UNIT 9 : MICROSOFT EXCEL

UNIT STRUCTURE
9.1 9.2 9.3 Learning Objectives Introduction Starting MS Excel 9.3.1 9.4 9.5 Working with Toolbars

Row, Column and Cell Working with Excel 9.5.1 9.5.2 9.5.3 9.5.4 Creating a New Workbook Working with Cells and Fonts Merging Cells Inserting and Deleting Rows and Columns

9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9

Saving a Workbook Closing a Workbook Let Us Sum Up Further Readings

9.10 Answers To Check Your Progress 9.11 Model Questions

9.1

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After going through this unit, you will be able to: work with MS Excel use the different toolbar know Rows, Columns and Cells perform different operations on Cells, Rows and Columns create a new Workbook save and close a Workbook

9.2

INTRODUCTION
While working with large amounts of data we need to order them logically. Such data

often need to be organized in a nice tabular format. For that purpose we need a program that allows us to organize and manipulate huge amounts of data in a nice and easily understandable manner. Such a computer program is often called a Spreadsheet. A

spreadsheet is the computer equivalent of a paper ledger sheet. It consists of a grid made from columns and rows. It is an environment that can make number manipulation easy and somewhat painless. Excel is an electronic spreadsheet program that can be used for storing, organizing, making calculations and manipulating data. In this unit, we will be discussing these features of MS Excel and introduce ourselves to the basic features of Excel that one should understand in order to use and work in the MS Excel environment.

9.3

STARTING MS EXCEL
In order to start using MS Excel 2007, we have to launch it first by selecting it from

the Programs list.

Fig. 9.1 : The Start menu To do so we follow these steps : 1. Firstly we have to click on the Start button located on the extreme left of the taskbar 2. This opens the Start menu of Figure 9.1 3. We then select the Programs menu, which gives us a list of all the installed programs 4. From among the installed programs we click on Microsoft Excel 2007 which shows the application window of MS Excel 2007 as in Figure 9.2.

Fig. 9.2 : MS Excel 2007 application window

9.3.1 Working with Toolbars

The previous versions of MS Excel had many menus and toolbars wherefrom we could easily select many menu options and tools. But in MS Excel 2007 the menu bar and toolbar have been done away with. Excel 2007 introduces the Ribbon, which has replaced the menus and toolbars found in earlier versions of Excel. The Ribbon can quickly be hidden to give you more room to work in your spreadsheet. Ribbon : The Ribbon is the strip of buttons and icons located above the work area in Excel 2007. Above the Ribbon are a number of tabs, such as Home, Insert, Page Layout etc. Clicking on a tab displays the options located in this section of the ribbon. For example, when Excel 2007 opens, the options under the Home tab are displayed. These options are grouped according to their function - such as Clipboard (includes cut, copy, and paste options), and Font (includes current font, font size, bold, italic, and underline options). Clicking on an option on the ribbon may lead to further options contained in a Contextual Menu that relate specifically to the option chosen. In Excel 2007 we can use the scroll wheel on the mouse to scroll from one tab to another on the ribbon. To Scroll Through Ribbon Tabs : We place the mouse pointer in the ribbon area at the top of the Excel 2007 screen. Then we turn the scroll wheel on the mouse to scroll through the different ribbon commands. To Hide the Ribbon Commands : We double click on one of the ribbon tabs - such as Home, Insert, or Page Layout.

OR Press the CTRL + F1 keys on the keyboard. Only the tabs will be left showing above your spreadsheet. To Show the Ribbon Commands Again : We click on one of the ribbon tabs - such as Home, Insert, or Page Layout. OR Press the CTRL + F1 keys on the keyboard a second time. To always keep the Ribbon minimized: 1. First we click the Customize Quick Access toolbar. 2. In the list, we click Minimize the Ribbon. 3. To use the Ribbon while it is minimized, we click the tab that we want to use, and then click the option or command we want to use. For example, with the Ribbon minimized, we can select text in MS Office Word document, click the Home tab, and then in the Font group, we may click the size of the text needed. After clicking the desired text size, the Ribbon goes back to being minimized.

