Notes

Electronic Spreadsheet (Advanced) using LibreOffice Calc

Analyse Data using Scenarios and Goal Seek

Analysing data is the process to extract useful information for making effective decisions.
The spreadsheet is one of the best software used for data analysis. It is used to retrieve,
correlate, explore and visualise data to identify patterns, trends and relationships.

Consolidating Data
Consolidate is a function used to combine information from multiple sheets of the
spreadsheet into one place to summarize the information. It is used to view and compare
variety of data in a single spreadsheet for identifying trends and relationships.
Check the following before consolidating data.
• Open each sheet in the spreadsheet and check that the data types must match which you
want to consolidate.
• Match the labels from all the sheets which are used for consolidating.
• Enter the first column as the primary column on the basis of which the data is to be
consolidated.
Steps to consolidate the data are as follows:
Step 1. Open the spreadsheet which has the data to be consolidated.
Step 2. Create a new sheet where the data has to be consolidated.
Step 3. Choose Data > Consolidate option that will open Consolidate dialog.
Step 4. Observe that the default function “Sum” is seen in the Function dropdown.
You will be able to see the list of functions by clicking on the Function drop-down.
Step 5. Choose the required function from the drop-down list.
Step 6. The sources data range list contains existing named ranges to quickly select from
that. But if the source range is undefined, then click and select the range from the sheet
which is to be consolidated.
Step 7. Click on Add to add this range under the ‘Consolidation ranges’ of the Consolidation
dialog.
Step 8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 to add more sheets to be consolidated.
Step 9. Remember to check the target range specified under Use ‘Copy results to’. If it is
not mentioned, then click on the cell of sheet where the final data has to be produced.
Step 10. Click on Options that will list two checkbox under Consolidate by “Row labels”
and “Column labels” and “Link to source data” under Options. From this you can select the
additional feature as per requirement. The option consolidate by rows and columns are
checked to consolidate data as per row labels and column label. Link to source data is
checked to make the modification automatically in the consolidated (target) sheet while
making any changes in the source data.
Step 11. Finally click on OK button.

Groups and Subtotals

Group and Outline in Calc is used to create an outline of the selected data and can group
rows and columns together so that one can collapse (-) to hide it or expand (+) it using a
single click on it.
Select the data to be grouped, click on Data>Group and Outline. Then choose Rows to
group the data on the basis of rows or columns to group it on the basis of columns.

Subtotal
The Subtotal tool in Calc creates the group automatically and applies common functions
like sum, average on the grouped data. One can use any type of summary function for each
column as per the requirement of data analysis.
Follow the following steps to apply Subtotal tool.
Step 1. The sheet where this is to be applied must have labels to the column
Step 2. Click on Data menu and choose Subtotals (Data>Subtotals).
Step 3. Choose the column in the Group by list in the subtotal dialog which is to be used for
grouping the data in the sheet.
Step 4. Select the column by clicking the checkbox under Calculate subtotals for to
create subtotals for.
Step 5. Select the desired function by clicking the function under Use function.
Step 6. You can use the 2nd Group and 3rd Group tabs to group the data in further levels.
Step 7. Click on OK button.

Observe that outline to the left of the row numbers which is inserted after performing the
subtotal tool.
This outline shows the hierarchical structure which can be used to show or hide different
levels by clicking on the group indicators ‘+’ sign to expand and ‘–’ sign to collapse the data.
You can hide the low-level details and just look at the final totals and grand totals.
If you want to remove the outline feature from the sheet at any point of time then it is
possible by just clicking on Data > Group and Outline > Remove Outline.

What-if Scenarios
What-if scenario is a set of values that can be used within the calculations in the
spreadsheet. A name is given to the scenario and several scenarios can be created on the
same sheet.
It is used to explore and compare various alternatives depending on changing conditions.
Follow the following steps to create scenarios:
Step 1. Select the cells which contains values in the sheet that needs to be changed. To
select multiple cells, hold Ctrl key and click on the cell to be selected.
Step 2. Choose Tools>Scenarios will open scenario dialog window.
Step 3. Enter a name for the new scenario and leave the other fields unchanged.
Step 4. Click on OK button.
Step 5. This will create a new scenario which is activated automatically.

Follow above steps to create multiple scenarios with different name in same sheet.

