MS Excel

(Essential Skills)

Handbook
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What is Microsoft Office?

The term “Microsoft Office” refers Microsoft’s entire suite of
office productivity applications. Microsoft Excel is one of the
many applications that are grouped under of the “Microsoft
Office” umbrella.
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application that is commonly
used for a variety of uses. At its core, Excel is a table consisting
of rows and columns. Excel is composed of rows and columns and uses a spreadsheet to
display data.

Introduction
Microsoft Excel is an electronic spreadsheet program that runs on a personal computer.
As with a paper spreadsheet, you can use Excel to organize your data into rows and
columns and to perform mathematical calculations.

Features of MS Excel
1. Add header and footer-MS Excel allows us to keep the header and footer in our
spreadsheet document.
2. Find and replace command-MS Excel allows us to find the needed data (text and
numbers) in the workbook and also replace the existing data with a new one.
3. Password protection-This feature of MS Excel allows the user to protect their
workbooks by using a password from unauthorized access to their information.
4. Data filtering-Filtering is a quick and easy way to find and work with a subset of data
in a range. A filtered range displays only the rows that meet the criteria you specify
for a column. MS Excel provides two commands for filtering ranges.
5. AutoFilter- which includes filter by selection, for simple criteria Advanced Filter; for
more complex criteria.
6. Data sorting-Data sorting is the process of arranging data in some logical order. MS
Excel allows us to sort data either in ascending or descending order.
7. Built-in formulae-MS Excel has got many built-in formulae for sum, average,
minimum, etc. We can use those formulae as per our needs.
8. Create different charts (Pivot Table Report)-MS Excel allows us to create different
charts such as bar graph, pie- charts, line graphs, etc. This helps us to analyze and
compare data very easily. Automatically edits the result-MS Excel automatically edits
the results if any changes are made in any of the cells.
9. Formula auditing-Using formula auditing feature of MS Excel, we can graphically
display or trace the relationships between cells and formulas with blue arrows. We

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can trace the precedents (the cells that provide data to a specific cell) or the
dependents (the cells that depend on the value in a specific cell).

Cells, Rows, and Columns

What is a cell?
A cell, outlined in green below, is an individual block within a table in which you can enter
values, such as words or numbers.

What are rows and columns?

Rows, outlined in red below, are a horizontal group of cells. Columns, outlined in blue
below, are a vertical group of cells.

Inserting rows and columns

To Add a Row:
1. Select the entire row below where you want to add the new row.
2. Right click, select Insert.

To Add a Column:
1. Select the column to the right of where you want to add the new column
2. Right click, select Insert.

Workspace
Open Excel and locate the parts of
the Excel window.
1. Name Box: Displays the
currently selected sell.
2. Formula Bar: Displays the
number, text, or formula that
is in the currently selected
cell, and allows you to edit it.
It behaves just like a text box.
3. Selected Cell: The selected
cell has a dark border around
it.
4. Column: Columns run vertically (top to bottom).

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5. Column Label: Identifies each column with a letter. Clicking on a column label selects
the entire column.
6. Row: Rows run horizontally (left to right).
7. Row Label: Identifies each row with a number. Clicking on a row label selects the
entire row.
8. Cell: The intersection of a row and column.
9. Worksheets: The worksheets contained in the workbook are displayed at the bottom-
left of the screen. Click on a worksheet to view it.
10. Scroll Bars: Used to view other parts of a worksheet when the entire worksheet cannot
fit on the screen.
11. View Tools: See Status Bar next

Navigation
Navigating through your spreadsheet doesn’t have to be difficult. Using some very simple
keystrokes, you can move from one end of your spreadsheet to the other faster than using
the scroll bar.

Moving Between Cells

1. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move from one cell to another
2. Use the Tab key to move horizontally to the right. Hold the Shift key and press the Tab
key to move horizontally to the left.
3. Use the Enter key to move vertically downward. Hold the Shift key and press the Enter
key to move vertically upwards.

Selecting Multiple Cells

1. Select a range of data.
2. Select the first cell in the data range.
3. Hold the Shift key.
4. Select the last cell in the data range. OR Select the beginning range of data, drag the
cursor to select the range of data

Selecting Entire Rows and Columns

Excel organizes a data sheet by numbering the rows and lettering the columns
1. To select an entire row: Select the number of the row
2. To select an entire column: Select the letter of the column.