Fig. 9.3 : The Ribbon The Quick Access toolbar : The Quick Access Toolbar in Excel 2007 is found in the upper left corner of the spreadsheet program above the ribbon and next to the Office Button. It is used to store shortcuts to frequently used features in Excel 2007. It is also where we add the shortcuts to Excel features that are not available on the ribbon in Excel 2007.

Fig. 9.4 : The Quick Access toolbar Moving the Quick Access toolbar : The Quick Access toolbar is located above the Ribbon by default. To bring it below the Ribbon we follow these steps: 1. We click Customize Quick Access Toolbar 2. Then in the list, we click Show Below the Ribbon Customizing the Quick Access toolbar : Adding a command to the Quick Access Toolbar directly from the Ribbon

We can add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar directly from commands that are displayed on the Ribbon by following these steps: 1. On the Ribbon, we click the appropriate tab or group to display the command that is to be added to the Quick Access Toolbar. 2. We right-click the command, and then click Add to Quick Access Toolbar on the shortcut menu. Adding a command to the Quick Access Toolbar by using the Program Name Options dialog box The new Ribbon in Office 2007 can take a while to get used to, so the Quick Access Toolbar is a great way to put the most frequently used commands on a single toolbar while getting used to the Ribbon. We can add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar from a list of commands in the Program Name Options dialog box, where Program Name is the name of the program being used, for example, Word Options 1. Firstly we do any one of the following Using the MS Office button (i) We click the MS Office Button, and then click Program Name Options, where Program Name is the name of the program being used, for example, Excel Options. (ii) We click Customize. Using the Quick Access toolbar (i) We click Customize Quick Access Toolbar (ii) In the list we click More Commands which opens the dialog box of Figure 9.5.

Fig. 9.5 : The Excel Options dialog box 2. In the Program Name Options dialog box, in the Choose commands from list, we click the command category that we want.

3. In the list of commands in the selected category, we click the command to be added to the Quick Access Toolbar, and then click Add. 4. After adding we click OK.

9.4

ROW, COLUMN AND CELL

MS Excel can be used to organize data into rows and columns. When we look at the

Excel screen of Figure 9.2, we can see a rectangular table or grid of rows and columns. The horizontal rows are identified by numbers (1,2,3 etc) and the vertical columns are identified with letters of the alphabet (A,B,C etc). For columns beyond 26, columns are identified by two or more letters combination such as AA, AB, AC etc

Fig. 9.6 : Rows, Columns and Cells in an Excel Worksheet The intersection point between a column and a row is a small rectangular box known as a cell. A cell is the basic unit for storing data in the spreadsheet. Because an Excel spreadsheet contains thousands of hese cells, each is given a cell reference or address to identify it. Sometimes referred to as a cell address, a cell reference consists of the column letter and row number that intersect at the location of the cell such as A3, B6, AA345. A cell reference identifies the location of a cell or group of cells in the spreadsheet. When listing a cell reference, the column letter is always listed first. Cell references are used in formulas, functions, charts and other Excel commands. While references often refer to individual cells such as A1, B38, or Z345, they can also refer to a group or range of cells. Ranges are identified by the cell references of the cells in the upper left and lower right corners of the range. The two cell references used for a range are separated by a colon ( : ) which tells Excel to include all the cells between these start and end points. An example of a range of adjacent cells would be B5:D10.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Q.1. Fill in the blanks. (i) A __________ is the computer equivalent of a paper ledger sheet. (ii) In Excel 2007 the __________ has replaced the menus and toolbars found in earlier versions of Excel. (iii) The __________ is used to store shortcuts to frequently used features in Excel 2007. (iv) In Excel 2007 we can use the __________ on the mouse to __________ from one tab to another on the ribbon. Q.2. State whether the following statements are True or False. (i) The Ribbon can quickly be hidden to get more room to work in our spreadsheet. (ii) The Ribbon is the strip of buttons and icons located above the work area in Excel 2007. (iii) Horizontal rows are identified by letters of the alphabet and the vertical columns are identified by numbers. (iv) The intersection point between a column and a row is a small rectangular box known as a cell. (v) A cell reference consists of the column number and row letter that intersect at the cells location.

