MY EXCEL GUIDE

BEGINNERS, INTERMEDIATE, ADVANCED

- Faith Abbey
Table of contents
Definition, Importance and Loading Procedures
Terminologies
Entering Data
Commands and their Functions
Calculations in Excel: Excel Formulas
Excel Functions
Some Excel Skills
How To’s
 DEFINITION OF MICROSOFT EXCEL
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet software program, used for organizing and
calculating data. It is a powerful data visualization and data analysis tool and
all sizes of firms use it to do financial analysis and the likes.
It can also be defined as a spreadsheet package likewise a generic application
software that can perform both simple and complex mathematical
calculations.

IMPORTANCE OF MICROSOFT EXCEL

Excel has been the preferred tool for most people wishing to perform quick
data analysis over the years. It is one of the most used applications in our
daily life.
There are so many compelling reasons to learn how to use Excel! You need
Excel skills for Data entry, Data management, financial analysis, charting and
graphing which helps you present your data in compelling ways, accounting,
Balancing Sheets, Budgets, Editorial calendars, Data calculators,
programming, time management, Inventory tracking, creating forms, project
management, Data visualization, financial modeling, Forecasting, Expense
task management, tracking and almost anything that needs to be organized.
Also, learning how to analyze data in Excel using its tools and formulas will
undoubtedly increase the efficiency of your life.

LOADING PROCEDURES
There are two ways of loading excel into the computer memory:
By using the keyboard
By using the mouse

KEYBOARD

From the windows key or Ctrl (control) + Esc (escape) key together on the
keyboard to activate the start menu.
Use your directional or arrow key by moving it to select programs from the
start menu or hit letter “P” that is the underline word for programs.
Use your down direction key to select Microsoft Excel
Hit the enter key for acceptance.

THE MOUSE
Click on start button at the bottom left of the desktop
Select “All program” from the pull-up menu, another pull-up menu appears
Slide your mouse pointer to Microsoft Office.
Left click on Microsoft Excel from the drop down menu that appears.
You will receive the MICROSOFT EXCEL SCREEN.

The Microsoft Excel screen consists of the

Office Button
Quick access tool bar
Title Bar
Status bar
Ribbons

HOW TO SAVE A WORK SHEET

Pressing Ctrl S on the keyboard will prompt the computer to display the ‘save
as’ dialog box for further conversation.
Or
Move the mouse pointer to the “File menu”, move the pointer to “Save As”
and click on it. A “Save As” dialog box will appear, choose the folder to save
it in and type in the file name of your choice.

TO OPEN A FILE
Go to the “File Menu”
Click on “Open”
And double on any file name for the file to open.