Selecting Multiple Rows and Columns

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To select multiple rows or columns

1. Select the entire first row or column.
2. Hold the Shift Key
3. Select the entire last row of the range of data

Formatting
Formatting in Excel allows you to change the appearance of cells or the appearance of the
spreadsheet as a whole.

Cells Formatting
Cells allow you to change the appearance of the
value within the cell without changing the
value, such as converting number into a
currency or percentage value.
To Format a Cell:
1. Select the cell or cells to format
2. Right click and select Format Cells
3. The Format Cells dialogue box will appear.
4. To convert a numeric value into an
accounting value: Select Accounting from
the list of Categories.
5. Click Ok.

Saving the File

1. Click the File tab.
2. Click the Save As button. (We use Save As instead of
Save the first time we save a file or whenever we
want to save an existing file under a different name
or change where we save the file.)
3. Click Browse.
4. Notice that a smaller window appears in front of our
work. This small window is called a dialog box
5. When it comes to saving, there are two important
things to identify for the computer:
a. The location where the file is going to be saved to.
b. What name you want to give the file.

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6. The location where it will be saved is displayed for us in the Address field. In this case,
note that the Documents directory is the default save location, but we want to save
our file to the flash drive.
7. Notice other available folders and devices can be seen in the left pane, called the
navigation pane. If we wanted to save to one of these alternate locations, we would
have to click on it.
8. Find the location and click on it
a. Your address field should now
b. Now we need to name our file. Notice that the file name field is located towards
the bottom of the dialogue box.
9. Click in the File Name box and the words will be highlighted.
10. Once we have given the computer a file name and a save location, we are ready to
save. At this point, your Save As dialog box should look like the image below. To save,
you will click the Save button.
11. Once we have given the computer a file name and a save location, we are ready to
save. At this point, your Save As dialog box should look like the image below. To save,
you will click the Save button
12. . Your Excel window will still be open but notice the title bar will now show the file
name

Separating Text within a Cell

When data is combined within a cell, such as a first and last name, Excel is able to separate
this data into two cells.
To separate data within a cell:
1. Insert a blank column to the right
of the column containing the
merged data.
2. Highlight the column of full
names.
3. Select the Data tab.
4. Select Text to Columns
5. The Convert Text to Columns
Wizard dialogue box will.
6. Choose the appropriate data type.
7. To separate a column based on
punctuation characters, select
Delimited.
8. To separate a column based on spaces between each field, select Fixed Width.
9. Select Next.

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10. Choose your delimiters for the text separation.

11. Select Next.
12. Select the data format for each column.
13. Select Finish.

Wrapping text
There is an even easier way to accomplish this.
1. Click the Undo button on the Quick Access
Toolbar to remove the line break we just
inserted.
2. With cell N1 selected click Wrap Text in the
Alignment group on the Home tab.
3. Notice how the text now fits inside the cell.

Sorting
Data sorting is any process that involves arranging the data into some meaningful order
to make it easier to understand, analyze or visualize..

Alphabetical
To sort the data alphabetically:
1. Select the column to sort. For this example
we will sort by last name.
2. Highlight the column.
3. Select the Data tab. Sorting options are
located in the Sort & Filter section.
a. The A-Z descending button is used
to sort data from the lowest to
highest values.
i. The Z-A descending button is
used to sort data from the
highest to lowest values.

4. Select the A-Z to alphabetize the data within the column.

5. A Sort Warning dialogue box will appear.
6. This will ask if you want to expand the selection or continue with the current selection.
7. Select Expand the Selection.
8. This will sort the entire data sheet based on the column instead of just sorting the
column selected.

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9. The data will be displayed alphabetically.

Numerically
To numerically sort data from lowest to highest values:
1. Select the column
2. Select the A-Z sort button to sort data from smallest to largest quantity.
3. Select the Z-A sort button to sort data from largest to smallest quantity.

Filters
Filters allow data to be limited to only display data which meets the criteria of the filter.
Data which does not meet the criteria of the filter is hidden.
To apply a filter:
1. Select the range of data to filter
2. Highlight the headers of each column of data to filter. To highlight all header columns
select the entire first row.
3. Select Filter.
4. A dropdown arrow will appear to the right of each column header.

