MS Excel Training

July 8, 2016

- By Jay Savla
Topics to be Covered:
1. Importance of Excel 19. Dates
2. The Excel Window 20. Pivot Table
3. Moving around the Workbook 21. Vlookup / Hlookup
4. Freeze Panes 22. Conditional Formatting
5. Adding / Deleting Rows & 23. Concatenate
Columns 24. Formatting sheet
6. Hide / Unhide Rows & Columns. 25. Macros
7. Paste Special 26. Saving of Workbooks
8. Filter
9. Sorting of Data
10. Text to Column
11. Len, Mid, Right, Left, Find
12. SUM Function
13. Count Function
14. Round Function
15. If Function
Importance:
• Almost 70 % of our work is Excel based. Balance 30 % includes Word,
PowerPoint & hard-copy documents.

• Excel lets you manipulate the data to give you meaningful information
from a seemingly vast data-dump which might not make sense otherwise.

• The most important aspect of Excel is that the possibilities of analysis are
almost limitless.
Never do Working on Original Data!!!

Please paste the file into the working

folder and then start your working.
The MS Excel 2013 Window:
• Lets have a look at what the excel window actually looks like:
The Excel Window:
• File : This button is used to open, close workbooks, save workbooks, print
workbooks, set page layouts, emailing workbooks and accessing Excel
options.

• Ribbon: It is a new display concept developed by Microsoft since Excel 2007.

Instead of a Menu Bar, it has a ribbon which has several ready-to see
options that were previously hidden somewhere inside the menu bar.

• Active Cell: It is the cell which you are currently on. This is highlighted by a
Dark border.

• Columns / Rows Headings: The entire sheet is divided into grids of rows
and columns. Rows are defined by Sequential numbers up to 10,48,576.
Columns are defined by Alphabets up to XFD. (Ctrl + down arrow + right
arrow)

• