EXCEL

F O R M U L A S , F U N C T I O N S , A N D O T H E R U S E F U L F E AT U R E S
 OVERVIEW

Excel is a spreadsheet, a grid made from columns

and rows. It is a software program that can make
number manipulation easy and somewhat
painless.

The nice thing about using a computer and

spreadsheet is that you can experiment with
numbers without having to RE-DO all the
calculations.
 BASICS OF A SPREADSHEET

Spreadsheets are made up of

Columns
Rows
and their intersections are called cells
 WHAT IS A COLUMN ?

In a spreadsheet
the COLUMN is
defined as the
vertical space that
is going up and COLUMN labeled
down the window. D is highlighted.
Letters are used
to designate each
COLUMN'S
location.
 WHAT IS A ROW?

In a spreadsheet
the ROW is defined
as the horizontal
space that is going
across the window. ROW labeled 4 is
Numbers are used highlighted.
to designate each
ROW'S location.
 WHAT IS A CELL ?

A CELL is the
space where a row
and column
intersect. Each In the above
CELL is assigned a diagram the CELL
name according to labeled C2 is
its COLUMN letter highlighted.
and ROW
number.
 TYPES OF DATA

In each cell there may be the following data

types:
Labels -- (text with no numerical value)
Number data (constant values)
Formulas (mathematical equation used to calculate)
Data Types Examples Descriptions
Name or Wage anything that is
LABEL
or Days just text
5 or 3.75 or
CONSTANT any number
-7.4
=5+3 or =
FORMULA math equation
8*5+3
 LABELS
Labels are text entries
Labels help identify what we are talking
about
Labels do not have a value associated with
them
Sometimes called headers
 CONSTANTS

Constants are
FIXED number data
Constants may
refer to dollars,
percentages, or
number of items (in
this case number
of hours worked
within a certain pay
period).
 FORMULAS

Formulas are math

equations that CALCULATE a
value to be displayed.
DO NOT type in the
numbers; type in the
equation.
It is BEST to Reference as
much data as possible as
opposed to typing data into
equations. That way when
OTHER information changes,
we DO-NOT have to
change the equations or
type in information again.
BASIC FORMULAS &
FUNCTIONS
E XC E L 2 0 1 0
 BASIC MATH FUNCTIONS

Math functions built into them. Of the most basic

operations are the standard multiply, divide, add
and subtract.
SUM FUNCTION

Definition: Tips:
Probably the most
popular function in any Blank cells will return
spreadsheet is the SUM a value of zero to be
function. The Sum added to the total.
function takes all of the
Text cells can not be
values in each of the
specified cells and totals added to a number
their values. and will produce an
The syntax is: =SUM(first error.
value, second value, etc)
SUM FUNCTION
 AVERAGE FUNCTION

The average
function finds the
average of the
specified data.
(Simplifies adding
all of the indicated
cells together and
dividing by the
total number of
cells.)
 MAX & MIN FUNCTIONS

The Max function will return the

largest (max) value in the
selected range of cells. The Min
function will display the smallest
value in a selected set of cells.
 COUNT FUNCTION

The Count function will return the number of entries

(actually counts each cell that contains NUMBER
DATA) in the selected range of cells.
Remember: cell that are blank or contain text will not
be counted.
IF FUNCTION

Definition: Tips:
The IF function will Until you are used to
check the logical writing them, test
condition of a them out on multiple
statement and return cells.
one value if true and a There are multiple
different value if false. ways to write an IF
The syntax is: statement to get the
=IF (condition, value- same result
if-true, value-if-false)
IF FUNCTION

IF Functions are like

programing - they
provide multiple
answers based on
certain conditions.
DATA TOOLS
E XC E L 2 0 1 0
 CONCATENATE FUNCTION

Concatenate
function - join
Syntax:
several strings into
one text string

concatenate=A1&A2
Note: The
function
does not
automatically leave
a blank space
between words or
other data.
 TEXT TO COLUMNS