Multiple Operations
The Multiple Operations tool creates a formula array to display the list of results applying the
formula on a list of alternative values used in the formula. This tool uses two arrays of cells,
one array contains the input values and the second array uses the formula and display the
result.
It is useful to check in the beginning to understand from the output for the efficiency.
Following steps are used for what-if analysis tool:
Let us calculate with one formula and one variable:
Step 1. Enter the data in the cells and then enter a formula to calculate a result from values
in other cells.
Step 2. Create an array of input values on the basis of which the output is to be generated
using the formula.
Step 3. Select the cell range of input array and output array.
Step 4. Click on Data>Multiple Operations will display the multiple operations dialog
window.
Step 5. Enter the cell address in the Formulas box from the sheet which contains the
formula.
Step 6. Now, enter the cell address of the cell which is a variable and is used in the formula
in Column input cell box.
Step 7. Click on OK will generate all the possible outputs based on the formula.

For 2 values changing in step 6 enter the cell address of the cell which is a variable and is
used in the formula in Row input cell box.
Goal Seek
Goal seek helps in finding out the input for the specific output by changing one variable in
formula.
Follow the following steps to use Goal seek tool.
Step 1. Enter the values in the worksheet.
Step 2. Write the formula in the cell where the calculation has to be used.
Step 3. Place the cursor in the formula cell, choose Tools > Goal Seek.
Step 4. The Goal seek dialog window will appear, the Formula cell box will have the correct
formula.
Step 5. Place the cursor on the Variable cell box and click on the cell that contains the value
to be changed.
Step 6. Enter the desired result in the Target value box.
Step 7. Click on OK button.
Macros
Macro is use to automate repeated tasks that are always performed in the same way over
and over again.
Recording a Macro
A macro is a single instruction that executes a set of instructions. These set of instructions
can be a sequence of commands or keystrokes that can be used for any
number of times later. A sequence of actions such as keystrokes and clicks can be recorded
and then run as per the requirement.
It is important to know that by default the macro recording feature is turned off. Hence, to
record a Macro ensure that the macro recording is enabled.
Macro recording can be enabled using the Tools option on the main menu bar by selecting
Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Advanced.
Observe the Optional Features. There are two options which are not check marked.
Put the checkmark on the option “Enable macro recording”.
Observe in Fig. 5.2, that the Record
Macro option found under Tools > Macros is visible now.

The Macro records all the keyboard and mouse actions but the following actions are not
recorded.
• Opening of windows
• Actions carried out in another window than where the recording was started.
• Window switching
• Actions that are not related to the spreadsheet contents. For example, changes made in
the Options dialog, macro organizer, customizing.
• Selections are recorded only if they are done by using the keyboard (cursor traveling), but
not when the mouse is used.
• The macro recorder works only in Calc and Writer.

Follow the steps given below to record a macro.

Step 1. Click on Tools > Macros and then click on the Record Macro option.
Step 2. Now start taking actions that will be recorded.
Step 3. Once you click on Record Macro option, recording of actions starts and a small
alert will be displayed. Clicking on “Stop Recording” button will stop the recording of actions.
Step 4. This will open the Basic Macros dialog window to save and run the created macro.
Step 5. To save the macro, first select the object where you want the macro to be saved in
the Save Macro to list box.
Step 6. The name of the macro by default is Main and is saved in the Standard Library in
Module1. You can change the name of the macro.
Step 7. Click on Save button.

A Library is a collection of modules which in turn is a collection of macros.

Rules for naming a Macro, Module or a Library:

While naming a Macro, Module or a Library the name should :
• Begin with a letter
• Not contain spaces
• Not contain special characters except for _ (underscore)
Running a Macro
To run a macro we need to perform the following steps.
Step 1. Place cursor in desired cell.
Step 2. Use Tools > Macros > Run Macro to open the Macro Selector dialog box.
Step 3. Select the library and module in the Library list.
Step 4. Select the macro in the Macro name list.
Step 5. Click Run to run the macro.

Creating and Organising a Simple Macro

Use the following steps to organize the macro.
Step 1. Click on Tools > Macros > Organize Macros > LibreOffice Basic to open the
LibreOffice Basic Macro dialog window.
Step 2. Click Organizer to open the Basic Macro Organizer dialog.
Create a library to store a macro
To create a new library containing modules, click on Library > New.
Use the following steps to create a module to store a macro.
Choose the Modules Tab and select a Module. Click on New to create a new Module.

Macro as a Function
We can create user-defined function in macros. A function is capable of accepting
arguments or values. It can perform operations on the arguments, perform calculations and
return the result.

