Les s on Objectives. Student Files Us ed

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1 Lesson 3 - Data Lists 23 Lesson 3 Data L ists Les s on Topics Data Lists Using the Data Form Sorting and Filtering the Data List The Total Row Les s on Objectives At the end of the lesson, you will be able to: Facilitate creating and editing lists of information in an Excel worksheet; Let Excel automatically expand the range of a list; Change a Data list into a range of normal cells; Add information to a Data List by using Excel s Data Form feature; Sort and filter information in a Data List by using drop-down list boxes; Create a Total Row to calculate information in a Data List. Student Files Us ed You will use the following files from your student folder: Auto Expenses Orders Copyright , Finney Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2 24 Microsoft Excel Advanced Data Lists Data Lists are a new Excel database feature that helps you manage large lists of information. You can type database information directly into a worksheet, but using a data list is easier. All the same features that are used in a traditional worksheet database can be used with this feature (e.g. adding or deleting columns, editing, filtering, and data forms), but they are all simplified when you convert a database into a Data List. Creating a List You are going to create a simple list to keep track of car maintenance expenses. 1. If necessary, open a new workbook. 2. Change the column Standard Width to In cell A1, type Auto Expenses and bold it. This will serve as a heading for the list you are going to type below it. 4. Double-click the Sheet1 tab and name it Auto Expenses. 5. Your list will begin in Row 3 with a header row. In A3:D3, type the following headers, tapping the TAB key between each: Date, Type, Cost, Odometer 6. Verify that the insertion point is adjacent to the headers you just typed. (This way, in the following step, Excel will automatically find the headers.) 7. On the Data menu, choose List, and on the submenu, choose Create List. The Create List dialog box appears. In the worksheet, the headers you typed are surrounded by a flashing marquee (if not, you will have to drag through the headers). The range that contains the headers is also entered into the Where is the data for your list? text box.

3 Lesson 3 - Data Lists 25 There is also a check box, My list has headers. This option causes Excel to read the first row of the table as names for the header row of your Data List. 8. If the My list has headers check box is not checked, click it to select it. 9. Click OK to create the list. The list has been created. Notice that Excel bolded the header row, and each column header has a drop-down arrow button to its right. Also notice that the list contains a blank row below the header row. When a list is active (i.e., the active cell is inside the list), the blank row is always present so that you can easily add a new record to the list. Note: You can ig nore the List toolbar that ap pears when the list is ac tive. The items on the toolbar are out side the scope of this course. 10. You are going to type some information into the Data List. Click in cell A4. Notice that the cell contains a blue star. This indicates that this is a New Record row. 11. In A4, type 5/25 and tap the TAB key. Notice that as soon as you tapped the TAB key, Excel added another New Record row below the row you typed into. 12. In B4, type Oil change and tap the TAB key. 13. In C4, type and tap the TAB key. 14. In D4, type and tap the TAB key. The active cell is A5, the first cell in the New Record row.

4 26 Microsoft Excel Advanced 15. Add the following information to the Data List. You have already typed the first row. 5/25 Oil change /15 Fan Belt /25 Wash /15 Rotate Tires Click outside the Data List. Your screen should look like the following: 17. Click in cell A8. The active cell is no longer in the Data List. Notice that the New Record row has disappeared. Also notice that the Data List is surrounded by a blue outline this helps distinguish the Data List from a normal table or range of cells. 18. Click in any cell in the Data List. The list is once again active. The blue border is thicker, the New Record row reappears, and the header row once again has drop-down arrows. Adding and Deleting Columns To add a column to a Data List, use the Insert command. 1. You are going to insert a column within the Data List. You will insert a DIY ("Do It Yourself") column to tell if the maintenance was done at home (Y) or at a service station (N). Click in any cell in the Odometer column. The new column will come before this column. 2. On the Insert menu, choose Columns. The Data List contains an extra column. Excel has given it a name, Column1. You are going to rename it.

