COMPUTER APPLICATION FOR BUSINESS –MODULE 3

STEPS FOR MAIL MERGE IN MS WORD

Mail merge is a Microsoft Word feature often used to produce a number of similar documents,
including elements from a separate data document (e.g. a database, spreadsheet or Outlook
contacts file).

The list is combined with standard text, usually to produce a letter or invite to a series of
different recipients.
There are five steps to the mail merge process:
1. Choose your document type - Within the mailings tab click the start mail merge button and a
drop down will appear. You can choose from labels, envelopes, emails, letters or a directory.
2. Select your recipients - Here you can choose to "type a new list" where you enter the
recipients into a database one by one, "use an existing list" such as a spreadsheet to import the
data or "select from your Outlook contacts". You can then edit the recipient data should you
wish.

3. Write & insert fields - Now that your document is linked to your recipient data you can add
the individual personalization fields. This includes address fields (use the "address block"
button) and greeting line (e.g. dear Sir or Madam, recipient's first name etc).
4. Preview results - Check that the fields you've inserted are pulling the correct data through
(e.g. the town field isn't pulling through the county information) and positioned correctly on
your document.
5. Finish & merge - Now that you're happy with your content, and the correct data fields are
being imported, you can finish and merge the document and your data to create the final
product. There are three options here:
• Edit individual documents - Creates a single new document with separate pages for
each recipient.
• Print documents - This sends multiple letters directly to your printer.

• Send email messages - This sends your document as emails rather than hard copies (you
must have email details in your data file to do this).
Advantages of Mail Merge:
The advantages of mail merge is that the feature saves your time and efforts. Producing mass
mailings is much simplified, especially compared to the process of preparing individual letters
or envelopes to many people. The biggest advantage of mail merge is that a company can write
and send one standard letter to a large number of stakeholders, such as its shareholders,
without manually adding each name and address. Mail merge can generate hundreds of letters
and envelopes that are tailored to read as though they were written to individuals.

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Differences between excel (Spreadsheet) and Access (Database)

Microsoft Excel and Access are two different application software from Microsoft. They both
deal with tabular data, but still there are numerous differences between the two. Excel is a
spreadsheet application program, whereas Access is a database program. Both are structured in
different ways, and thus serve different purposes. The main difference between Excel and
Access is that Excel is a spreadsheet to perform calculations and to represent data visually
while Access is a Database Management System that is used to store and manage data easily.

Microsoft Excel:

• Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application by Microsoft.

• It is a part of the “Office suite” of Microsoft.
• It deals with the tabular data by using spreadsheets. These spreadsheets are efficient in
tracking the data.
• One can also create charts based on the data provided to the spreadsheets.
• It is also capable of performing some complex calculations.
• Like any other spreadsheet program, it also uses a collection of cells which are organized
in the forms of rows and columns. This structure assists in data manipulation.
• Its main application lies in financial related activities.
• User can also define custom formulas for the desired calculations.
• It is also widely used in scientific and statistical analysis.
 • An Excel document is referred to as a Workbook and each of these workbooks must
contain atleast one Worksheet.
• It also maintains a library for the standard formulas like the calculation of Net Present
Value.
• User can also take the benefit of visualization of data by using charts prepared by Excel
on the basis of input data.
Microsoft Access:

• Access is primarily a database program from the Microsoft.

• It is included in the Professional and higher editions of Microsoft Office suite.
• It is used to collect, manipulate and sort data. It falls in the category of Relational
Database Management Systems.
• It is suggested for home or small business purposes.
• It is preferred over Excel when the work involves lots of queries and reports.
• The database created in Access is saved with a .mdb extension.
• Data is stored in the tables. Each field of a table can be associated with certain
constraints like only allowing an alphanumeric value.
• Like any other relational database, it works on the principles of tables, fields and
relationships. It supports different kinds of numbers, dates, texts, etc.
• Programming concept is required to exploit most of the features in access.
• Data storage capacity is very high.

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Advantages and usage of MS Access

Microsoft Access is defined as a tool or software that is programmed to manage in a database,
it is considered very useful for the creation of small databases for small and medium companies
it is not multiplatform since it only works only and exclusively with Windows.

• Organization: A database can help to provide structure to your business processes.

