Excel Basics

 What is Excel?

• Used to manipulate numbers and analyze data.
• Used to chart data.

 Parts of Excel

• The workbook – the overall container of excel
• The worksheet – organized into a rectangular grid containing columns and rows. There can be up to 256 worksheets in a workbook. There are 256 columns and 65536 rows.
• The Cell – the basic unit of worksheet into which you enter data. The intersection of a row and a column.
• Two types of cell entries
• Labels – Used to identify columns, rows, or other aggregate data
• Numerics – Can be a number or function
• Other features of the worksheet
• The menu bar – a special toolbar that exposes all of Excel’s functionality through dropdown menus.
• Toolbars – special shortcuts that allow you to access some of Excel’s functionality directly by a single mouse click.
• Standard toolbar – contains the most commonly used functions of Excel.
• Formatting toolbar – contains the most commonly used formatting commands.
• Formula bar – contains the formula or label entered into the currently selected cell.
• Range – Selecting a rectangular area for formatting or printing purposes

 Getting around and entering data or text

• The easiest way to go to a specific cell is to select with the mouse.
• The arrows may be used to move the active cell.
• Ways to enter text
• Overwrite – Just type in the data into the cell and the existing data (if any) will be overwritten.
• Edit – Press F2 and you will be put into editing mode on the Formula bar.
• Double click – Double click onto the cell and you can edit directly in the cell.
• To correct a mistake while typing
• Use the backspace key OR left arrow and use the delete key.
• Autocorrect
• Corrects two initial capital letters
• Capitalizes the first letter in the names of days
• Replaces commonly misspelled words (eg. recieve to receive)

 Entering row titles and data

• In A1 – Acme Sales by Quarter in Thousands
• In B2 – Q1
• In C2 – Q2
• In D2 – Q3
• In E2 – Q4
• In F2 - Yearly
• In A2 - Division
• In A3 – North
• In A4 – South
• In A5 – East
• In A6 – West
• In A7 – Totals
• In B3 – 12.0
• In B4 – 18.8
• In B5 – 10.1
• In B6 – 13.2
• In C3 – 17.2
• In C4 – 12.6
• In C5 – 13.7
• In C6 – 12.2
• In D3 – 11.1
• In D4 – 9.0
• In D5 – 10.5
• In D6 – 11.2
• In E3 – 11.2
• In E4 – 12.3
• In E5 – 11.4
• In E6 – 9.6

 Calculating Sums

• In B7 – press the sum button on the standard toolbar – Will calculate by quarter
• Drag the fill handle to E7
• In F3 – press the sum button on the standard toolbar – Will calculate by division

 Formatting

• Select A1 to F1 then click the Center across columns
• Select Arial Font and then 16 point
• Select background of black and text color of yellow
• Select B2 to F7 then format, autoformat, accounting 2
• Select B to F Columns by highlighting B then shift and then F. While selected open B to 10 points. This will open all selected to 10 points.

 Creating Charts

• Creating an embedded chart is one that drawn on the worksheet as the data, as opposed to a chart on a separate worksheet
• Excel derives scale along the vertical axis.
• Select A2 to E6
• Click the chart wizard
• You will be on column type. Select the Clustered column with 3D effect.
• Click next
• Be sure data series in Rows is selected.
• Click next
• Select chart title. Type in “Acme Sales by Quarter”
• Click next
• Be sure that as object in sheet1 is selected.
• Click finish
• Move chart to A9
• Correct title in chart by clicking the title to select and then one more click to edit text.
• Add “– In Thousands”