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Crescent Resources MS Excel Training

Excel Basics, Pieces and Parts

Designing a Simplistic Spreadsheet

Working with Spreadsheet Templates

Creating Cell Formulas

Naming Cell Ranges & Labels

Basic Cell Formatting

Working with Multiple Worksheets

Creating Charts

Working With Data, Not Numbers

Index – Complete Functions List 3D Functions List

Keyboard Shortcuts

Excel Basics

Microsoft Excel is first a spreadsheet application but also a

database program, a text and graphic manipulator and a

mathematical equation editor. With the plethora of options available to every user, it can be very confusing and difficult to grasp for the

casual and new users alike. Considering that any spreadsheet you open has the opportunity to contain complex or simplistic formulas and that these workbooks don‟t come with an instruction guide, we

are all left wondering how did they make it work?

How did they format the cells to make them invisible; how did they build a formula to look

across multiple worksheets and how did they get that chart to correctly read the data then build not only an attractive image but an easy to understand one as well? All of these questions and more are addressed in this tutorial.

Click any of the links provided to the right to jump quickly to any

of the subjects listed. Each section will have a link to click for a return to this opening page.

Just look for the <Return to Home Page> at the end of each

section

Need More training? To schedule training at your

community or site, please contact myself, P. Michael Jordan or your

local administrative assistant. I have an internal web site at: http://criwww/training so you

can check availability and the subjects currently offered.

Created By: P. Michael Jordan Instructional Design & Application Training Specialist

Charlotte, NC (980) 321-6277 or (704) 905-6105

http://criwww/training


Section 1 Designing a Simplistic Spreadsheet

Microsoft Excel is based on a matrix of rows and columns. Each column has a letter assigned and

every row has a number assigned. There are 256 columns so the letters go from A on the far left

to IV (pronounced Eye-Vee) at the far right. There are 65,536 rows with the equivalent row

numbers to match. That means there are 16,777,216 total cells to work with. Therefore, if we

really wanted to, we could build a single worksheet with every conceivable formula, chart and data

set that we need, all on one sheet. In practicality, that doesn‟t sound bad but it would be a terrible

sheet to try and navigate or to make attractive to your audience.

Don‟t Break the Rules to make it Attractive:

The four basic rules to follow when building a spreadsheet are simple and almost intuitive.

Rule #1. Don‟t leave blank columns or rows. This spreading of your numbers will make a

sheet attractive but it makes it miserable to work easily with data. If you need more space, use

your mouse and widen the column or row. All the database functions require contiguous data and

its easier to replicate formulas with the cells adjacent to each other.

Rule #2. Keep your fonts & sizes down to a maximum of 3 choices. Don‟t add 5 different

font sizes or types to one worksheet; it becomes very hard to read. Be consistent with your

headings and where you need emphasis. Be wise with color choices as well. Less is better than

more when it comes to font and background colors. Don‟t forget that most business users only

have black and white laser printers too!

Section 1

Designing A Simplistic Worksheet

Rule #3. Don‟t copy column titles or row titles down to data that appears on another

printed page. This is easily remedied using the Print options. You can add Print Titles to multi-

page printouts with a single entry on the print options page titled Sheet.

Rule #4. Make your formulas easy to read and understand. Don‟t string 20 cell entries in

one formula; use the Range option (B2:B22) or the Range naming option such as the example of

=SUM(Total_Sales – CoGS). Naming cell ranges is by far the easiest way to identify the values

used in a formula.

>Return to Home Page<


Understanding the Layout of the Worksheet:

Some spreadsheets are built with more columns of data than rows and others are built with just

the opposite layout. If the number of columns exceeds the number of rows then the data will

extend off to the right. This can sometimes be difficult to read and follow unless you know how to

easily follow your formulas. It also makes it difficult to print cleanly for distribution. Here is where

you see the more common instances of blank columns and copied column or row titles, (see rules 1

and 3).

There‟s Clicking and then there‟s Clicking – Almost everyone knows you can click in the

scroll bar voids to jump one page at a time. You can also double click any edge of an active

cell‟s border to jump in that direction to the outer edge of data. Since most users have

their hands on the mouse, this beats the effects of manually moving around your data using

the common keystrokes. If you are a keyboard user press Ctrl + (any arrow keys) to

move the active cell quickly to the first blank row or column. Add the shift key in the mix

and you can select those multiple cells quickly.

Do a Split then Freeze those Panes – To better see the row or column titles when you

are deep into a spreadsheet, turn on the Split Panes option. Place your cursor to the right

or below where you want the screen divided. Click Window then select Split. A horizontal

or vertical bar or one in both directions will divide the screen. Each screen section now has

its own scroll bars. If you split the screen at the middle, you can scroll the top section

independent of the lower half. And transversely, you can scroll the right or left the same

way. If you only want the titles to remain in view, split the screen below the titles of the

columns or the row titles and select Window then select Freeze Panes. This will return

you back to one scroll bar and a constant view of the titles at the top or left. Return to the

Window menu to see the option for Remove Split or Unfreeze panes. This does not

affect the

printing of a

spreadsheet.

Section 1


Formula Help is on the way – Use the Formula Auditing Toolbar to see where formulas

values are coming from and where the active cell values are re-used. Arrows are drawn

right on the spreadsheet to show links between the active cell and the contributing cells.

The option for Trace Precedents will literally show what cells are used in the formula

highlighted. The other choice is for Trace Dependents and that one will point to the cells

that use the value stored in the currently highlighted cell. A simple way to re-direct a

confusing formula is to use range names in identifying cell values in a formula.

Can You Name those Ranges? – Build your spreadsheet using names to identify the cells

values. As and example, if you have a column showing the “Cost Of Goods Sold” and a

summation at the bottom, highlight that sum and in the Range Name box enter COGS and

press Enter. Add to that by highlighting the summed cell of the “Total Sales” column and

give that the Total_Sales name. Now if you are subtracting the “Cost Of Goods Sold” cells

from the “Total Sales” cells to determine your profit, write a formula that reads:

=Total_Sales – COGS. If anyone highlights that cell indicating Profit: they will instantly

see what the value in the cell represents. Plus, if you double click the range name within a

formula, the cells referenced are quickly outlined to show where they are on the

spreadsheet. Next, press the F9 function key to see the value held within a range without

visually seeing that cell or cells.



Understanding Range Names in the Worksheet:

Spreadsheets are nothing more than a matrix of columns and rows as stated previously. In order

to tell a cell how to capture a value from one cell and manipulate it you have to tell Excel the

address of that cell. Traditionally, all spreadsheets are constructed with the Column / Row

designations. The old days saw cells addressed by Row number and by Column number or R1C1.

It would have been expressed as R4C5 for column E, row 4.

The Range naming convention is based on nothing more that adding a name to a cell or group of

cells to identify it rather than using the Column / Row designation. If you have a worksheet full of

formulas, would it be easy for them to read and understand: ( = SUM(F27,G27,H27…)? Or would it

be better for a new user to read: (=SUM(March,April,May,June…)?

Section 4 starting on page 25 will discuss Range Names in greater detail.

Did You Know?

Enter the Current Date or Time: This key press will instantly place the date into the

active cell: Ctrl + ; (semi-colon) To place the current time in a cell, press this

key combination: Ctrl + : (Shift + Colon key)

To Jump to Worksheets: To quickly jump to another worksheet using the keyboard, press

these two keys at the same time: Ctrl + Page Up or Page Down. This

combination will move forward or backward through the sheets in any workbook

Notes:

Section 1


Section 1 Exercises: Duration: 25 Minutes

Step: Description - Deleting BLANK Columns or Rows:

1 Open Chapter1.xls from “My Documents” folder

2 Click Sheet1 tab if not selected and open for viewing; click on cell B1

3 Verify column is completely blank – press Ctrl + (Down Arrow) then Ctrl + (Up Arrow)

Cursor will stop at any text otherwise it will drop to row 65,536; the last row

4 Click once on column letter B then right click and select Delete

5 ALL Columns to right automatically shift to left one column

Step: Description – Minimizing Font Sizes and Colors:

1 Click Sheet2 tab if not selected and open for viewing; click on cell A1

2 Right click over the active cell and select Format Cells…, click Font tab

3 Change the font type and select Bold for style and change Size to 1 point larger, click

OK

4 Highlight cells A2 to F2; B9:F9 and change the background color to a light Grey

5 Change the font color of the selected cells to Black then click in cell A9 to view changes

Step: Description – Adding print Titles:


2 Click File then select Page Setup.

3 Select the Sheet tab, under Print Titles select rows 1 and 2 using worksheet icons

4 Select column A to repeat at the left of the print outs

5 Click Print Preview button to view changes made; view pages 2, 3 and 4 and 5

Step: Description – Adding Formulas to a Table:


2 Change the SUM formula to read a range with the colon dividing the addresses


3 Copy or rebuild the formulas to the right using a minimum of 3 methods

1: Type: =Sum(B1:B6), 2: Press Alt + =, 3: Click Sigma key , 4: Use AutoFill handle

Section 1 Exercises: (Continued)

Step: Description – Typing & Clicking to Move in a Worksheet:


2 To move to the edge of data = from cell B7 – Double Click the right vertical edge

3 To select the entire row of data = from E7, hold down a Shift key and click B7

4 To move to the bottom of data = Click cell B4 – Double Click the bottom horizontal

edge

5 To select the entire column of data = from B10, hold down a Shift key and click B7

6 Substitute the Ctrl key for Shift and add the Arrow, Home and End keys to move

about the rows and columns

7 To return the cursor back to A1, press Ctrl + Home

Step: Description – Split and Freeze Panes:


2 Using the Window menu, select Split and divide the screen into 4 quadrants

3 Re-arrange the screens to see rows 1,2 and 3 and column A & B in the title section

4 Click back on Window menu and remove the split

5 Using the small black bar at top of vertical scroll bar, add a manual horizontal split

6 Using the small black bar at end of horizontal scroll bar, add a manual vertical split then

Freeze the panes using the menus

7 Remove the split using the manual method of dragging the splits off-screen

Section 1


Step: Description – Auditing a Worksheet Formula:

1 Click Sheet6 tab if not selected and open for viewing; click on cell E9

2 Click the View menu, point to Toolbars and select Formula Editing toolbar

3 Using the buttons provided, trace the dependents or precedents for the formulas

4 Click on cell E6, trace the dependents or precedents; Which one returned an arrow?

5 Remove the arrows and close the toolbar

Step: Description – Close the Open Workbook:

1 Click File and select Save As; click the double arrows (Chevrons) if option not visible

2 Change the Name of the workbook to your last name; (Because that field is currently

highlighted simply start typing – avoid using the mouse to re-select the name field)

3 Click the Save button

Next you will close the worksheet using the keyboard and not the mouse

4 Press the keys Alt + F to expose the File menu then press letter C for Close

5 Tab over once to No to avoid saving the changes once again

The spreadsheet will disappear but Excel will remain open

NOTE: See Section 4, page 25 for details on Range names and their exercises.


Section 1 Review: Don‟t Break the Rules to make it Attractive:

Rule #1. Don‟t leave blank columns or rows.

Rule #2. Keep your fonts & sizes down to a maximum of 3 choices

Rule #3. Don‟t copy column titles or row titles down to data that appears on another

printed page.

Rule #4. Make your formulas easy to read and understand.

Understanding the Layout of the Worksheet:

There‟s Clicking and then there‟s Clicking

Click on the scroll bar voids to jump a whole page at a time

The void is the area between the ends and the thumb button or slider

of the horizontal and vertical scroll bars

Double click the edges of the active cell to jump to the edges of the data

Do a Split then Freeze those Panes

Click Window then select Split.

Click Window then select Freeze Panes

To remove the split or frozen panes

Click Window then select Remove Split or Unfreeze panes

Formula Help is on the way by using the Formula Auditing Toolbar

Click View then Toolbars and select Formula Auditing

Can You Name those Ranges?

Select a cell (or group of cells) then click on the Name Box and enter a range name

See Section 4 starting on page 25 to see greater detail on Range Names



Section 2 Working with Spreadsheet Templates

Microsoft Excel has a great way of dealing with the common need to replicate a spreadsheet.

Let‟s imagine you are in a financial group that constantly generates new worksheets based on a

very common theme. Do you want all new workbooks to be formatted and organized the same as

well as any new worksheets too? Do you only need specific workbooks formatted a special way?

You can differentiate easily between these two options using Excel‟s templates.

If you simply desire that all new workbooks or worksheets use the same font types, column

headings, headers & footers or color codes, you can generate a new “default” template from which

all new workbooks or worksheets are based. Getting those results is predicated on two necessary

steps; in what folder did you save the templates and what name did you assign them?

Tale of Two Folders, Two File Types and Two File Names:

Excel is flexible enough to match the needs of many users, individually and as a group. There are

often individual spreadsheet settings and options that are important to some and not to others.

Therefore, every user can select from two folders to save their templates or files. Simple; save

them to your data folder or to the Template folders of which there are two. The same holds true

for the file types saved by each user. Yet, if you save files in one folder they are backed up every

night1 and the other folder will open them every time Excel opens.

There are two template file types that can impact your sessions. There are Sheet Templates and

Workbook Templates, each built to meet specific needs enabling quick starts for new

spreadsheet or workbook generation. There are also two ways that Templates behave, depending

on where they are stored. One affects how quickly you can get started on a preformatted and pre-

organized new workbook or worksheet. The other affects how every new blank workbook opened

looks and behaves or how every new worksheet appears when inserted into an existing workbook.

Enough two‟s yet? There‟s more! Microsoft has even built-in the ability to choose between two

folders that will enable group changes or individual customization. Here‟s a breakdown of how all

this works and relates to each other.

1 The “Backup Data” desktop icon must be clicked to copy your files to the network first.

Individual Settings & Options Group Settings & Options

Data Folder: C:\Data Data Folder: Network L: or P: Drive

Template Folder:

C:\Documents and Settings\User_Name\

Application data\Microsoft\Excel\XLStart

Template Options:

Sheet Template: Sheet.XLT – Default file

Workbook Template: Book.XLT – Default file

AnyName.XLT – Seen on General Tab

Template Folder:

C:\Program Files\MSOffice\Office11\XLStart

Template Options:

Sheet Template: Sheet.XLT – Default file

Workbook Template: Book.XLT – Default file

AnyName.XLT – Seen on Spreadsheet

Solutions Tab


Build the Default Worksheet Template:

1. Open a blank workbook with only one

worksheet and edit any or all the settings.

Format specific cells in this worksheet with a

new font type, set numeric formatting as well

as change any font size or colors. Go to the

Page Setup add column headings, row titles,

header or footeroptions and set margins too.

Every thing added or set in this worksheet will

appear in copies of all new worksheets.

2. To set this file to show a Preview Picture in

the Templates box, go to the Summary Tab of

the Properties options as selected from the

File menu. Add a check mark at the “Save

Preview Picture” option as seen at the bottom

left of the image shown here. The worksheet

picture appears in the New Workbooks task

pane from the General or Spreadsheet

Solutions tabs.

3. Click on the File menu and select Save As. Under the File Name: box, enter the name

Sheet if you want this as the default worksheet. If this isn‟t going to be the default, add a

name that makes sense to you and those that will share this template. (See the example of

this dialog box provided below)

Note: “Default templates” imply that all new sheets are based on this file. Given any other

template name simply creates a pattern or copy that this specific file generates when opened.

4. Under the Save as Type: box select the option for Template. Excel always open a copy

of a template instead of the original; minimizing the opportunity to write over the original.

5. For Group Settings: At the top of

the Save as dialog box, select the

folder to save this file. If this is to be

a default worksheet, the file must be

saved in the XLStart folder. This can

be found as follows: C:\Program

Files\ MSOffice\ Office11\XLStart

For Individual Settings: Save the

template to this folder:

C:\Documents and Settings\

User_Name\ Application Data\

Microsoft\ Excel\XLStart

To save a file within the Template folder, save

the file in: C:\Documents and

Settings\user_name\Application

Data\Microsoft\Template for access from the General tab. Save the new template to:

C:\Program Files\ MSOffice\ Office11\1033 for access from the Spreadsheet Solutions tab.

6. Finally, click the Save button and close this file once your updates are completed.

Section 2


Building the Template for a Workbook:

1. Open a blank workbook. Add or delete as many worksheets as required. Edit all the

settings needed. Add any text, specific worksheet cell formatting including font type,

numeric formatting as well as change any size or colors. Add any column headings, row

titles, header or footer as required. Enter or create formulas where they are needed. Go to

the Page Setup options and set page margins too. Every thing added or set in this

workbook will subsequently appear in all new workbooks.

2. To enable a Preview Picture to view in the Templates box, go to the Summary Tab of the

Properties options as selected from the File menu. Add a check mark at the “Save

Preview Picture” option. The worksheet picture appears in the New Workbooks task

pane from the General group or on the Spreadsheet Solutions tab, depending on where

it is saved. See the example pictured on page 12.

3. Click once again on the File menu and select Save As. Under the File Name: box, enter

the name Book if you want this as the default workbook. If this isn‟t the default, add a

name that makes sense to you and those that will share this template.

4. Under the Save as Type: box select the option for Template. This instructs Excel to

always open a copy instead of the original; minimizing the opportunity to write over the

original.

5. At the top of the Save as dialog box, select the folder you intend to save this file within. If

this is to be a default worksheet, the file must be saved in the XLStart folder as follows:

C:\ Documents and Settings\user_name\Application Data\Microsoft \XLStart This

will generate an Individual Settings template, not a group template.

(See the example of the Save as: dialog box on page 12.)

However, if you wish to save the file within the Template folder so that the preview picture

is viewable and as a Group accessible file, save the file in: C:\Program Files\ MSOffice\

Office11\XLStart

Please note, this folder may not be viewable with Windows Explorer unless you modify the

View settings. Contact the Help Desk if you need to see this folder.

Note: “Group Settings” will affect the Excel workbooks opened by all users of this PC. “Individual

Settings” will only affect the current logged in user if saved to their personal XLStart folder.

6. Finally, click the Save button and close this file once your updates are completed.

Notes About Templates:

The XLStart folder has some interesting characteristics. Any Excel file that is saved to that folder

is automatically opened every time you open Excel. As you have witnessed when Excel opens, you

are presented a blank worksheet and workbook. By placing your new Book or Sheet files in that

folder, you will see copies of your templates opened automatically the next time Excel starts.

If you do not set the Sheet or Book templates mentioned earlier as “Templates” these files will

open automatically by virtue of being in this folder but they will not affect new workbooks or new

worksheets.