5 Lesson 3 - Data Lists Click the Column1 header to make it the active cell. 4. Highlight Column1 in the Formula bar and replace it with: DIY 5. Tap the ENTER key. You have renamed the column. 6. You can also use the Shortcut menu to insert or delete columns. You are going to delete the new column. Right-click any cell in the DIY column. 7. On the Shortcut menu, choose Delete, and on the submenu, choose Column. The column is deleted. Note: When you in sert or de lete col umns in this way, cells to the right of the Data List are shifted right when col umn(s) are in serted, and shifted left when col umn(s) are deleted. Cells above or be low the Data List are not shifted. In the example above left, notice where the cells in Column E are before a column is inserted in the list. On the right, notice what happens to these cells when a column (Column D) is inserted. The cells above or below the list are not disturbed. Another way to insert a column is to type information in any of the cells adjacent to the right of the Data List. 1. Click in cell E5 (this should be adjacent to the Data List, on the Fan Belt row.) 2. Type a Y and tap the ENTER key. Excel has grown the Data List to include this cell. It has automatically named the column Column1. This feature is called List AutoExpansion.

6 28 Microsoft Excel Advanced 3. Notice the Smart tag to the right of the new column. It allows you to undo the automatic expansion of the list. Click the Smart tag and choose Undo List AutoExpansion. The list is returned to its previous state. The Y cell is no longer part of the list. However, the Smart tag remains. 4. Delete the Y. Converting a Data List to a Range You can change a Data List into a range of normal cells. The headers of the Data List will be turned into normal text cells. 1. To convert the Data List, it has to be active. Click in any cell in the Data List. 2. On the Data menu, choose List, and on the submenu, choose Convert to Range. An alert box appears. 3. Click Yes. The Data List is now a normal range of cells. It no longer has a blue outline. All the data remains in the same cells, and the header row remains as well. The header cells still appear in bold type. 4. Converting the range back into a Data List is just like converting any table or range of cells into a new Data List. Click any cell in the table. 5. On the Data menu, choose List, and on the submenu, choose Create List. The Create List dialog box appears. The range of cells with data in it is surrounded by a marquee, and the range appears in the Where is the data text box. Also, the My list has headers box is checked, because

7 Lesson 3 - Data Lists Click OK. Excel recognizes the bolded header row above the data. 7. Click to remove the highlight. The table is once again a Data List. Notice the blue outline that surrounds it. Using the Data Form One advantage of using the Data List feature is that the Data Form feature is available to you. You can use the Data Form feature to add rows to your Data List. (Data Forms were covered in the Intermediate course.) 1. Click in any cell in the Data List to activate it. 2. On the Data menu, choose Form. The Form dialog box appears. Its title bar displays the name of the current worksheet, Auto Expenses. At the top right of the dialog box, notice 1 of 4, indicating that there are four records in the Data List. 3. Tap the DOWN ARROW key four times. 4. Click Close. The form advanced through all four records, and finally displayed a New Record. Here, you could enter new records into the Data List. The Data Form is convenient for entering a large number of new records.

8 30 Microsoft Excel Advanced Sorting and Filtering the Data List By using the drop-down arrows in the header row, you can quickly sort and filter the data displayed in the Data List. Sorting You are going to sort the list by Type. 1. Open Auto Expenses. This file is similar to the workbook you created. It contains more records so that you may more easily use other Data List features. 2. Click in the Data List to make it active. 3. Click the drop-down arrow to the right of Type in the header row. Notice the list that appears. The first two options are Sort Ascending and Sort Descending. 4. Click Sort Ascending. The list is sorted by type of maintenance. Sorting on Multiple Fields You can sort by more than one field at the same time. 1. On the Data menu, choose Sort. The Sort dialog box appears. It lets you choose up to three fields. (You worked with this dialog box in the Intermediate course.)

