www.smsbarbados.wordpress.com Page 1 The UWI Open Campus: Pine Site CSEC ICT Class 2 Microsoft Office: Excel
www.smsbarbados.wordpress.com Page 2 Purpose of a Spreadsheet A spreadsheet is a table of rows and columns that contains data, both text and numbers, on which you perform actions, such as sorting and calculations, both simple and complex. In business, spreadsheets are especially useful any time you have numerical data to store, organize, calculate and present in easily understood formats. Spreadsheets allow the business person to accomplish tasks as diverse as keeping track of receipts and financial forecasting and planning. The diagrams below shows a typical spreadsheet and it points out some important items found on it. Figure 1: An Excel worksheet with some important characteristics highlighted. Active Cell This is the cell which you are currently working in. This is where you can apply formulas, editing features or any other function desired. Fill Handle- This is a small indicator on the bottom right corner of the Active Cell that allows us to click on it and drag horizontally or vertically and fill all the other cells with the formula contained in the Active Cell. This is extremely useful for solving listed calculations. Formula Bar This is where we input our formulas and tell excel to execute the equation for us. All formulas begin with an equal sign (=) Ribbon This gives us additional built in features. Features can be formatting, calculations and file management. (saving, printing and exporting) Column This is a vertical listing of cells on the spreadsheet. Every column has a Letter (A, B, C, D, E,, etc.) above it indicating its coordinate vertical position (y-axis only) Row A row is a horizontal listing of cells. All rows on the same line carry the same horizontal coordinate found at the furthermost left of the sheet. This coordinate is an integer. (x-axis only)
www.smsbarbados.wordpress.com Page 3 Note: Taking the column and row values for a particular Cell gives its Cell Address The diagram below also shows some additional features. Why not load Microsoft Excel on your computer now and see if you can find the indicators shown below: Figure 2: Some additional identifiers Other Terms to Note: Label - A label most often refers to a text entry such as a heading used to identify a column of data. Value This is the result of a mathematical operation or words placed into a cell Formula This is a mathematical operation that we want to input into the spreadsheet to calculate some value for us Fuinction These are inbult mathematical operations that we can insert with little effore. We click the Function Button on the Ribbon and use the function we desire. Click on the function button to look at the inbult functions available to us. Worksheet These are the sheets that you work on inside Excel. Each Worksheet is selected by clicking on their corresponding tab, as shown above in Figure 2.
www.smsbarbados.wordpress.com Page 4 Template These are predefined Excel sheets that are used to create calendars, work schedules, appointments, calculators and budgets. Templates are used for comon ntasks to save unnecessary time in their recreation. Range This is a group of cells either defined horizontally or vertically. For example : (A5:A10) A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10 or (A5:F5) A5 B5 C5 D5 E5 F5 Pre Defined System Functions Excel as we have seen, have a number of built in functions. We will examine some of the common functions: Sum - Syantax = SUM (value to be added seperated by commas /cell range/ addresses) This is used to give a total for some values entered Average = AVERAGE (value to be averaged seperated by commas /cell range/ addresses) This is used to give an average of the values entered Date = DATE (YYYY,MM,DD) Used for enterign dates or date ranges Max = MAX (value to be compared seperated by commas /cell range/ addresses) Returns the largest value found in the range, ignores logical errors Min = MIN (value to be compared seperated by commas /cell range/ addresses) Returns the smallest value found in the range, ignores logical errors
www.smsbarbados.wordpress.com Page 5 Count = COUNT (values to be counted seperated by commas /cell range/ addresses) Counts the number of cells in a range or numbers contained in its brackets vlookup =VLOOKUP(Lookup Value, Table Array, Column to be returned if a value is found, Range) Used to retrieve information in an excel spreadsheet based on some criteria http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/13780/using-vlookup-in-excel/ rank = RANK (Number, Reference/Range, Order of sort) Returns the size of a number reklative to a set of numbers specified in the range if = IF (Logical test, Value if True, Value if False) Used to give a cell a result based on some condition existing Advanced Arithmetic Formulas Addition Cell A1 + Cell B1 + Cell C1 is entered into Excel as =A1+B1+C1 Subtraction Cell A1 - Cell B1 is entered into Excel as =A1-B1 Multiplication Cell A1 x Cell B1 x Cell C1 is entered into Excel as =A1*B1*C1 Division Cell A1 Cell B1 is entered into Excel as =A1/B1