9.5

WORKING WITH EXCEL

Before working with excel and using its various features and functions that help us to

create Worksheets which enable us to manipulate data in rows and columns, it is important to understand some basic ways of working in the excel environment which would enable us to use later the more advanced features and techniques present in Excel 2007. Navigating in Excel : Any application program that has windows includes the navigation bars that allow us to have a full look into a worksheet, as shown in Figure 9.7.

Fig. 9.7 : Navigating the Worksheet Using these two navigation bars we can browse through the entire worksheet. Selecting sheets : In order to work with multiple worksheets in Excel, we need to select them numerous times. If we have multiple worksheets in the Excel document, they can be seen as shown in Figure 9.8

Fig. 9.8 : Multiple Sheets in Excel To select a single sheet while working with Excel we click the tabs of worksheets (or sheets) at the bottom of the window. To select two or more adjacent sheets we click the tab for the first sheet, and then holding down SHIFT we click the tab for the last sheet that we want to select. To select two or more nonadjacent sheets we click the tab for the first sheet, and holding down CTRL we click the tabs of the other sheets that we want to select. To select all sheets in a workbook we right-click a sheet tab, and then click Select All Sheets on the shortcut menu. Entering data into cells : To enter data into Worksheet cells we do the following : 1. Firstly we select the cell where data is to be inserted 2. We then type the text into that cell 3. Finally we press Enter or Tab Editing data in cells : To edit data in a Worksheet cell we do the following: 1. To place the contents of a cell in editing mode We double-click the cell whose data is to be edited. OR We click the cell whose data is to be edited, and then click anywhere in the formula bar. This positions the insertion point in the cell or formula bar.

2. To edit the cell contents To delete characters, we click where we want to delete them, and then press BACKSPACE, or select them, and then press DELETE. OR To insert characters, we click where we want to insert them, and then type the new characters. OR To replace specific characters, we select them, and then type the new characters. OR To turn on Overtype mode so that existing characters are replaced by new characters while typing, we press INSERT. OR To start a new line of text at a specific point in a cell, we click where we want to break the line, and then press ALT+ENTER. Deleting data from cells : To delete data from a Worksheet cell we do the following: 1. Firstly, we select the cell whose data is to be deleted 2. Then we do one of the following Press the DELETE key Press the BACKSPACE key Right-click the cell and select Clear Contents from the drop-down menu Right-click the cell and select Delete, or on the Home tab, in the Cells group, we select Delete and click Delete Cells, which opens up the dialog box in Figure 9.9.

Fig. 9.9 3. Now we select any of the two options Shift cells left or Shift cells up.

9.5.1 Creating a New Workbook

A MS Excel workbook is a file containing one or more worksheets that we use to organize several kinds of related information. To create a new workbook, we may Open a blank workbook Base a new workbook on an existing workbook Base a new workbook on a template To open a new blank workbook we follow these steps: 1. We click the Microsoft Office Button and then click New. OR Press Ctrl + N 2. This opens the New Workbook dialog box as in Figure 9.10

Fig. 9.10 : The New Workbook dialogue box 3. Under Templates, we select Blank and recent, and then under Blank and recent in the right pane, we click Blank Workbook. To base a new workbook on an existing workbook we follow these steps: 1. We click the Microsoft Office Button and then click New or press Ctrl + N which opens the dialogue box of Figure 9.10 2. Under Templates, we click New from existing which opens up the New from Existing Workbook dialog box of Figure 9.11 3. In the New from Existing Workbook dialog box, we browse to the drive, folder, or Internet location that contains the workbook that we want to open. 4. We click the workbook, and then click Create New.

