13 to s e l
e ct th e ce l
l
.

Ste p 2: Se l
e ct th e Pas te Function
m e nu ite m as s h ow n righ t

Ste p 3: Se l
e ct th e SUM IF s tate m e nt from th e Pas te Function s e l
e ction
b ox.
In th e Pas te Function dial
og box, s e l
e ct M ath & Trig from th e Function Cate gory
and SUM IF from th e Function Nam e th e n pre s s th e O K button.

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

Ste p 4: Ente r th e re q uire d inform ation into th e Pas te Function h e l

pe r.
H el
ping Note : You can m ove th e h e l
pe r box around th e s cre e n by cl
ick -anddragging anyw h e re in th e gre y are a of th e box.
Th e Range fie l
d de te rm ine s th e range of ce l
l
s th at Exce lw il
le xam ine to as s e s s
th e crite ria. W e can e ith e r us e th e m ous e to s e l
e ct th e range or m anual
l
y type th e
ce l
lre fe re nce s dire ctl
y into th e te xt box. In our e xam pl
e th e range s tarts at ce l
l
F4 and goe s dow n to ce l
lF11.
Th e Crite ria is a conditionals tate m e nt th at is s im il
ar to th e conditional
s tate m e nt in th e IF s tate m e nt. In our cas e w e w ant to s e l
e ct al
lbe ts w h e re th e
te nnis pl
aye r W on th e m atch . In our e xam pl
e type in W on into th e Crite ria te xt
box.
Th e Sum _range
fie l
d te l
l
s Exce l
w h ich ce l
l
s to add
w h e n th e crite ria is
m e t for e ach ce l
lin
th e range . To put it
in anoth e r w ay, w e
w ant to add
toge th e r th e
pote ntialw innings
(Col
um n D ) for
e ach m atch W on
in Col
um n F. In our
e xam pl
e w e can
e ith e r us e th e
m ous e to s e l
e ct
th e range or
m anual
l
y type in
D 4:D 11 into th e
Sum _range te xt
box.
Pre s s th e O K
button w h e n you
are s atis fie d th at
th e form ul
a is
corre ct.

Ste p 5: Com pl
e te th e s pre ads h e e t b y s um m ing th e am ount b e t.
Now th at w e k now h ow m uch w e h ave w on on our be tte r w e w ant to com pl
e te th e
s pre ads h e e t by s h ow ing h ow m uch m one y w e original
l
y be t.

Ste p 5a: Se l
e ct
th e ce l
lw h ich w e
w ant to cal
cul
ate
th e totalb e tting
am ount
Cl
ick on Ce l
lB13 as
s h ow n be l
ow .

Ste p 5b : Cl
ick on th e AutoSum b utton
By cl
ick ing on th e
AutoSum button you
can ge t M S-Exce lto
autom atical
l
y cal
cul
ate
th e col
um n above it.
Us e th is function w ith
caution and be s ure to
ch e ck th e range of ce l
l
s
it h as autom atical
l
y
se l
e cte d. O nce you h ave
confirm e d th at th e
range is accurate th e n
pre s s th e Ente r k e y to
confirm th e form ul
a.

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

Finis h : Th e s pre ads h e e t now autom atical

l
y cal
cul
ate s th e w innings
b as e d on th e m atch re s ul
ts .
Th e s pre ads h e e t w il
lnow l
ook am azingl
y s im il
ar to th e figure be l
ow .

H ow do I h ide s om e of m y w ork s h e e ts ?
H id ing and Unh id ing W ork s h e e ts
Som e tim e s it is us e fulto h ide w ork s h e e ts from th e norm als pre ads h e e t vie w .
Com m onl
y w e h ide s h e e ts th at contain l
ook up tabl
e s , de faul
t val
ue s and
cons tants th at w e w ant in a s e parate s pre ads h e e t but dont w ant it to be printe d
or vie w e d in norm alus e .

Sce nario H iding a w ork s h e e t from norm alvie w

O ur s am pl
e s pre ads h e e t contains a com pute r parts price l
is t. W e m ay w ant to
h ave oth e r w ork s h e e ts to re fe r to th is price l
is t but w e dont w ant th e price l
is t
ope n for vie w ing and printing e ve ry tim e w e ope n our w ork book .
Ste p 1: Se l
e ct th e w ork s h e e t w e w ant to h ide from vie w .
Se l
e ct th e w ork s h e e t w e w ant to h ide from vie w by cl
ick ing on th e w ork s h e e t tab
l
ocate d at th e bottom of th e w ork s h e e t.