www.smsbarbados.wordpress.com Page 6 Brackets Brackets are used for using multiple arithmetic operators in the same cell. Brackets are always resolved first, then the rest of the calculation. Cell [A3 x Cell A1] [Cell B1+Cell C1] is entered into Excel as =(A3*A1) / (B1+C1) Square Root Used to find the root of a number =SQRT(number) Power =POWER (Number, Power) e.g. = POWER (5,2) is the equivalent of 5 2 Excel Features Row/Column locking To keep an area of a worksheet visible while you scroll to another area of the worksheet, you can lock specific rows or columns in one area by freezing or splitting panes. When you freeze panes, you keep specific rows or columns visible when you scroll in the worksheet. For example, you might want to keep row and column labels visible as you scroll. A solid line indicates that row 1 is frozen to keep column labels in place when you scroll. When you split panes, you create separate worksheet areas that you can scroll within, while rows or columns in the non-scrolled area remain visible.
www.smsbarbados.wordpress.com Page 7 Relative & Absolute Addressing Relative Cell References This is the most widely used type of cell reference in formulas. Relative cell references are basic cell references that adjust and change when copied or when using AutoFill. Example: =SUM(B5:B8), as shown below, changes to =SUM(C5:C8) when copied across to the next cell. Absolute Cell References Situations arise in which the cell reference must remain the same when copied or when using AutoFill. Dollar signs are used to hold a column and/or row reference constant. Example: In the example below, when calculating commissions for sales staff, you would not want cell B10 to change when copying the formula down. You want both the column and the row to remain the same to refer to that exact cell. By using $B$10 in the formula, neither changes when copied.
www.smsbarbados.wordpress.com Page 8 A more complicated example: Let's pretend that you need to calculate the prices of items in stock with two different price discounts. Take a look at the worksheet below. Examine the formula in cell E4. By making the first cell reference $C4, you keep the column from changing when copied across, but allow the row to change when copying down to accommodate the prices of the different items going down. By making the last cell reference A$12, you keep the row number from changing when copied down, but allow the column to change and reflect discount B when copied across. Confused? Check out the graphics below and the cell results.
www.smsbarbados.wordpress.com Page 9 Copied Across Copied Down Now, you might be thinking, why not just use 10% and 15% in the actual formulas? Wouldn't that be easier? Yes, if you are sure the discount percentages will never change - which is highly unlikely. It's more likely that eventually those percentages will need to be adjusted. By referencing the cells containing 10% and 15% and not the actual numbers, when the percentage changes all you need to do is change the percentage one time in cell A12 and/or B12 instead of rebuilding all of your formulas. Excel would automatically update the discount prices to reflect your discount percentage change. Summary of absolute cell reference uses: $A1 A$1 $A$1 Allows the row reference to change, but not the column reference. Allows the column reference to change, but not the row reference. Allows neither the column nor the row reference to change. There is a shortcut for placing absolute cell references in your formulas!
www.smsbarbados.wordpress.com Page 10 When you are typing your formula, after you type a cell reference - press the F4 key. Excel automatically makes the cell reference absolute! By continuing to press F4, Excel will cycle through all of the absolute reference possibilities. For example, in the first absolute cell reference formula in this tutorial, =B4*$B$10, I could have typed, =B4*B10, then pressed the F4 key to change B10 to $B$10. Continuing to press F4 would have resulted in B$10, then $B10, and finally B10. Pressing F4 changes only the cell reference directly to the left of your insertion point. Referencing taken from http://web.pdx.edu/~stipakb/cellrefs.htm