Setting up Multiple Sheets

To add a new sheet in the spreadsheet, click on the Add Sheet by clicking on the (+) sign
located in the left bottom of the spreadsheet.
Alternatively, you can right click anywhere on the sheet tab and select Insert sheet option
from the drop-down list displayed. It gives us a choice to put the new sheet, assign the
name of the sheets, delete a sheet and so on.
Insert Sheet dialog box can be invoked from the menu option Sheet > Insert Sheet

Linking Spreadsheet Data

To use data from multiple sheets into 1 sheet for some analysis we can copy or retype data
but Linking spread sheet provides better and error free way to use data from multiple
sheets.
It can be done in two ways, one is creating reference to other sheets/documents by using
keyboard and mouse, and other is by linking external data.

Creating Reference to Other Sheets by Using

Keyboard and Mouse
How to reference cells in other sheets using mouse and keyboard.

Step 1. Select cell where you required data from other sheet.
Step 2. Click on the = icon next to the input line (or type = in cell), type complete address of
cell containing data. Press enter after including all cell address as an expression .
Any changes made to original data it will be reflected in the result sheet as well. That
is how the sheets are linked together.
We had selected cell reference by clicking on the cells.
An alternative could be to type the reference. First, we need to understand how referencing
is performed across sheets in the same spreadsheet document.
Hence, to refer to a cell in another sheet precede the cell reference with a ‘$’ sign. It is then
followed by the name of the sheet in ‘ ’ (single quotes) followed by a . (dot) and then the
cell address. For example, to refer acell C4 of sheet named Data1 we will type:
$‛Data 1’.C4
Note: Single quotes (‘ ’) are used as there is a space between Data and 1 in the sheet
name.

Creating Reference to Other Documents by Using Keyboard and Mouse

Sometimes we may intend to reference sheets stored in another spreadsheet file.
Reference By Mouse : Open both the sheet and select cell where you required data. Press =
sign and then by using mouse click other document and select desired cell from sheet
through mouse and press enter button. Celle reference will be added into cell automatically.

Reference by Keyboard : To refer to a cell in a different spreadsheet we write in single

quotes the path of the file followed by #$ then the name of the sheet followed by a . (dot)
and then the cell address.
For example: ‘file:///C:/Users/ADMIN/Documents/X-A.ods’#$Result.C4
Note : The path of a file has three forward slash ///. A filename can have space within its
name hence single quotes (‘ ‘) are used.

Hyperlinks to the Sheet

Sometimes it is required to jump to a document stored at a different location from within a
document. It can be done by creating a hyperlink.
Relative and Absolute Hyperlinks
A hyperlink can be either absolute or relative.
An absolute hyperlink stores the complete location where the file is stored. So, if the file is
removed from the location, absolute hyperlink will not work. For example:
C:\Users\ADMIN\Downloads\try.ods is an absolute link as it defines the complete path of the
file.
A relative hyperlink stores the location with respect to the current location.
For example: Admin\Downloads\try.ods is a relative hyperlink as it is dependent on the
current location and thus the folder admin is searched where the active spreadsheet is being
stored. If the complete folder containing the active spreadsheet is moved the relative link
will still be accessible as it is bound to the source folder where the active spreadsheet is
stored.
Creating Hyperlinks
To create hyperlink follow the following steps:
Step 1. Open the spreadsheet document.
Step 2. From the main menu, select and click on Insert > Hyperlink. An Hyperlink dialog
box will open.
Step 3. To insert the spreadsheet document, click on the Document on the left pan of
dialog box, then to select the spreadsheet document, click on the button located after the
Path. Select the required document.
Step 4. Then click on the Target button to choose the sheet which is to be hyperlinked.
Target in Document helps to specifically choose a target in the document such as sheet,
tables, frames, images, headings and so on.
Step 5. Click on Apply and Close button to exit the Target Document window.
Step 6. Enter the text in the Text box to assign the hyperlink to that text. So the hyperlink
will be assigned to the text.
Step 7. Click on Apply and Close button to confirm the changes and exit the Hyperlink
dialog box.
Step 8. Observe that the hyperlink is assigned to the word.
Step 9. To open the hyperlinked sheet, press the Ctrl key and click on the hyperlinked
word , the sheet will be opened in the new window.

Editing a Hyperlink
To edit an existing link, place the cursor anywhere in the link and right click the hyperlink. A
context menu will be displayed. Click on Edit Hyperlink..., the Hyperlink dialog box will be
displayed, where you can make changes to the hyperlink.