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

Ste p 2: Se l
e ct Form at |Sh e e t |H ide from th e m e nu.
Go to th e top of th e Exce lw indow and cl
ick on Form at and th e n h igh l
igh t
Sh e e t, w ait and th e n cl
ick on th e H ide m e nu.

Finis h : W ork s h e e t is now h idde n from norm alvie w .

Th e w ork s h e e t is now h idde n from vie w . Any re fe re nce s to th is w ork s h e e t w il
ls til
l
w ork h ow e ve r th e us e r w il
lnot be abl
e to s e l
e ct th e w ork s h e e t from th e tabs at
th e bottom of th e w ork book . You w il
lh ave to unh ide th e w ork s h e e t to be abl
e
to vie w and m ak e ch ange s .

Sce nario Unh iding a w ork s h e e t for norm alvie w

Afte r w e h ave h idde n th e w ork s h e e t from Norm alvie w w e m ay w ant to m ak e
ch ange s to it. Th e norm alm e th od of doing th is is to unh ide th e s pre ads h e e t and
pl
ace it back into norm alvie w .
Ste p 1: Se l
e ct Form at |Sh e e t |Unh ide from th e m e nu

Go to th e top of th e Exce l
w indow and cl
ick on
Form at, th e n h igh l
igh t
Sh e e t, w ait and th e n cl
ick
on th e Unh ide m e nu.

Ste p 2: Se l
e ct w ork s h e e t to unh ide .
Se l
e ct th e w ork s h e e t nam e from th e Unh ide dial
og box. In our cas e w e w ant to
se l
e ct th e w ork s h e e t nam e d H ide W ork s h e e t Exam pl
e .

Pre s s th e O K button to unh ide th e w ork s h e e t.

Finis h : W ork s h e e t is now vis ib l
e in th e norm alvie w .
Th e w ork s h e e t can now be s e e n in th e norm alvie w and s e l
e cte d us ing th e tabs
at th e bottom of th e w ork book .

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

H ow do I l
ook up ans w e rs in anoth e r tabl
e?
LO O K UP Fu nction
It is ofte n us e fulto cre ate a s pre ads h e e t w h e re th e us e r s im pl
y e nte rs s om e
inform ation and Exce lth e n l
ook s up th e re q uire d inform ation and re turns th e
re s ul
t.

Sce nario D e te rm ining th e e xam s tandard for s tude nts

Th is e xam pl
e h as a l
is t of s tude nts (Col
um n A) and th e ir e xam re s ul
ts (Col
um n B)
e nte re d by th e us e r. W e th e n w ant Exce lto l
ook at th at re s ul
t and de te rm ine if it
is a fail
, pas s or dis tinction s tandard.

Ste p 1: Se l
e ct th e Ce l
lyou w ant th e re s ul
t to b e in
Us e th e m ous e pointe r and cl
ick on th e ce l
lw h e re you w ant th e re s ul
t to be
s h ow n.
Cl
ick on Ce l
lC4.

Ste p 2: Se l
e ct th e Pas te Function
m e nu ite m as s h ow n righ t

Ste p 3: Se l
e ct th e LO O K UP s tate m e nt from th e Se l
e ct a Function
se l
e ction b ox

In th e Pas te
Function dial
og
box, s e l
e ct
Look up &
Re fe re nce from
th e Function
Cate gory and
LO O KUP from
th e Function Nam e .
Pre s s th e O K
button to confirm
your s e l
e ction.

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

Ste p 4: Se l
e ct th e de s ire d LO O K UP function from th e Se l
e ct
Argum e nts dial
og b ox.
M icros oft Exce lw il
lpre s e nt you w ith a Se l
e ct Argum e nts dial
og box. Th is is
be caus e th e LO O KUP function can be us e d in diffe re nt w ays . W e ne e d to te l
lExce l
h ow w e w ant to us e th e LO O KUP function s o it can pre s e nt us w ith th e m os t
us e fulPas te Function h e l
pe r for our ne e ds .
In our e xam pl
e w e w ant to s e l
e ct th e th re e -argum e nt h e l
pe r. Cl
ick on
l
ook up_val
ue ,l
ook up_ve ctor,re s ul
t_ve ctor row .