TO CREATE A NEW WORK BOOK

Go to “File Menu” click on “New” from the drop down menu. A dialog box
will appear, then click on blank workbook or you could pick from the
templates already made available in Excel.
 TERMINOLOGIES
TITLE BAR: The bar at the top of an application or document that indicate
its name.
TABS: These are rectangular tabs located at the top of the Excel Workbook.
Such as the home tab, page layout, formulas tab etc.
v File tab menu: File tab is a coloured tab located in the upper-left
corner of Ms Excel. It is used to open, save, print and close a
document. To display file menu, hold the Alt key down and press F.
v Home tab: It consists of seven groups which provides an
assortment of useful commands that apply to rows, columns and
sheets. It is used to execute regular instructions like bold, underline,
copy and paste. It is also used to apply formats to cells in a
worksheet. It contains Font, Alignment, Number, Cells and Editing.
v Insert tab: This tab is for inserting tables, charts, pictures, headers
into a document.
v Page Layout: It contains options that helps you arrange your
document pages. Like setting margins, adding sections and applying
themes
v Formulas tab: It is used to insert functions, outline the name,
produce the name and review the formula. It allows you select from
so many Excel functions already present in Ms Excel. These
functions are grouped into categories; logical, financial, statistical,
engineering, lookup and reference, date and time, text, math and
trig, information and compatibility and cube.
When you click on one of these tabs, a ribbon is what appears.
RIBBON: Ribbon is the row of tabs and icons at the top of the Excel
Window that allows you quickly find and use commands. Each ribbon is
subdivided into groups
NAME BOX: It gives the name of a cell or a table. It is located on the left
side of the Excel window
FORMULA BAR: It shows the data and formulas you enter into your
worksheet, located directly above the spreadsheet.
SPREADSHEET: Spreadsheet is a grid-based file made for organizing or
carrying out any kind of calculation on any data. It consists of cells that are
organized into columns and rows.
COLUMN: It runs vertically in the work book and are numbered
alphabetically e.g. A C B, which is located at the top of the worksheet. Excel
have 16,384 columns in total.
ROWS: Runs horizontally and are labeled numerically. Excel have 1,048-
576 rows in total.
CELL: A cell is the basic building block of a worksheet. It is where a
column and a row meets (the intersection between a column and a row).
Every cell has a name. (A1, E6, G7)
ACTIVE CELL: The highlighted cell where you type in data.
RANGE: A range is a collection of cells or a group of cells altogether. A
range can also be named e.g. (F6:K19)
FUNCTION: A function is a predefined formula or a formula with a name
and it is already available in Excel. For example, ‘SUM’ which adds numbers
together. Function = SUM()
FORMULA: A formula is an expression which calculates the value of a cell,
such as adding, multiplying, taking the average, etc. Formulas in Excel
always begin with an equal sign. Formula =5+4
WORKSHEET: A worksheet is where Excel stores all your text, numbers
and formulas. Worksheets make up your workbook
WORKBOOK: A workbook is simply another name for your Excel file.
SCROLL BAR: A gray horizontal/vertical line that enables the mouse to
scroll the screen.
SCROLL ARROW: Clicking the arrow move you up and down the
document.
ZOOM SLIDER: It is used to quickly zoom in or out of your worksheet.
SHEET TAB: Allow you to switch between worksheets and also shows you
the worksheet numbers.
TEXT STRING: Is a string, text or a text value. A group of characters used
as data in a spreadsheet program. They comprise of words, numbers, special
characters etc.
CLEAR FORMAT: Removes only the formats from the selected cells,
graphics or chart items.
CLEAR ALL: This removes the content and the format from the selected
cells.

Fig: Cell and Range in Excel

Fig: Excel Workspace

 ENTERING INFORMATION IN A CELL
To enter any data into a cell, take the following steps:
1. Click on a Cell
2. Type the entry (texts or numbers without decimal points) into the
cell
3. Hit enter or click on the green check mark on the formula bar.

TO ENTER MULIPLE DATA INTO CELLS

Instead of having to move the cell pointer after each entry to a new location,
select a range of cells.
To do this whether the range consist of adjacent or non-adjacent.
1. First select the range of
cells.
2. To add non adjacent cells, select by pressing Ctrl while clicking the
cells
3. To activate the cell, hold down Ctrl key.
4. After selecting the range, type the first entry and continue to enter.
Each time you hit enter, the pointer moves through the selected range
from top to bottom e.g. downward through the first column then to the
top of the next column to the right
5. To move in different direction within the pre –selected range:
Hit enter to move down
Press Shift + Enter to move up
Hit Tab to move right
Press Shift + Tab to move left
Or use the arrow keys on the keyboard
6. When you have finish enter data, click on any cell to deselect the range.
Another method of data entry involves the fill command. This command
allows you to duplicate data down a column or across a row. You do this by
going to Edit, select Fill and the option box appears. Select the direction you
want to fill. To do this first select a range of cells you want to fill, starting
with the cell that contains the data you wish to copy.
Also another way to fill in a range of cells at once is to select, starting from
the cell you want to copy its data to then end of the selected range, then hit
F2 and then Ctrl + Enter
To Select an entire column, click on any cell in the column and press Ctrl +
Space
To go to the end of your table, put the cursor to the first cell in the column
and press shift + Ctrl + End to go to the end of your table.
To select the entire row, click on any cell in the row and press Shift+Space
To select several cells, hold Ctrl and left-click on all cells that you want to fill
with data
To Select the whole table, press Ctrl+A
To select all cells in a worksheet, press Ctrl+A and then Ctrl+A again
To select all blank cells within certain areas, highlight the area you need, hit
F5 or Ctrl + G or on the Home ribbon, under “Find and select” choose “Go
to”, to bring up “Go To” dialog box and click on the “Special…” button.