Section 2 Exercise: Duration: 5 Minutes

Step: Description – Creating Templates:

1 Open Chapter2.xls from “My Documents” folder


3 Click File from Excel‟s menu and select Properties, click Summary tab

Review and complete any fields not completed or correct

4 Add a checkmark to the Save Preview Picture option then click OK

5 Click File then Page Setup; make changes to margins or page orientation, click OK

6 Delete all sheets except SHEET1 then click OK to close dialog box

(Skip this step when building the Book template)

7 Click File once again from Excel‟s menu and select Save As

Enter the name Sheet to set this worksheet as default for all new worksheets

8 Under Save as Type: select the option for Template

9 For Individual Settings:

Save the file to the “C:\Documents and Settings\User_Name\Application

Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLStart” folder

For group Settings:

Save the file to the “C:\Program Files\ MSOffice\ Office11\XLStart” folder

10 Close this file and any others that may be opened

10 Repeat steps 7,8 & 9 but use the name of Book for the file name

11 Close Excel then re-open it

12 Check the new sheets in the default workbook opened for the changes you made

13 Click Insert then select Worksheet to see what impact the new templates are having

14 Close the default workbook (Book1) and open an older, existing file – Was it modified?

(Answer: Only when a new worksheet is inserted)

Section 2


Section 2 Review:

Templates are files that when opened, open a copy of the original.

Created from blank, fresh copies or from existing files

Save file using Save As and change file type to Template (*.xlt)

Save a preview of the workbook by checking “Save Preview Picture” on Summary tab of

Properties window

Create Default Worksheets or Workbooks:

For all default worksheets to be formatted a specific way:

Save the file as a template (*.XLT) with one worksheet under C:\Documents and

Settings\ User_Name\ Application Data\ Microsoft\ Excel\XLStart folder; name

file Sheet. The XLT suffix is added when the „Files of Type‟ is set to Excel Template.

For all default workbooks to be formatted a specific way:

Save the file as a template (*.XLT) with many worksheets under C:\Documents and

Settings\user_name\Application Data\Microsoft\Template folder; name file

Book. The XLT suffix is added when the „Files of Type‟ is set to Excel Template.

All spreadsheet files saved to XLSTART folder open automatically when Excel starts

Note: The user_name folder is named the same as your network username entered when logging

on to your computer

Attributes saved are:

All text and formatting changes made

All entered formulas and functions remain

All sheet and workbook print settings created

To Open and Edit a Template:

Open Windows Explorer (the old File manager if you knew Windows 3.1)

Right Click Start and select Explorer or press two keys: Flag + E

Navigate to your folder and click once on the template file name

Click the Open option (Don‟t tempt yourself to double-click)



Section 3 Creating Cell Formulas

This next section talks about what separates Microsoft Excel from all the other Office

applications. The ability to generate a complex equation or a logical evaluation is unique to Excel.

Where Microsoft Word can utilize a simplistic mathematical formula within a table, Excel can extend

that capability onward to include extremely complex statistical, mathematical, financial or logical

expressions, benefiting simple uses all the way to the scientific community.

Excel starts an expression that performs a calculation within cells of a worksheet or workbook with

an equal sign. Former Lotus 1-2-3 users can also use the plus sign which is automatically

understood and an equal sign is added. After the equal sign, Excel accepts constants, operators,

cell references, functions (built-in or user created), from single cell entries to multi-cell to

workbook references generated simultaneously.

Understand the Active Cell, Toolbars and Reference Boxes:

When entering or working with an expression, several areas of a worksheet assist with the

understanding of what is being done. Obviously, the cell you work in shows a returned value or

the expression itself. Once you select the cell with the mouse or cursor that cell becomes the

ACTIVE CELL.

The Active cell is indicated 4 ways: The current cell is outlined with a dark border

The Row / Column titles become highlighted

The Address Bar indicates the current cell entry

The Name Box shows the active cell address

Create A Formula: To enter a simple formula: Select any cell

Type the equal sign (=)

Enter a constant or cell address or named function

Enter an operator; plus or minus sign, division or

multiplication sign, exponent (+ - / * ^)

Enter another constant or cell address or function

(Continue adding the combination of operators and

constants up to a limit of 1,024 characters)

Press Enter

Section 3


Relative / Absolute Addressing and Cell / Range Names:

Relative versus Absolute: The Relative address states a specific cell – A1 or A2, etc.

When this addressing scheme is copied or moved to other cells, the address is

automatically modified to reflect the same relationship horizontally or vertically.

If cell A1 has “=B1*5” and is copied to cell A5, the new formula would read

“=B5 *5”. If cells C1 to C5 are highlighted and you type =A1 * B1, then press

Ctrl + Enter, the addressing in each cell is modified to reflect the same

relationship horizontally, as in cell C2 reads =A2*B2, and cell C3 reads =A3*B3

and so on.

The Absolute address is written as: $A$1 or $A$2, etc

When this addressing scheme is copied to multiple cells, the address is NOT

modified. If cell A1 has “=$B$1*5” and is copied to cell A5, the new formula

would read “=$B$1 *5”. If cells C1 to C5 are highlighted and you type =$A$1

* $B$1, then press Ctrl + Enter, the addressing in each cell is NOT modified, as

in cell C2 still reads =$A$1*$B$1. However, if one address is relative and the

other is absolute, the relative address would change based on movement or

distance from the original entry cell. If cell C1 reads =$A$1*B1 then cell C2 in

the example above would now read =$A$1*B2. Press F4 while a cell is in edit

mode to change from a relative reference to an Absolute Reference and back.

Click once on either side of the reference then press F4 to cycle through the

options of row and column digits for relative to absolute references.

Entering Functions (Built-In or User Defined):

Built-In Functions: The function is nothing more than a calculation tool designed to carry

out a specific action, perform a type of decision process or return a value. They

are organized in five categories:

Date & Time Financial Math & Trig

Statistical Text

Using a Function: Every function follows a syntax line or set of arguments

accepted. Some arguments are required and others are optional.

Start a Function: Select a cell and enter an Equal Sign

Type the name of the function if known and enter the left parenthesis

Example: “=SUM(“, “=AVERAGE(“, “=IPMT(“

The function help appears with the syntax for that specific function appears below

your entry

The bold arguments are required and

the function can‟t be completed without the required arguments completed.

SUM(number1, [number2],. . . )


Unknown Function? If you don‟t know the function name or how it‟s written, enter the

equal sign then press the function wizard icon: fx (check the address bar or the

icons above the spreadsheet)

Search for a function with the Insert Function dialog box by typing a search

phrase, select a Category to search or use the Select a Function: window

For help, press F1 and type in “function list” to see listing of all functions

Enter Arguments: Enter either constants, cell addresses or nest another function within

this one to satisfy the required arguments

Use the function wizard for assistance when needed. The fx wizard can be found

on the address bar. See below for an example

The example shows the first entry with a range of cells selected to SUM. The

second box show what a single cell entry would look like if you individually

marked each cell for summarizing. Notice the total given below the cell

addressing section. This is one way to verify you are building the correct

formula.

Hot Tip: When you are creating a new worksheet and you are entering multiple rows of

formulas, remember Excel is there to assist. If you create 3 rows exactly the same out of the

five preceding rows and Excel has Extend data range formats and formulas checked on the

Options – Edit tab, the new rows will automatically be updated with the formulas too.

Section 3


Evaluating a Function: To understand the values contributing to the result displayed from

a function follow these simple steps:

Place the function in Edit Mode Click once in the cell

Next either highlight a cell address in the address bar or highlight the address in

the „onscreen‟ cell formula seen with the blinking cursor

-OR-

If you have a mathematical expression such as (A5 * 100)/2.25 then highlight

the full formula of A5 * 100 including the parenthesis. In order for the

evaluation to work properly a complete mathematical expression must be

highlighted

Press F9 This will reveal the contents of the entered address in the

expression. If an expression was highlighted, the expression will be computed

and the result will be displayed. This is useful in discovering where an error is

originating

As seen above in the top address bar, if you highlight the cell address of C4 in

the SUM formula and press F9, the result is 9974.97 or the value seen in cell C4

in the spreadsheet. The second example pair below the first one shows the

AVERAGE formula used as a nested formula within the SUM formula. It reads:

“Sum cell C4 and add it to the average of cells C5 & C6”. If you highlight the

entire expression of AVERAGE(C5:C6) and press F9, the result is the computed

average of 4798.355. Using the F9 key is exactly the same as checking your

work with a desk calculator.

REMEMBER TO CANCEL: - Always press the ESC key after you check your

math. If you press Enter, the calculated result will replace the cell reference or

formula. Clicking the red X does the same to cancel.


AutoCalculate: Excel has a built-in function to automatically generate a calculation on the

currently highlighted region. The user can select one of 6 pre-set calculations or

select None to dismiss this option.

The options are: Average, Count, Count Nums, Max, Min and Sum

To set AutoCalculate:

Highlight a group of cells

Right click on the status bar

once

A short cut menu will appear

with 7 options and one selected

by default

Click once to select the preferred

option

Observer the status bar for the

updated calculation to the right

end of the bar

Auto Fill Handle:

Excel has a second tool for

replicating text, numbers or

formulas on a worksheet. This

tool as mentioned earlier is

useful in generating text based

on repeating numeric values and

lists.

The AutoFill Handle can be found by placing your mouse over the lower right corner of the

active cell. It will appear as a small square on the corner of the active cell indicator

If a column title is Qtr 1 for Quarter One, highlight the cell and drag across the columns and

the text will repeat Qtr 2, Qtr 3 and Qtr 4 before repeating

If a column title is Jan for January, highlight the cell and drag across the columns and the text

will repeat Feb, Mar until the year is completed before repeating

Any text with a number separated from the text will also repeat with the number advancing to

the next number automatically. In fact, highlight a group of cells and Excel will repeat the

same increment expressed by the highlighted cells; if the cells show 1.0 and 1.5, the next cell

will have 2.0 and 2.5 respectively.

Section 3


Common Formula Types:

Below is a table listing the common Function types available in Excel. This should help identify the

various methods to calculate, analyze or otherwise extract values from data within your

spreadsheet. To find a specific function, look in the Appendix – Function Index on page 90

where the entire inventory of functions within Excel is listed by category.

B

Conditional Uses IF-Then-Else statements for TRUE-FALSE relevance plus Error

checking to suppress values or error messages

Conversion Convert Times, dates and numbers

Counting Count instances of numbers, cells and occurrences of values

Date & Time Add dates and times for any formula or cell

Financial Create formulas that use specific built-in Financial formulas

Lookup Examine lists such as a database for specific entries

Math Wide range of mathematical formulas, both general and academic

Statistical Use Statistical formulas to determine the average or group medians or

modes of groups

Text Change text attributes or formatting or convert to cell addresses



Step: Description – Relative versus Absolute Referencing:

1 Open Chapter3.xls from “My Documents” folder and select sheet Sheet1

2 Select cell C7 and enter the SUM formula to total column C

Use the following: =SUM(C4:C6)

3 Using the AutoFill handle, drag the formula across row 7 to column D

4 Click in cell D7 and examine the formula – does it address column D?

Is this an example of Relative or Absolute referencing?

5 Delete the two formulas in row 7 and re-select cell C7

6 Enter this SUM formula to total column C

Use the following: =SUM($C$4:$C$6)

7 Using the AutoFill handle, drag the formula again across row 7 to column D

8 Click in cell D7 and examine the formula – does it address column D?

Step: Description – Help with Functions:

1 Select Sheet2 from the Chapter3.xls workbook

2 Select cell C7 and enter the AVERAGE formula to average the values in column C

Type the following: =AVERAGE(

3 Observer the Function Help that appears below the cell

4 Click the fx icon on the formula toolbar for the Function Wizard

5 Use the wizard to complete the addressing for the formula, pull averages for col. C & D

Section 3


Section 3 Exercises: (Continued)

Step: Description – Edit / Check A Functions:

1 Select Sheet3 from the Chapter3.xls workbook and select cell C7

2 Highlight cell C7 and look on the formula bar to verify there is a formula

3 Highlight a single cell reference and press F9 – what happened to the reference?

4 Press the ESC key to return the reference back to the original syntax

5 Highlight the entire range of C4:C6 then press F9 – does it show a value now?

6 Click the large red X on the formula bar – Does it return the references to the range?

Step: Description – AutoCalculate:

1 Select Sheet4 from the Chapter3.xls workbook and select cell C4

2 Highlight the range C3 down to C10

3 Move the mouse to hover over the Status bar, near the text “Ready”

4 Right click the mouse and select SUM

5 Check the Status bar for an update on the total of the range selected

6 Right click again over the Status bar and select a new function such as Average

Step: Description – Using the AutoFill Handle:

1 Select Sheet5 from the Chapter3.xls workbook and select cell B2

2 Bold the title and change the font to Verdana, size 12

3 Using the AutoFill handle, drag the title over to the right until column E

The Quarters should have repeated to Qtr 4

4 Click on cell A3 and using the AutoFill handle, drag that title down to row 10

5 Highlight cells B3 to B10, using the AutoFill handle drag that selection to column E

6 Add SUMS to the bottom of each column (Use 3 methods to do so)

7 The finished table should look like the example on page 20


Section 3 Review:

The Active cell is indicated 4 ways:

The current cell is outlined with a dark border

The Row / Column titles become highlighted

The Address Bar indicates the current cell entry

The Name Box shows the active cell address

To create a formula:

Select any cell then renter the equal sign (=)

Type the function name followed by a parenthesis

Enter the required fields and close the parenthesis, press Enter once completed

Relative addressing states a specific cell – A1 or A2, etc.

The address changes if copied or moved to another cell

The Absolute address is written as: $A$1 or $A$2, etc

The address does not changes if copied or moved to another cell

There are five types of functions in Excel

Date & Time Financial Math & Trig Statistical Text

Press F1 for function help or click the function wizard fx

Evaluate a function using the F9 key

Highlight an expression or cell address and press F9

The results will display in place of the highlighted address or expression

Press Esc or the red X to return the formula back its previous version

Highlight a group of cells and set the AutoCalculate feature for 1 of 7 options

None, Average, Count, Count Nums, Max, Min and Sum

Use the AutoFill Handle to generate lists and complete titles and text with numbers

Place the cursor over the lower right corner of the active cell – small square indicator



Section 4 Naming Cell Ranges & Labels

One of the most beneficial effects you can have in understanding a spreadsheet and how it works is

by creating clear and consistent formulas. When someone reviews a worksheet, they are looking

for a consistent layout and structure, clear and easy to understand titles or labels to describe the

data and a pattern of easy to follow formulas that construct a rational sense of order. Just when a

worksheet aims to drive the thought process by exposing numbers and values that should be

highly regarded, the reviewer gets lost in the rational of “Where did that number come from?”.

Building a worksheet with labels or range names will help to clarify most extractions of values when

viewed at the formula level. If a comparison is made between two sample formulas such as:

=SUM(A1:A10,Sheet2!A1:A10,Sheet4!D1:d10) versus =SUM(CostofGoods,Utilities,RentLeases),

the second formula wins hands down. Here is how easy it is to build such a formula.

Using Labels:

Below are the rules in Excel for constructing labels for use with formulas. Follow these steps for

generating labels on a worksheet.

Label naming Rules: Labels and range names can start with a letter, a backslash or an

underscore. The rest of the name can be composed of more letters, numbers or

periods.

If more than one word is used add an underscore or a period to concatenate the

words. (This is to be consistent with other uses)

These entries are limited to 253 characters so fight the urge to be verbose.

Names are not case sensitive; a capitalized Name will overwrite a title case Name

Year dates such as 2005, 2006 can be used but cell references are not allowed

Row labels are important as they can be used with formulas that combine the

column label with the row label to determine an intersection

Format the Spreadsheet: Add column titles and row descriptors to identify the pieces and

parts that are critical in describing the data. Labels can be stacked in adjacent

cells, one above the other

Define the layout for the flow of the data

Example: Build a summary page if you have many supporting pages that collect

data from all the worksheets to build clear reporting. Put the pages in order that

makes sense to the business you are working within. Determine if rows above or

below will have sub-totals.

Determine what functions and formulas you need and how to best gather the

data from the appropriate locations


Using Labels: First set Excel to accept Labels with formulas (by default it doesn‟t) by

clicking Tools then Options and select the Calculation tab.

Add a checkmark to “Accept labels in Formulas”

Select a cell below a column of data that includes a label. Labels can include

stacked names; such as one label in the adjacent cell above or below the other.

See the example pictured here where Comm and Res are used to define a

range.

For a summation of a column of values use: =SUM(LabelName)

Press Enter once completed and verify that the value is returned, not an error

message. The Label referenced will instruct Excel to define an absolute reference

to a column (or row) that will continue

until it reaches text, another Label or a

blank row.

If a remote expression is built using a

LabelName in the formula and the

column or row has a summarizing

formula, it will also be added. To avoid

this use the Text(value, number

format) function in the range summation

to convert the sum to a text value. The

returned value is therefore ignored by

the new formula.

For example, if cell A14 in the

spreadsheet sample to the left had a

formula stating: =SUM(Comm Jan), the formula would include cells B4 to B11.

This in effect would double the value returned, creating an error.

Example (For B11 Above) : =TEXT(SUM(LabelName),”$

#,##0.00”)

Build Intersection Formulas: Excel can use Labels to identify an intersection of data

Using the spreadsheet example above, the row label of Condos could be added

to a SUM formula with the column label of Comm Jan to return the value from

an intersection of Row 4 and Column B or cell B4 – 905.1

Example: =SUM(Condos Comm Jan) IMPORTANT: The first space between

label names is the intersection operator. This determines when the formula

switches from a Row designation to a range defined by a Column label.

Verify the Range: Select a cell that includes a label in the formula and enter edit mode

by pressing F2; the label name changes to Blue to show recognition of the data

range by absolute reference and the data range will be outlined with a simple box

as well

Changing a Label Name: If you change the name of a label, Excel will automatically update

the references in the workbook to reflect the name change

Section 4


Deletion of Labels: If you delete a label, Excel will respond with the #NAME? error

message. If a stacked name was used and only one name was

deleted, Excel will automatically adjust the range name to include only

one Label.

Converting Formulas with References to

label: If your workbook originally used

formulas based on a cell reference then follow

these steps to convert them to using Labels:

Select all cells that used formulas with

references to convert specific ones

To update all: Select a blank cell on the

worksheet.

Click Insert from the main menu, select Name

and then click on Apply

In each case where a label is available and the

cell reference will convert exactly, Excel will

update the formula.


Creating Range Names:

Below are the rules and steps in Excel to construct Range Names for use with formulas.

Range Name Rules: Range names can start with a letter, a backslash or an underscore.

