Introduction to Spreadsheets

What is an Excel Spreadsheet

A collection of spreadsheets is known as a workbook. Every Excel file is called a workbook.
Every time you start a new project in Excel, you’ll need to create a new workbook.
There are several methods for getting started with an Excel workbook. To create a new
worksheet or access an existing one, you can either start from scratch or utilize a pre-
designed template. A single Excel worksheet is a tabular spreadsheet that consists of a matrix
of rectangular cells grouped in rows and columns. It has a total of 1,048,576 rows and
16,384 columns, resulting in 17,179,869,184 cells on a single page of a Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet where you may write, modify, and manage your data.
In the same way as a file or a book is made up of one or more worksheets that contain various
types of related data, an Excel workbook is made up of one or more worksheets. You can also
create and save an endless number of worksheets. The major purpose is to collect all relevant
data in one place but in many categories (worksheet).
Features of Spreadsheet
As we know that there are so many spreadsheet applications available in the market. So these
applications provide the following basic features:
Rows and columns
Rows and columns are two distinct features in a spreadsheet that come together to make a
cell, a range, or a table. In general, columns are the vertical portion of an excel worksheet,
and there can be 256 of them in a worksheet, whereas rows are the horizontal portion, and
there can be 1048576 of them
a worksheet, whereas rows are the horizontal portion, and there can be 1048576 of them.
The color light green is used to highlight Row 3 while the color green is used to highlight
Column B. Each column has 1048576 rows and each row has 256 columns.
Cell Formatting
Cell formatting in Microsoft Excel refers to the process of changing the appearance of cells in
a worksheet to improve readability, highlight important information, and make data
presentation more visually appealing. Formatting can include changes to the font, color,
borders, alignment, and number formats of the cells.
Formulas
In spreadsheets, formulas process data automatically. It takes data from the specified area of
the spreadsheet as input then processes that data, and then displays the output into the new
area of the spreadsheet according to where the formula is written. In Excel, we can use
formulas simply by typing “=Formula Name(Arguments)” to use predefined Excel formulas.
When you write the first few characters of any formula, Excel displays a drop-down menu of
formulas that match that character sequence. Some of the commonly used formulas are:
 =SUM(Arg1: Arg2): It is used to find the sum of all the numeric data specified in the
given range of numbers.
 =COUNT(Arg1: Arg2): It is used to count all the number of cells(it will count only
number) specified in the given range of numbers.
 =MAX(Arg1: Arg2): It is used to find the maximum number from the given range of
numbers.
 =MIN(Arg1: Arg2): It is used to find the minimum number from the given range of
numbers.
 =TODAY(): It is used to find today’s date.
 =SQRT(Arg1): It is used to find the square root of the specified cell.
For example, you can use the formula to find the average of the integers in column C from
row 2 to row 7:
= AVERAGE(D2:D7)
The range of values on which you want to average is defined by D2:D6. The formula is
located near the name field on the formula tab.
We wrote =AVERAGE(D2:D6) in cell D9, therefore the average becomes (2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6
+ 7)/6 = 27/6 = 4.5. So you can quickly create a workbook, work on it, browse through it, and
save it in this manner.
Pivot Table
The Pivot Table feature in Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool for data analysis and reporting.
It allows users to quickly summarize, analyze, and explore large sets of data by creating
dynamic, interactive tables. With Pivot Tables, you can easily reorganize and aggregate data
to gain insights and present information in a meaningful way.
Functions of SpreadSheet
In spreadsheets, the function uses a specified formula on the input and generates output. Or in
other words, functions are created to perform complicated math problems in spreadsheets
without using actual formulas. For example, if you want to find the total of the numeric data
present in the column then use the SUM function instead of adding all the values present in
the column.
Text Manipulation
The spreadsheet provides various types of commands to manipulate the data present in it.
Pivot Tables: It is the most commonly used feature of the spreadsheet. Using this table users
can organize, group, total, or sort data using the toolbar. Or in other words, pivot tables are
used to summarize lots of data. It converts tons of data into a few rows and columns.
Uses of Spreadsheets
The use of Spreadsheets is endless. It is generally used with anything that contains numbers.
Some of the common use of spreadsheets are:
 Finance: Spreadsheets are used for financial data like it is used for checking account
information, taxes, transaction, billing, budgets, etc.
  Forms: A spreadsheet is used to create form templates to manage performance
review, timesheets, surveys, etc.
 School and colleges: Spreadsheets are most commonly used in schools and colleges
to manage student’s data like their attendance, grades, etc.
 Lists: Spreadsheets are also used to create lists like grocery lists, to-do lists, contact
detail, etc.
 Hotels: Spreadsheets are also used in hotels to manage the data of their customers like
their personal information, room numbers, check-in date, check-out date, etc.
Components of Spreadsheets
The basic components of spreadsheets are:

1. TitleBar:
The title bar displays the name of the spreadsheet and application.
2. Toolbar:
It displays all the options or commands available in Excel for use.
3. NameBox:
It displays the address of the current or active cell.
4. Formula Bar:
It is used to display the data entered by us in the active cell. Also, this bar is used to apply
formulas to the data of the spreadsheet.
5. Column Headings:
Every Excel spreadsheet contains 256 columns and each column present in the spreadsheet is
named by letters or a combination of letters.
6. Row Headings:
Every Excel spreadsheet contains 65,536 rows and each row present in the spreadsheet is
named by a number.
7. Cell:
In a spreadsheet, everything like a numeric value, functions, expressions, etc., is recorded in
the cell. Or we can say that an intersection of rows and columns is known as a cell. Every cell
has its own name or address according to its column and rows and when the cursor is present
on the first cell then that cell is known as an active cell.
8. Cell referring:
A cell reference, also known as a cell address, is a way for describing a cell on a worksheet
that combines a column letter and a row number. We can refer to any cell on the worksheet
using cell references (in excel formulae). As shown in the above image the cell in column A
and row 1 is referred to as A1. Such notations can be used in any formula or to duplicate the
value of one cell to another (by using = A1).
9. Navigation buttons:
A spreadsheet contains first, previous, next, and last navigation buttons. These buttons are
used to move from one worksheet to another workbook.
10. Sheet tabs:
As we know that a workbook is a collection of worksheets. So this tab contains all the
worksheets present in the workbook, by default it contains three worksheets but you can add
more according to your requirement.
How to Create a New Spreadsheet or Workbook
To create a new spreadsheet follow the following steps:
Step 1: Click on the top-left, Microsoft Office button and a drop-down menu appear.
Step 2: Now select New from the menu.
Step 3: After selecting the New option a New Workbook dialogue box will appear and then
in Create tab, click on the blank Document.
A new blank worksheet is created and is shown on your screen.
Note: When you open MS Excel on your computer, it creates a new Workbook for you.
How to Save the Workbook
In Excel we can save a workbook using the following steps:
Step 1: Click on the top-left, Microsoft office button and we get a drop-down menu:

Step 2: Now Save or Save As are the options to save the workbook, so choose one.
 Save As: To name the spreadsheet and then save it to a specific location. Select Save
As if you wish to save the file for the first time, or if you want to save it with a new
name.
 Save: To save your work, select Save/ click ctrl + S if the file has already been
named.
So this is how you can save a workbook in Excel.
Inserting text in Excel Spreadsheet
Excel consists of many rows and columns, each rectangular box in a row or column is
referred to as a Cell. So, the combination of a column letter and a row number can be used to
find a cell address on a worksheet or spreadsheet. We can refer to any cell in the worksheet
using these addresses (in excel formulas). The name box on the top left(below the Home tab)
displays the cell’s address whenever you click the cell.