• Data Validation: A database allows formatting rules for data entry (i.e. fields may be
required, have strict formatting like a phone number or zip code, or have a maximum
number of characters).

• Efficiency: Databases eliminate the need for the redundant data entry that is typical of
spreadsheets.
 • Data Security: Databases have more user security than a spreadsheet in the form of
user access into the system and restrictions on access to the data that is viewable.
• Reporting: Reporting is much more robust from a database where ranges of records for
a single customer or dataset can be quickly generated.
• Searching: For the same reason as reporting, searching by multiple criteria is easier with
a database and allows users to quickly hone in on specific records.
• Sharing Data: Many database users can access the same file and data at one time.
Therefore, there is no file duplication, individual user edits and formatting conflicts that
are common with spreadsheets.
• Greater Capacity: Databases accommodate a very large volume of data. In comparison,
spreadsheets are much more limited.

• Historical Data: Older data can be archived in a database much easier or easily accessed
for reporting.
• Automated tasks: Microsoft Access has a great advantage of automating its routine
tasks, if the data needs to be exported automatically a macro is created that allows to
perform the task.

• Ease of integration: It works in a way with varied programs for software development
based on Windows only, you can also use its tables in products such as SQL Server.
• Multi-user support: Previous versions such as 2016 allow a total of 255 users
approximately.

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Steps in creating a table in MS access

A table is an organized structure that holds information. It consists of “fields” of information

into which you enter the “records” of the table. A field is a single column within a table,
consisting of one category of information. A record is a collection of related fields that describe
a single item, contained in a row within a table.
We can create a table in MS access by different methods to create a data base, select the table
object so that it displays 3 types of tables.
 1) Create table in design view
2) Create table by using wizards

3) Create table by entering data

To create tables in Access using “Design View,”

1. Click the “Create” tab in the Ribbon.

2. Then click the “Table Design” button in the “Tables” group.
3. A new table then appears in the tabbed documents area. A table displays with a
format giving three columns, defining the various fields in the field name column,
data type of the column, the description field is optional, which is used to describe
the field.
4. Type the name of a field into the “Field Name” column.
5. Then use the drop-down menu in the “Data Type” column to assign the field a data
type.
6. If desired, type a description of the data stored in this field.
7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 until you have created all of the necessary table fields.
8. Click the row selector at the left end of the row that contains the field you want to
set as the “primary key” for the table.
9. Click the “Design” tab within the “Table Tools” contextual tab in the Ribbon.
10. Then click the “Primary Key” button in “Tools” group.
11. Click the “Save” button in the Quick Access toolbar.
12. Then type a name for the new table into the dialog box that appears.

13. Then click the “OK” button.

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Steps in creating a Form in MS access

Access forms are much like paper forms: we can use them to enter, edit, or display data. They
are based on tables. When using a form, we can choose the format, the arrangement, and
which fields you want to display. Access makes it easy to create a form from any table in your
database. Any form you create from a table will let you view the data that's already in that
table and add new data. Once you've created a form, you can modify it by adding additional
fields and design controls like combo boxes.
These are the following steps to create a Form in MS Access
1. Open the Navigation pane.

2. Click the table or query on which you want to base your form.
3. Activate the Create tab.
4. Click Form in the Forms group.
5. Access creates a form. Your form will be created and opened in Layout view.

6. Click the Save button on the Quick Access toolbar. Access saves the form unless you are
saving for the first time. If you are saving for the first time, the Save As dialog box
appears.
7. Type the name you want to give the form.
8. Click OK. Access saves the form. You can now access the form by using the Navigation
pane.

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Steps for Making a PIVOT TABEL:

A Pivot Table is a summary of a large dataset that usually includes the total figures, average,
minimum, maximum, etc. Pivot tables allow us to analyse, summarize and show only relevant
data in our reports. Pivot tables are one of Excel's most powerful features. A pivot table allows
you to extract the significance from a large, detailed data set.
 To insert a pivot table, execute the following steps.
1) Click any single cell inside the data set.
2) On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click PivotTable.
3) A dialog box appears. Excel automatically selects the data for you. The default
location for a new pivot table is New Worksheet. Click ok.
4) Excel then opens a new worksheet and places our PivotTable there.
5) This is our blank slate. We also see something new on the right edge of this
worksheet. This is where we will find our available PivotTable fields and the four
areas we can place them.
6) Drag a "label" field into the Row Labels area (e.g. customer)
7) Drag a numeric field into the Values area (e.g. sales)

8) Fine-tune your calculations.