Fig. 9.11 : The New from Existing Workbook dialog box To base a new workbook on an existing template we follow these steps: 1. We click the Microsoft Office Button and then click New or press Ctrl + N which opens the dialogue box of Figure 9.10. 2. Under Templates, we click Installed Templates which opens the dialog box of Figure 9.12 or My templates which opens the dialog box of Figure 9.13. 3. Finally we do one of the following To use an installed template, under Installed Templates, we click the template we want, and then click Create. To use our own template, on the My Templates tab, we double-click the template that we want.

Fig. 9.12 : The Installed Templates

Fig. 9.13 : The New dialog box

9.5.2 Working with Cells and Fonts

When we are working in Excel we are actually dealing with the data that we insert into the cells. We have already seen how we can perform operations on cell data like insertion, edition and deletion. In this section we will look into some other features of working with cells. When we work with cells we can apply different formatting techniques to them. Also we can work with Fonts in Excel in a similar manner. Some of them are discussed below. Working with Styles : A cell style is a defined set of formatting characteristics, such as fonts and font sizes, number formats, cell borders, and cell shading. To prevent anyone from making changes to specific cells, we can also use a cell style that locks cells. To apply several formats in one step, and to ensure that cells have consistent formatting, we can use a cell style. To apply a cell style, we follow these steps : 1. Firstly we select the cells we want to format 2. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, we click Cell Styles

3. Lastly we select the cell style that we want to apply To create a custom cell style we follow these steps : 1. Firstly on the Home tab, in the Styles group, we click Cell Styles.

2. Then we click on New Cell Style which opens the dialog box of Figure 9.14.

Fig. 9.14 : The New Cell Style dialog box 3. In the Style name box, we type an appropriate name for the new cell style. 4. Then we click Format to open the Format Cells dialog box of Figure 9.15.

Fig. 9.15 : The Format Cells dialog box 5. On the various tabs in the Format Cells dialog box, we select the formatting and click OK. 6. In the Style dialog box, under Style Includes, we clear the check boxes for any formatting that we do not want to include in the cell style. To fill cells with solid colors we follow these steps:

1. Firstly we select the cells that we want to apply shading to or remove shading from 2. On the Home tab, in the Font group, we do one of the following: To fill cells with a solid color, we click the arrow next to Fill Color in the Font group on the Home tab, and then click the color we want. To apply the most recently selected color, we can click Fill Color.

To fill cells with patterns, we follow these steps :

Fig. 9.16 : The Format Cells dialog box 1. We select the cells to be fill with a pattern. 2. On the Home tab, we click the Dialog Box Launcher next to Font, and then click the Fill tab as shown in Figure 9.16 below. 3. Under Background Color, we click the background color that we want to use. To apply cell borders we follow these steps : 1. Firstly we select the cell/range of cells that we want to add a border to, to change the border style on, or to remove a border from 2. On the Home tab, in the Font group, we click the arrow next to Borders, and then click a border style. Working with Fonts : We can not only change the font or font size for selected cells or ranges in a worksheet, but also change the default font and font size that are used in new workbooks.

To change the font or font size we follow these steps : 1. Select the cell, range of cells, text, or characters that you want to format. 2. On the Home tab, in the Font group, we do the following: To change the font, we click the needed font in the Font box

To change the font size, we click the font size that we want in the Font Size box or click Increase Font Size or Decrease Font Size until the size you want is displayed in the Font Size box.

To change the default font or font size for new workbooks we follow these steps : 1. We click the MS Office Button and then click Excel Options which opens the dialog box of Figure 9.17 2. In the Popular category, under When creating new workbooks, we click a font in the Use this font box, and then specify a font size in the Font Size box.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Q.3. State whether the following statements are True or False : (i) To select two or more adjacent sheets we click the tab for the first sheet, and then holding down SHIFT we click the tab for the last sheet that we want to select (ii) We cannot base a new workbook on an existing workbook. (iii) Base a new workbook on a template. (iv) We cannot use a cell style that locks cells. (v) We can fill cells with patterns.