To insert the data into the cell follow the following steps:
Step 1: Go to a cell and click on it
Step 2: By typing something on the keyboard, you can insert your data (In that selected cell).

Whatever text you type displays in the formula bar as well (for that cell).
How to Edit/ Delete Cell Contents in the Excel Spreadsheet
To delete cell content follow the following steps:
Step 1: To alter or delete the text in a cell, first select it.
Step 2: Press the Backspace key on your keyboard to delete and correct text. Alternatively,
hit the Delete key to delete the whole contents of a cell. You can also edit and delete text
using the formula bar. Simply select the cell and move the pointer to the formula bar.
Best Spreadhseet Applications
Below are some common spreadsheet application in excel
Microsoft Excel
As a component of the Microsoft Office suite and the cloud-based Microsoft 365 subscription
service (formerly known as Office 365), it is accessible on Windows, macOS, Android, and
iOS platforms.
Google Sheet
Google Sheets is free and also available as a desktop application for Google Chrome OS and
assorted mobile OSes, such as Android and iOS.
Google Sheet Vs MS Excel
Below are some differences between Google Sheet and Microsoft Excel.

Feature Google Sheets Microsoft Excel

Platform Windows, macOS, Web-based,

Web-based, Android, iOS
Availability Android, iOS

Real-time collaboration, multiple Real-time collaboration with

Collaboration
users can edit simultaneously Microsoft 365, file sharing

Limited offline access through Full offline access with desktop

Offline Access
browser extensions application

Google Drive (15 GB free, paid OneDrive (5 GB free, paid plans

Storage
plans available) available)

Formulas and Extensive, supports many Excel Extensive, industry-standard for

Functions functions advanced functions

Add-ons and Supports Google Workspace

Supports Office Add-ins
Extensions Marketplace add-ons

Basic to intermediate charting and Advanced charting, Power BI

Data Visualization
graphing tools integration

Basic pivot tables, filters, Advanced pivot tables, Power

Data Analysis Tools
conditional formatting Query, data models

Scripting and VBA (Visual Basic for

Google Apps Script
Automation Applications), Office Scripts

Templates Available via template gallery Extensive template library

Feature Google Sheets Microsoft Excel

Integration with Seamless integration with other Seamless integration with other
Other Tools Google apps (Docs, Slides) Office apps (Word, PowerPoint)

Apache Open Office

Free open-source office suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics,
databases. Accessible on Windows, macOS, Linux.
LibreOffice
LibreOffice includes a comprehensive spreadsheet application as part of its free software
suite. Both LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice share a common codebase, leading to their
similar spreadsheet applications.
Introduction

It is important that you know how to effectively manage

your worksheets. By default, three worksheets appear in each new workbook. In this lesson,
you will learn how to name, add, delete, group, and ungroup worksheets. Additionally, you
will learn how to freeze specific parts of the worksheet so they are always visible.
Naming worksheets
When you open an Excel workbook, there are three sheets by default, and the default name
on the tabs are Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3. These are not very informative names. Excel 2007
allows you to create a meaningful name for each worksheet in a workbook so you can quickly
locate information.
To name a worksheet:
 Right-click the sheet tab to select it.
 Choose Rename from the menu that appears. The text is highlighted by a black box.
  Type a new name for the worksheet.

 Click off of the tab. The worksheet now assumes the descriptive name defined.
OR
 Click the Format command in the Cells group on the Home tab.
 Select Rename Sheet. The text is highlighted by a black box.
 Type a new name for the worksheet.
 Click off of the tab. The worksheet now assumes the descriptive name defined.
Inserting worksheets
You can change the default number of sheets that appears by clicking the Microsoft Office
button and choosing Excel Options. You also have the ability to insert new worksheets if
needed while you are working.
To insert a new worksheet:
 Left-click the Insert Worksheet icon. A new sheet will appear. It will be named
Sheet4, Sheet5, or whatever the next sequential sheet number may be in the
workbook.