Select “Blanks” and click okay, then you’d have only blank cells in that area
are selected.
EDITING DATA
The edit mode helps us make changes to the contents within the cell entries.
If you want to correct an error before entry is complete click either back
space or delete.
If already entered:
Select the cells and press F2, that way, you can edit it. Alternatively;
Click on the formula Bar or double click on the cell, this will activate the edit
mode. Select delete and hit Enter.

HOW TO FORMAT TEXT

Click or select the cells you want to format, click thee home tabs. To change
the font, click the font drop-down list box and click on the font style you
want.
Click on the font size drop-down list box to increase or decrease your text.

Click on the “A” icon to change the text colour.

We change background colour of cells by using fill colour.

Select the cell and click on fill colour and in the colours dialog box, select
your desired colour
 COMMAND AND THEIR FUNCTIONS
Auto – Sum: Calculates the sum of a given range of data base above or to the
left.
Center Across Column: Center text across the selected columns
Set Print Area: Set the range of cells to the area where data is going to
appear in print.
Chart Wizard: Guides you in creating a chart based on the selected data
range and also you can edit your chart.
Function Wizard: Helps you enter formulas instead of typing them in and to
analyze the results.
Text Box: Helps you enter your text in a drawn box.
Percent Style (Ctrl+Shift+%): Applies the percent style to the selected cells
Comma Style: Apples comma to selected cells
Increase Decimal: Adds an additional decimal each time it is clicked
Decrease Decimal: One less decimal each time it is clicked
Convert all characters to Upper case: It converts characters from lower
case to upper case. You can use the UPPER and LOWER function.
Minimum and maximum value: It brings out the maximum or minimum
value within a range.
Convert Negative value to Positive Value: It converts negative values to
positive values using the ABS function.
 CALCULATIONS IN EXCEL
EXCEL FORMULAS
Excel formulas and functions helps you perform tasks quickly and efficiently
and excel offers wide range of functions and formulas, depending on the type
of operation you want to carry. Excel can be used to perform simple to
complex mathematical calculations such as: Addition (+), Subtraction (-),
Multiplication (*), Division (/) and Exponentiation (^)
A Formula is an expression that calculates the value of a cell. These formulas
return a result. Excel formulas enable you perform calculations such as
addition, subtraction, division and multiplication.
All formulas begin with an equal sign.
For Example, Cell C1 contains a formula that adds up the values of cell A1
and B1

ADDITION IN EXCEL
There are four major ways of performing addition in excel:
1. By using the plus formula
2. By double clicking on the summation icon ( )
3. By using the range formula
4. By pressing the Alt + Equal sign (=) twice on the keyboard.

Examples
Calculate the total score in the above students’ record for each student

Using the Plus Formula

1. Position your pointer on cell F2
2. Type in the following: =B2+C2+D2+E2
NOTE:
1. The computer will display the answer on cell F2.
2. The cell references have been added one after the other.

Fig: Plus formula in Excel

Using the Summation Icon ( )

1. Position on your pointer on cell F2

2. Type = Sum (B2:E2)
NOTE: In a range of cells you specify the first and the last cell reference i.e
B2 is the first while E2 is the last.

Fig: Summation in Excel

Using the Alt Plus equal

1. Position your pointer on cell F2
2. Press down this alt key and strike the equal sign twice

AUTO FILL IN EXCEL

Auto fill is a way of copy filling the rest empty cells with a corresponding
figure.
STEPS:
First Method.
1. Calculate your total score on cell F2 and copy
2. Drag carefully your pointer to the rest cells and select paste to display
your answers.