9 Lesson 3 - Data Lists You can achieve the same result by using the Data List headers to sort, which you are going to do. Click Cancel to close the Sort dialog box. 3. You are going to sort by Date, then by Cost. When sorting in this manner, you sort the least significant field first. Click the arrow to the right of the Cost header and choose Sort Ascending. The rows are sorted by cost. 4. Click the arrow to the right of the Date header and choose Sort Ascending. The rows are sorted by date. Notice the items with the date 2/11 although the Types are not in alphabetical order, as they were before, the Costs are in ascending order. Filtering the Data List Below the Sort options on the header lists are several Filtering options. By choosing the data you want to see, you can hide the other rows. 1. Click the arrow to the right of the DIY header. Notice the options. Below the two Sort options are the Filter options: (All) Displays all the rows. Choose this to display all the rows and remove the filter. (Top 10) allows you to choose a specified number of the topmost or bottommost items on the list. (This option works only in columns that have numerical data.) (Custom) allows you to create a customized filter. Below these standard items is a list of all the values that appear in the column. If the column contains blank cells, the list also contains a (Blanks) option, which filters out rows with information in the column, and a (Nonblanks) option, which filters out rows with no information in the column. 2. Click the Y item. The Data List has reduced in size. It is now showing only rows where DIY is Y.

10 32 Microsoft Excel Advanced Notice that some of the row headers are blue. This indicates that the Data List is being filtered. The filtered rows are actually hidden; for example, row 11 appears below row 7 with a thick border between the row headers. Also notice that the arrow to the right of the DIY header is also blue. This helps you to see by which column the Data List is being filtered. 3. You can filter by more than one column at a time. Click the Cost drop-down arrow and choose 0. The list is filtered. Notice that there are now two blue arrows, next to Cost and DIY. 4. Click the arrow next to DIY and choose All. The list is no longer filtered by DIY although it is still shortened because the Cost column is filtered. (If you see a thick line between the cells, that indicates that the active cell is hidden.) 5. Click the arrow next to Cost and choose All. The Data List is no longer filtered. The Total Row The Data List feature allows you to quickly create a Total Row, which calculates simple functions based on the information in the Data List. 1. If necessary, click inside the Data List to make it active. 2. On the Data menu, choose List, and on the submenu, choose Total Row. At the bottom of the Data List, notice the new row, which has Total in the first column. Also notice that Excel has guessed at a total. It assumed you wanted a COUNT total and has placed 8 in the rightmost column.

11 Lesson 3 - Data Lists You are going to change the Total row to display the total spent. Click in cell C14. Notice the drop-down arrow to the right of the active cell. 4. Click the arrow and choose Sum. Notice the total, You can remove a total by choosing None. You are going to remove the Count from the DIY column. Click in E Click the drop-down arrow and choose None. The count has been removed. 7. Filtering will change the Totals Row. Notice the current total cost, Click the arrow next to Type and choose Oil change. The list is filtered. Notice the total Cost, 53.25, spent on oil changes. Note: If you write for mu las out side the Data List that re fer to cells in the Data List, these for mu las will not be af fected by filtering the list. New Rows with Automatically Copied Formulas When you add a New Record row to the end of the list, any formulas within the list will automatically be copied to that new row. The same is true of all kinds of formatting, including conditional formatting and Validation. 1. Open Orders. 2. Verify that the insertion point is in the table. 3. On the Data menu, choose List, and on the submenu, choose Create List. 4. In the Create List dialog box, verify that the My list has headers check box is selected, and click OK. The table has been converted into a list.

12 34 Microsoft Excel Advanced 5. Click in any cells of Columns D and E and notice the formulas. Column D calculates the tax and Column E calculates the total price. 6. Click in the first cell of the New Record row and type 151 for the Order Number, type Chappel, Eric for the Customer, and type for the Price. Notice that as soon as you entered the Price, the Tax and Total columns were automatically calculated. Excel copied the formulas into these cells when you created a new record by typing in the New Record row. End of Lesson 3