9.5.3 Merging Cells

The Merge formatting feature in Excel 2007 is a handy option to quickly format titles and headings in Excel 2007 spreadsheets. It allows us to align titles evenly above our data by merging a number of cells into one and then aligning the title in this one cell. In previous versions of Excel problems often occurred when we tried to make formatting changes to an area of the worksheet where the Merge feature had been applied. Adding new columns to the merged area was particularly difficult and it was necessary to un-merge the cells, add the new columns, and then reapply Merge. In Excel 2007 this problem has been corrected. Adding new columns to the merged area is now quite easily done. When we merge two or more adjacent horizontal or vertical cells, the cells become one large cell that is displayed across multiple columns or rows. The contents of one of the cells appear in the center of the merged cell. A merged cell is a single cell that is created by combining two or more selected cells. The cell reference for a merged cell is the upper-left cell in the original selected range. To merge adjacent cells we do the following : 1. Firstly we need to select two or more adjacent cells that we want to merge 2. On the Home tab, in the Alignment group, we click Merge and Center.

3. The cells will be merged in a row or column, and the cell contents will be centered in the merged cell. To merge cells without centering, we click the arrow next to Merge and Center, and then click Merge Across or Merge Cells 4. (Optional) We may change the alignment in the merged cell, if desired. For example, we may click the Align Text Right button in the Alignment group in case we want the text in the merged cell to be right-aligned instead of centered. Example using the Merge and Center cells feature. 1. Firstly, we click on cell A2. 2. Then type in a title such as: The Cookie Shop. 3. Click on cell A3.

4. Then type in a subtitle such as: Income Statement. 5. We drag select cells A2 to C2 6. Then click on the Home tab. 7. Click on the Merge & Center option on the ribbon. 8. The title should be centered across columns A to C. 9. Drag select cells A3 to C3 10. Click on the Merge & Center option on the Ribbon. 11. The subtitle should be centered across columns A to C. If we try to Merge & Center more than one row at a time only the title in the top row will be retained by Excel. All other titles will be discarded. Splitting a merged cell : We may also unmerge or split a merged cell into its original, individual cells. We can only split a cell that has previously been merged. To split a merged cell we follow these steps : 1. Firstly we select the merged cell that we want to unmerge 2. The Merge & Center button appears selected in the Alignment group. 3. Finally we click the Merge & Center button in the Alignment group. The merged cell reverts to a cell range again, and any text contained in the merged cell displays in the upper-left cell of the range.

9.5.4 Inserting and Deleting Rows and Columns

In an Excel workbook we can insert rows above a row and columns to the left of a column. We can also delete rows and columns in a worksheet. To insert rows on a worksheet we follow these steps : 1. Firstly, if we want to insert a single row, we select the row or a cell in the row above which we want to insert the new row. OR If we want to insert multiple rows, we select the rows above which we want to insert rows. We select the same number of rows as we want to insert. OR If we want to insert nonadjacent rows, we hold down Ctrl while selecting the nonadjacent rows. 2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, we click the arrow next to Insert, and then click Insert Sheet Rows.

To insert columns on a worksheet we follow these steps : 1. Firstly, if we want to insert a single column we have to select the column or a cell in the column immediately to the right of where we want to insert the new column. OR If we want to insert multiple columns we have to select the columns immediately to the right of where we want to insert columns. We similarly select the same number of columns as we want to insert. OR If we want to insert nonadjacent columns, we have to hold down the Ctrl key while selecting nonadjacent columns 2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, we click the arrow next to Insert, and then click Insert Sheet Columns. To delete rows or columns from a worksheet we follow these steps : 1. Firstly, we select the rows or columns to be deleted. 2. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, we do one of the following: To delete selected rows, we click the arrow next to Delete, and then click Delete Sheet Rows. To delete selected columns, we click the arrow next to Delete, and then click Delete Sheet Columns. When we delete rows or columns, the other rows or columns automatically shift up or to the left.