SUBTRACTION
For subtracting numbers
i. e. = A2 – B2 or = A2 – B2 – C2
Fig: Subtraction formula in Excel

MULTIPLICATION
We use the asterisks symbol for multiplication
Type in =B2 * C2 or B2 * C2 * D2 and hit enter to get your result

Fig: Multiplication formula in Excel

DIVISION
The slash symbol is for dividing numbers in excel
Type in =B2/C2 or B2/C2/D2 and hit enter to get your result
Fig: Division formula in Excel

EXPONENTIATION
This is used to raise a number to the power of another.

OR
Fig: Exponentiation in Excel
 EXCEL FUNCTIONS
Excel functions are used to perform complex calculations. They are
predefined formulas and they are already present in Excel and have names
that accurately describe what they are used for. Like the “SUM” and the
“COUNT” functions. All functions also begin with an equal sign.

THE ‘SUM’ FUNCTION: It is the most used function when it comes to

computing data in Excel. The SUM() function is for getting the total of a
selected range of cell values. It performs the mathematical operation which is
addition.

Fig: The SUM function in Excel

To find the total amount of sales of Q1 (First Quarter) we type in equal sign,
then the function and the cell names or we click on the cell values. Like this
“=SUM(B11:D11)”

THE COUNT FUNCTION

The COUNT() function counts the total number of cells in a range that
contains just numbers. To count the number of cells within the range A3:E8
that has just numbers in them, enter in equal sign, COUNT, and select the
range of numbers. “=COUNT(A3:E8)”. As seen below.
Fig: The COUNT function in Excel

The COUNTA() function counts the number of cells that have both numbers
and letters or data in them. To count the number of cells within the range
A3:E8 that has both numbers and letters in them, type in “=Counta(A3:E8)”.
As seen below.

Fig: The COUNTA function in Excel

The COUNTBLANK() function counts the number of empty cells within a
range. To count the number of cells within the range A3:E8 that are empty,
we type in “=Countblank(A3:E8)”. As seen below.

Fig: The COUNTBLANK function in Excel

THE SUBTOTAL FUNCTION

The SUBTOTAL() function returns the subtotal in a database, depending on
what you want, you could pick average, sum, min, count or others.
To find the subtotal of the values in the range A1:A5, we type in
“=SUBTOTAL(1,A1:A5). Note: In subtotal list, the function number “1” is
average and “2” is count and so on.
Fig: Subtotal function

THE ‘VLOOKUP’ FUNCTION

The VLOOKUP stands for ‘Vertical Lookup’. It helps search for a certain
value in a column in order to return a value from a different column in the
same row.
The syntax is ‘=VLOOKUP(The lookup value, the range, and the column
which is the second column, True for Approximate match or False Exact
Match)’

And so it returns the value Red for Boys (B5).

Fig: The VLOOKUP function in Excel

THE ‘IF’ FUNCTION

The ‘IF’ function is for making logical comparisons between a value and
what you expect. The If function has two results, it returns one value for the
comparison if true and another value if false. The syntax is ‘=IF(Logical test,
(value if true), (value if false)). Logical test if a logical expression that can be
evaluated as true or false.
Enter in an IF statement ‘-=IF(B2>=70,”A”,”B”) It means if F2 is greater
than or equal to 70, it should return an ‘A’ but if it’s not (less than 70) it
should return a ‘B’
For the other test scores, copy and paste the first formula into the rest of the
cells
Also you can create many ‘IF’ statements in one formula to have more than
two results.
THE COUNTIF FUNCTION
The COUNTIF() function counts the number of times a particular number or
text appears within a selected range. In order words, it counts cells in a range
that meet a single condition or criterion (what you are looking for). To count
the number of times 55 appears within the range A3 through G9;
‘=COUNTIF(A3:G9,55)’
Fig: The COUNTIF function in Excel

