Practical 2: Developing a Data Entry screen Using Microsoft Excel
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Disciplined Use of Spreadsheet Packages for Data Entry
Spreadsheets are commonly used for data entry because they are familiar, in widespread use and very flexible.
When creating a data entry screen using Excel, it is
sensible to spend a little time thinking about the data,
before rushing into using Excel
This presentation will look into tools and functionalities within Excel that you will use in designing a data entry screen
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Excel Tools and functionality
Freezing or splitting panes Drop-down lists Data validation
Adding comments to cells
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Freezing or splitting panes
To keep an area of a worksheet visible while you scroll to another area of the
worksheet, you can lock specific rows or columns in one area by freezing or splitting panes. When you freeze panes, you keep specific rows or columns visible when you scroll in the worksheet. For example, you might want to keep row and column labels visible as you scroll. STEPS 1. Select the row or column you want to keep visible when you scroll 2. On the View tab, in the Window group, click the arrow below Freeze Panes. 3. Do one of the following: To lock one row only, select, Freeze Top Row.
To lock one column only, select, Freeze First Column.
To lock more than one row or column, or to lock both rows and columns at the same time, click Freeze Panes
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There are usually ways to avoid typing a sequence more than once to avoid erroneous data entry. Data entry is quicker and more accurate when you restrict values in a cell to choices from a drop-down list. STEPS Start by making a list of valid entries on the sheet, and sort or rearrange the entries so that they appear in the order you want. Then you can use the entries as the source for your drop-down list of data. If the list is not large, you can easily refer to it and type the entries directly into the data validation tool. 1. Create a list of valid entries for the drop-down list, typed on a sheet in a single column or row without blank cells. 2. Select the cells that you want to restrict data entry in. 3. On the Data tab, under Tools, click Validate. 4. Click the Settings tab, and then in the Allow pop-up menu, click List. 5. Click in the Source box, and then on your sheet, select your list of valid entries. The dialog box minimizes to make the sheet easier to see. 6. Press RETURN or click the Expand button to restore the dialog box, and then click OK.
Drop-down lists
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Data Validation
Validation checks can and should be set on ranges of cells within the spreadsheet. A range could be an entire column/row, several columns/rows, or just a single cell. The validation rules apply when new data are entered .One validation tool available in Excel is the facility to set up range checks for numerical data. For example, the measurements
recorded for a variable expected to be in the range from 10 to 26.
To set up a range checks
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Adding comments to cells
Excel has a facility for adding comments to a cell. These differ from values within the cell. Comments should be used for any unusual observations or questions concerning a
particular data value during data entry
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