Modify a table Applying styles to tables; banding rows and columns; inserting total rows; removing styles from tables Filter and sort a table Filtering records; sorting data on multiple columns; changing sort order; removing duplicates Apply formulas and functions Utilize cell ranges and references in formulas and functions Utilizing references (relative, mixed, absolute); defining order of operations; referencing cell ranges in formulas Summarize data with functions Utilizing the SUM function; utilizing the MIN and MAX functions; utilizing the COUNT function; utilizing the AVERAGE function Utilize conditional logic in functions Utilizing the SUMIF function; utilizing the AVERAGEIF function; utilizing the COUNTIF function Format and modify text with functions Create charts and objects Create a chart Utilizing the RIGHT, LEFT and MID functions; utilizing the TRIM function; utilizing the Page 2 of 61 UPPER and LOWER functions; utilizing the CONCATENATE function Creating charts and graphs; adding additional data series; switching between rows and columns in source data; using Quick Analysis Format a chart Adding legends; resizing charts and graphs; modifying chart and graph parameters; applying chart layouts and styles; positioning charts and graphs Insert and format an object Inserting text boxes; inserting SmartArt; inserting images; adding borders to objects; adding styles and effects to objects; changing object colors; modifying object properties; positioning objects
1. To sort the data, click Sort A to Z or Sort Z to A. Show totals for your numbers Quick Analysis tools let you total your numbers quickly. Whether it s a sum, average, or count you want, Excel shows the Page 7 of 61 calculation results right below or next to your numbers. 1. Select the cells that contain numbers you want to add or count. 2. Click the Quick Analysis button in the bottom-right corner of the selection. 3. Click Totals, move your cursor across the buttons to see the calculation results for your data, and then click the button to apply the totals. Add meaning to your data Conditional formatting or sparklines can highlight your most important data or show data trends. Use the Quick Analysis tool for a Live Preview to try it out. 1. Select the data you want to examine more closely.
2. Click Design > Insert Slicer. 3. In the Insert Slicers dialog box, check the boxes you want to create slicers for. 4. Click OK. A slicer appears for each table header you checked in the Insert Slicers dialog box. 5. In each slicer, click the items you want to show in your table. To choose more than one item, hold down Ctrl, and then pick the items you want to show. TIP To change how the slicers look, click the slicer to show the Slicer Tools on the ribbon, and then apply a slicer style or change settings on the Options tab. ************** Filter a range of data Page 14 of 61 Built-in comparison operators such as greater than and top 10 can show the data you want and hide the rest. That s a big help with large worksheets or when you just want to focus on particular data ranges. Select the data you want to filter. For best results, the columns should have headings. 1. Click Data > Filter. 1. Click the arrow in the column header, and then click Text Filters or Number Filters. 2. Click one of the comparison operators. For example, to show numbers within a lower and upper limit, selectbetween.
Using color effectively when analyzing data Almost everyone likes colors. The effective use of color in any document can dramatically improve the document's attractiveness and readability. Good use of color and icons in your Excel reports improves decision making by helping to focus users' attention on critical information and by helping users visually understand results. Good use of colors can provide a positive emotional feeling right from the start. On the other hand, bad use of color can distract users, and even cause fatigue if over-used. The following sections provide guidelines to help you make good use of colors, and to avoid bad use of colors. More about document themes With Excel, it is easy to create consistent themes, and add custom styles and effects. Much of the thought that is required to combine colors effectively has already been done for you by the use of predefined document themes that use attractive color schemes. You can quickly and easily format an entire document to give it a professional and modern look by applying a document theme. A document theme is a set of formatting choices that includes a set of theme colors, a set of theme fonts (including heading and body text fonts), and a set of theme effects (including lines and fill effects). Use standard colors and limit the number of colors When you sort and filter by color, you might choose colors that you prefer, and the results may look good to you. But, a critical question that needs to be asked is, "Do your users prefer and see the same colors?" Your computer is capable of displaying 16,777,216 colors in 24-bit color mode. However, most users can distinguish only a tiny fraction of these colors. Furthermore, color quality can vary on computers. Room lighting, paper quality, screen and printer resolution, and browser settings can all be different. Up to 10% of the population has some difficulty distinguishing and seeing some colors. These are important variables that you probably don't have control over. But you do have control over such variables as color choice, the number of colors, and the worksheet or cell background. By making good choices based on fundamental research, you can help make your colors communicate the correct message and interpretation of your data. You can also supplement colors with icons and legends to help ensure that users understand your intended meaning. Page 18 of 61 Consider color contrast and background In general, use colors with a high color saturation, such as bright yellow, medium green, or dark red. Make sure that the contrast is high between the background and the foreground. For example, use a white or gray worksheet background with cell colors, or a white or gray cell color with a font color. If you must use a background color or picture, make the color or picture as light as possible so that the cell or font color is not washed out. If you are relying just on font color, consider increasing the size of the font or setting the font in bold. The larger the font, the easier it is for a user to see or distinguish the color. If necessary, adjust or remove the banding on rows or columns because the banding color might interfere with the cell or font color. All of these considerations go a long way toward helping all users correctly understand and interpret color. Avoid using color combinations that might decrease the color visibility or confuse the viewer. You don't want to inadvertently create eye-popping art or an optical illusion. Consider using a cell border to distinguish problematic colors, such as red or green, if it is unavoidable to prevent the colors from being next to each other. Use complementary and contrasting colors to enhance contrast, and avoid using similar colors. It pays to know the basic color wheel and how to determine similar, contrasting, and complementary colors.