Pre s s th e O K button to confirm your s e l

e ction.
Ste p 5: Ente r th e re q uire d inform ation into th e Pas te Function h e l
pe r.
H el
ping Note : You can m ove th e h e l
pe r box around th e s cre e n by cl
ick -anddragging anyw h e re in th e gre y are a of th e box.
Th e Look up_val
ue de te rm ine s w h ich ce l
lExce lw il
ll
ook in to de te rm ine th e
s e arch val
ue . W e can e ith e r us e th e m ous e to s e l
e ct th e ce l
lor m anual
l
y type th e
ce l
lre fe re nce dire ctl
y into th e te xt box. Note th at th is is a s ingl
e ce l
l
. In our
e xam pl
e w e w ant to us e th at l
ine s re s ul
t ce l
l(Ce l
lB4) as th e l
ook up val
ue .
Th e Look up_ve ctor is th e range of val
ue s th at Exce lcom pare s th e
Look up_val
ue to. W e al
w ays s tart w ith an { brack e t, th e n th e l
ow e s t num be r,
ne xt num be r, ne xt num be r untilw e re ach th e m inim um val
ue of th e h igh e s t
group, th e n e nd th e l
is t w ith a } brack e t. For our e xam pl
e w e e nte r
{ 0,0.5,0.75} into th e Look up_ve ctor te xt box.
Th e re are a num be r of rul
e s th at th e Look up function us e s .
Rul
e 1: In th e cas e s w h e re th e Look up_val
ue is s m al
l
e r th an th e l
ow e s t val
ue in
th e Look up_ve ctor, th e re s ul
t w il
lby # N/A e rror.
Rul
e 2: If an e xact m atch is not m ade th e n th e re s ul
t w il
lbe th e l
arge s t val
ue in
Look up_ve ctor th at is l
e s s th an or e q ualto th e l
ook up_val
ue .
H el
ping Note : M icros oft Exce ls tore s pe rce ntage s as a de cim al(0.00) num be r.
Exam pl
e re s ul
ts of 0% to 100% e q uate to a de cim alrange of 0.00 to 1.00.

Th e Re s ul
t_ve ctor is th e range of val
ue s th at Exce lw il
ll
ook at to re turn th e
re s ul
t. If Look up_val
ue is th e s am e as th e th ird ite m in th e Look up_ve ctor l
is t
th e n Exce lw il
lre turn th e th ird ite m in th e Re s ul
t_ve ctor l
is t. For our e xam pl
e,
w e e nte r th e th re e grade s th at w il
lbe re turne d, { Fail
,Pas s ,D is tinction}.

Pre s s th e O K button to confirm your s e l

e ction.

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

Ste p 7: Copy th e e q uation to al

lth e re q uire d re s ul
t ce l
l
s.
Us e th e m ous e and cl
ick on Ce l
l
C4 to s e l
e ct th e e q uation w e
w ant to copy.

Copy th e ce l
lby e ith e r
M e th od 1) pre s s ing Ctrland C at th e s am e tim e , or
M e th od 2) pre s s ing th e copy button

in th e tool
bar.

Se l
e ct th e range of ce l
l
s from
C5 to C10. You can do th is
w ith th e m ous e by cl
ick -andh ol
ding th e m ous e on ce l
lC5
and th e drag-and-re l
e as e th e
m ous e ove r ce l
lC10. Th e
s cre e n w il
ll
ook s im il
ar to
figure to th e righ t.

Now pas te th e ce l
linform ation into th e h igh l
igh te d range . You can do th is by
e ith e r
M e th od 1) pre s s ing Ctrland Vat th e s am e tim e , or
M e th od 2) pre s s ing th e pas te button

in th e tool
bar.

Finis h : Th e s tandard w il
lb e s h ow n as s oon as th e re s ul
ts are e nte re d b y
th e us e r.
Th e s pre ads h e e t w il
lnow l
ook s im il
ar to th e figure be l
ow .

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

H ow do I fre e ze h e adings s o I dont l

os e th e m w h e n I
s crol
laround?
Fre e z e Pane s
M S-Exce lis a us e fultoolfor pre s e nting data on a page . Th e re com e s a point
w h e re th e data be ing pre s e nte d doe s fit on th e s cre e n and w e h ave to s crol
l
dow n and acros s to s e e th e inform ation. If you s crol
ldow n e nough th e n it
be com e s difficul
t to k now w h at h e adings re l
ate to e ach col
um n. Th e s am e appl
ie s
to row h e adings w h e n w e s crol
lrigh t. Th e w ay to go about th is is to te l
lM S-Exce l
to fre e ze th e h e adings s o th at w h e n you s crol
loff th e page you can s til
ls e e th e
h e adings . Th is is cal
l
e d Fre e ze Pane .