On clicking the Remove Hyperlink option, the link will be removed from the text and thus
it will not point to any other location.

Linking to External Data

The versatility of a spreadsheet allows us to insert tables from HTML documents into Calc.
To insert the tables from a HTML document, we can use the External Data Dialog box. The
steps for the same are given below.
Step 1. Open the spreadsheet where external data is to be inserted.
Step 2. Select the cell to store the first cell of the table in the external data.
Step 3. Select Sheet > Link to External Data.
Step 4. The External Data dialog box is displayed. Type the URL of the source document
or select it from the drop-down list if it is listed and press enter.
Step 5. A dialog box is displayed to select the language for import. Selecting Automatic
shows data in the same language as in the webpage.

Linking to Registered Data Sources

LibreOffice Calc allows us to link spreadsheet documents with databases and other data
sources. The data source needs to be registered with LibreOffice. You can access a variety of
databases and other data sources and link them to Calc documents. To register a data
source that is in *.odb format, follow the steps given below.
Step 1. Select Tools > Options > LibreOffice Base > Databases. The Options –
LibreOffice Base-Databases dialog box appears.
Step 2. Click the New button to open the Create Database Link dialog box.
Step 3. Enter the location of the database file, or click Browse to open a file browser and
select the database file.
Step 4. Type a name to use as the registered name for the database and click OK. The
database is added to the list of registered databases.
Note – The OK button is enabled only when both fields are filled in.

Share and Review a Spreadsheet

In LibreOffice Calc, one spreadsheet can be used by more than one user at a time by sharing
it. A shared spreadsheet is a same sheet that can be accessed by more than one user and
can allow them to make changes simultaneously on it. It saves the trouble of keeping track
of multiple copies of the same spreadsheet.
Sharing allows working in collaboration so that everyone can contribute, make changes and
view it.
The following are the steps to share the spreadsheet.
Step 1. Open a new spreadsheet and save it with some name.
Step 2. Select and click on Tools > Share Spreadsheet from main menu bar. This will
open the Share Document dialog window which can be used to enable or disable sharing
option.
Step 3. Click on the checkbox “Sharethis spreadsheet with other users” to share the
spreadsheet and click on OK button. This will open the confirmation dialog window to
save the spreadsheet to activate the shared mode.
Step 4. Click on Yes to continue.
Step 5. Once the spreadsheet is saved, the name of the spreadsheet in the title bar will
display (shared) along with the name of the spreadsheet.
Opening and Saving a Shared Spreadsheet
To open a shared spreadsheet, follow the following steps.
Step 1. While opening a spreadsheet which is a shared spreadsheet, a message will appear
that the spreadsheet is in shared mode and some of the features are not available to use in
this spreadsheet.
Step 2. Click on OK button to open the spreadsheet in shared mode.
Step 3. If you don’t want this warning option to be displayed again, then check the mark in
the checkbox ‘Do not show warning again’.
Step 4. Once the spreadsheet is saved in shared mode, some of the features will become
unavailable for used.
Step 5. Observe the Edit menu on the main menu bar, that shows Undo, Redo, Repeat,
Paste, Links to External files, ImageMap, Object are not available for use.

Saving a Shared Spreadsheet

Follow the steps given below to save a shared spreadsheet:
Step 1. After making the changes in the shared spreadsheet, you need to save it before
closing the spreadsheet.
Step 2. If two or more users are working at the same time and the changes do not conflict,
then the message will appear stating that the spreadsheet has been updated with changes
saved by other users.
Step 3. If there is any conflict for the changes, then resolve conflict dialog window will
appear.
Step 4. No other user can save the shared spreadsheet when you are resolving the conflicts.
Step 5. If another user is trying to save the shared document and resolve conflicts, then you
will be notified with a message that the file is locked. Now, you cannot save it.