The rest of the name can be composed of more letters, numbers or

periods.

If more than one word is used add an underscore or a period to

concatenate the words.

These entries are limited to 253 characters but keep them shorter.

Names are not case sensitive; a capitalized Name will overwrite a title

case Name

Year dates such as 2005, 2006 can be used but cell references are not

allowed

Horizontal and Vertical Range names are

important as they can be used with formulas

that combine the column reference with the row

reference to determine an intersection

Range names can also hold constants

Example: Add “=6%” to Refers to: box when

defining a range name; as in the example to the

left with Property_Tax

Range Name as a Constant (Property_Tax)


Create Range Names: Determine if you require a single cell or a group of cells

Groups of cells are good for totaling or summarizing

Single cells are great for typical formula computations

Select that single cell or cell range

Quick Entry: Click in the Name box and enter a simple name or abbreviation

Note: Refrain from spaces, (they are not allowed) keep wording short and simple

Menu Entry: Click the Insert menu, select Name and then select Define from the next menu

Enter a simple name or abbreviation at the top entry

Note: Refrain from spaces, keep the wording short and simple

Click Add – (Check the bottom for the Refers to: area – this is identifying the

location of the range name)

Example: If you highlight an entire column or row of information and name that range, you

can create summation formulas that address the entire range easily. For

example, previously we mentioned on page 5 that you could subtract one cell

from another using the range names. Take that a step further to understand that

you can summarize an entire column using the range name as well. For

example, using the screen shot on page 5 we could name the range C4:C6 as the

Cost_O_Goods range. Then if we selected cell C7 and entered the formula

=SUM(Cost_O_Goods), the result would be a summary of cells C4 to C6.

Using Range Names in Formulas: Most formulas may utilize a range name in lieu of a cell

reference. A formula with a range name will not AutoFill or take advantage of

the copy / drag methods. In those cases where automation would expedite a

spreadsheet building process we can use other methods to get around that

restriction. One example is the use of the INDIRECT function. This function will

return a cell reference from a text string. See the Exercise on page 31 for an

example.

In the example

shown to the right,

cell C7 is highlighted

and the name box

reflects the assigned

range name of

COGS. The Define

Name box is

displayed with the

same name and

address. If you click

the small drop down

arrow at the right of

the name box, you

can see all the

named ranges in the

worksheet.

Section 4



Step: Description - Using Labels in Formulas: Completed

1 Open Chapter4.xls from “My Documents” folder and select sheet

Sheet1

2 Change Excel settings to allow for Labels in formulas

Click Tools then Options and finally the Calculation tab

Add the checkmark near the bottom right

3 Click in cell B11 and enter the following:

=SUM(Comm Jan) and press Enter

4 Did it return a value or an error message?

(If error is #Name, re-check your entry & settings)

5 Click once in the formula bar with cell B11 selected and click once on the label reference (Press ESC to remove)

6 Did it outline the range of data below the title?

7 Using the AutoFill Handle, drag the formula over 2

columns – check your results; did the labels carry over?

8 Click in cell H4 and enter the following formula:

=Sum(Condos) and press Enter



10 Click once in the formula bar with cell H4 selected and click

once on the label reference (Press ESC to remove)


12 Click on cell B15 and enter the following formula:

=Sum(Condos Comm Jan) and press Enter



14 Verify the formula bar in cell B15 returned the proper reference and worked properly using the mouse


Step: Description - Using Range Names in Formulas: Completed

1 Open Chapter4.xls from “My Documents” folder and select sheet

Sheet2

2 Highlight B4:B10, click Insert then click NAME and finally

select Define

The default name will be the existing column Label with an

added underscore where there were spaces

3 Add a new range name of QTR1 with no spaces or

underscore

4 Click Add then click OK to dismiss the dialog box

5 Click in cell B11 and add the SUM formula using the new range name created:

=SUM(QTR1) AND press Enter



7 Click once in the formula bar with cell B11 selected and

click once on the label reference (Press ESC to remove)


9 Highlight C4:C10, click in NAME box, add range name of QTR2 then click back in cell C11

10 Click in cell C11 and enter: =SUM(QTR2) and press Enter

Did the range name work? Verify using the mouse by

clicking once on the reference in the formula bar

13 Create Range Names for the remaining 2 columns, D & E

Name each using the same label names w/o spaces

14 Use the AutoFill Handle and copy the formula from C11

to the next 2 columns; D & E

15 Did the range names change? Or, did they stay the same?

16 Click cell D11, select the range name in the formula bar then highlight the cells D4 to D10 and press Enter

17 Did the range name QTR2 replace the reference?

Section 4


Step: Description - Using Range Names with Math: Completed

1 Open Chapter4.xls and select sheet Sheet3

2 Highlight cells C3:C7 and name that range COGS

3 Highlight cells D3:D7 and name that range TotalSales

4 Click on cell D10 and create a formula to reflect a profit:

=SUM(TotalSales – COGS)

5 Cell D10 should have the results of the two ranges subtracted

from each other

Step: Description - Using Range Names with INDIRECT: Completed

The INDIRECT function returns a reference specified by a text string. In this

case if a Range Name is entered as text into a cell, the formula will return the contents of the range identified by the Range Name.

Using this method, a single formula can be written and then copied down or

across a column and the range names used will be updated in each cell to possibly refer to another cell or range.

1 Open Chapter4.xls and select sheet Sheet3

Notice cells B5,6 and 7 have range names as labels

2 Click cell D5 and enter the following range name: January

3 Click cell D6 and enter the following range name: February

4 Click cell D7 and enter the following range name: March

5 Click cell B15 and enter the following formula:

=INDIRECT(“Sheet3!”&B5&””) and press Enter

6 The value returned is the content of cell D5

7 Using the AutoFill Handle, drag the formula down 2 more rows

8 Did the new formulas reflect the values of the other cells?


Section 3 Review:

Label naming Rules: Labels and range names can start with a letter, a backslash or an

underscore

Words must be concatenated by an underscore or period.

Labels are limited to 253 characters, are not case sensitive. Labels can be

composed of year dates, (2005, 2006 . . .)

Using Labels: First set Excel to accept Labels with formulas (by default it doesn‟t) by clicking

Tools then Options and select the Calculation tab.

Add a checkmark to “Accept labels in Formulas”

Excel can use Labels to identify an intersection of data

The label name changes to Blue to show recognition of the data range by

absolute reference

If you change the name of a label, Excel will automatically update the references

in the workbook, if you delete a label, error of #Name may appear

If your workbook originally used formulas based on a cell reference they may be

converted to using Labels

Range Name Rules: Range names can start with a letter, a backslash or an underscore.

If more than one word is used add an underscore or a period to concatenate the

words.

These entries are limited to 253 characters.

Names are not case sensitive and Year dates such as 2005, 2006 can be used but

cell references are not allowed

Range names can also hold constants

Create Range Names: Quick Entry - Click in the Name box and enter a simple name or

abbreviation

Menu Entry - Click the Insert menu, then select Name and then select

Define from the next menu; enter a name and click ADD


Did You Know?

You can use the Go To option key to jump to cells by address or range name

Press the function key F5 for the Go To option

Enter an address or click on any range name listed then click OK


Section 5 Basic Cell Formatting

Unlike Microsoft Word, Excel doesn‟t have six layers to form a spreadsheet, it only has two. Any

changes you make to a numbers‟ format, font size or appearance may or may not affect the Row

height or Column width. Yet, options to change a cell‟s contents with formatting can vary from

simplistic to complex. When considering a new format for a worksheet, remember the decision not

only of how the appearance will affect the data, but the method chosen to implement that format

may affect worksheet performance. Following are the explanations for the four basic formatting

options available in Excel.

Selecting Cells:

Before getting too deep into applying unique and attractive cell formatting, the art of cell selection

should be expressed. First, how do you select the cell or range of cells you need to format? It‟s

simple, right –click and drag to highlight? What if the data extends over multiple columns and not

all of it is to be formatted with the same features? What if some of it was previously formatted and

it only needs application of the same formats to adjacent or non-adjacent cells? As expressed

earlier, how can cells selected for formatting affect worksheet performance? So many more

questions!

Selection: How to Select:

Cell Range (multiple cells) Click a single cell then while holding down the Left mouse button

click and drag to another cell – The cells between are then selected

Click a single cell then while holding down the Shift key, use the

arrow keys to move the selection to another cell – The cells

between are then selected

Large group of cells Click upper left cell first then while holding Shift key down click cell

in lower right corner – entire group between click is highlighted

Once the first cell is selected you can scroll the window elsewhere

before pressing the Shift key down and selecting the last cell Non-Adjacent Cell Selection 1st Option: Select the first group of cell using any of the above

methods then hold down the Ctrl key and select another cell or

groups of cells

2nd Option: Make your first selection of a cell or group of cells then

press the Shift + F8 key combination. Every cell selected will

automatically be highlighted, either from a single click or the Click

and Drag method. Note: You can‟t integrate mouse plus keyboard

selection with this option – it‟s all mouse!

Be Aware: A new choice can‟t be de-selected without un-selecting

all the previous cells as well


Selecting Cells (Continued)

Selection: How to Select:

Selecting the Entire Col or

Row

Click the column header or row number with a single click. All

65,536 cells down a column are selected or all the 256 cells across

a row are selected

Be Aware: When Excel re-calculates a worksheet, all formatted

cells are checked for re-calculation. If all 65,536 cells in a column

are formatted, worksheet efficiency is drastically impacted. Excel

recalculates every time the Enter key is pressed.

Selection Groups of Cells

Manually

Click in a single cell then press and hold Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys

to select groups of cells. Continue to hold the key combinations

while navigating with the arrow keys

Click the upper left cell in a continuous group of cells then press and

hold Ctrl + Shift + End keys to select groups of cells. The

selection will include all cells across blank rows and columns that

were previously formatted

Click the lower right cell in a continuous group of cells then press

and hold Ctrl + Shift + Home keys to select the inverse group of

cells. This selection will include all cells across blank rows and

columns back to the Home cell of A1.

Cell Formatting:

The most basic formatting available to the Excel user is from the Standard and Formatting

toolbars. These offer standard formats for numbers and text as well as for positioning the

characters uniformly along a column or row. The formatting offered is based on Styles. Styles are

nothing more than a named collection of formats. Each workbook can have a unique set of styles.

These Format styles can also be merged into one workbook for sharing. To merge styles, simply

open both workbooks at the same time and use the Merge option found on the Style tab.

Hot tip: - When you modify a cells‟ content with

formatting changes, sometimes the cell will revert

to displaying pound signs instead of the data.

(####). This is an indication that the values

won‟t display because the cell is no longer wide

enough. Simply position your mouse over the

vertical separator between columns at the Column

Letter level and double click when you see the

double-pointed arrow. The column will re-size to

one space greater on either side to accommodate

the widest entry; repairing the display and

showing all the values.

Section 5


Row / Column AutoFormat:

AutoFormat is where Excel turns up the volume for formatting a group of cells quickly and easily.

Simply place the cursor within the defined range of a table and start clicking through the choices.

When a decision is made as to which one looks best, apply it. Suddenly the look of the entire table

takes on the appearance selected. This is a very quick and easy way to make the reading of data

less of a task and more enjoyable.

To Apply AutoFormats: Start with a defined range of data on a spreadsheet. This

means your data should already include column titles and row titles as well as

some of the internal data.

Place your cursor anywhere within the data set. Blank rows and blank columns

could hamper the application of an AutoFormat. If there are blank rows or

columns, highlight the data, titles and headings first.

Click Format from Excel‟s main menu then

select the option AutoFormat

Choose 1 format from the 17 preset

formatting options. The scrolling screens

review 6 at a time

If an option is close but has several

formatting options that are not necessary

such as font or number formats, click the

Options button on the right column.

Deselect one or more options presented at

the bottom of the panel and then click OK to

apply the desired format.

To Undo an AutoFormat: Place your

cursor anywhere back within the data set.

By the way, blank rows and blank columns

could hamper the re-application or removal

of an AutoFormat. If there are blank rows or

columns, remember to highlight the data,

titles and headings first.

Click Format from Excel‟s main menus then select the option AutoFormat

Choose another format from the 17 preset formatting options or select the last

option titled None to remove all formatting. The default settings for Font will be

set to the „Standard font‟ listed on the General tab of Excel‟s Options.

Quick Tip: If you select a cell and can see the formatting applied, such as font size and type,

background colors, etc, indicated on the toolbars, this is an editable format using the menus. See

the next section titled Conditional Formatting for formats applied as a result of formulas.


Conditional Formatting:

Conditional formatting is a versatile formatting option based on cell values and formulas. This

formatting is easily copied from one cell to another. It is also just as easy to remove. Conditional

formatting is frustrating to most users because it isn‟t easily recognized as the method

implemented to apply a format, nor can it be easily formatted over using the menus or toolbars.

This formatting technique is usually applied to worksheets to highlight specific text, numeric values

or dates. By altering cell formats the worksheet builder is identifying values for easy data

recognition or to format worksheets with the „green-bar‟ look to facilitate easy reading of long rows

of data.

Building Conditional Formats: First highlight a single or multiple cells for formatting.

(When building conditional formatting for the first time, test the formatting on a

single cell first. We‟ll use the Green-Bar format as an example here. Green Bar

means to have every other row shaded and the other rows plain, giving the

worksheet a visual aid in following data across wide columns).

Click the Format menu then select Conditional Formatting.

Under Condition 1, select Formula Is to set the format based on a condition of

TRUE or FALSE.

To make the cells appear to have a „green-bar‟ appearance, use a formula to

determine the row number first then apply the format to every other row; based

on either odd or even.

Enter the following: =MOD(Row(),2)=0

Explanation: When Excel computes

this formula, the rationale is this:

Get the Modulus of the ROW

number of this cell. Modulus returns

the remainder when the current ROW

number is divided by 2. If the

remainder of the row number divided

by 2 is equal to zero (0) then the

formula returns TRUE. This

translates to adding the grey color to

the background of all even numbered

rows. If you add “<>” (does not

equal) instead of the equal sign, you

format all the odd numbered rows.

Click the Format button to apply a specific format when the formula returns a

TRUE value. The choices are Font, Borders, and Patterns. Click OK when your

settings are completed.

Excel will allow additional formulas to evaluate the formatting before application.

Click the Add>> option to see another condition appear. If any condition results

in TRUE, the formatting is applied. If all conditions result in FALSE, the current

formatting in the cell or cells will remain as applied.

Section 5


Building Conditional Formats: (Continued)

Another use of the Formula constructed in condition 1 on the previous page is to compare cell

values dynamically. To use dynamic values, formulas actually look within specific cells or a range

of cells and return a result, completing the comparison.

When using the default option for Cell Value Is in condition 1, select options for how the cells

differ. This way cells can be compared against known constants or thresholds and will appear as

formatting has indicated, making these values pop to the reader. Some analysts would call this a

Stop Light spreadsheet. The values below a threshold could appear RED, the range adjacent to

the red zone could be set to format Orange, the acceptable middle range values would appear

Black and the values above the threshold could appear Green.

These settings could be:

Condition 1 = Cell values less than 100 = RED

Condition 2 = Cell values between 100 and 250= ORANGE

Condition 3 = Cell values greater than 650 = BLUE

All cells with a value between 251 and 649 will appear with the current, standard font color

The previous example uses

constants, a fixed value that does

not change. The Cell Value Is in

condition 1,2 or 3 can also utilize

formulas within the second option

field. The opportunity to place

functions or simple arithmetic

calculations is available, thereby

determining how to apply the formula

based on the return of the

computation.

An example could be:

Condition 1 = Cell values less than

“=A1*2” = RED

Or, Condition 1 = If Cell values are

less than

“=AVERAGE($B$4:$B$10) = RED

The average of absolute reference B4 to B10 must be less than the value in the current cell

to turn the font color to RED

Up to three conditions can be applied to one cell or group of cells.

To re-use this type of formatting copy and paste the format using the Format Painter tool,

(the paint brush on the Formatting toolbar).


Custom Formatting:

Excel has a generally untapped and unknown reservoir of formatting available from within the

Custom option under the Number Format tab, accessible from the Format menu. If you have a

situation where you would like to re-use a format with other workbooks or worksheets and copy /

paste may not be the best option, use the Custom Number Format choice. This option will only

alter the appearance of text or number values within a cell and not the patterns or cell fill options.

All custom formats generated are saved with the workbook.

Custom formats apply to numbers, typically for currency, percentages, decimal points, spacing,

colors and dates or times. There is also a position for formatting cell text as well. The formats can

alter the visual appearance of the number extending from color to font type down to the

appearance of a new number based on the rounding applied. These formats are built using a

simplistic concept. The customized formatting is broken down into 4 parts; 1) the positive

numbers first, 2) then the negative numbers followed by 3) the zero formats and finally 4) specific

text added to the right or left of any entered text. The traditional and typical format for a custom

number has been as follows:

[Color]#,###.00_); [Color](#,###.00);[Color]0.00;”my text”@

To interpret the above line, follow these steps. The option to add color to the positive numbers is

added using the square brackets. Then the preferred number format is applied, in this case

expressly adding the thousands separator, the decimal place and number of zeros displayed. The

trailing underscore and right parenthesis designates the size of space to add to the right hand edge

of the number. This makes the positive decimal place align with the negative decimal numbers,

due to the parenthesis surrounding the negative number format in this case. The semi-colon

separated the positive numbers from the negative numbers section. As indicated above, the

remaining 3 positions can be altered by the color and the number formats. They are all similar in

structure. The final position will indicate text that is to be applied to a cell automatically. Placing

the “at” sign (@) after the text adds the text to the left of the cell‟s text value. Conversely, adding

the ampersand before your text adds the text following the cell value. Unfortunately, you can‟t

alter the formatting of the text as you would assume.

Building a Custom Format: Start by selecting a cell or cells to apply the format.

Click Format from the main menu and select Cells.

Under the listing titled “Category:” click Custom.

In the “Type:” box, enter the parameters for your custom format. Follow the

structure listed above. For ideas on how to alter the format, check out some of

the built-in formats.

Click the OK button to return to the worksheet.

To Delete a Format: Select any custom format you created and click the Delete button

found under the “Category:” list.

Hot Tip: If you desire a format for Fractions yet don‟t understand the magic the built-in formats

use, add the following to a custom format: # ???/??? This will display all decimals as a fraction.

Or, add # ??/16 to format a decimal to 16th increments and # ??/8 to format a decimal to 8th

increments. Some rounding will occur to apply these formats.