Text to Columns delineate via special

characters or fixed width
 REMOVING DUPLICATE VALUES

Removing duplicate values check for and

delete specific cells with duplicate values
USEFUL FEATURES
E XC E L 2 0 1 0
INSTANTLY REVEAL FORMULAS AND GENERAL
NUMBER FORMAT OF ALL CELLS

Show all formulas and the general

number format of cells
Saves you time because you dont
have to move the cell pointer to
check each formula one-by-one.
 KEYBOARD SHORT CUT TO
INSTANTLY REVEAL FORMULAS

To do this, just press the

Ctrl key and the tilde
key at the same time.
The tilde is the squiggly
line that is directly
above the tab key in
the upper left corner of
your keyboard. To
change your worksheet
back to the normal
view, just press the Ctrl
and tilde keys again.
COMPARING 2 OR MORE EXCEL SPREADSHEETS
SIMULTANEOUSLY

You can open two instances of

Excel INSTEAD of multiple files
on top of each other in the
same Excel application.
To do this, simply open Excel
by double clicking the icon on
your desktop and open the
first Excel file you want to use.
Minimize this windowand
move it to the right screen.
Then go back to the desktop,
double click the Excel icon
once more,anotherseparate
Excel window will open.
SORTING
Arranging data so its easy to analyze
You can sort the data alphabetically, from highest
to lowest, or by a number of additional criteria
(such as cell color)
FILTERS

The Filter is a quick and easy way to find and

work with a subset of data in a range of cells.
 TABLES

To make managing and analyzing a group of

related data easier, you can turn a range of cells
into a Microsoft Office Excel table (previously
known as an Excel list). A table typically contains
related data in a series of worksheet rows and
columns that have been formatted as a table. By
using the table features, you can then manage
the data in the table rows and columns
independently from the data in other rows and
columns on the worksheet.
 ELEMENTS OF AN EXCEL TABLE

Header rowBy default, a table has a header

row. Every table column has filtering enabled in
the header row so that you can filter or sort your
table data quickly.
 ELEMENTS OF AN EXCEL TABLE

Banded rowsBy default, alternate shading or

banding has been applied to the rows in a table
to better distinguish the data.
 ELEMENTS OF AN EXCEL TABLE

Total rowYou can

add a total row to your
table that provides
access to summary
functions (such as the
AVERAGE, COUNT, or
SUM function). A drop-
down list appears in
each total row cell so
that you can quickly
calculate the totals
that you want.
CREATING A TABLE
 FREEZE HEADERS

To freeze a row in your worksheet, highlight the

row where you wish all rows before the
highlighted row to be frozen or locked, go to
Window>Freeze Panes and you will see a line
appear across your worksheet. Everything above
the line is frozen and will remain in view when
you scroll down your worksheet.
SET PRINT AREA
NARROW MARGINS
SHRINK TO FIT
 PIVOT TABLE

A Pivot table lets your arrange, sort, and filter a

set of data on the fly so you can analyze it from
different perspectives with minimum effort.
Start with a data list with a few columns
Make sure each of the rows have a value of each one of
the columns
 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Email [email protected] to set up a one-on-

one training session with an instructional
technologist.
EXCEL CELL REFERENCES WORTH REMEMBERING

In Excel formulas, you can refer to

other cells either relatively or
absolutely. When you copy and paste
a formula in Excel, how you create
the references within the formula
tells Excel what to change in the Example Comment
formula it pastes. The formula can =A1 Complete relative reference
either change the references relative =$A1 The column is absolute; the row is relative
to the cell where you're pasting it =A$1 The column is relative; the row is absolute
(relative reference), or it can always =$A$1 Complete absolute reference
refer to a specific cell. You can also
mix relative and absolute references
so that, when you move or copy a
formula, the row changes but the
column does not, or vice versa.
Preceding the row and/or column
designators with a dollar sign ($)
specifies an absolute reference in
Excel.