OR
  Press the Shift and the F11 keys on your keyboard.
Deleting worksheets
Any worksheet can be deleted from a workbook, including those that have data in it.
Remember, a workbook must contain at least one worksheet.
To delete one or more worksheets:
 Click on the sheet(s) you want to delete.
 Right-click the sheet(s), and a menu appears.
 Select Delete.

OR
 Select the sheet you want to remove.
 Click the drop-down arrow next to Delete in the Cells group on the Home tab.
 From the menu that appears, select Delete Sheet.
Grouping and ungrouping worksheets
A workbook is a multi-page Excel document that contains multiple worksheets. Sometimes
you will want to work with the worksheets one at a time as if each is a single unit. Other
times, the same information or formatting may need to be added to every worksheet.
Worksheets can be combined together into a group. Grouping worksheets allows you to
apply identical formulas and/or formatting across all of the worksheets in the group. When
you group worksheets, any changes made to one worksheet will be changed in any other
worksheets in the group.
To group contiguous worksheets:
 Select the first sheet you want to group.
 Press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard.
  Click the last sheet you want to group.

 Release the Shift key.

 The sheets are now grouped. All of the sheets between the first sheet and last sheet
selected are part of the group. The sheet tabs will appear white for the grouped sheets.

 Make any changes to one sheet, and the changes will appear in all the grouped sheets.
To group noncontiguous sheets:
 Select the first sheet you want to group.
 Press and hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard.
 Click the next sheet you want to group.
 Continuing clicking the sheets you want to group.
 Release the Control key.
 The sheets are now grouped. The sheet tabs will appear white for the grouped sheets.
Only the sheets selected are part of the group.
 Make any changes to one sheet, and the changes will appear in all the grouped sheets.
To ungroup worksheets:
 Right-click one of the sheets.
 Select Ungroup from the list.
Freezing worksheet panes
The ability to freeze, or lock, specific rows or columns in your spreadsheet is a useful feature
in Excel. It is called freezing panes. When you freeze panes, you select rows or columns that
will remain visible all the time, even as you are scrolling. This is particularly useful when
working with large spreadsheets.
To freeze a row:
  Select the row below the one you want frozen. For example, if you want rows 1 and 2
to appear at the top even as you scroll, select row 3.

 Click the View tab.

 Click the Freeze Pane command in the Window group.

 Choose Freeze Panes. A thin, black line appears below everything that is frozen in
place.

 Scroll down in the worksheet to see the pinned rows.

To unfreeze a pane:
 Click the Freeze Pane command.
  Select the Unfreeze command.
To freeze a column:
 Select the column to the right of the column(s) you want frozen. For example, if you
want columns A and B to always appear on the left, select column C.
 Click the View tab.
 Click the Freeze Pane command in the Window group.
 Choose Freeze Pane. A thin, black line appears to the right of the frozen area.
 Scroll across in the worksheet to see the pinned columns.
Sorting Data
Let’s say you had the spreadsheet above and wanted to sort by price. This process is fairly
simple. You can either highlight the whole column or even click on the first cell in the
column to get started. Then you will:
 Right click to open the menu
 Go down to the Sort option – when hovering over Sort the sub-menu will appear
 Click on Largest to Smallest
 Select Expand the selection
 Click OK

The whole table has now adjusted for the sorted column. Note: when the data in one column
is related to the data in the remaining columns of the table, you want to select Expand the
selection. This will ensure the data in that row carries over with sorted column data.
Filtering Data
The filter feature applies a drop down menu to each column heading, allowing you to select
specific choices to narrow a table. Using the above example, let’s say you wanted to filter
your table by Company and Salesperson. Specifically, you want to find the number of sales
Dylan Rogers made to Eastern Company.
To do this using the filter you would:
 Go to the Data tab on Excel ribbon
 Select the Filter tool
 Select Eastern Company from the dropdown menu
 Select Dylan Rogers from the Salesperson dropdown menu