1. A similar color is one next to another color on the color wheel (for example, violet and orange are similar colors to red). 2. A contrasting color is three colors away from a color (for example, blue and green are contrasting colors to red). 3. Complementary colors are opposite each other on the color wheel (for example, blue-green is the complementary color of red). If you have time, test out your colors, run them by a few colleagues, try them out in different lighting conditions, and experiment with different computer screen and printer settings. TIP If you print the document in color, double-check the cell color and cell font for readability. If the cell color is too dark, consider using a white font to improve readability. Choosing the best colors for your needs Need a quick summary? Use red, yellow, green, or blue, with a white or gray background. Assign meaning to the colors that you choose based on your audience and intended purpose. If necessary, provide a legend to specifically clarify the meaning of each color. Most people can easily distinguish seven to ten colors in the same worksheet. Up to 50 colors are possible to distinguish, but would require specialized training, and is beyond the scope of this article. The Top 10 colors Page 19 of 61 When you sort and filter data by color, use the following table to help you decide which colors to choose. These colors provide the most dramatic contrast, and, in general, are the easiest for most people to distinguish.
You can easily apply these colors to cells and fonts by using the Fill Color or Font Color buttons in the Font group on the Home tab. Using colors that naturally convey meaning Page 20 of 61 When reading financial data, numbers are either in the red (negative) or in the black (positive). A red color conveys meaning because it is an accepted convention. If you want to highlight negative numbers, red is a top color choice. Depending on what type of data that you have, you may be able to use specific colors because they convey meaning to your audience, or perhaps there is an accepted standard for their meaning. For example: If our data is about temperature readings, we can use the warm colors (red, yellow, and orange) to indicate a hotter temperature, and the cool colors (green, blue, and violet) to indicate colder temperatures. If our data is about topographical data, we can use blue for water, green for vegetation, brown for desert and mountains, and white for ice and snow. If our data is about traffic and safety, we can use red for stopped or halted conditions, orange for equipment danger, yellow for caution, green for safety, and blue for general information. If your data is about electrical resistors, you can use the standard color code of black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, gray, and white. What are the different types of product packaging? Problem You want to find out the different types of containers for your products, but there is no Container column. You can use the Quantity Per Unit column to manually color each cell, and then sort by color. You can also add a legend to clarify to the user what each color means.
NOTE If you drag the fill handle up or to the left of a selection and stop in the selected cells without going past the first column or the top row in the selection, Excel deletes the data within the selection. You must drag the fill handle out of the selected area before releasing the mouse button. Turn Auto Fill Options on or off o o 1. Click the File tab, and then click Options. 2. Click Advanced, and then under Cut, copy, and paste, select or clear the Show Paste Options button when content is pasted check box to turn this option on or off. Fill data into adjacent cells by using the Fill command You can use the Fill command to fill the active cell or a selected range with the contents of an adjacent cell or range. 1. Do one of the following: To fill the active cell with the contents of an adjacent cell, select an empty cell that is below, to the right, above, or to the left of the cell that contains the data that you want to use to fill the empty cell. To fill multiple adjacent cells, select the cell with the contents you want to fill and the adjacent cells into which you want to fill the content. 2. On the Home tab, in the Editing group, click Fill, and then click Down, Right, Up, or Left. Page 33 of 61 Keyboard shortcut To quickly fill a cell with the contents of an adjacent cell, you can press Ctrl+D to fill from the cell above or Ctrl+R to fill from the cell to the left. Fill formulas into adjacent cells 1. Select the cell that contains the formula that you want to fill into adjacent cells. 2. Drag the fill handle across the cells that you want to fill. 3. To choose how you want to fill the selection, click Auto Fill Options, and then click the option that you want. NOTE If automatic workbook calculation is not enabled, formulas will not recalculate when you fill cells. To check your workbook calculation options, do the following: 4. Click the File tab. 5. Under Excel, click Options, and then click the Formulas category. 6. Under Calculation options, look under Workbook Calculation. o Automatic Formulas automatically recalculate. o Automatic except for data tables Formulas recalculate, unless the formula is in a data table.
1. Click OK. The filtering arrow in the table header changes to this icon to indicate a filter is applied. Click it to change or clear the filter. Filter by specific text or numbers Page 38 of 61 1. Click the arrow in the table header of the column you want to filter. 2. If the column has numbers, click Number Filters. If the column has text entries, click Text Filters. 3. Pick the filtering option you want, and then enter your filtering conditions. For example, to show numbers above a certain amount, pick Greater Than Or Equal To, and then enter the number you have in mind in the adjacent box. To filter by two conditions, enter filtering conditions in both sets of boxes, and pick And for both conditions to be true, and Or for either of the conditions to be true.
Filter items by color If you've applied different cell or font colors or a conditional format, you can filter by the colors or icons that are shown in your table. 1. Click the arrow in the table header of the column that has color formatting or conditional formatting applied. 2. Click Filter by Color and then pick the cell color, font color, or icon you want to filter by. Page 39 of 61 The types of color options you ll have available depend on the types of format you have applied. Create a slicer to filter your table data In Excel 2010, slicers were added as a new way to filter PivotTable data. In Excel 2013, you can also create slicers to filter your table data. A slicer is really useful because it clearly indicates what data is shown in your table after you filter your data.
Data bars: This is an interesting option that formats the selected cells with colored bars. The length of the data bar represents the value in the cell. The longer the bar, the higher the value. Page 49 of 61 Color scales: This option applies a two- or three-color gradient to the cells. Different shades and colors represent specific values.