USES of PIVOT TABLE:

A pivot table is a data summarization tool that is used in the context of data processing. Pivot
tables are used to summarize, sort, reorganize, group, count, total or average data stored in a
database. It allows its users to transform columns into rows and rows into columns. It allows
grouping by any data field. Pivot tables are the perfect solution when you need to summarize
and analyze large amounts of data. In just a few clicks, you have access to a whole new set of
information. A drag and drop option to move your fields around is the easiest way to go. Pivot
tables are most commonly used in situations where data needs to be aggregated, and sliced
and diced for analysis. It’s particularly useful when you are looking to calculate and summarize
data in order to make comparisons.
Pivot table do the following:
• Run automatic calculations on summed or counted values

• Create %’s of totals

• Segment data by date, user or other variable and calculate totals
• Organize data into columns and rows with automatic calculations that would
otherwise be impossible with Excel
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Differences between Absolute and Relative reference in Excel:

The key difference between relative and absolute cells is that relative cell references move
when you copy them, but absolute references do not.

• Relative references as the name suggest that its something which will change. Absolute
as the name suggest its something that does not change. It means it remain static
weather we drag the formula Up , Down or Right Left.
• Absolute references are noted by a dollar sign in front of the cell reference. So a relative
cell reference might look like =A1+A2 but an absolute reference might look
like =$A$1+$A$2.
• The dollar sign in an Excel cell reference affects just one thing - it instructs Excel how to
treat the reference when the formula is moved or copied to other cells. In a nutshell,
using the $ sign before the row and column coordinates makes an absolute cell
reference that won't change. Without the $ sign, the reference is relative and it will
change.
• For example, if you have 10 in cell A1 and you use an absolute cell reference ($A$1), the
formula =$A$1+5 will always return 15, no matter what other cells that formula is
copied to. On the other hand, if you write the same formula with a relative cell
reference (A1), and then copy it down to other cells in the column, a different value will
be calculated for each row. The following image demonstrates the difference:
CONDITIONAL FORMATTING:

MS Excel conditional Formatting feature enables you to format a range of values so that the
values outside certain limits, are automatically formatted.

Choose Home Tab » Style group » Conditional Formatting dropdown.

Various Conditional Formatting Options

• Highlight Cells Rules − It opens a continuation menu with various options for defining the
formatting rules that highlight the cells in the cell selection that contain certain values,
text, or dates, or that have values greater or less than a particular value, or that fall within
a certain ranges of values.

Suppose you want to find cell with Amount 0 and Mark them as red. Choose Range of cell » Home
Tab » Conditional Formatting DropDown » Highlight Cell Rules » Equal To.

After Clicking ok, the cells with value zero are marked as red.

• Top/Bottom Rules − It opens a continuation menu with various options for defining the
formatting rules that highlight the top and bottom values, percentages, and above and
below average values in the cell selection.

Suppose you want to highlight the top 10% rows you can do this with these Top/Bottom rules.

• Data Bars − It opens a palette with different color data bars that you can apply to the cell
selection to indicate their values relative to each other by clicking the data bar thumbnail.

With this conditional Formatting data Bars will appear in each cell.

Color Scales − It opens a palette with different three- and two-colored scales that you can apply
to the cell selection to indicate their values relative to each other by clicking the color scale
thumbnail.

Icon Sets − It opens a palette with different sets of icons that you can apply to the cell selection
to indicate their values relative to each other by clicking the icon set.

• New Rule − It opens the New Formatting Rule dialog box, where you define a custom
conditional formatting rule to apply to the cell selection.
• Clear Rules − It opens a continuation menu, where you can remove the conditional
formatting rules for the cell selection by clicking the Selected Cells option, for the entire
 worksheet by clicking the Entire Sheet option, or for just the current data table by clicking
the This Table option.
• Manage Rules − It opens the Conditional Formatting Rules Manager dialog box, where
you edit and delete particular rules as well as adjust their rule precedence by moving
them up or down in the Rules list box.