Section 5


Building a Custom Format with a Formula: This example will build a new version of

the Stop-Light Spreadsheet described earlier. Start by selecting a cell or cells,

Click Format from the main menu and select Cells

Under the listing titled “Category:” click Custom

In the “Type:” box, enter the first formula establishing the parameters for your

custom color and number format.

1. [>300] [Blue] #,##0.0; – This establishes that any value greater

that 300 will be treated the following formatting; Blue in this case with a single

decimal place and a thousands separator

2. [<=100] [Red] #,##0.0; – This establishes that any value less than or

equal to 100 will be treated the following formatting; Red in this case with a

single decimal place and a thousands separator

3. [Green] #,##0.0 – This establishes that any value greater that 100 and less

than 300 will be treated the following formatting; Green in this case with a single

decimal place and a thousands separator

This custom format will apply to every value in the range of cells where this format has been

specified. If the data is changed due to a mathematical expression or even manually, the color

will also change if it is appropriate, based on the expression added. A range of boring,

statistical data can be brought to life and show meaning with a simple custom format. Just

remember, Excel will only allow between 200 to 250 custom formats per workbook.



Step: Description: Practice Selecting Data Method:

1 Select Continuous Cells with mouse Click and Drag

2 Select Non-adjacent Cells Click + Ctrl Key + reClick

3 Select Entire Column or Row Click Letters or Number

4 Select Cells Using Keys – All cells on Row or Column Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys

5 Select Cells Using Keys – All cells with data on sheet Ctrl + Shift + End

6 Quick Select of Single Cell or Range of Cells F5 – Go To key

7 Move Cursor back to Column A Home key

8 Move Cursor back to Cell A1 Ctrl + Home key

Step: Description: Auto Formatting


2 Select a single cell within the table; select cell C7 for example

3 Click Format, select AutoFormat

4 Select a single example then click the OK button to view the format

5 Re-open the AutoFormat screen and experiment with the Options button

6 Select or de-select formats to apply from the lower half of the dialog box

Click OK to view the changes made

7 Press Ctrl + Z to undo any format changes made before trying others

Step: Description: Conditional Formatting - Create a Green Bar Sheet


2 Select multiple rows on worksheet by selecting cells, (not the entire row)

Highlight cells A4 to G10

3 Click Format, select Conditional Formatting

4 Under Condition 1, select “Formula Is”

5 Enter following formula: =MOD(Row(),2)<>0

6 Click Format button and select Patterns tab, select a light color shade

Click OK button twice to return to worksheet; click outside the selected range of cells and the shading should be in effect

7 Insert a row between row 1 and row 2; the shading will auto shift

8 Insert a row between row 7 and row 8; the shading will auto shift again

Section 5


Step: Description: Custom Formatting - Color Coding Numbers



Highlight cells A4 to E10

3 Select the range B4:E10 on the worksheet

4 Click Format, select Cells, at bottom of list select Custom

5 In “Type:” box enter: [Blue]#,### _);[Red](#,###);[Green]0.00

6 Click the OK button; review the worksheet

7 Alter some data values to a range of positive, negative and zero values to see the effect of your custom formatting

Step: Description: Custom Formatting – Format Fractions



Highlight cells A4 to E10

3 Click Format, select Cells, at bottom of list select Custom

4 In “Type:” box enter: # ??/8


6 Did your range of numbers format out to show 8ths?

7 Click Format again, select Cells, at bottom of list select Custom

8 In “Type:” box enter: # ??/16


10 Did your range of numbers format out to show 16ths?


Section 5 Review:

Selecting Continuous Cells: Click and Drag with the left mouse button

Click first cell then use the Shift key plus Arrow keys

Click first cell then click at end of selection while holding Shift key down

Selecting Non-Continuous Cells: Click and Drag the first cells with the left mouse button

Select first cell, move cursor then use the Ctrl key plus Arrow keys

Click first cell then press Shift + F8 key, now single click other cells

Select Entire Rows or Columns: Click directly on column letters or row numbers

This selection will select 256 columns across or 65,536 cells down

Select Cells Using Keys Only: Use Ctrl + Shift + End to select entire data range on sheet

Use Shift + Arrow keys to select to first blank row or blank column

Use Shift + Home key to select all cells left to column A

Use Ctrl + Shift + Home to select cells back to cell A1

Press F5 for “Go To” key to enter and then select large range quickly

Cell Formatting: There are four basic ways to format cells in Excel

Standard Cell Formatting – Using the menus and Standard / Formatting

toolbars

Row / Column AutoFormats – Using the menu item for AutoFormat to select

from an organized set of options that format a data range based on pre-

configured choices

Conditional Formatting – Cell formatting based on cell values or formulas

Custom Formatting – Formats created by generating a custom number format

using colors, number formats and expressions to evaluate cell values before

applying a specific format


Did you know?

To re-use custom formatting, the format must be stored within the workbook. To share this format

with other workbooks, add the custom format to the Book or Sheet templates stored in the

XLSTart folder, as expressed on page 13 of the “Working with Spreadsheet Templates” section.


Section 6 Adding & Using Multiple Worksheets

With the ability to add over 1,000 worksheets to a workbook, it can be daunting to format, build

formulas, manipulate data, review and otherwise work with that many sheets. Yet the mechanisms

in place to address all these issues are fairly simplistic and straight forward. This chapter will

incrementally delve into each component, expanding progressively into the more complicated

issues that surround multiple worksheets, their formulas and processes.

The reason there are multiple worksheet processes is due to the fact that simple formulas, the

adding of range names for example and group editing are all possible to do simultaneously on more

than one worksheet. This means that you can add a function to a worksheet that will compute

values that reside on other worksheets within one workbook as well as from external workbooks,

even if closed. So, using this concept the formula can actually take on a three dimensional aspect.

There are however, only specific functions within Excel that will work at this level.

Starting with the most simplistic approach, the simultaneous selection of multiple worksheets will

aid in formatting several worksheet at the same time. Any formatting, text entry or formula

creations done while several worksheets are selected will in fact impact all the selected sheets at

the same time. This is referred to as Group Edit Mode by Excel.

Switching Between Worksheets: Click on a Sheet tab located at the bottom of the

spreadsheet – The default names are “Sheet1”, “Sheet2”, etc; yours may be

named differently.

Click any other Sheet tab to navigate to the next worksheet

The cursor will usually return to the last position highlighted during the last visit

to this Sheet

Selecting Multiple Sheets: Click on one Sheet tab first

Press the SHIFT key down with one hand and click

another worksheet tab. This selects contiguous sheets.

All Sheets between the two are now selected.

- OR - Click on one Sheet tab first

Press the CTRL key down with one hand and click

another worksheet tab. This selects discontinuous

sheets.

Only the Sheets clicked will be selected

- OR – Right Click on one Sheet tab, click on “Select All

Sheets” from the Quick Menu

Note: Click once on any worksheet tab to deselect the Sheets or right click a tab and select

“Ungroup Sheets” to deselect the sheets.

Click the Tab Scrolling Buttons to see Sheet Tabs not visible


Editing Multiple Sheets: Click on one Sheet tab first

Press the SHIFT or CTRL key down with one hand and click another worksheet

tab or right click any Sheet tab and select “Select All Sheets”.

Select any cell or group of cells and enter text, type a formula, format cells or

edit the worksheet options such as Print Ranges, Print Setup options or any other

worksheet settings. Columns and rows can be re-sized and data can be moved

from one cell to another

All modifications made when multiple sheets are selected will affect all the sheets

in the selected group simultaneously

Click once on any worksheet tab to deselect the Sheets and stop the multi-editing

process

Color Coded Tabs: You can color code any worksheet tab using the short cut menu from

the right click

Right-click any

Sheet tab and

select Tab

Color

Select a color

with a single

click then click

OK

In the example above, Sheet 4 has been selected and it does not have a color

coded tab. Sheet 3 was selected as well and it does have a color coded tab; it‟s

green. The three other tabs were not selected.

When a color coded tab is selected, the background color will disappear and a

single colored underline will appear over a white background. If multiple sheets

are color coded and all are selected, the unselected tabs will appear with the

default background color and the selected ones will have their colors represented

with a single underline and each tab will have a white background

To remove a tab color, right click any sheet Tab, select Color then click the top

option for No Color

Section 6


Re-Ordering Worksheets: Click and drag any worksheet tab to a new location using the

mouse; a small triangle will appear between Sheet tabs to show where the sheet

will fall

- OR – Right click a Sheet tab and select Move or Copy. This step can move a

Sheet to an independent, new workbook file, add a copy to another file or place it

between other worksheets within the same file

Printing Multiple Worksheets: Define any print areas that are required using the File

menu to expose Print Area – Set Print Area; setting one sheet at a time

Select all sheets to be printed using any of the above mentioned methods. Click Print then ensure

that Active Sheet(s) is selected, located in the “Print What” groupings at the lower left. Make any

other changes typical to printing such as selecting the appropriate printer, setting print ranges or

the number of copies. Remember that the Page Setup options are available for each worksheet.

Click the Preview button at the lower left to preview the pages to print prior to sending the print

job to the printer. Deselect all the worksheets once the pages have printed.



Arranging Worksheets:

When edits are required on multiple worksheets, sometimes arranging those worksheets on screen

so that they are all visible can be beneficial. By visualizing each page simultaneously, edits can be

accomplished quickly and the downstream effects can be easily recognized. The larger the screen

and the higher screen resolution settings will obviously make the number of rows and columns

more clearly visible. The choices for arranging the screens are “Tiled”, “Horizontal”, “Vertical” and

“Cascade”. Follow these steps to organize the on-screen worksheet images:

Sharing the Screen: Click Window then click New Window and then re-select Window

and now click Arrange… and the Arrange Windows options box will

appear

Select any of the four choices available: Tiled, Horizontal, Vertical and

Cascade. An example of each is shown below.

Click on any sheet to change the focus. Once the sheet is active, edit

or manipulate that sheet as required.

Create a new window for each instance of a sheet that must be displayed. If multiple files

are opened in this instance of Excel, these workbooks can have their own sheets displayed with the

other workbook sheets. De-select the “Windows of Active Workbook” checkmark to see worksheets

from other workbooks onscreen. If separate instances of Excel are opened, their worksheets are

not shared on one screen. To verify a single instance of Excel is open, click the Window option

and all opened workbook names in the current instance of Excel are listed.

Section 6


Saving your Workspace: Once the windows are arranged, save the display to a file.

Click File and select Save Workspace

Enter a name for the file and select a folder to store the saved workspace

Note: If you save a workspace file in the alternate startup folder, Excel can

automatically open the file every time it opens

Opening A Saved Workspace: Click File and select Open

Select the folder and file name of the saved workspace

(Workspace files have an .XLW extension. Select the Files of Type: option and

use either All Files or the Workspaces (*.xlw) option to view the workspace

filenames.)

If one or more of the workspace files are currently opened in Excel, an error message will appear

stating that to files of the same name can‟t be opened at one time. Either close one or more files

or rename the existing files before attempting to open the workspace.

Click OK and the workspace will open the files that are not opened and restore their placement

onscreen. Other files currently opened may become covered by the new file windows opened. The

workspace file does not save the spreadsheets, only the design, the display, the page setup

settings and other display related components. Once all the work is completed on the worksheets,

save the work as normally done.



Writing Formulas for Multiple Worksheets:

Imagine an Excel workbook composed of multiple worksheets printed on a clear polymer film. If

these printed sheets were stacked on top of each other, the values on each sheet in the workbook

would be visible when viewed through the front sheet. That would be very confusing to read

unless the “viewer” is a formula or a specific Excel function. Excel has the capability to extract,

compute and manipulate cell values on any sheet from any other cell in this workbook or from any

external workbook. Just as if they were on clear film or made of glass. Extracting that concept

further, the first sheet could have a formula in cell B2 that looks to A1 on the current sheet and

subtracts that value from cell A1 on the second worksheet. When a formula references multiple

worksheets and refers to the same cell address or named range, that is called a 3-D Reference.

This is the basis for the term of “data consolidation”, a technique were cell values from multiple

worksheets are summarized onto one sheet.

To start writing expressions that require data from other worksheets, simply start the formula with

the equal sign, enter the function name if required then click a sheet tab and the required cells to

complete the expression. Once the Enter key is pressed, you are returned to the first sheet and

the formula should display the values anticipated. The syntax of the expressions should be similar

to:

Worksheet1Name! Col-Row#, Worksheet2Name! Col-Row# and so on.

Be aware, Excel will limit a formula to under 1,024 characters so be careful!

To write a 3-D Reference, you only need a valid rationale to do so and a good memory of where

the pieces and parts are. This formula is shorter that the previously one shown due to the fact that

all of the cell addresses are the same. If you use the preferred method of using range names, the

ranges must all be of the same size and located on each sheet where referenced. An example of

the 3-D Reference is:

Worksheet1Name: Worksheet2Name! Col-Row# or RangeName

The Index on page 100 will have a complete listing of all the built-in functions for Excel that work

in 3 dimensional worksheets.

Section 6


Building the standard Multi-Sheet Function: Click on the cell that will hold the formula

Enter the equal sign (=) and start the function by typing the function name and

the first parenthesis.

Example: = SUM(

Click once on a Sheet tab.

Click on the first cell required in the function or enter the range name used on

that sheet.

(Note: When a valid range name is entered into a formula or function, the range

name will turn Blue, designating it was recognized.)

Enter the separator required by the function, typically the coma then continue

entering the required fields or values.

Press Enter once completed.

Building the 3D Multi-Sheet reference: Click on the cell that will hold the formula

Enter the equal sign (=) and start the function by typing the name and the first

parenthesis of the 3-D compatible function

Example: = SUM(

Click once on a Sheet tab

Hold down a SHIFT key and click once on a second tab

The formula bar will display a partial reference with the sheet names separated

by a colon followed by an exclamation point (when spoken it is referred to as

„Bang‟, not exclamation point)

Example: = SUM(Sheet1:Sheet3!

Select the target cell or cell range, or enter in the appropriate range name to

complete the reference

Press Enter once completed

Hot Tip: If you ever need to convert a cell reference from an absolute or relative reference to a

range name, do the following: Select the cell, click Insert then select Name and click Apply.

From the Apply names box select the new range name. This method updates specific cells.

To update all the formulas on a worksheet, first select a blank cell then follow the above steps.

From the Apply names box select all the names that apply.


Building Multi-Workbook references: Open all the necessary workbooks and arrange

them as necessary

Click on the cell that will hold the formula in the first workbook

Enter the equal sign (=) and start the function by typing the name and the first

parenthesis of the required function

Example: = SUM(

Select the first cell reference or type in that reference and add the required

separator, such as the comma

Example: = SUM($A$3,

Click to select the second workbook to reference; display the necessary

worksheet and cell range

The formula bar will display the function as it constructed

Example: = SUM($A$3,[JuneBills.xls]Budget!$A$3,

Note: External workbook references now linking back to the first worksheet will contain the

name of the workbook surrounded by square brackets as shown above, followed by the sheet

name then „bang‟ and cell reference

Select the appropriate cell or cell range for the next sequence required by the

function or expression using the above methods

When all the required fields have been satisfied, complete the expression by

pressing Enter

Example: = SUM($A$3,[JuneBills.xls]Budget!$A$3,Sheet2!A3)

The result should be a complete display of the computed value

If the external workbooks are closed later and this one is still open, the formula will automatically

reference the location that the other workbooks were saved. This includes network locations as

well as local computer folders.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If the external workbooks are ever to be moved or renamed, the complete

set of linked workbooks must all be opened first then saved to those new locations or renamed.

Excel will automatically alter all the references, keeping the reference integrity intact. When the

linked workbooks are opened, the user will be prompted for a YES or NO response to update all

links. If the links are updated, all formulas dependent upon other workbooks will reflect the latest

information. Otherwise, all references could contain out of date totals or values and the links lost.

Section 6


Section 6 Exercises: Duration 20 minutes

Step: Description – Creating a WorkSpace:

1 Open Chapter6.xls from “My Documents” folder and select Sheet1

2 Set the print ranges and print settings for each sheet in this workbook

3 Tile all the sheets using “Tiled‟ option

4 Save the WorkSpace to a file called “My Workspace” in My Documents folder

5 Close the workbook and Excel completely

6 Restart Excel and re-open the saved Workspace

This is to simulate the “next day” experience

7 Did your workbook open to the previous settings?

Step: Description - Writing Formulas for Multiple Worksheets:

Open Chapter6.xls and select Summary sheet cell C4 (Sheet Tab is RED)

NOTE: Use the Function Wizard fx icon to build the following formulas

1 Create a SUM formula to add cells C4 on sheets 1,2 & 3 on Summary sheet

cell C4 Example: =SUM(Sheet1!C4,Sheet2!C4,Sheet3!C4)

2 Create additional SUM formulas for column C of all three sheets from cells C4

to cell C15

Use the Function Wizard for 2 more rows then use AutoFill Handle

3 Select any cell on Summary sheet, press F2 to put the cell in Edit mode then press Enter

Note: Each cell should automatically update with new values due to the Rand()

function generating a random number

4 Manually create the following formulas, without the function wizard

Create a 3-D formula to SUM the Total Sales columns on all 3 worksheets on the Summary worksheet in the D column See Example below:

=SUM(Sheet1:Sheet3!D4)

5 Create additional SUM formulas for column D of all three sheets from cells D4

to cell D15 Manually build 2 formulas then use the AutoFill Handle

6 Select any cell on Summary sheet, press F2 again then press Enter

7 References should all update with new values

8 Save and close this workbook – Enter your Last Name as the file name


Step: Description - Writing Formulas for Multiple Workbooks:

1 Open the file 2007 Budget Proposal, its located in C:\My Documents

2 Select the Summary Sheet

3 Open the file RE Budget Proposal.xls saved in C:\My Documents

4 Tile both workbooks onscreen with both Summary sheets open

5 Select Summary sheet in 2007 Budget Proposal

6 Add a formula on Summary sheet of 2007 Budget Proposal workbook that totals each quarter for each region from RE Budget proposal workbook

This is on rows 14, 15 and 16, columns C, D, E & F

Use manual entry and the function wizards to complete the tasks

Manual Entry: Click once in cell C14, type ”=SUM(“ then click on the RE Budget Proposal workbook on Sheet1, cell C16, press Enter

Wizard Entry: Click once in cell C14, type ”=SUM(“ then click on the function Wizard, click the „modal‟ button at the far right, select RE

Budget Proposal workbook on Sheet1, cell C16, click the „modal‟ button once again to return to the first workbook, press Enter

This is a great way to see which method is more efficient!