Create a Chart
To create a line chart, execute the following steps.
1. Select the range A1:D7.

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2. On the Insert tab, in the Charts group, click the any chart you want. For example-let’s
take a line chart.

3. Click Line with Markers.

4. Result

5. Note: enter a title by clicking on Chart Title. For example, Wildlife Population

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Create A Multi-Level Category Chart In Excel

A multi-level category chart can display both the main category and subcategory labels
at the same time. When you have values for items that belong to different categories
and want to distinguish the values between categories visually, this chart can do you a
favor.
1. Select the data range.

2. Click Insert > Insert Column or Bar Chart > Clustered Bar

3. Drag the chart border to enlarge the chart area.

4. Now the Chart is displayed as follows.

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5. For formatting, select the chart and use the “+” button beside it to add Title, Data
labels, Axes Titles, and others or right-click and then select Format option.
6. Adding Title: Check the “Chart Title” box from the Chart Elements pop down and
add a suitable title.
7. Adding data labels: Check the “Data Labels” from the Chart Elements pop down.

8. Assigning a color to bars: Select the individual bar and add colors as shown below:

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9. Gap Width: Assign a suitable gap width as per requirements. Select all the bars,
right-click on it and select “Format Data Series.”

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Protect Sheet
When you share an Excel file with other users, you may want to protect a worksheet to
help prevent it from being changed.
1. Right click a worksheet tab.
2. Click Protect Sheet.

3. Enter a password.
4. Check the actions you allow the users of your worksheet to perform.
5. Click OK.

6. Confirm the password and click OK. our worksheet is protected now.

7. To unprotect a worksheet, right click on the worksheet tab and click Unprotect
Sheet. The password for the downloadable Excel file is "easy".

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Conditional formatting
Conditional formatting is a feature of many spreadsheet applications that allows you to
apply special formatting to cells that meet certain criteria. It is most often used to
highlight, emphasize, or differentiate among data and information stored in a
spreadsheet.
Following are the steps for conditional formatting to be done in a spreadsheet:
Highlight Cells Rule
1. Select the range A1:A10.

2. In the Home tab, in the Styles group, click Conditional Formatting.

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3. Click Highlight Cells Rules, Greater Than.

4. Enter the value 80 and select a formatting style.

5. Click OK.

Result. Excel highlights the cells that are greater than 80.

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Clear Rules
To clear a conditional formatting rule, execute the following steps.
1. Select the range A1:A10.

2. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click Conditional Formatting.

3. Click Clear Rules, Clear Rules from Selected Cells.

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Top Bottom Rules

To highlight cells that are above average, execute the following steps.
1. Select the range A1:A10.

2. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click Conditional Formatting.

3. Click Top/Bottom Rules, Above Average.

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4. Select a formatting style.

5. Click OK.

Result. Excel calculates the average (42.5) and formats the cells that are above this
average.

Functions and Formulas

Excel has many different functions and formulas which can be used to manipulate
data in a variety of ways, such as sums, subtotals, averages, number counts,
maximums, and minimums.

FUNCTION CATEGORY DESCRIPTION USAGE

Adds all the values in a range of
SUM Math & Trig =SUM(number1,number10)
cells

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Finds the minimum value in a

MIN Statistical =MIN(number1,number10)
range of cells
Finds the maximum value in a
MAX Statistical =MAX(number1,number10)
range of cells
Calculates the average value in
AVERAGE Statistical =AVERAGE(number1,number10)
a range of cells
Counts the number of cells in a
COUNT Statistical =COUNT(number1,number10)
range of cells
Returns the number of
LEN Text =LEN(TEXT)
characters in a string text
Returns the number of days
DAYS Date & Time =DAYS(serial number)
between two dates
Returns the current system
NOW Date & Time =NOW()
date and time
Generates a random number
RAND Math & Trig =RAND()
between 0 to 1
Generates random numbers on
RANDBETWEE
Math & Trig a particular bottom and top =RANDBETWEEN(bottom, top)
N
condition.
Rounds off a decimal value to
=ROUND(number, number
ROUND Math & Trig the specified number of
digits)
decimal points.
Returns a number of specified
=LEFT(text, number of
LEFT Text characters from the start (left-
characters)
hand side) of a string.
Returns a number of specified =RIGHT(text, number of
RIGHT Text characters from the start (right- characters)
hand side) if a string.
Returns a number from the
middle of a string from a =MID(text, start number,
MID Text
specified start position and number of characters)
length.
Returns the starting position of
a string within another text =FIND(find text, within text,
FIND Text
string. This function is case number of characters)
sensitive.