Boom – you now have the exact number of sales Dylan Rogers made to Eastern Company.
The Sort & Filter Tool
In addition to the right-click menu sorting option and the Filter tool on the Data ribbon, Excel
has a Sort & Filter tool that allows for custom sorting.
In the following GIF, we can see how the Custom Sorting tool can be used to sort date ranges
or price ranges.
But notice how this example is either/or. What if you wanted to sort by date and by price?
This where the Custom Sort option really comes in handy. After selecting your first sorting
conditions, you can add a level to get event more accurate data:

As you can see, Excel offers a variety of sorting and filtering tools to help you refine your
data and keep it organized. We hope you found today’s tips useful. Now go out there and get
your data sorted!
Use Learn Excel Now to help with all your Excel questions and training needs. We’re not
just experts in Excel, there is content, free resources, and training courses available for Word,
Outlook and more.
Types of Charts in Excel
Last Updated: 24 May, 2022
Charts are used to represent the data into graphical elements, which makes it very to easy to
interpret the data; it becomes very useful if our data is very large. Excel provides various
charts to represent the excel data and makes it very easy to understand and analyze the data
compare to the excel cells data analysis. There are various charts available in excel. Namely,
they are,
 Line Chart
 Bar Chart
 Column Chart
 Area Chart
 Pie Chart
 Surface Chart
In this example, we will be using random car sales data, including model name and the
number of cars sold, as the dataset and represent it in the various graphs.
Create dataset
In this step, we will be inserting random financial sales data into our excel sheet. Below is the
screenshot of the random data we will use for our various graphs.

Fig. 1 – Dataset
Line Chart
Line charts are most helpful in representing the trends. This can be very useful to analyze the
ups and downs in a range of data over a particular time span. The data points in the chart are
connected with the lines.
Note: To insert the graph, we need to select our dataset(or data table) and go to insert and
then in the chart section and insert whatever graph we want.

Fig. 2 – Line Chart

Bar Chart
Bar charts are used to represent the categorical data using the rectangular horizontal bars with
their height and length proportional to the data values it is used to represent.
Fig. 3 – Bar Chart
Column Chart
Column charts are used to represent the data in a vertical chart using the vertical bars. These
graphs are mostly used for comparing the data points in the data. Column chart

Fig. 4 – Column Chart

Area Chart
Area charts are used to display graphically quantitative data. It is similar to the line chart and
based on it. The area between the lines is filled with color, and they are easy to analyze as
they are similar to the line chart showing ups and downs in the data.

Fig5 – Area Chart

Pie Chart
Pie charts are circular statistical graphs that are divided into slices of pie in the proportion to
data values to represent the data. They are commonly used to analyze the percentage
allocation of data points incomplete dataset.
Fig6 – Pie Chart
Surface Chart
Surface charts are 3-dimensional charts that are used to represent the data in a 3-dimensional
landscape. They are mainly used to represent the large dataset. They display a variety of data
at the same time.

Fig. 7 – Surface Chart

Seven Basic Excel Formulas For Your Workflow
Since you’re now able to insert your preferred formulas and function correctly, let’s check
some fundamental Excel functions to get you started.
1. SUM
The SUM function is the first must-know formula in Excel. It usually aggregates values from
a selection of columns or rows from your selected range.
=SUM(number1, [number2], …)
Example:
=SUM(B2:G2) – A simple selection that sums the values of a row.
=SUM(A2:A8) – A simple selection that sums the values of a column.
=SUM(A2:A7, A9, A12:A15) – A sophisticated collection that sums values from range A2 to
A7, skips A8, adds A9, jumps A10 and A11, then finally adds from A12 to A15.
=SUM(A2:A8)/20 – Shows you can also turn your function into a formula.