7 Add a formula on Summary sheet of 2007 Budget Proposal workbook that totals each Sales Forecast for each region from RE Budget proposal workbook

This is on rows 14, 15 and 16, column H

Once gain, use manual entry and the function wizards to complete the tasks as

described above on row 6b

8 Close and save the RE Budget Proposal workbook – did the formulas change?

9 Re-open the RE Budget Proposal workbook

10 Save the RE Budget Proposal workbook to a new folder – Did formulas

update?

11 Close and save all open workbooks

12 Re-open both closed workbooks – Were you prompted to update the formulas in the workbook?

Did the formulas update?

Section 6


Section 6 Review:

Switching Between Worksheets: Click on any Sheet tab

Click any other Sheet tab to navigate to the next worksheet

Selecting Multiple Sheets: Click on one Sheet tab first

Press the SHIFT key down and click another worksheet tab to selects contiguous

sheets.

- OR - Click on one Sheet tab first, Press the CTRL key down and click another

worksheet tab to selects discontinuous sheets.

- OR – Right Click on one Sheet tab, click on “Select All Sheets”

Editing Multiple Sheets: Click on one Sheet tab first

Press the SHIFT or CTRL key down and click another worksheet tab

- Or - Right click any Sheet tab and select “Select All Sheets”.

Any changes made will be made to all selected sheets at the same time

Click once on any sheet outside the selection to deselect the group

Color Coded Tabs: You can color code any worksheet tab using the short cut menu from the right

click

To remove a tab color, right click any sheet Tab, select Color then click the top

option for No Color

Re-Ordering Worksheets: Click and drag any worksheet tab to a new location using the mouse

Printing Multiple Worksheets: Define any print areas that are required using the File menu to

expose Print Area – Set Print Area; setting one sheet at a time

Select all sheets to be printed using any of the above mentioned methods. Click

Print

Sharing the Screen: Click Window then click New Window and then re-select Window and

now click Arrange… and the Arrange Windows options box will appear

Saving your Workspace: Once the windows are arranged, save the display to a file. Click File

and select Save Workspace

Opening A Saved Workspace: Click the File option from Excel‟s main menu and select Open

Select the folder and file name of the saved workspace



Section 6 Review: (continued)

Writing Formulas for Multiple Worksheets: Start with entering an equal sign (=)

Enter the beginning of the function and use the mouse to select the required cells

Typical multi-worksheet reference structure:

Worksheet1Name! Col-Row#, Worksheet2Name! Col-Row# or add

RangeNames for cell referencing

A 3-D Reference is used to reference the same cells on different Sheets

Typical multi-worksheet 3-D reference structure:

Worksheet1Name!:Worksheet2Name! Col-Row# or add RangeNames for

cell referencing

If the external workbooks are closed and one is still open, the formula will

automatically reference the location that the other workbooks were saved

IMPORTANT NOTE: If the external workbooks are ever moved or renamed, the complete set of

linked workbooks must all be opened and saved to those new locations or renamed.

Did You Know?

Pressing Ctrl + ~: This key press will switch the screen into “Formula View”, widening all

columns to show formulas instead of the real numbers or values they are

computed to display

To Join Text: To join text or values from multiple columns, either build an expression using

the CONCATENATE function or use the ampersand character (&).

To Concatenate: =CONCATENATE(A2,” “,B2,” “,C2)

To Join with &: =A2&” “&B2&” “&C2 (the quotes add a space as a

separator)

Quickly Set a Print Area: If you are constantly setting print areas, help is on the

way. Add the toolbar icon from Excel 97 that allows a single

click to set a highlighted area as the active print area.

Click View then select Toolbars and finally Customize

Click the Commands tab then select File from the

Categories listing

Scroll to see Set print Area in right hand screen

Drag it to the Standard or Formatting toolbar (or other)

It‟s ready to use – highlight an area and click once


Section 7 Creating Charts

Creating a chart in Excel is easy since there are at least four ways to create one quickly. There are

currently 12 basic charts available in Excel 2003, and they vary from the simple pie chart to the XY

Scatter chart with 3 dimensional charts in between. Since most charts are typically comparisons of

data, they are dependent upon the way the data on the worksheet is organized to work and appear

properly. In fact, most charts must specifically have the data oriented by rows or by columns.

Some may only require a minimum of one row or column to start. Once a chart has been

constructed, there is complete control over all configurations assembled to make a chart.

Four ways to Build a Chart: The first requirement is that the data be highlighted

Typical data ranges for charting are continuous but that is not required

(For non-continuous data, select the first range then press and hold down the

Ctrl key while selecting the second range. The selection must create a rectangle)

First Option: Press F11 or the ALT key +the F1 key

This creates a completed chart based on the current default chart type

It will be on a separate sheet, typically called Chart1

Second Option: Click the Chart icon located on the Standard Toolbar

The wizard begins a four step process in configuring the chart

The choices of building the chart are based on: 1. Chart type, 2. Set Data

range series, 3. enter titles and legends, and 4. putting a chart on a separate

sheet or overlayed on the current sheet

Third Option: Click on Insert from Excel‟s menus and select Chart

The Chart wizard appears; this is the same wizard as expressed in option 2

Fourth Option: After selecting the data range, display the Chart toolbar

Click View and select the Chart toolbar

Click the icon for Chart Type; a chart is pasted instantly on the worksheet

Click the drop down arrow at Chart Type and select a chart type if the default

type is not the required one

(Once one type has been selected, re-click the other chart options to see the

data displayed quickly in each chart type)

Editing A Chart: To alter a chart‟s appearance after it has been created click in the chart

plot area (the area where the chart reflects the data)

Click any Chart icon or click the Chart type icon on the Chart toolbar

Tool tips will identify each of the Chart toolbar icons and drop-down choices

Chart Wizard

Icon


Chart Basics:

Once a chart has been constructed, whether on screen overlaying the grid or on a separate sheet,

the nomenclature to describe the chart and its various parts remains the same. The following will

attempt to describe the basic chart image and then the chart types are explored.

These are the more common Excel charts:

Area

Chart Bar

Chart

Line

Chart

3-D Line Chart

Column

Chart Pie Chart

Section 7

Creating Charts

Chart Pieces and Parts:

When the Chart Wizard is invoked to build or edit a chart, there are several screens with unique

titles Microsoft uses to identify the chart and its parts. The table below lists the more common

options and what their meanings are.

Title: Description:

Data Range Complete range of cells on the worksheet used to show in Chart

including row and column titles

Series A single row or column of data. Offers flexibility in adding or

deleting data to show in chart. User can preview changes in

wizard

Axis The horizontal, vertical and depth components of the chart

Category (X) Axis Typically the horizontal axis including titles along the bottom

Category (Y) Axis Typically the vertical axis including the titles along the sides, by

default typically found on the left side, secondary Y on right side

Secondary (Y) Axis Used with combination charts where separate scale of units are

displayed for secondary value axis series. Units are displayed on

the opposite side from the primary Category (Y) Axis labels

Series (Z) Axis Depth of 3D chart showing each unique series

Gridlines Typically horizontal lines across chart showing major and minor

units of increments

Data Labels Titles that can be added to a chart to identify column or row values

Data Table Table containing actual values from worksheet used to create chart

Chart Location Offers 2 choices; overlay of current worksheet called “As Object

In” or on new, separate worksheet called “As New Sheet”

Custom Chart Excel has included custom charts in workbooks and allows for

user-defined custom chart types to be saved and shared.

The workbook XL8galry.xls includes built-in custom charts types

and file XLusrgal.xls is used to hold any user-defined charts

Look in: C:\Program Files\MSOffice\Office11\1033 folder to find

the XL8galry.xls The other file is created when the first user-

defined custom chart type is generated


Chart Data Requirements:

Each Chart created by Excel has a requirement for the data to be organized or limited in specific

terms. Below is a simple list of those requirements for each chart type.

Chart Type: Requirements:

Arc - Bar -Column –

Radar - Surface

Arrange data in rows or columns. Add titles to top row or left side

of data

Pie – Doughnut

-With One Series

Arrange data in one row or column only. Add titles to top row or

left side of data

Pie – Doughnut

-With More than One

Series

Arrange data in more than one row or column only. Add titles to

top row or left side of data

Stock Arrange data in the proper order described here: High Values, Low

Values & Closing Values

Add titles with Names or Dates above row of data

XY Scatter – Bubble Arrange data in columns only. Add X Values in first column, add Y

Values in next column and Bubble Values in third column.


Section 7

Creating Charts

Creating Default Custom Charts or Templates:

If a user wants to stay consistently with one chart or an office needs to standardize on one chart

type or would even like to have a standard format for all charts; the User-Defined Custom Chart is

the way to go. This process is as simple as creating a chart, adding the appropriate title or

changes to the format then saved as a custom chart. Once each user has opened this chart

“template” it can be saved locally for re-use later. These shared charts can start from an object on

the sheet or from a separate chart sheet in a workbook.

Generate the chart: Click to highlight a range of data for charting

Click the chart wizard icon

or press F11 to quickly build a chart on a separate sheet

Follow the wizard to generate the chart that is desired

Select the recommended chart type

Set the Rows / Columns aspect under Data Range Set the number of

Series if applicable, define the range for titles, etc.

Add Chart titles, Category Axis titles and set the Legend defaults

Set gridline types, presence of Data tables and more

Finally, define if it is to be a stand alone or an object over a sheet

Review the completed chart for any revisions or errors

Set as Custom Chart: With the chart open, select the Chart then click on the Chart menu

and select Chart type

Click the User-defined radio button for

“Select from” to save the custom configured

chart

From Chart Types tab, select the Add

button

Click to select the Name box and enter a

new name for this default chart

Fill in the Description so that others will

know the reasoning behind this chart

Click the Set as Default option button at

the lower left. Excel will use this chart as

the standard chart for all new charts. Click

OK to finish

All new charts created will start with this

chart type and all the titles, background

colors and settings generated will remain

unless altered by the user.


Creating Combination Charts:

Excel offers the ability to generate custom charts with multiple types of charts within one chart.

Each Data series can be portrayed by a different chart type. In the example below, the first data

series uses the Column format and the second data series uses the Area chart format. Another

common use of the combination chart is with the column chart and the line chart. By including a

second format, the chart introduces secondary X and Y axis with their own labels. This way the

two charts can mix the range of values. Follow the steps below to build the example chart.

(Note: The chart depicted here does not reflect real data)

Combination charts can start with one single set of data or two separate areas of data. Since we

are comparing data that does not necessarily have the same labels, we can start with a single data

area then add the second during the chart building process. We can also modify the text that

appears over the chart or add text that doesn‟t automatically pull from the data range.

Start with the Data Range: Highlight the primary data range first, including labels with

the values. If the secondary data is adjacent, highlight that range too

Click the Chart Wizard icon from the Standard toolbar above the spreadsheet

Step 1 of 4, Select the Chart type: Click the Custom Types tab on the screen titled

“Chart Wizard Step 1 or 4”. Select the Column – Area chart, found mid-way

down the list. A quick preview will appear to the immediate right Click Next >

button at the lower right

Step 2 of 4, Select the Series: This page will show the series in either ROWS or

COLUMNS – select the proper one then click the Series tab at the top. The

preview will help in selecting the proper orientation for rows or columns.

Section 7

Creating Charts

The primary series will be there but depending on your data set, the secondary

series may not. If not, click the Add button under Series to select a second

range label and data set to represent the other chart type

Name: This is the range that currently adds the title to the chart

Values: This is the address for the current range of data for the primary data

Category (X) axis labels: These labels will appear to the left of the chart and

identify the range of values portrayed in the chart

Secondary Category (X) axis labels: Secondary labels will appear to the right

of the chart and identify the range of values. This choice does not appear if the

range of data selected is limited to one column or row. Click the Add button

under Series to select the second, discontinuous range of data to be used

Note: Selecting worksheet cells during this process

is due to the “modal” feature from this dialog box.

Simply click in an entry field then click on the

worksheet to select the proper range of cells then

click back into the dialog box to make active again.

The small icons at the right end of each field will also

assist with clicking on the worksheet

Click Next> after completing the secondary chart feature selections

Step 3 of 4, Selecting Titles, Labels and Axis Settings: The next screen offers 6 tabs

Titles: These are the main titles for the chart, X & Y

axis labels for both primary and secondary. The Y

axis labels are usually vertically aligned, outside of

the value labels. Secondary X axis can have labels

located above the chart

Axes: Add a checkmark to the “Value (Y) axis” but

not to “Category (X) axis” because that will switch

the primary chart (Column) to rotate 180 and

appear upside down on the chart. See example >

Gridlines: Choices are X and Y category gridlines

with major and minor lines. The clarity and chart

readability can be impacted greatly by these choices

Legend: With 5 choices of where to place the chart and a simple selection of

“Show Legend” makes this page simple to select from

Data Labels: This page will allow the user to designate what labels should or

should not appear directly over the chart intersections. Names and values can be

automatically displayed directly over the chart columns. This feature can also

greatly impact clarity and chart readability

Data Table: This is a replica of the actual data set used to build the chart,

shown directly under the chart. If the area allocated for the chart is limited,

scientific notations may display. Expand the chart to remedy the numbers

displayed

Complete the Chart: Click the Next> button once all the screens and their options have

been reviewed and selected. Click the <Back button to reverse any choices

made, remembering to return and reconfigure the screens just leaving

Activate Worksheet icons


Step 4 of 4, Place the Chart: Select the preferred option for display of the chart. The

default option is to display the chart over a worksheet, similar to any graphic

image over a document. Selecting the new sheet option will place the chart at

maximum enlargement on a new sheet by its self, making it easy to fill a full

page of paper when printed. Click Finish to close out the chart wizard.

Changes to Effect Scale and Colors: If the values shown on the X or Y Category axis are

in need of revising, this is easily accomplished once the chart has been finished.

Click once on any axis then right click for a short cut menu.

The screenshot attached

shows the Format Axis dialog

box with the Scale tab visible.

The Value axis is selected on

the chart and the Auto

column shows the settings

affecting the display of the

labels on that axis. Changing

the Major Unit will alter the

appearance of the numbers,

changing the Maximum will

extend or decrease the range

of the chart.

The Display Units: area will

allow the number format for

the value labels to be changed

to show portions versus the

full number, (i.e. 1.2 or

1,200,000)

The remaining tabs will effect

the display just as they are titled. Select each axis, plot area or label to make

the same types of changes

Changing the Chart after creating: To change a single series chart type or overall

appearance of the chart quickly, select the chart with a single click. Next, re-

start the Chart Wizard from the toolbar.


Section 7

Creating Charts

Creating Chart Ranges That Automatically Update:

Excel charts normally use a fixed range of cells. If that existing data ever changes, the chart

automatically will reveal the latest information. If the data range on the sheet ever increases, the

chart does not respond by expanding the range for charting. That defined range remains static not

dynamic. There is a trick to creating a chart that will respond to an expanding landscape. A

formula can be added where a named range definition is included, forcing the chart to always be

aware of any changes in the data range. Follow the steps below to create a chart with

expandability built right in.

Data Range Assumptions: This solution works for data ranges that extend vertically down

a spreadsheet. If the data extends horizontally, the solution will continue to work

but must be modified in range identification only.

For this Example: The data range will be the following:

A1: Month B1: Units

A2: January B2: 100

A3: February B3: 250

A4: March B4: 350

A5: April B5: 400

Define a Range Name: Examine the data range before creating the range name

Click Insert then point to Name and finally select Define

Type a name for the data labels, (“Sales” if sales related, “Date” if date related,

etc.) For our example type “Date”

In the lower left of the box, click in the Refers to: box and type the following:

=OFFSET($A$2,0,0,COUNTA($A$2:$A$200),1) Click OK when completed

Explanation: This formula has the OFFSET reference set to A2, the Rows and Columns at

zero, the height of the range set in column A by the value returned from COUNTA

and the width set to 1 column wide.

Now generate another range to identify the Sales column. Click Insert then

point to Name and finally select Define once again

Type in the Refers to: box:

=OFFSET($B$2,0,0,COUNTA($B$2:$B$200),1) Click OK when completed

Explanation: This formula has the OFFSET reference again to set to B2, the Rows and

Columns at zero, the height of the range set in column B by the value returned

from COUNTA and the width set to 1 column wide.

Both formulas will examine the existing column of data entered and will return a

numeric value for how many rows contain data, then the OFFSET command will

return an array of all the data listed; fulfilling the data and label requirements.


Continue Building a Chart: Click the Chart Wizard and start building the chart

1. Select a chart type

2. Click the Series tab

Click the Category (X) axis labels: field, create range reference

Enter: =Sheet1!Date

Click in the Values: field and create range reference

Enter: =Sheet1!Units

Click Next> to proceed

These two entries tie the chart to a range that will change based on the

return from COUNTA. That function will total all the cells with a value and

will pass to the chart how many rows down to cover.

3. Add a chart title, Axis titles, add gridlines, legends or data tables

4. Select the placement for the chart; onscreen or as a separate sheet

5. Click Finish

Add More Data: Click on the worksheet and add more date below the previous entries

Add more months to column A

Add more Units totals for column B

Chart will automatically expand to include the new range of data. The chart

actually doesn‟t update until both the labels fields and the values fields are

updated with fresh data.


Section 7

Creating Charts


Manipulating and Editing Worksheets Exercise:

Step: Description:

1 Open Chapter7.xls and go to sheet1

2 Go to page 55 and follow each of the listed steps to create a chart

Use the data on Sheet1 as the data to chart

3 Go to page 59 and create a custom chart


4 Go to page 60 and create a Combination chart


5 Go to page 63 and create a chart with an updating data range


Section 7 Review:

There are four ways to Build a Chart:

Press F11 or the ALT key +the F1 key

Click the Chart icon located on the Standard Toolbar

Click on Insert from Excel‟s menus and select Chart

Click View and select the Chart toolbar

Click the icon for Chart Type; a chart is pasted instantly on the worksheet

Editing A Chart:

Click any Chart icon or click the Chart type icon on the Chart toolbar

Create a Custom Chart:

Users can create custom charts that become templates using the Wizard

Create a Combination Chart:

Users can create Combination Charts that include more than one type of chart

Create Charts with Dynamic Ranges:

Alter the Refers to: field to include the OFFSET function to make a range

dynamic



Notes:


Section 8 Working With Data, Not Numbers

Microsoft Excel is more than just a calculator and spreadsheet for collecting numbers and managing

formulas. It is also very efficient with handling large amounts of data entered as text, commonly

referred to as databases, lists or tables. Excel will allow multiple databases on a single worksheet

without requiring in-depth definitions or separations. There are however a few rules that must be

observed to make these lists work smoothly.