Sce nario Form atting a l

arge tab l
e to m ak e it e as y to re ad
You m ay h ave a l
arge tim e s h e e t s ys te m th at l
is ts th e pe opl
e invol
ve d in a proje ct
dow n th e l
e ft-h and s ide and th e h ours w ork e d acros s th e page . W e w ant to
form at th e page s o th at th e us e r can s crol
ll
e ft and righ t, as w e l
las up and dow n
and s til
ls e e th e w e e k s h e adings and th e te am m e m be rs nam e .
Th e figure be l
ow s h ow s th e s pre ads h e e t in a norm alform at. W ith th is de faul
t
vie w , th e us e w oul
d not be abl
e to s crol
lrigh t and s til
ls e e th e re s ource nam e
conne cte d to e ach w e e k .

Ste p 1: Se l
e ct th e firs t ce l
lw h ich contains data
For th e fre e ze pane function to w ork , you ne e d to te l
lM S-Exce lw h at is a h e ading
and w h at is data. To do th is you m us t s e l
e ct th e ve ry firs t ce l
lw h ich contains data
in it. Exce las s um e s th at e ve ryth ing above and to th e l
e ft of it is a h e ading for th e
tabl
e.
Cl
ick on Ce l
lB5 as s h ow n be l
ow .

Ste p 2: Se l
e ct W indow |Fre e ze
Pane s m e nu ite m from th e m e nu

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

Finis h : Th e W ork s h e e t w il
lnow h ave b l
ack l
ine s s ignifying th e l
ocation
of th e h e ading
Th e row and col
um n h e adings are now froze n. Th is al
l
ow s th e us e r to s crol
lal
lth e
w ay to th e righ t and al
lth e w ay dow n th e bottom of th e tabl
e and be s til
labl
e to
vie w th e re s ource nam e s and w e e k s w ork e d.

H el
ping Note : If you w ant to unfre e ze th e col
um ns and row h e adings th e n go to
W indow |UnFre e ze Pane s . Th is w il
ltak e th e tabl
e back to its de faul
t s tate .
H el
ping Note : You can fre e ze jus t th e top row s by s e l
e cting th e firs t row w ith data
in it and th e n us ing th e fre e ze function. Th is m e th od doe s not fre e ze and
col
um ns . Th e s am e principl
e can be us e d to fre e ze col
um ns but not row s .

H ow do I m ak e m y W ork s h e e t tabs col

ourful
?
Ad d ing Col
ou r to W ork s h e e ts
It is ofte n nice to add a touch of col
our to your w ork s h e e ts . As a ne w function to
M S-Exce l2003, you are now abl
e to e as il
y col
our individualw ork s h e e t tabs . For
e xam pl
e , you m ay w ant to col
our a s um m ary w ork s h e e t bl
ue to h igh l
igh t its
im portance to th e us e r.

Sce nario Cre ating e xcite m e nt on a b l

ank w ork s h e e t
O ur s am pl
e s pre ads h e e t h as a bl
ank w ork s h e e t w ith a dul
lgray tab. In th is
e xam pl
e w e w il
lch ange th e col
our from gray to a m ore e xciting col
our.
Ste p 1: Se l
e ct th e w ork s h e e t tab w e w ant to ch ange th e col
our of
Se l
e ct th e w ork s h e e t tab w e w ant to ch ange th e col
our of by cl
ick ing on th e
w ork s h e e t tab l
ocate d at th e bottom of th e w ork s h e e t.

Ste p 2: Se l
e ct th e ch ange Tab Col
our dial
og b ox

M e th od 1: Righ t-Cl
ick on th e
w ork s h e e t tab w e w ant to ch ange
th e col
our of, as s h ow n be l
ow .

M e th od 2: Se l
e ct Form at |
Sh e e t |Tab Col
or from th e
m e nu

M icros oft Exce l2003

Trick s 'n Tips

Ste p 3: Se l
e ct th e col
our on th e col
our pal
e tte ch art

Se l
e ct th e col
our you w ant to ch ange th e
w ork s h e e t tab to on th e Form at Tab Col
or
dial
og box (s h ow n be l
ow ). In th is e xam pl
e,
w e w ant th e tab to be gol
d in col
our.

Finis h : Th e W ork s h e e t tab is now th e col

oure d
Col
oure d w ork s h e e t tabs l
ook diffe re nt de pe nding on th e ir s e l
e ction s tate . Th e s e
tw o l
ook s are s h ow n be l
ow .
Se l
e cte d W ork s h e e t Tab Vie w :

Back ground W ork s h e e t Tab Vie w :