Recording Changes
This feature of LibreOffice Calc provides different ways to record the changes made by one
or other users in the spreadsheet. While recording the changes, the spreadsheet will turn off
its shared feature. Follow the following steps for recording changes:
Step 1. To enable the Record changes, first disable the shared mode of spreadsheet.
Step 2. To disable the shared mode, open the spreadsheet.
Step 3. Select and click on Tools > Share Spreadsheet from main menu bar. This will
open the Share Document dialog window. Remove the check-mark on the checkbox, “Share
this spreadsheet with other users”, and click on OK button. It will display the Confirmation
dialog window to disable the sharing mode. It will give warning to disable the shared mode
of a spreadsheet. Click Yes to continue.
Step 4. Observe that (shared) word from the name of the spreadsheet has disappeared from
the title bar of the spreadsheet.
Step 5. The feature of Track Changes >Record under Edit menu is turned ON, which was
disabled and not working in the shared spreadsheet.
Step 6. Now to record track changes, click on Edit > Track Changes > Record.
Step 7. Now change in spreadsheet. Observe that the border colour of the cell in which
data has been changed turns to red. Also, the changed cell will display the description if the
cursor moves to the changed cell.
Step 8. Thus, by looking at the spreadsheet, other users can easily know the changes made
in the cell and the changes made by whom.

Add, Edit and Format the Comments

In Calc, the comments are automatically added. Also, the author or reviewer can add their
own comments as well. Follow the following steps to add your comments:
Step 1. Select from main menu bar and click on Edit > Track Changes > Comment, to
add your own comments.
Step 2. This will open the Add comment window. Enter your comments.
Step 3. Now to view the entered comment, click on the cell. Itshows the complete
description of the comments entered.
Step 4. You can also insert comments to a cell. Click on the cell where you want to insert
comments. Then select from main menu Insert > Comment.
Step 5. This type of comments is known as notes or suggestions in the spreadsheet. The box
will appear to write the comment. The comment box shows the comments entered as
“Contains only alphabets”. Once this text is typed in the text box, you can observe a
coloured dot in the upper-hand corner of the cell where the comment is added using insert
comment.
Step 6. Once the comment is added, you can display, edit or delete it. To perform these
operations, right click on the cell where you have inserted the comments. Observe the
options under popup menu.
Step 7. Select the “Edit Comment” option to edit the comments. It will take you again to the
comment textbox to make any changes.
Step 8. Select “Delete Comment” option to delete the comment.
Step 9. Select the “Show Comment” to view the comment. By selecting this option, the
comments will be displayed. Again when you right click on the cell, you will observe that
“Hide Comment” option will be activated in place of “Show Comment”. This is because when
you are displaying the comments it is already in show mode, which has to be hide.

Formatting Comment
You can format the comment box, just like formatting the cell contents.
Follow the following steps to format the comment.
Step 1. Right click on the cell where the comment is added.
Step 2. Select the option “Format cell”, which will display the Format Cells dialogue box.
Step 3. You can apply the various formatting features from its tab such as Font, font Effects,
Alignment, Borders, Background and Cell Protection. Change the font, text colour, fill colour,
line colour for the comment box as desired and click on OK button to apply the changes.
Observe the desired formatting features applied to the comment box.

Reviewing Changes – View, Accept or Reject Changes

Follow the following steps to review changes.
Step 1. Select and click on Edit > Track Changes > Show. It will open the Show Changes
dialog window.
Step 2. This is used to plan what all changes are to be displayed while reviewing the
spreadsheet.
Step 3. Click on Edit > Track Changes> Manage to accept or reject the changes. It will
display the Manage Changes dialog window.
Step 3. In this dialog window, click on the line and click on Accept or Accept All or Reject
All button to review the changes.
Step 4. Click on Close button once the review is done.

Merging and Comparing

If the same spreadsheet is reviewed by different team members and you have two different
versions of the same spreadsheet file.
Follow the following steps to merge document.
Step 1. Open the spreadsheet file.
Step 2. Click on Edit > Track Changes > Merge Document.
Step 3. Select the spreadsheet file from the Merge With dialog window to open the
spreadsheet to merge with other and Click on Open button.
Step 4. This will open Manage Changes dialog window.
Step 5. Click on Accept All. to accept all the changes which is done in the other spreadsheet
to the original sheet.
Step 6. Now open the first spreadsheet after merging and observe its contents. Observe that
originale sheet shows the contents of other sheet.

Comparing Documents
Instead of merging two spreadsheets, one can compare the two spreadsheets by comparing
the documents. Follow the following steps to compare the documents.
Step 1. Open the spreadsheet file Test.ods. Click on Edit > Track Changes > Compare
Document.
Step 2. This will open the Compare to dialog window, which will allow to open the
spreadsheet to be compared. Select the first spreadsheet file and click on Open button.
Step 3. This will open the Manage Changes dialog window to accept/reject the
changes. Click on Accept.
Step 4. Finally click on Close button to close the Manage Changes dialog window.