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=REPLACE(old text, start

Replaces a part of string with
REPLACE Text number, Number of characters,
another specified string
new text)
Returns the starting position of
a string within another text =SEARCH(find text, within text,
SEARCH Text
string. This function is case number of characters)
sensitive.
TRIM Text Removes extra space from data =TRIM(text)
Round the number upward to = ROUNDUP(number, number
ROUNDUP Math & Trig
the specified number of digits _digits)
Round the number downward
=ROUNDOWN(number, number
ROUNDOWN Math & Trig to the specified number of
_digits)
digits
Is a function in excel that
multiplies range of cells or =SUMPRODUCT (array1,
SUMPRODUCT Math & Trig
arrays and returns the sum of array2],…..)
products)
Add a specified number of
EDATE Date & Time months to a date and returns =EDATE(start_ date, months)
the results.
Calculates the last day of the
=EOMONTH(start_ date,
EOMONTH Date & Time month after adding a specified
months)
number of month to a date
Returns a date that is a
supplied number of working =WORKDAY(start_ date, days,
WORKDAY Date & Time
days(excluding weekends and [holidays])
holidays)
=WEEKDAY(serial_ number,
WEEKDAY Date & Time A number between 0 and 7
[return type])
Get the hour as an number (0-
HOUR Date & Time =HOUR(serial_ number)
23() from a time
MINUTE Date & Time Number between 0 and 59 =MINUTE(serial_ number)
SECOND Date & Time Number between 0 and 59 =SECOND(serial_ number)
Returns true if all the
conditions are true and return
AND Logical =AND (loical1, [logical2]…)
false if one or more condition is
false.

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If one condition is true it comes

OR Logical to true and both the condition =OR (logical1,[logical2],…)
is false then it comes to false
If function can perform a logical
=IF(logical_ test,[value_ if_
test and return one value for a
IF Logical true],[value_ if _ false])
TRUE result, and another for a
FALSE result
ISNA function returns TRUE
Error when a cell contains the #n/a
ISNA =ISNA(value)
Handling error and FALSE for any other
value, or any other error type
ISBLANK function returns TRUE
Error when a cell contains is empty
ISBLANK =ISBLANK(value)
Handling and FALSE when a cell is not
empty
Error
ISERROR The value to check for any error =ISERROR(value)
Handling
ISTEXT function to check if
Error
ISNUMBER value is text ISTEXT will return =ISNUMBER (value)
Handling
TRUE when value is text
ISNUMBER will return TRUE
Error
ISTEXT when value is numeric and =ISTEXT (value)
Handling
FALSE when not
Adds the cells specified by a =SUMIF (criteria range,
SUMIF Math & Trig
given condition or criteria criteria,[sum_ range])
=SUMIFS ([sum_ range], criteria
Adds the cells specified by
SUMIFS Math & Trig range1, criteria, criteria range2,
given conditions or criteria’s
criteria…..)
COUNTIF is an Excel function to
COUNTIF Math & Trig count cells in a range that meet =COUNTIF (range, criteria)
a single condition.
COUNTIFS is an Excel function
=COUNTIFS (range1, criteria,
COUNTIFS Math & Trig to count cells in a range that
range2, criteria…)
meet a two or more condition.
AVERAGEIF function calculates
=AVERAGEIF (criteria range1,
AVERAGEIF Math & Trig the average of numbers in a
criteria,[average range])
range that meet one criteria.

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AVERAGEIFS function calculates

=AVERAGEIFS ([average
the average of numbers in a
AVERAGEIFS Math & Trig range],criteria range1, criteria,
range that meet one or more
criteria range2, criteria…)
criteria.
RANK function returns the rank
of a numeric value when
RANK Aggregate =RANK (number, ref,[order])
compared to a list of other
numeric values.

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