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Explain the four functions which let you count up the number of cells matching
certain criteria in Excel

COUNT FUNCTION:

• COUNT
• COUNTA
• COUNTIF
• COUNTIFS

Use the COUNT function to get the number of entries in a number field that is in a range or array
of numbers. For example, you can enter the following formula to count the numbers in the range
A1:A20: =COUNT(A1:A20). In this example, if five of the cells in the range contain numbers, the
result is 5.

Excel COUNTIF Function

1. Summary. COUNTIF is a function to count cells that meet a single criteria. ...
2. Count cells that match criteria.
3. A number representing cells counted.
4. =COUNTIF (range, criteria)
5. range - The range of cells to count. ...
6. The COUNTIF function in Excel counts the number of cells in a range that match supplied
criteria.

Difference between COUNT & COUNTA

To count unique entries you would have to use the SUM function together with the COUNTIF
function. An example of using both functions is given below: Where COUNT calculates the
number of cells with a numerical value, COUNTA simply counts the number of cells that contain
any value (that is, cells that are not blank).

If you need to sum a column or row of numbers, let Excel do the math for you. Select a cell next
to the numbers you want to sum, click AutoSum on the Home tab, press Enter, and you're done.
When you click AutoSum, Excel automatically enters a formula (that uses the SUM function) to
sum the numbers.

COUNTIF with Dates

Steps

1. Type =COUNTIFS(
2. Select or type range reference that includes date values you want to apply the criteria
against $C$3:$C$10.
3. Type minimum date criteria with equal or greater than operator “>=1/1/2012”
4. Add the date range again $C$3:$C$10.
5. Type maximum date criteria with equal or greater than operator “>=12/31/2012”

Difference between COUNTIF & COUNTIFS

The difference is that COUNTIF is designed for counting cells with a single condition in one range,
whereas COUNTIFS can evaluate different criteria in the same or in different ranges.

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Differentaite Between VLOOKUP & HLOOKUP

VLookup and HLookup functions are two functions that are used for finding specific data in the
excel sheet. This function is very useful as it easily locates the data or the value. If we compare
both VLookup and HLookup functions, we find that VLookup function is more frequently used
by the MS Excel users in comparison to HLookup function.

Difference between Hlookup & Vlookup

Difference 1:

The VLookup function is one of the important functions in Microsoft Excel. This function helps
you to locate specific information in your spreadsheet. When the user uses VLookup function for
finding specific information in MS Excel spreadsheet, each matching information is displayed in
the same row but in the next column.

Microsoft Excel defines HLookup as a function that “looks for a value in the top row of a table or
array of values and returns the value in the same column from a row you specify”. The HLookup
function retrieves data from the table horizontally. According to some experts most of the data in
MS Excel sheet is created with vertical tables, the HLookup function is used less in comparison to
VLookup function
Difference 2:

VLookup Syntax

VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

In the above VLookup syntax, lookup_value refers to the value that the user is trying to find in a
table, and table_array refers to the range or table in which the user is looking for a certain value to
match another value.

HLookup Syntax:

HLOOKUP( lookup_value, table_array, row_index_num, [range_lookup] )

In the above syntax lookup_value refers to the value that the user wants to look for, table_array
refers to the data or table the user is searching for, and row_index_num in this refers to the row
number array, that the user wants the corresponding value to be returned from

The [range_lookup] is an optional logical argument, which can be set to TRUE or FALSE by the
user. If it is set to TRUE and if there is no exact match found, this will return the closest match to
the given value. If it is set to FALSE by the user, and if the given value is not found in the
spreadsheet then it will return an error message. The user can also make use of wild (“? and
*”)characters in their Hlookup function , where" ? "is used to match any single character and (*)
is used to match a sequence of characters.

Difference 3:

One of the pre-requisite for using VLookup function is that the value the user is searching must be
located in the left-most column of the table/range.

In HLookup syntax, the pre-requisite is that the value the user is searching in the table or range
must be in the top-most column.

Difference 4:

Though MS Excel HLookup function is a very useful function for creating horizontal Lookups but
is not very popular in comparison to VLookup function because, most of the tables are are vertical
MS Excel, and that is the reason this HLookup function is not that popular in comparison to
VLookup function.

Difference 5:

HLookup searches for a value in the top row of a table and then returns a value in the same column.
The VLookup function displays the searched value in the same row but in the next column.