9.6

SAVING A WORKBOOK
When we save a file, we can save it on the hard disk drive, a network location, disk,

CD, the desktop, or another storage location. We need to identify the target location in the Save in list. Otherwise, the saving process is the same, no matter what location we choose. To Save an Excel 2007 file we do the following : 1. Firstly we click the Microsoft Office button

2. From the drop down menu we click Save. OR We press Ctrl + S on the keyboard (If we are saving the file for the first time, the Save As dialog box opens and we are asked to give a file name) To save a copy of an Excel 2007 file we do the following : 1. Firstly we click the Microsoft Office button and choose Save As. 2. Click the folder or drive to which we want to save. 3. In the File name box, we enter a new name for the file. 4. Click Save. To save an Excel 2007 file to another format we do the following : 1. Firstly we click the Microsoft Office Button and then click Save As. 2. In the File name box, we enter a new name for the file. 3. In the Save as type list, we click the file format that we want to save the file in 4. Click Save.

9.7

CLOSING A WORKBOOK
After we have finished working with our Excel workbook and saved it on the hard

drive, we should close the workbook. The ways that are involved in closing a Workbook are discussed below. To close a Workbook without quitting MS Excel 2007 we do the following : 1. We click the MS Office button and click Close OR Click the Close window button just above the worksheet 2. If the Worksheet has not been saved, the dialog of Figure 9.18 is displayed asking us if we would like to Save the Workbook.

Fig. 9.18 : Saving a Workbook 2. If we select Yes, another dialog box is provided which allows us to Close the workbook by saving it. To close a Workbook by quitting MS Excel 2007 we do the following: 1. Firstly we click the Close button that closes MS Excel

2. If the Worksheet has not been saved, the dialog of Figure 9.18 is displayed asking us if we would like to Save the Workbook 3. If we select Yes, another dialog box is provided which allows us to Close the workbook by saving it.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Q.4. Fill in the blanks: (i) The __________ formatting feature is a handy option to quickly format titles and headings. (ii) A __________ is a single cell that is created by combining two or more selected cells. (iii) If we try to __________ more than one row at a time only the title in the top row will be retained by Excel. (iv) We can only __________ a cell that has previously been __________. (v) If we want to insert nonadjacent rows, we __________ the nonadjacent rows.

9.8

LET US SUM UP
Excel is an electronic spreadsheet program that can be used for storing, organizing and manipulating data. MS Excel can be used to organize data into rows and columns. For columns beyond 26, columns are identified by two or more letters combination such as AA, AB, AC etc A cell is the basic unit for storing data in the spreadsheet. To select a single sheet while working with Excel we click the tabs of worksheets (or sheets) at the bottom of the window. When we work with cells we can apply different formatting techniques to them. A cell style is a defined set of formatting characteristics. When we merge two or more adjacent horizontal or vertical cells, the cells become one large cell that is displayed across multiple columns or rows. We can also unmerge or split a merged cell into its original, individual cell. In an Excel workbook we can insert rows above a row and columns to the left of a column.

9.10 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Ans. to Q. No. 1 : (i) spreadsheet, (ii) ribbon, (iii) quick access toolbar, (iv) scroll wheel, scroll Ans. to Q. No. 2 : (i) true, (ii) true, (iii) false, (iv) true, (v) false Ans. to Q. No. 3 : (i) true, (ii) false, (iii) false, (iv) false, (v) true Ans. to Q. No. 4 : (i) Merge, (ii) merged cell, (iii) Merge and Center, (iv) Split, merged, (v) Ctrl + click

9.11 MODEL QUESTIONS

Q.1. What purpose is Excel used for? What are its applications? Q.2. How do we start working with MS Excel 2007? Q.3. Describe the Ribbon in Excel 2007. Q.4. What are Rows, Columns and Cells in Excel? Q.5. What are the steps involved in creating a new worksheet in Excel 2007? Q.6. How can we merge cells? Give an example. Q.7. How do we spit a merged cell? Explain Q.8. Explain the process of inserting rows and columns in Excel. Q.9. Explain the process of deleting rows and columns in Excel. Q.10. How do we close an Excel worksheet?