THE ‘SUMIF’ FUNCTION

The SUMIF() function calculates the sum of values in a range of cells based
on a true or false condition.
The syntax is ‘=SUMIF(range[range of cells to look at], criteria[the criteria
determining which cells to add], sum range[the cells to add together]’
To get the total sales made in Lagos from the table below. ‘=
(A2:A11,A2,C2:C11)’

OR
The total sales made in Lagos is 700

Fig: The SUMIF function in Excel

THE SUMPRODUCT FUNCTION

The SUMPRODUCT() function multiplies ranges or arrays together and
returns the sum of the products of corresponding ranges or arrays.
The syntax is ‘=SUMPRODUCT(array1, [array2], [array3], …)’. The first
array is the range to multiply, then add. The second array is the second range
to multiply, then add.
THE ‘TEXT’ FUNCTION
The TEXT() functions helps to convert numbers to text (convert a numeric
value into a text string).
The syntax is ‘=TEXT(Value,format_text)’
Value is the number you want to change, format_text is the format you want
to apply
Date format (d mmmm yyyy)
=TEXT(A2,”d mmmm yyyy”)
Telephone Number Format [(##) ### ### ###]
=TEXT(A3,”(##) ### ### ###”)
Fig: Text functions in Excel

THE ‘AVERAGE’ FUNCTION

The Average () function calculates the average of a selected range of cell
values. Average being the.
To find the average of test scores, we type in “=AVERAGE(B2:E2)” and it
automatically calculates the average.

Fig: Average function in Excel

THE ‘CONCATENATE’ FUNCTION

The CONCATENATE() function joins several text strings into one text
string.
To join two texts, ‘=CONCATENATE(the first value, the second value)’
Fig: Concatenate function in Excel

THE MODULUS FUNCTION

The MOD() function returns the remainder when a particular number is
divided by a divisor. If you divided 18 by 5 we get the remainder using the
function “=MOD(A1,5)” or “=MOD(15,5)”

Fig: Modulus function in Excel

THE POWER FUNCTION

The Power() function brings out the result of a number raised to a certain
power. To find the power of 6 in A1 raised to the power of 2, we type in
“=POWER(A1,2).
Fig: Power function in Excel

THE CEILING FUNCTION

The Ceiling() function rounds up a number to its nearest multiple of
significance
Fig: Ceiling function in Excel

THE FLOOR FUNCTION

The FLOOR() function unlike the Ceiling function, rounds a number down to
the nearest multiple of significance

Fig: Floor function in Excel

THE LEN FUNCTION

The LEN() function returns the number of characters in a text string. LENB
returns the number of bytes used to represent the characters in a text string.
Basically, it returns the length of a text as a number. Len also works with
numbers but number formatting is not included. The function returns zero is a
value is empty.

THE REPLACE FUNCTION

The REPLACE() function replaces characters in a text string by position. The
syntax is ‘=REPLACE(old_text, start_num, num_chars, new_text)’. Old text
is the text you want to replace, start_num is the location in text you want to
start from, num_chars is the number of characters you want to replace,
new_text is the text you want to replace the old text with.
To replace Ban in Banana with Nirv, input ‘=REPLACE(A2,1,3,”NIRV”)
A2 being the cell number of the text you want to replace, 1 is the letter I want
to start from, 3 is the number of letters I want to remove starting from 1, and
Nirv is the new word.
 SOME EXCEL SKILLS
CURRENT TIME
If you want to know the current time, enter in “=now()” and hit enter to show
the current time and date