Data Rules and Basics:

There are only a few rules that Excel insists on having to make the management of Data within a

worksheet manageable. Some of these rules were covered in Section 1 - Designing a Simplistic

Worksheet, starting on page 1.

DO‟s:

Don‟ts:

Always organize data in Columns, under a header or title row

Format the first row differently that the rest if it is the Title Row

Keep all the columns together without blank rows or columns

If you use formulas, refer to fields of the same record only

Don‟t add leading or trailing spaces to text entries; use formatting

tools to align the text or numbers properly

Use the Data Form tool to make data entry easier

Databases, Lists or tables can use the following:

Numbers Text

Text with Numbers Logical Values (False, True)

Error Values Blank cells

Don‟t separate data with blank Columns or Rows

Don‟t create multi-row Headers – Use the Wrap Text feature

Avoid creating more than 32 columns if possible

(more on that later)

Avoid mixing numbers formatted as text with number formats in

the same column if possible. This could lead to bad sorting if the

entire column is re-sorted


Using the Form Tool:

Once an Excel worksheet has been dedicated to text entries it is referred to as a “List” by Microsoft.

When the data is entered into a list and is organized accordingly on a worksheet, the parts take on

new names that are different that the typical spreadsheet names.

Excel „List‟ Configuration

Names of Pieces and Parts

Columns A thru IV (total of 256) (in Excel 2003)

Rows

1 – 65,536

(in Excel 2003)

Header Row Column Title 1 Column Title 2

Record 1 Field 1 Field 2

Record 2 Field 1 Field 2

Every list must have the titles or names for each column over the top of the fields, not to the left of

the field. This is referred to as the Header Row. Also, each group of fields across a row are

referred to as a single record. An example of the typical record is a telephone book entry. The

names followed by the address and telephone number are considered all one record and typically

remain together as a unit. To start building a List, first create the Header Row then use the

Form tool to add the data. Follow the steps below to see how it can be done.

Building your First List: Start by creating the Header Row

Note: Formulas will cause the

entry field to be grayed out and

not usable. All formulas will be

replicated for the next record.

Type the titles over each column, careful to not leave blank

columns or to use more than one row

(Format the cell to use Wrap Text or press Alt + Enter to

manually break a line if needed)

Format header cells with extra features such as a larger font

size, bold the names, center them or all of the above

This makes it easier for Excel to recognize it as a header row

Manually enter your first record and its fields below the titles

(or skip to next step)

Leave your cursor within the data or on the first row below

your new titles. If the cursor is outside of the range of data

then Excel doesn‟t know where the list is for the next step

Click Data then select Form

If your first row is blank, Excel will respond with a box asking

if the text above is to be used as labels not data, click OK

Enter each field as required into the appropriate boxes. Press

the TAB key to move to the next field. Press the Enter key

to pass the entries to the worksheet and open a new blank

record. Click Close to dismiss the Form tool.

Section 8

Working with Data, Not Numbers

The controls available on the Form tool assist with finding previously entered data, deleting or

restoring selected records and setting criteria for finding specific entries. By moving the cursor

from one list to another, the Form tool will change automatically. Click the New button to create

a new record. Press the Enter key when an entry is completed; passing the entered data to the

worksheet and clearing the fields to begin a new record.

The tool is limited to displaying 32 field entries. If your list has more than the prescribed number

of columns, an error is returned when the Form option is selected from the menus indicating there

are too many columns. Either separate the columns with a blank column where appropriate or

manually enter data for each record without the tool.

Standard Data Sorting:

Sorting is done with either of three options; a quick sort, a sort driven by the menus, and a custom

sort. The Standard Sort involves simple, easy to follow steps. All that is required is a list of 1 or

more columns and a preferred but nor required header row describing the contents.

Standard Sorting Steps: Place your cursor anywhere within the range of your list

That can mean in any column or row as long as it isn‟t outside

of the list

Note: See page 71 for an

explanation of the Options button

Click on Data from Excel‟s menu and select Sort

Notice the entire list will now be highlighted

If a column or columns are highlighted prior to clicking the

Sort option, those fields may move and will no longer be with

the records they were originally part of

There are 3 sorting selections:

1. Sort by is the primary sort column – it is sorted first

2. Then by is the second sort option –if 2 Last Names

of “Smith” exist then re-sort “Smith” by First Names

for example

3. The second Then by becomes the final sort option -

if 2 Last Names of “Smith” exist and are sorted by

First Names as well, then re-sort “Smith” again by

“City” for example

Select the title of the columns for each Sort option

Only one is required, the remaining fields can be blank

Notice each Sort option has the ability to sort in Ascending

or Descending order

Set the proper option for your data header. If you have a header row with titles, Excel will likely

discover that and change the default to Header Row. No header row and the first row is sorted

Click the OK button to proceed with the Sort


Sorting Options Button:

The Options button on the bottom of the Sort tool has several vital choices for sorting. The first

selection on that tool is the ability to set the first key sort order. More on this subject can be found

in the Custom Data Sorting section found on page 71.

Sorting can be set to case sensitive and the orientation of the sort is also selectable. If you do

have a set of data that is organized horizontally, the option to sort left to right is there.

Data Sort Order:

Once the data sorting options have been entered in the Sort tool, Excel will reorganize the data by

sorting it in the following order of ascending:

Numbers formatted as text (or with a leading apostrophe) 1st

This is true for both Ascending and Descending sort orders

Numbers 2nd

Text with numbers (numbers must lead with text mid-stream) 3rd

Text 4th

Logical values (False then True) 5th

Error values 6th

Blank cells 7th or last

Quick Data Sorting:

There will be times when the few sorting steps mentioned previously are just too many. How does

the sort work in an abbreviated fashion? “Quite simply with a click” is the short answer. The Excel

Standard toolbar has just the remedy for a quick sort. To use the Quick Sort option place the

cursor within a column to use as the primary sort then click either Ascending or Descending sort

icon.

Place the cursor anywhere within the data; a single cell selection is all that

is necessary

The column selected becomes the primary Sort by column

Click once on the Ascending or Descending icon

The data should re-sort quickly based on the order selected. Excel does not display the data being

selected prior to the sort. If the data is not sorted correctly due to blank columns or blank rows,

click the Edit – Undo button or press Ctrl + Z to undo the previous action. The default sorting

options will prevail during these quick sorts.

There will not be a prompt asking for a preference; the sort simply happens defaulting on the

assumption that the current column is intended to be the primary choice for sorting. To change

the sort preference, select another column and re-try the sort.

Section 8


Custom Data Sorting:

The customized sort option is based on setting up a custom list in Excel then using that list to sort

columns of data. Because some users will need to sort on the order of months not dates or by

regions and not the alphabetical listing of the state, custom lists must be created.

The example to the left shows a

custom list based on property

designations for Crescent

communities. Since the data could

be organized by category and not

alphabetical, this list will assist with

a sort of that nature (no pun

intended!).

To build that custom list following

these simple steps:

Step 1:

Click on Tools then select Options

Click the tab Custom Lists

Highlight NEW LIST on the left

Click in the right window and type

the entries in the order to be sorted

followed by a comma for

separation.

The option also exists to select a set of cells on the worksheet where the list may have been

previously entered. Follow the prompts as listed at the lower portion of the screen.

Click the Add button followed by the OK button to dismiss this screen once the list has been

completed. This list is now available for all Excel workbooks, not just the currently opened one.

These lists are also handy while using the Auto-Fill handle. Enter the first item of the list then

drag using the Auto-Fill handle and the remaining list entries will appear in the cells automatically.

Options for Custom Lists:

The following are some examples of custom lists that could be used with the custom sorting

options. New lists need to be entered in the proper order to be useful. To qualify as a valid entry,

please remember custom lists are for groups that when normally alphabetized they are in the

wrong order and need to be shifted manually to appear properly.

Days of the Week, (Mon., Tues….) Time Zones, (East to West)

Months of the year, (Jan., Feb., Mar….) Regions of the country, (Eastern, Central..)

Holidays, (In chronological order) Extracted Lists, (Using Advanced Filter and

the unique records only

option)


Step 2 – Running a Custom Sort List:

To start the custom sorting process use the Sort tool as described earlier on page 69. Since

custom sorts are not necessarily based on numerical or alphabetical order, the pre-arranged

custom lists will determine how the data is to be sorted.

Click Data then Sort from Excel‟s menus

Set the columns for sorting priorities

Click and change any other settings displayed on

the first screen

Click the Options… button at the lower left

The Sort Options screen appears

Set the custom list as the First key sort order

by selecting the drop down arrow and selecting

the custom list from those presented

Change the default Orientation settings if

appropriate

Click the OK button to complete the process

Once dismissed the remaining Sort Options tool

may be on screen. Click the OK button there to

complete the process

A Sort Warning window may appear if there are cells with numbers formatted as text or an

apostrophe is used as the leading character in a numeric entry. The apostrophe can be used

during cell entry if entering numeric values that begin with a zero. This character sets the cell to

Text formatting as a result, leaving the leading zero as entered.

Select the option that best meets the sorting

requirements. The default option is to ignore

the standard formatting for numbers and

leave the numeric value as text and place it at

the top of the group.

Click the OK button to dismiss this warning.

Verify after the sort to validate the choice

made. Return to the Sort Options to re-sort

the group with a different option if required.

Sorting doesn‟t hide or remove records based on the choices made. Use the AutoFilter options

found in the next section to actually hide or redisplay a list with unique records only.

Section 8


Filtering Data Lists:

Sorting and rearranging data in a list can present a new and unique perspective, sometimes

enabling a better view of the collected information. Yet, nothing compares to completely hiding

unnecessary data from view. Remove the clutter and expose the facts or figures that are relevant

using the AutoFilter option for lists. The term “filtering the information” means the same as

hiding records. Excel can actually hide a complete row from view. It does not simultaneously

sorting the list. There is a second option for filtering referred to as the Advanced Filter option.

This feature uses a different method to accept your choices or criteria for filtering. Also, this

filtering method can actually copy the uniquely filtered records to another location on the

worksheet.

Using the AutoFilter Method:

The AutoFilter menu is found as an option under the Data - Filter menu sequence. It uses drop-

down arrows placed beside each column title for setting the filters. Click the drop-down and select

the appropriate criteria for hiding or showing records. To start, first place the cursor within the list.

Click the Data menu option then click Filter and select AutoFilter, as seen above. Small down

pointing arrows appear in a box to the right of each column title

Click the down arrow and list of choices will appear (Look below Community in column B above)

Select a choice such as the community names found in the list. As a result, all other records will

be hidden and the selected community name will remain. The (Custom…) option shown in the

drop-down list above is explained in more detail on the next page.

Once a choice is made, all rows not meeting the criteria will be hidden. The row numbers above

and below each hidden row will be colored in Blue to highlight that rows are in fact hidden. Click

the Show All menu option (shown grayed out above) to redisplay all the hidden rows.


Using the Custom Options:

Shown to the right

is the Custom

AutoFilter option

from the AutoFilter

drop-down listing

Selecting the list option for (Custom …) will present various ways to create unique results based

on how one value compares to another. As seen from the menu choices for Community, (the

name of the column selected) other values can be added to the filtered list by using Boolean

operators like AND and OR.

In the example above, the list is filtered for all entries in the Community column that Equal the

name to the right – Falls Cove. Plus the operator for OR is selected so all the Communities

named Dry Creek are to be shown as well. Written as an equation it would read:

“Show all records where Community = Falls Cove OR where Community = Dry Creek”

This rational could also be used to filter numeric data to show a specific range of values or all

values greater than one number but less than a higher number. This flexibility gives the option to

sort the data greater significance.

Due to the common acceptance of Wildcards in the computer landscape, the lower portion of that

screen highlights that the “?” and the “*” can be substituted for words, characters and numeric

values.

Once the list has been filtered, printing is the typical next option. No worries there, since Excel will

automatically print a filtered list by printing the Visible Cells Only by default. Set the required

print area if not defined previously then set the options and print.

Use the Show All option to redisplay all the hidden rows after a list has been filtered. Click the

Data menu option then click Filter and select the Show All menu option.

Section 8


Using the Advanced Filter Method – List in place:

The Advanced Filter menu is found as an option under the AutoFilter menu explored previously.

It uses separate worksheet cells for a criteria area instead of drop-down lists. These cells contain

copies of the Header Row titles. These titles are used for identifying and setting the filters. The

specific criterion used to filter with is then placed under the appropriate title. Up to two rows can

be used to establish the criteria for a single column.

Make Room for Criteria:

To start using this filtering method, first insert a minimum of three rows above the existing list.

This just keeps the entered criteria above the list and visible during the filtering process. Next,

copy the Header Row currently used in the list. This top row of titles will help define how the

advanced filtering system can find the correct column to filter. There is also the possibility of

having multiple copies of the list column titles. This is because Excel has a unique way of defining

the difference between Boolean operators. A Boolean operator by the way, is defined as “a logical

system that uses the combination of the logic operators of AND, OR and NOT”.

Define the Range:

Unlike the custom AutoFilter option, a Criteria Range is where the complex filtering data is

entered. When a criteria range is created, a single row is utilized to show only one form of criteria,

such as finding only one value. By adding a copy of a column title to make two entries establishes

the AND logic. By adding a second row, this creates the OR logic. The example above shows both

scenarios. The criteria above reads:

Show all Property_Type of “interior” AND priced Less Than “$190,000” AND Greater Than

“$170,000” OR all “Lake View” Property_Type priced Greater Than “$175,000” AND is Less Than

“$190,000”.


This area can be made a named range called “Criteria” to make using it easier. This defined area

can use either 2 or 3 rows and may extend over more columns that the list for criteria entry.

Create Complex Criteria:

There are eight basic criteria combinations that can be explored using the advanced criteria range.

The most basic is with a single column title and a single data entry. The most advanced will use

multiple columns with multiple rows as in the example shown on page 75. Below are examples of

the more common criteria types and uses.

Single Criteria - Place one value under a single column title

Column Title

Criteria Value

Results: Find all matching values in that single column, hides all other rows

Example: Find all Property (Title) listed under “Golf” (Criteria)

AND Criteria: - Place one value under each of several column titles

Column Title A Column Title B

Criteria Value A Criteria Value B

Results: Find all matching values under each column using AND operator and hides all

other rows

Example: Find all Property (Title A) listed under “Golf” (Criteria A) and a under Price (Title

B) Less Than $125,000 (Criteria B)

OR Criteria: - Place one value under single column titles, another one row below

Column Title

Criteria Value A

Criteria Value B

Results: Find the first or second matching value under one column using OR operator and

hides all other rows (Can be used with multiple columns simultaneously)

Example: Find all Property (Title A) listed under “Golf” (Criteria A) OR “Interior” (Criteria B)

Section 8


Combination Criteria: - A. Place multiple values under separate column titles

Column Title A Column Title B


Criteria Value C Criteria Value D

Results: Find the first matching value under each column using AND operator and finds

optional matching values under the same column using OR operator at the same

time, hides all other rows

Example: Find all Property (Title A) listed under “Golf” (Criteria A) AND Priced (Title B) Less

Than $125,000 (Criteria B) OR Property (Title A) listed under “Interior” (Criteria

C) AND Priced Greater Than $100,000 (Criteria D)

Combination Criteria: - B. Place multiple values under copies of the same column title

Column Title A Column Title A


Criteria Value C

Results: Finds two matching values or range of values under one column using AND

operator and finds third, optional matching value under the same column using

OR operator at the same time. Hides all other rows

Example: Find all Sales (Title A) listed Less Than $1,250,000 (Criteria A) AND all Sales

(Title A) Greater Than $750,000 (Criteria B) OR all Sales (Title A) listed Less

Than $250,000 (Criteria C)

Partial Criteria - Place one value under a single column title with partial criteria

Column Title

Criteria Value

Results: Find all values matching a portion stated in criteria in that single column, hides all

other rows

Example: Find all Prospects (Title) listed with “=Sm*” (Criteria) as first 2 characters of

name Use “=?m*” to find all Prospects with the second character of an “M” in

their name

Finds “Smith” and “Smythe” and “Smathers” for example. The second

iteration will find the same entries stated above as well text entries

such as “America”, “emerge” and “emergency”


Formula Criteria - Place a formula under a single column title

Column Title

Criteria Value from a Formula

Results: Find all values matching the results of a TRUE / FALSE expression that uses a

formula, hides all other rows

The first cell reference used for criteria is the top value in the list and must be a

relative address

All other references in the formula must be in an absolute reference; see the

example below.

Example: Find all Price (Title) listed that is valued Greater Than the MEDIAN of all the

Prices listed (Criteria). The actual cell formula would read:

=B5>MEDIAN($B$5:$B$30)

B5 is the top value in the list; $B$5:$B$30 is the full List range of values to

be compared including the column title (B4)

NOTE: When using the Advanced AutoFilter with formulas, an option needs to be reset to make

this type of filter work properly. Follow these steps:

1. Click Tools then click Options

2. Click the Transition tab

3. Click to add a checkmark to Transition Formula Evaluation

This setting will make a Lotus 1-2-3 worksheet compatible with Excel.

The Criteria cell will return a 0 or a 1, not TRUE or FALSE now

4. Run your AutoFilter then de-select that checkmark to return the worksheet back to the

previous state.

Example List:

A B C

1 Property Price SalesRep

2 =B6>MEDIAN($B$6:$B$30)

3


5 Interior $190k McGuire, Toby

6 Lakeview $210k Soprano, Tony

7 Golf $185k Anderson, Tiny

8 Interior $185k Hatcher, Terry

Median(number1,number2,…)

Returns the median of the given

numbers. The median is the

number in the middle of a set of

numbers.

Arguments can be either

numbers or names, arrays, or

references that contain

numbers.

For example, the median of 2,3,3,5,7,and 10 is 4

Section 8


Text Filtering Criteria - Place one formula under a single column title for Case Sensitive Search

Column Title

Criteria Value from a Formula

Results: Find all values matching specific text only if the letter case matches as well as the

characters of the text. Hides all other rows.

Example: Find all instances where Property (Title) matches exact text of “golf” (Criteria)

entered in lower case not upper case.

=A5>EXACT($A$5”golf”)

Note: See the description for the Transition Formula Evaluation setting on page 78.

Example List:

A B C

1 Property

2 =A5>EXACT($A$5”golf”)

3


5 Interior $190k McGuire, Toby

6 Lakeview $210k Soprano, Tony

7 Golf $185k Anderson, Tiny


9 golf $188k McGuire, Toby


These are but a few of the examples of Advanced AutoFilter options available within this

tool. Consult the Microsoft Support Knowledgebase for additional examples. The KB article

numbered Q213923 explains how to use the AutoFilter tool to filter records based on cell

formatting.