2. AVERAGE
The AVERAGE function should remind you of simple averages of data, such as the average
number of shareholders in a given shareholding pool.
=AVERAGE(number1, [number2], …)
Example:
=AVERAGE(B2:B11) – Shows a simple average, also similar to (SUM(B2:B11)/10)
3. COUNT
The COUNT function counts all cells in a given range that contain only numeric values.
=COUNT(value1, [value2], …)
Example:
COUNT(A:A) – Counts all values that are numerical in A column. However, you must adjust
the range inside the formula to count rows.
COUNT(A1:C1) – Now it can count rows.

4. COUNTA
Like the COUNT function, COUNTA counts all cells in a given rage. However, it counts all
cells regardless of type. That is, unlike COUNT that only counts numerics, it also counts
dates, times, strings, logical values, errors, empty string, or text.
=COUNTA(value1, [value2], …)
Example:
COUNTA(C2:C13) – Counts rows 2 to 13 in column C regardless of type. However, like
COUNT, you can’t use the same formula to count rows. You must make an adjustment to the
selection inside the brackets – for example, COUNTA(C2:H2) will count columns C to H

5. IF
The IF function is often used when you want to sort your data according to a given logic. The
best part of the IF formula is that you can embed formulas and functions in it.
=IF(logical_test, [value_if_true], [value_if_false])
Example:
=IF(C2<D3,“TRUE”,”FALSE”) – Checks if the value at C3 is less than the value at D3. If
the logic is true, let the cell value be TRUE, otherwise, FALSE
=IF(SUM(C1:C10) > SUM(D1:D10), SUM(C1:C10), SUM(D1:D10)) – An example of a
complex IF statement. First, it sums C1 to C10 and D1 to D10, then it compares the sum. If
the sum of C1 to C10 is greater than the sum of D1 to D10, then it makes the value of a cell
equal to the sum of C1 to C10.
AVERAGEIFS, SUMIFS and COUNTIFS Functions in Microsoft Excel
In this article, we will learn how to apply “Averageifs”, “Sumifs” and “Countifs” in
Microsoft Excel 2013.
AVERAGEIFS: Finds average (arithmetic mean) for the cells specified by a given set of
conditions or criteria.
Syntax: =AVERAGEIFS(average_range,criteria_range,criteria,...)
average_range: The range of cells for that you want to derive an average.
criteria_range: The range of cells from which you want criteria to evaluate.
Criteria: The criteria define which cells to average.
Let’s take an example to understand how and where we can use the Averageifs Excel
function.
We have data in range A1:C10. Column A contains Date, Column B contains Agent and
Column C contains Amount. We want to return the average to the amount for an Agent and
date wise.

Follow below given steps to return the average for two criteria:-
 Select the cell C13, and write the formula.
 =AVERAGEIFS(C1:C10,A1:A10,A13,B1:B10,B13)
 Press Enter on your keyboard.
 You will get the average amount according to an Agent and date wise.
SUMIFS function is used for adding the cells specified by a given set of condition or criteria.
The syntax of SUMIFS formula:- =SUMIFS(sum_range,criteria_range1,criteria1,…)
How to use SUMIFS formula in Excel?
We want to return the total to the amount for an Agent and date wise.
Follow below given steps to return the total according to two criteria:-
 Select the cell C13, and write the formula.
 =SUMIFS(C1:C10,A1:A10,A13,B1:B10,B13)
 Press Enter on your keyboard.
 You will get the total amount according to an Agent and date wise.
COUNTIFS function is used to count the entries in multiple range based on multiple criteria.
Syntax of “COUNTIFS” function:
=COUNTIFS (criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2]…)
How to use COUNTIFS function in Excel?
We want to return the total of the amount for an Agent and date wise.
Follow below given steps to return the total according to two criteria:-
 Select the cell C13, and write the formula.
 =COUNTIFS(A1:A10,A13,B1:B10,B13)
 Press Enter on your keyboard.
 You will get the no. of agents according to an Agent and date wise.