Fig: Current time and date

PIVOT TABLE
You can easily arrange and summarize complex data in a PivotTable.
You can also double-click a value to see which detailed values make up the
summarized data.
Go to Insert, click on summarize with PivotTable once you have a table of
data.
CONDITIONAL FORMATTING
Conditional formatting helps change the appearance of a given cell or cells
given a certain condition. It makes it easy to spot trends and patterns in your
data, using bars, colors and icons to visually highlight important values.
If I wanted to highlight all cells that have numbers greater than $400 and the
likes, I’d use conditional formatting.
Go to ‘home tab’ and click on conditional formatting.
 HOW TO’s
v HOW TO MERGE AND CENTER
To merge two or more cells, highlight the cells and press ‘ALT+H+M+M’.
To merge cells and center your text, highlight the cells and press
ALT+H+M+C.
Or
Select the cells and click on merge and center, or go to format cells, under
alignment, select ‘Merge and Center’

v HOW TO WRAP TEXT

Instead of having long strings of text overflow into adjacent cells, you can
display the text in multiple lines within a cell – this is called Wrap Text. Go
to Format select cells, click on Alignment and put a check in the Wrap text
box. You can also select the cell and press ALT+H+W
 v HOW TO FORMAT WITH CURRENCY
CURRENCY: This is the social symbol that can be used to start a number
e.g. 25, $ 25.00, £25.00
STEPS:
1. Type in your text
2. Highlight the range of cell that will be affected
3. Click on the formatting currency Icon on your formatting tools box.
Alternatively,
1. Highlight the range of cells that will be affected
2. Right click on the highlighted data and select format cells from the
pop-up menu
3. From the format dialog box, click on number button from the number
dialog box options list box, select currency then specify the number of
decimal places and select your currency style under accounting, then
click OK.
You can achieve this same operation by:
Click on format menu after highlight the range of cells that will be affected.
Select cells from the sub menu. Click on number button and select your
currency options. Click ok.

HOW TO FORMAT WITH PERCENTAGE (%)

1. Type your number in a range of cells
2. Highlight the range of cells
3. Click on format menu and select cells from the submenu.
4. From the dialog box, click on number button and select percentage
from the list box.
5. Click on ok.
Or you can just click on percent style
Note:
1. You can click on the increase decimal or decrease decimal icon on the
formatting tools bar to add more decimals or decrease the decimals.
2. You can also increase indenting that is specifying where your character
should start by clicking on the increase/decrease indent icons on your
formatting bar.

v HOW TO PLOT A CHART

A chart is a diagrammatical or pictorial representation of a record in an excel
work sheet.
STEPS:
1. Highlight the data you want to plot as a chart on the worksheet.
2. Click on the chart icon under Insert
3. From the chart dialogue box, select your chart type i.e bar, pie, column,
etc.
Column charts use vertical bars to represent data

Bar charts uses horizontal bars to represent data

Line Charts are for showing trends over time (years, months and dates) or
categories. The data points are connected with lines, to see if values are
increasing or decreasing over time.

Area Charts are like line charts but the areas under the lines are filled.
Pie Charts is used to show proportions of a whole. Each value is shown as a
slice of pie.

TO CHANGE CHART TYPE

From the design tab, click on ‘Change Chart Type’ and select the desired
chart type from the dialog box that appears and click ‘OK’
TO SWITCH ROWS AND COLUMNS DATA
Select the chart, from the design tab, select ‘Switch Row/Column’ and the
chart will readjust.
 v HOW TO CREATE AND FORMAT A TABLE TO
VISUALLY GROUP AND ANALYZE DATA
Select a cell within your data
Go to Home ribbon, select format as Table
Choose a style for your table
In the ‘Format as table’ dialog box, set your cell range.
Mark if your table has headers
Select OK.
FIX SLOW MICROSOFT EXCEL
Fixing slow Microsoft Excel depends on the issue and situation. If you are
having problems with it, you can try these fixes.
-Open Excel in safe mode (Win + R) key shortcut to open Run prompt after
closing all opened Excel files,
-Repair Microsoft Office installation,
-Split a big Workbook,
-Reduce size of Excel file by removing unnecessary formulas and formatting,
-Enable SuperFetch,
-Disable all Add-ins,
-Enable manual calculation,
-Or check security of excel file.
NOTE:
When an Excel function is not working and gives an error “#NAME?”, it is
probably because we skipped some symbols or letter, most especially
quotation marks where needed.