Exact(text1,text2,…)

Compares two text strings and

returns TRUE if they are exactly

the same, FALSE otherwise.

EXACT is case-sensitive but

ignores formatting differences.

Use EXACT to test text being entered into a spreadsheet.


Using the Advanced Filter Method – Copy List to new location:

The Advanced Filter features explored previously showed how to filter a list in place. This tool

will also allow for the filtering of a list to a separate, new location. The more common usage of

extracting data from a list is when a new list is desired of all the unique entries.

In the example above, a new list is copied to a separate location that contains only the unique

entries in the Community list. This will allow the reviewer to examine the single entries populate

the full list. The example above would result in seven single entries under the Community heading.

This technique is useful when specific totals of values are desired from the complete list. An

extracted, separate range with unique entries can then be used to complete formulas that then

examine the entire list and report back results using Array formulas for example.

Using AutoFilter and

Copy To Features:

Build the criteria

range similar to

previous directions by

copying only the

necessary column

titles to an area above

the list

Leave the area below

the criteria titles blank

Copy one or more of

the titles to a second

location on this

worksheet

Start the Advanced

AutoFilter Tool

Click Data

Point to Filter and

select Advanced

AutoFilter

Click on the Copy to another location radio button found at the top of the tool to select it

Click in the List Range and Criteria Range fields and set those areas accordingly

Select a single cell with a column title to the side of the list to designate where the list is to be

copied. If more than one title/column of data is required include more titles

For a list of each unique item contained within a list, click the Unique records only checkbox at

the lower left. This is helpful to eliminate misspellings and typographical errors.

Click OK to see the new list.

Section 8



Building Your First List:

Step: Description – Using the Form Tool:

1 Open Chapter8.xls and select Sheet1 if it isn‟t the active worksheet

2 Start by creating a Header Row - Click in Cell B5

Type Community in B5, type Property Type in C5 and Price Range in D5

3 Highlight those 3 cells (B5:D5), format with BOLD, center the text in the cells

4 Click in cell B6, where your first community name will be entered

5 Click Data and select Form…

6 If the message appears stating that “Microsoft Office Excel cannot determine

which row in your list contains labels,” click the OK button to proceed

7 The cursor will appear in the first field, “Community” ready to accept input

8 Type a Crescent community name and press the TAB key to proceed

9 Enter a Property Type of any of the following:

“Interior”, “Golf”, “Lakeview” or “Waterfront”

10 Press the Tab key once again to proceed to the Price Range field

11 Enter a price range that matches your property type

12 Make several entries, remembering to press the TAB key to move on

Press the Enter key to complete the data entry process

Once the Enter key was pressed, the entries should be stored on the worksheet

resembling a database

To add additional data, start the process over from step 5 making sure your

cursor is somewhere within the data currently saved


Sorting Your List:

Step: Description – Using the Sort Tool:

1 Open Chapter8.xls, select Sort_Options sheet to make it the active sheet

2 Click once anywhere within the data generated

There are 4 columns: Key #, Sort Options, Values and Property Type

Key # has numbers 1 – 24,

Sort Options represents all the various types of data accepted into Excel, Values was created to generate an error message for the Sort Options column

Property Type is a sampling of typical Crescent data

3 Click Data then select Sort….

Database should now be highlighted showing group of data to be sorted

4 Set the Primary Sort option under Sort by

5 Click the drop-down to select the Key # column first

6 Click the drop down for Then by to set second sort option – select a column

This option will set the precedent for what to do if the first sorted column has entries of the same value or text

The same applies for the third option Then by

7 Set the Ascending or Descending order for the sorts

8 Select the proper option for Header Row – it should recognize there is one

9 Click OK to proceed with the sort and to dismiss the dialog box

10 Data on the worksheet should be instantly re-ordered according to the settings

Sorting Your List Quickly:

Step: Description – Using the Quick Sort Icon:


2 Click once within the Property Type data

3 Click the Ascending icon on the Standard toolbar

4 Data in the list is instantly re-sorted based on that column as the primary Sort by column

5 Click once within the Key# data

6 Click the Descending icon, again from the Standard toolbar

7 Data in the list is again instantly re-sorted based on that column as the primary

Sort by column

Section 8



Customized Sorting of Your List:

Step: Description – Using the Custom Sort Tool – Part 1:


This is a 2 Part exercise – Part 1 is creating a Custom List

Start from here only if you do not have the necessary Custom List in Excel

2 Click on Tools then click Options from the drop down list

3 Click on the tab titled Custom List

4 Highlight New List on the left if not already so

5 Click in the right window and type the new list entries

Separate each entry with a comma followed by a single space

6 Click on the Add button at the top right followed by the OK button found at the

bottom right of the screen

The Custom List is now ready for use by the Sort option and by the AutoFill tool

Step: Description – Using the Custom Sort Tool – Part 2:

This is a 2 Part exercise – Part 2 is running a Custom Sort

Start from here only if your Custom List exists in Excel

1 Click on Data then click Sort… from the drop down list

2 Set the Sort By options based on your preferences

3 Click the Options button from the lower left of the tool

4 Set the First key sort order by clicking the drop-down arrow

5 Select the Custom List generated in the previous set of steps (Part 1)

6 Change the default Orientation if necessary

7 Click the OK button – the worksheet is instantly updated with the new Sort

8 If Sort Warning window appears, click the OK button

This warning is usually a result from numbers proceeded by an apostrophe


AutoFiltering of Your List:

Step: Description – Using the AutoFilter Tool:

1 Open Chapter8.xls, select the AutoFilter sheet to make it the active sheet

2 Click anywhere within the list that is visible on that sheet (B4 to D27)

3 Click Data then point to Filter and select AutoFilter

4 Click the small drop down arrow now visible to the right of Community in column B, row 3

5 Select the name of a community with a single click, such as “The Point” or “Dry Creek” for example

6 The remaining rows visible are of the community name selected, all others will be instantly hidden from view

7 Return to the small drop-down arrow and select (All) to return the complete list back to view

The menu option Data – Filter – Show All will also return the list view

Custom AutoFiltering of Lists:

Step: Description – Using the AutoFilter Custom Option:


2 Click anywhere within the list that is visible on that sheet (B4 to D27)

3 Click Data then point to Filter and select AutoFilter

4 Click the small drop down arrow now visible to the right of Community

5 Click the option for (Custom…) found near the top of the options

6 Click the first drop-down under “Community” and select “equals”

7 Select the name of a community with a single click from the drop-down to the right

8 Click the radio button option for OR found below the first line

9 Repeat steps 6 and 7 above to select a second community name

10 Click OK button at the lower right

11 The remaining rows visible are of the community names selected, all others will be instantly hidden from view

12 Return to the small drop-down arrow and select (All) to return the complete list back to view

The menu option Data – Filter – Show All will also return the list view

Section 8



Advanced AutoFilter for In Place filtering:

Step: Description – Advanced AutoFiltering Tool – Part 1 – In Place Filter:


2 First, the Criteria Range must be set:

Click on row number 3 and right click over the highlighted row; select Insert

3 Repeat the insertion of rows until the List header row is on row 7 (4 times)

4 Highlight cells B6 to D6 (the header row) and copy them to cells B3 – D3

Press the Esc key to make the “traveling marquee” disappear

5 While the selection of B3 – D3 is still highlighted, extend the selection to include row 4 by holding down the Shift key and pressing the down arrow once

6 Click in the Name box and type “Criteria” then press Enter – this names the selected range

Note: Some advanced criteria options will require that a third row be added to the Criteria range. Don‟t add that row to the range until it is

required See Chapter 4 for more info about using Range Names

7 Type the following in cell D4: >200000 (That‟s $200,000 without the comma)

We are going to filter for all the Price Ranges greater than $200,000

Second step is to use the filtering:

When you need to use the Advanced AutoFilter option in the future and the Criteria range exists on your worksheet, start with Step 7

8 Click Data then point to Filter and select Advanced AutoFilter…

The list should be highlighted and the Advanced AutoFilter tool is presented

9 Leave the Action buttons as they are, check the List Range to show the current list dimensions and the Criteria Range should be automatically entered

if a range name was created (manually enter that range if not there)

10 Click OK to apply the filtering

Approximately 11 community properties should be visible now

11 Click Data then point to Filter and select Show All to view the entire list

12 Click in cell C4 and enter “Interior”


14 Click OK to apply the filtering, Approximately 2 rows should be visible now

15 Click Data then point to Filter and select Show All to view the entire list



Advanced AutoFilter for Copy To New Location filtering:

Step: Description – Advanced AutoFiltering Tool – Part 2 – Copy To Filter:

1 Open Chapter8.xls, select the ADV_AutoFilter sheet to make it the active sheet

2 The Criteria Range was previously set, the Copy To Location must be set

3 Highlight cell B6 (first column of the header row) and copy / paste to cells F8

Press the Esc key to make the “traveling marquee” disappear

Note: Some advanced criteria options will require that a third row be

added to the Criteria range. Don‟t add that row to the range until it is required See Chapter 4 for more info about using Range Names

Ready to use the filtering:

When you need to use the Advanced AutoFilter option in the future

and the Criteria range and Copy To location exists on your worksheet, start with Step 4


5 The list should be highlighted and the Advanced AutoFilter tool is presented

6 Change the Action button selected to Copy to another location,

Check the List Range to show the current list dimensions

Criteria Range should be automatically entered if a range name was created (manually enter that range if not there)

7 Add $F$8 by clicking in the Copy To Location and then click the “Worksheet” button located at the far right of the address box

8 Click on cell F8 to designate that cell as the “copy to location”

If multiple columns are required, copy the titles to row F and highlight the complete range of copied titles

9 Click on the Return to Advanced Tool screen button to the right of the small presented dialog box

The Advanced Filter tool should appear with the new address for the Copy To Location entered

10 Click to add a checkmark to the Unique Records Only checkbox

11 Click OK to apply the filtering

Approximately 8 community names should be visible now

12 Copy C7 to cell F8 to add “Property Type” and re-run the filter – What appears?

Approximately 10 property types should be listed

Section 8


Section 8 Review:

Working With Data, Not Numbers:

Excel databases are referred to as LISTS

Excel will allow multiple databases on a single worksheet without specific definitions

Always organize data in Columns, under a header or title row

Format the first row differently that the rest if it is the Title Row

Keep all the columns together without blank rows or columns

Use the Data Form tool to make data entry easier

Every list must have the titles or names for each column over the top of the fields; referred

to as the Header Row

To start building a List, first create the Header Row then use the Form tool to add the

data

The controls available on the Form tool assist with finding previously entered data, deleting

or restoring selected records and setting criteria for finding specific entries

The tool is limited to displaying 32 field entries

Data sorting is done with either of three options; a quick sort, a sort driven by the menus,

and a custom sort

Standard Sort: All that is required is a list of 1 or more columns and a preferred but nor

required header

Place your cursor anywhere within the range of your list

Click on Data from Excel‟s menu and select Sort

There are 3 sorting selections

Quick Sort: o use the Quick Sort option place the cursor within a column to use as the

primary sort then click either Ascending or Descending sort icon

To change the sort preference, select another column and re-try the sort.

The customized sort option is based on setting up a custom list in Excel then using that

list to sort columns of data

Custom lists needed to be created before custom sorting is accomplished

Since custom sorts are not necessarily based on numerical or alphabetical order, the

pre-arranged custom lists will determine how the data is to be sorted

Click Data then Sort then click the Options… button at the lower left


(Custom Sorting Continued)

Set the custom list as the First key sort order

Change the default Orientation settings if appropriate

Sorting doesn‟t hide or remove records based on the choices made

The AutoFilter option for list can actually hide a complete row from view

The AutoFilter menu is found as an option under the Data - Filter menu

It uses drop-down arrows placed beside each column title for setting the filters

Once a choice is made, all rows not meeting the criteria will be hidden

Selecting the list option for (Custom …) will present various ways to create unique

results based on how one value compares to another

Excel will automatically print a filtered list by printing the Visible Cells Only by

default

Use the Show All option to redisplay all the hidden rows after a list has been filtered

The Advanced Filter with In Place Filtering uses separate worksheet cells for a criteria

area instead of drop-down lists

This filtering method utilizes three rows above the existing list

Copy the Header Row currently used in the list

There is also the possibility of having multiple copies of the list column titles

This is how Excel defines the difference between Boolean operators AND, OR

By adding a copy of a column title to make two entries establishes the AND logic.

By adding a second row, this creates the OR logic

This area can be made a named range called “Criteria” to make using it easier

There are eight basic criteria combinations that can be explored using the advanced

criteria range

One value under a single column title

One value under each of several column titles

One value under single column titles, another one row below

Multiple values under separate column titles

Multiple values under copies of the same column title

Section 8


(Advanced Filter Combinations Continued)

Place one value under a single column title with partial criteria

Place a formula under a single column title

Place one formula under a single column title for Case Sensitive Search

The Advanced Filter with Copy To Location is used for the filtering of a list to a separate,

new location

The more common usage is when a new list is desired of all the unique entries

Build the criteria range similar to previous directions by copying only the necessary

column titles to an area above the list

Leave the area below the criteria titles blank

Copy one or more of the titles to a second location on this worksheet

Start the Advanced AutoFilter Tool and Point to Filter and select Advanced

AutoFilter

Click on the Copy to another location radio button found at the top of the

tool to select it

Click in the List Range and Criteria Range fields and set those areas

Select a single cell with a column title to the side of the list to designate

where the list is to be copied. If more than one title/column of data is

required include more titles

For a list of each unique item contained within a list, click the Unique

records only checkbox at the lower left


INDEX FUNCTIONS LIST

This listing is the comprehensive list of all built-in functions within Excel 2003.

Database functions DAVERAGE Returns the average of selected database entries

DCOUNT Counts the cells that contain numbers in a database

DCOUNTA Counts nonblank cells in a database

DGET Extracts from a database a single record that matches the specified criteria

DMAX Returns the maximum value from selected database entries

DMIN Returns the minimum value from selected database entries

DPRODUCT Multiplies the values in a particular field of records that match the criteria in a

database

DSTDEV Estimates the standard deviation based on a sample of selected database entries

DSTDEVP Calculates the standard deviation based on the entire population of selected

database entries

DSUM Adds the numbers in the field column of records in the database that match the

criteria

DVAR Estimates variance based on a sample from selected database entries

DVARP Calculates variance based on the entire population of selected database entries

Date and time functions

DATE Returns the serial number of a particular date

DATEVALUE Converts a date in the form of text to a serial number

DAY Converts a serial number to a day of the month

DAYS360 Calculates the number of days between two dates based on a 360-day year

EDATE Returns the serial number of the date that is the indicated number of months

before or after the start date

EOMONTH Returns the serial number of the last day of the month before or after a specified

number of months

HOUR Converts a serial number to an hour

MINUTE Converts a serial number to a minute

MONTH Converts a serial number to a month

NETWORKDAYS Returns the number of whole workdays between two dates

NOW Returns the serial number of the current date and time

SECOND Converts a serial number to a second

TIME Returns the serial number of a particular time

TIMEVALUE Converts a time in the form of text to a serial number

TODAY Returns the serial number of today's date

WEEKDAY Converts a serial number to a day of the week

Index

Complete Functions List

WEEKNUM Converts a serial number to a number representing where the week falls

numerically with a year

WORKDAY Returns the serial number of the date before or after a specified number of

workdays

YEAR Converts a serial number to a year

YEARFRAC Returns the year fraction representing the number of whole days between

start_date and end_date

Engineering functions

BESSELI Returns the modified Bessel function In(x)

BESSELJ Returns the Bessel function Jn(x)

BESSELK Returns the modified Bessel function Kn(x)

BESSELY Returns the Bessel function Yn(x)

BIN2DEC Converts a binary number to decimal

BIN2HEX Converts a binary number to hexadecimal

BIN2OCT Converts a binary number to octal

COMPLEX Converts real and imaginary coefficients into a complex number

CONVERT Converts a number from one measurement system to another

DEC2BIN Converts a decimal number to binary

DEC2HEX Converts a decimal number to hexadecimal

DEC2OCT Converts a decimal number to octal

DELTA Tests whether two values are equal

ERF Returns the error function

ERFC Returns the complementary error function

GESTEP Tests whether a number is greater than a threshold value

HEX2BIN Converts a hexadecimal number to binary

HEX2DEC Converts a hexadecimal number to decimal

HEX2OCT Converts a hexadecimal number to octal

IMABS Returns the absolute value (modulus) of a complex number

IMAGINARY Returns the imaginary coefficient of a complex number

IMARGUMENT Returns the argument theta, an angle expressed in radians

IMCONJUGATE Returns the complex conjugate of a complex number

IMCOS Returns the cosine of a complex number

IMDIV Returns the quotient of two complex numbers

IMEXP Returns the exponential of a complex number

IMLN Returns the natural logarithm of a complex number

IMLOG10 Returns the base-10 logarithm of a complex number

IMLOG2 Returns the base-2 logarithm of a complex number

IMPOWER Returns a complex number raised to an integer power

IMPRODUCT Returns the product of from 2 to 29 complex numbers

IMREAL Returns the real coefficient of a complex number

IMSIN Returns the sine of a complex number

IMSQRT Returns the square root of a complex number


IMSUB Returns the difference between two complex numbers

IMSUM Returns the sum of complex numbers

OCT2BIN Converts an octal number to binary

OCT2DEC Converts an octal number to decimal

OCT2HEX Converts an octal number to hexadecimal

Financial functions

ACCRINT Returns the accrued interest for a security that pays periodic interest

ACCRINTM Returns the accrued interest for a security that pays interest at maturity

AMORDEGRC Returns the depreciation for each accounting period by using a depreciation

coefficient

AMORLINC Returns the depreciation for each accounting period

COUPDAYBS Returns the number of days from the beginning of the coupon period to the

settlement date

COUPDAYS Returns the number of days in the coupon period that contains the settlement

date

COUPDAYSNC Returns the number of days from the settlement date to the next coupon date

COUPNCD Returns the next coupon date after the settlement date

COUPNUM Returns the number of coupons payable between the settlement date and

maturity date

COUPPCD Returns the previous coupon date before the settlement date

CUMIPMT Returns the cumulative interest paid between two periods

CUMPRINC Returns the cumulative principal paid on a loan between two periods

DB Returns the depreciation of an asset for a specified period by using the fixed-

declining balance method

DDB Returns the depreciation of an asset for a specified period by using the double-

declining balance method or some other method that you specify

DISC Returns the discount rate for a security

DOLLARDE Converts a dollar price, expressed as a fraction, into a dollar price, expressed as

a decimal number

DOLLARFR Converts a dollar price, expressed as a decimal number, into a dollar price,

expressed as a fraction

DURATION Returns the annual duration of a security with periodic interest payments

