Microsoft Excel

The Basics
spreadsheet

A type of application program which

manipulates numerical and string data in
rows and columns of cells. The value in a
cell can be calculated from a formula which
can involve other cells. A value is
recalculated automatically whenever a value
on which it depends changes. Different cells
may be displayed with different formats.

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, 1993-2003 Denis Howe

Workbook
1. A booklet containing problems and exercises that
a student may work directly on the pages.
2. A manual containing operating instructions, as for
an appliance or machine.
3. A book in which a record is kept of work proposed
or accomplished.
Worksheet
1. A sheet of paper with multiple columns; used by
an accountant to assemble figures for financial
statements.
2. A piece of paper recording work planned or done
on a project.
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 The Basics

Open Excel.
By default, Excel will open a blank
workbook that contains three worksheets
(spreadsheets). Each box, located in both
a column and a row, is called a cell.
The Title Bar is located at the very top of the screen. On the Title bar, Microsoft
Excel displays the name of the workbook you are currently using. At the top of
your screen, you should see "Microsoft Excel - Book1" or a similar name.

The Menu Bar is directly below the Title bar and displays the menu. The menu
begins with the word File and continues with the following: Edit, View, Insert,
Format, Tools, Data, Window, and Help. You use the menu to give instructions to
the software. Point with your mouse to a menu option and click the left mouse
button. A drop-down menu will appear. You can now use the left and right arrow
keys on your keyboard to move left and right across the Menu bar options. You
can use the up and down arrow keys to move up and down the drop-down
menu. To select an option, highlight the item on the drop-down menu and press
Enter.
Toolbars
Microsoft Excel consists of worksheets. Each worksheet contains columns
and rows. The columns are lettered A to IV; the rows are numbered 1 to
65536. The combination of column and row coordinates make up a
cell address. For example, the cell located in the upper left corner of the
worksheet is cell A1, meaning column A, row 1. Cell E10 is located under
column E on row 10. You enter your data into the cells on the worksheet.
CELLS

Cells can be
formatted to help
handle various
types of data.
Right click on a
single cell, or a
group of cells, and
select Format
Cells from the
drop down menu.
Brief descriptions
of format types
can be seen at
the bottom of the
dialog box. Take
a moment to look
through the
various formatting
options. Click
cancel when
youre done.
Type a number into
cell 1A, right click on
the cell, and select
Format Cells. Note
that a sample format
is shown on the top
right of the dialog
box. You can adjust
the number of
decimal places and
any preceding
symbols.
Excel Help
 Working With Data
Data that is organized in columns or rows
can utilize various formatting methods.
Microsoft Excel can import these various
types of data.
Data can be separated using
Commas (.csv)
Tabs or spaces (.txt)
Open the file called
Staff.csv
Resize the columns so that
you can see more of the
data
Sorting data is sometimes necessary.
This data is currently in alphabetical
order by last name. Sort it by city
instead.
 Close all spreadsheets.
Open the file sample5yr4cast.csv.
Insert an additional
worksheet inside this
workbook. Click on
Insert/Worksheet.
You can rename the
new sheet by right
clicking on its tab at
the bottom, and
selecting Rename
from the menu.
Highlight and
copy the data
from cell B9
through E18.
Paste it on the
new sheet.
Right click on the
new worksheet, then
select paste from
the drop down
menu.
 The Fill Feature

You can quickly fill in several types of

data series by selecting cells and
dragging the fill handle or by using the
Series command (point to Fill on the
Edit menu, and then click Series).
 Charts and Graphs

Highlight the data you

want to graphically
represent. Then click
the chart wizard icon on
your toolbar
You can also
launch the
Chart Wizard
by selecting
Insert/Chart.
Notice that the Chart toolbar appears when
you insert a chart. You can edit the charts
properties at any time.
 Formulas and Functions
Formulas are equations that perform
calculations on values in your worksheet. A
formula starts with an equal sign (=). For
example, the following formula multiplies 2 by 3
and then adds 5 to the result. =5+2*3
Functions are predefined formulas that perform
calculations by using specific values, called
arguments, in a particular order, or structure.
Functions can be used to perform simple or
complex calculations.
Looking at cell I19, we
can see that there are
no special functions
associated with the
data. Using a simple
function can help make
regular updates to the
data easier.
In this case, you can
simply click on the
Autosum button while
cell I19 is selected, and
Excel will identify the
which cells to include
when calculating a total
revenue figure for
FY2005. Hit enter to
lock the sum in. Notice
that the function reads:
=SUM(I12:I18)
The same can be done using a
formula, instead of a function.
=I12+I13+I14+I15+I16+I17+I18
This long expression helps to
show why functions are handy
tools.
A variety of functions are
available. In cell L21, I can
use the average function to
determine a yearly average
for forecasted revenue.
fx=AVERAGE(I19:K19) or
fx=AVERAGE(I19, J19,
K19) or fx=(I19+J19+K19)/3
Click on the small
down arrow next to
the function symbol
(the epsilon). Select
More Functions.
One more thing about formulas
and functions:
You can utilize data from other
worksheets in order to populate
cells. The figure in cell c16 is
the sum of I19 through k19 on
worksheet sample5yr4cast.
=SUM(sample5yr4cast!I19:K19)
Page Setup dialog box.
Click on File/Page Setup.
To see all
printing options,
make sure you
select print from
the file menu.
Clicking on the
printer icon on
your toolbar will
allow to print
directly to your
default printer
with default
options.