EFFECT Returns the effective annual interest rate

FV Returns the future value of an investment

FVSCHEDULE Returns the future value of an initial principal after applying a series of

compound interest rates

INTRATE Returns the interest rate for a fully invested security

IPMT Returns the interest payment for an investment for a given period

IRR Returns the internal rate of return for a series of cash flows

ISPMT Calculates the interest paid during a specific period of an investment

MDURATION Returns the Macauley modified duration for a security with an assumed par value

of $100

MIRR Returns the internal rate of return where positive and negative cash flows are

financed at different rates

Index


NOMINAL Returns the annual nominal interest rate

NPER Returns the number of periods for an investment

NPV Returns the net present value of an investment based on a series of periodic

cash flows and a discount rate

ODDFPRICE Returns the price per $100 face value of a security with an odd first period

ODDFYIELD Returns the yield of a security with an odd first period

ODDLPRICE Returns the price per $100 face value of a security with an odd last period

ODDLYIELD Returns the yield of a security with an odd last period

PMT Returns the periodic payment for an annuity

PPMT Returns the payment on the principal for an investment for a given period

PRICE Returns the price per $100 face value of a security that pays periodic interest

PRICEDISC Returns the price per $100 face value of a discounted security

PRICEMAT Returns the price per $100 face value of a security that pays interest at maturity

PV Returns the present value of an investment

RATE Returns the interest rate per period of an annuity

RECEIVED Returns the amount received at maturity for a fully invested security

SLN Returns the straight-line depreciation of an asset for one period

SYD Returns the sum-of-years' digits depreciation of an asset for a specified period

TBILLEQ Returns the bond-equivalent yield for a Treasury bill

TBILLPRICE Returns the price per $100 face value for a Treasury bill

TBILLYIELD Returns the yield for a Treasury bill

VDB Returns the depreciation of an asset for a specified or partial period by using a

declining balance method

XIRR Returns the internal rate of return for a schedule of cash flows that is not

necessarily periodic

XNPV Returns the net present value for a schedule of cash flows that is not necessarily

periodic

YIELD Returns the yield on a security that pays periodic interest

YIELDDISC Returns the annual yield for a discounted security; for example, a Treasury bill

YIELDMAT Returns the annual yield of a security that pays interest at maturity

Information functions

CELL Returns information about the formatting, location, or contents of a cell

ERROR.TYPE Returns a number corresponding to an error type

INFO Returns information about the current operating environment

ISBLANK Returns TRUE if the value is blank

ISERR Returns TRUE if the value is any error value except #N/A

ISERROR Returns TRUE if the value is any error value

ISEVEN Returns TRUE if the number is even

ISLOGICAL Returns TRUE if the value is a logical value

ISNA Returns TRUE if the value is the #N/A error value

ISNONTEXT Returns TRUE if the value is not text

ISNUMBER Returns TRUE if the value is a number

ISODD Returns TRUE if the number is odd


ISREF Returns TRUE if the value is a reference

ISTEXT Returns TRUE if the value is text

N Returns a value converted to a number

NA Returns the error value #N/A

TYPE Returns a number indicating the data type of a value

Logical functions

AND Returns TRUE if all of its arguments are TRUE

FALSE Returns the logical value FALSE

IF Specifies a logical test to perform

NOT Reverses the logic of its argument

OR Returns TRUE if any argument is TRUE

TRUE Returns the logical value TRUE

Lookup and reference functions

ADDRESS Returns a reference as text to a single cell in a worksheet

AREAS Returns the number of areas in a reference

CHOOSE Chooses a value from a list of values

COLUMN Returns the column number of a reference

COLUMNS Returns the number of columns in a reference

GETPIVOTDATA Returns data stored in a PivotTable

HLOOKUP Looks in the top row of an array and returns the value of the indicated cell

HYPERLINK Creates a shortcut or jump that opens a document stored on a network server,

an intranet, or the Internet

INDEX Uses an index to choose a value from a reference or array

INDIRECT Returns a reference indicated by a text value

LOOKUP Looks up values in a vector or array

MATCH Looks up values in a reference or array

OFFSET Returns a reference offset from a given reference

ROW Returns the row number of a reference

ROWS Returns the number of rows in a reference

RTD

Retrieves real-time data from a program that supports COM

automation (Automation: A way to work with an application's objects from

another application or development tool. Formerly called OLE Automation,

Automation is an industry standard and a feature of the Component Object Model

(COM).)

TRANSPOSE Returns the transpose of an array

VLOOKUP Looks in the first column of an array and moves across the row to return the

value of a cell

Math and trigonometry functions

ABS Returns the absolute value of a number

ACOS Returns the arccosine of a number

ACOSH Returns the inverse hyperbolic cosine of a number

Index


ASIN Returns the arcsine of a number

ASINH Returns the inverse hyperbolic sine of a number

ATAN Returns the arctangent of a number

ATAN2 Returns the arctangent from x- and y-coordinates

ATANH Returns the inverse hyperbolic tangent of a number

CEILING Rounds a number to the nearest integer or to the nearest multiple of significance

COMBIN Returns the number of combinations for a given number of objects

COS Returns the cosine of a number

COSH Returns the hyperbolic cosine of a number

DEGREES Converts radians to degrees

EVEN Rounds a number up to the nearest even integer

EXP Returns e raised to the power of a given number

FACT Returns the factorial of a number

FACTDOUBLE Returns the double factorial of a number

FLOOR Rounds a number down, toward zero

GCD Returns the greatest common divisor

INT Rounds a number down to the nearest integer

LCM Returns the least common multiple

LN Returns the natural logarithm of a number

LOG Returns the logarithm of a number to a specified base

LOG10 Returns the base-10 logarithm of a number

MDETERM Returns the matrix determinant of an array

MINVERSE Returns the matrix inverse of an array

MMULT Returns the matrix product of two arrays

MOD Returns the remainder from division

MROUND Returns a number rounded to the desired multiple

MULTINOMIAL Returns the multinomial of a set of numbers

ODD Rounds a number up to the nearest odd integer

PI Returns the value of pi

POWER Returns the result of a number raised to a power

PRODUCT Multiplies its arguments

QUOTIENT Returns the integer portion of a division

RADIANS Converts degrees to radians

RAND Returns a random number between 0 and 1

RANDBETWEEN Returns a random number between the numbers you specify

ROMAN Converts an arabic numeral to roman, as text

ROUND Rounds a number to a specified number of digits

ROUNDDOWN Rounds a number down, toward zero

ROUNDUP Rounds a number up, away from zero

SERIESSUM Returns the sum of a power series based on the formula

SIGN Returns the sign of a number

SIN Returns the sine of the given angle

SINH Returns the hyperbolic sine of a number


SQRT Returns a positive square root

SQRTPI Returns the square root of (number * pi)

SUBTOTAL Returns a subtotal in a list or database

SUM Adds its arguments

SUMIF Adds the cells specified by a given criteria

SUMPRODUCT Returns the sum of the products of corresponding array components

SUMSQ Returns the sum of the squares of the arguments

SUMX2MY2 Returns the sum of the difference of squares of corresponding values in two arrays

SUMX2PY2 Returns the sum of the sum of squares of corresponding values in two arrays

SUMXMY2 Returns the sum of squares of differences of corresponding values in two arrays

TAN Returns the tangent of a number

TANH Returns the hyperbolic tangent of a number

TRUNC Truncates a number to an integer

Statistical functions

AVEDEV Returns the average of the absolute deviations of data points from their mean

AVERAGE Returns the average of its arguments

AVERAGEA Returns the average of its arguments, including numbers, text, and logical values

BETADIST Returns the beta cumulative distribution function

BETAINV Returns the inverse of the cumulative distribution function for a specified beta

distribution

BINOMDIST Returns the individual term binomial distribution probability

CHIDIST Returns the one-tailed probability of the chi-squared distribution

CHIINV Returns the inverse of the one-tailed probability of the chi-squared distribution

CHITEST Returns the test for independence

CONFIDENCE Returns the confidence interval for a population mean

CORREL Returns the correlation coefficient between two data sets

COUNT Counts how many numbers are in the list of arguments

COUNTA Counts how many values are in the list of arguments

COUNTBLANK Counts the number of blank cells within a range

COUNTIF Counts the number of nonblank cells within a range that meet the given criteria

COVAR Returns covariance, the average of the products of paired deviations

CRITBINOM Returns the smallest value for which the cumulative binomial distribution is less

than or equal to a criterion value

DEVSQ Returns the sum of squares of deviations

EXPONDIST Returns the exponential distribution

FDIST Returns the F probability distribution

FINV Returns the inverse of the F probability distribution

FISHER Returns the Fisher transformation

FISHERINV Returns the inverse of the Fisher transformation

FORECAST Returns a value along a linear trend

FREQUENCY Returns a frequency distribution as a vertical array

FTEST Returns the result of an F-test

Index


GAMMADIST Returns the gamma distribution

GAMMAINV Returns the inverse of the gamma cumulative distribution

GAMMALN Returns the natural logarithm of the gamma function, Γ(x)

GEOMEAN Returns the geometric mean

GROWTH Returns values along an exponential trend

HARMEAN Returns the harmonic mean

HYPGEOMDIST Returns the hypergeometric distribution

INTERCEPT Returns the intercept of the linear regression line

KURT Returns the kurtosis of a data set

LARGE Returns the k-th largest value in a data set

LINEST Returns the parameters of a linear trend

LOGEST Returns the parameters of an exponential trend

LOGINV Returns the inverse of the lognormal distribution

LOGNORMDIST Returns the cumulative lognormal distribution

MAX Returns the maximum value in a list of arguments

MAXA Returns the maximum value in a list of arguments, including numbers, text, and

logical values

MEDIAN Returns the median of the given numbers

MIN Returns the minimum value in a list of arguments

MINA Returns the smallest value in a list of arguments, including numbers, text, and

logical values

MODE Returns the most common value in a data set

NEGBINOMDIST Returns the negative binomial distribution

NORMDIST Returns the normal cumulative distribution

NORMINV Returns the inverse of the normal cumulative distribution

NORMSDIST Returns the standard normal cumulative distribution

NORMSINV Returns the inverse of the standard normal cumulative distribution

PEARSON Returns the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient

PERCENTILE Returns the k-th percentile of values in a range

PERCENTRANK Returns the percentage rank of a value in a data set

PERMUT Returns the number of permutations for a given number of objects

POISSON Returns the Poisson distribution

PROB Returns the probability that values in a range are between two limits

QUARTILE Returns the quartile of a data set

RANK Returns the rank of a number in a list of numbers

RSQ Returns the square of the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient

SKEW Returns the skewness of a distribution

SLOPE Returns the slope of the linear regression line

SMALL Returns the k-th smallest value in a data set

STANDARDIZE Returns a normalized value

STDEV Estimates standard deviation based on a sample

STDEVA Estimates standard deviation based on a sample, including numbers, text, and

logical values


STDEVP Calculates standard deviation based on the entire population

STDEVPA Calculates standard deviation based on the entire population, including numbers,

text, and logical values

STEYX Returns the standard error of the predicted y-value for each x in the regression

TDIST Returns the Student's t-distribution

TINV Returns the inverse of the Student's t-distribution

TREND Returns values along a linear trend

TRIMMEAN Returns the mean of the interior of a data set

TTEST Returns the probability associated with a Student's t-test

VAR Estimates variance based on a sample

VARA Estimates variance based on a sample, including numbers, text, and logical

values

VARP Calculates variance based on the entire population

VARPA Calculates variance based on the entire population, including numbers, text, and

logical values

WEIBULL Returns the Weibull distribution

ZTEST Returns the one-tailed probability-value of a z-test

Text functions

ASC Changes full-width (double-byte) English letters or katakana within a character

string to half-width (single-byte) characters

BAHTTEXT Converts a number to text, using the ß (baht) currency format

CHAR Returns the character specified by the code number

CLEAN Removes all nonprintable characters from text

CODE Returns a numeric code for the first character in a text string

CONCATENATE Joins several text items into one text item

DOLLAR Converts a number to text, using the $ (dollar) currency format

EXACT Checks to see if two text values are identical

FIND, FINDB Finds one text value within another (case-sensitive)

FIXED Formats a number as text with a fixed number of decimals

JIS Changes half-width (single-byte) English letters or katakana within a character

string to full-width (double-byte) characters

LEFT, LEFTB Returns the leftmost characters from a text value

LEN, LENB Returns the number of characters in a text string

LOWER Converts text to lowercase

MID, MIDB Returns a specific number of characters from a text string starting at the

position you specify

PHONETIC Extracts the phonetic (furigana) characters from a text string

PROPER Capitalizes the first letter in each word of a text value

REPLACE,

REPLACEB Replaces characters within text

REPT Repeats text a given number of times

RIGHT, RIGHTB Returns the rightmost characters from a text value

SEARCH, Finds one text value within another (not case-sensitive)

Index


SEARCHB

SUBSTITUTE Substitutes new text for old text in a text string

T Converts its arguments to text

TEXT Formats a number and converts it to text

TRIM Removes spaces from text

UPPER Converts text to uppercase

VALUE Converts a text argument to a number

External functions

EUROCONVERT

Converts a number to euros, converts a number from euros to a euro member

currency, or converts a number from one euro member currency to another

by using the euro as an intermediary (triangulation)

SQL.REQUEST Connects with an external data source and runs a query from a worksheet,

then returns the result as an array without the need for macro programming


3-D FUNCTIONS LIST

This listing is all built-in functions within Excel 2003 that can be used with 3-D Referencing.

3D Capable Functions

SUM adds numbers

AVERAGE calculates average (arithmetic mean) of numbers

AVERAGEA calculates average (arithmetic mean) of numbers; includes text and logicals

COUNT counts cells that contain numbers

COUNTA counts cells that are not empty

MAX finds largest value in a set of values

MAXA finds largest value in a set of values; includes text and logicals

MIN finds smallest value in a set of values

MINA finds smallest value in a set of values; includes text and logicals

PRODUCT multiplies numbers

STDEV calculates standard deviation based on a sample

STDEVA calculates standard deviation based on a sample; includes text and logicals

STDEVP calculates standard deviation of an entire population

STDEVPA calculates standard deviation of an entire population; includes text and logicals

VAR estimates variance based on a sample

VARA estimates variance based on a sample; includes text and logicals

VARP calculates variance for an entire population

VARPA calculates variance for an entire population; includes text and logicals


Keyboard Shortcuts

Formatting

Action Shortcut Action Shortcut Bold the selection Ctrl B Apply currency format Ctrl Shift $

Italicize the selection Ctrl I Apply Percent format Ctrl Shift %

Underline the selection Ctrl U Apply Date format Ctrl Shift #

Strike through the selection Ctrl S Apply Time format Ctrl Shift @

Open the Style Dialog box Alt + „ Apply the Number format Ctrl Shift !

Open the Format Cells Dialog box Ctrl + 1 Apply Exponential number format Ctrl Shift ^

Apply General format Ctrl Shift ~ Apply an outline border to

selection

Ctrl Shift &

Remove outline border from

selection

Ctrl Shift + _

Navigation

Action Shortcut Action Shortcut Move to next worksheet in

workbook

Ctrl Page

Down

Move to end of used portion of

worksheet

Ctrl End

Move to previous worksheet in

workbook

Ctrl Page Up Move between panes in a split

worksheet

F6

Cycle between open workbooks Ctrl F6 Display the active cell Ctrl

backspace

Move once cell up, down, left, right Arrow Keys Move down cell in selected range Enter

Move to edge of data region Ctrl Arrow Move up a cell in selected range Shift Enter

Move to beginning of row Home Move one cell to left in selected

range

Shift Tab

Move to end of row End Move from corner cell to corner

cell

Ctrl period

Move to beginning of worksheet Ctrl Home Move to next open workbook Ctrl Tab

Selection Techniques

Action Shortcut Action Shortcut Select a row Shift

Spacebar

Select from current cell to end of

used portion of worksheet

Ctrl Shift End

Select a column Ctrl

Spacebar

Select the array that contains

active cell

Ctrl /

Select entire worksheet Ctrl A Select data region surrounding

active cell

Ctrl *

Select from current cell to beginning

of row

Shift Home Select all cells with Comments Ctrl Shift O

Select from current cell to beginning

of worksheet

Ctrl Shift

Home

Select cells that selected formula

directly reference

Ctrl [

Select formulas that directly

reference active cell

Ctrl ] Select all cells of active workbook Ctrl Shift

Spacebar

Workbook Basics

Action Shortcut Action Shortcut Open a workbook Ctrl O Display hidden rows in selection Ctrl Shift 9

Create a New Workbook Ctrl N Hide selected columns Ctrl 0 (Zero)

Save a workbook Ctrl S Display hidden columns in

selection

Ctrl Shift 0

Open Define name dialog box Ctrl F3 Unhide hidden rows Ctrl Shift (

Open Paste Name dialog box F3 Unhide a hidden column Ctrl Shift )

Open Save As dialog box F12 Open Find Tab of Find and Replace Ctrl F

Print a workbook Ctrl P Open Replace tab of Find and

Replace

Ctrl H

Close a workbook Ctrl W Run a spelling check on a

worksheet or selected text

F7

Hide selected rows Ctrl 9 Insert a new worksheet Shift F11

Close Excel Alt F4

Function Basics

Action Shortcut Action Shortcut Insert AutoSum function in a

cell

Alt + = Insert new function = + Function Name + Ctrl

+ A

Set formula as an Array

formula

Ctrl Shift Enter Open VBE window Alt F11

Insert Current Date into cell Ctrl ; (semi-

colon)

Insert Current Time Ctrl Shift : (Colon)

Editing Basics

Action Shortcut Action Shortcut Undo last action Ctrl Z Display Right Mouse Short Cut

menu

Shift F10

Copy current selection to clipboard Ctrl C Paste current selection from

clipboard

Ctrl V

Cut or remove current selection Ctrl X Paste clipboard contents Enter

Undo last action Ctrl Z

Mouse Shortcuts for Excel Mouse Basics

Action Shortcut Right mouse click over active cell Displays Short Cut List

Click with 4 arrow pointer over top edge of active cell Moves to top of current data, 1st blank row

Click with 4 arrow pointer over bottom edge of active

cell

Moves to bottom of current data, 1st blank row

Click with 4 arrow pointer over right edge of active cell Moves to right of current data, 1st blank

column

Click with 4 arrow pointer over left edge of active cell Moves to left of current data, 1st blank column

See current sum of highlighted cells in Status Bar Highlight column or row of numeric values

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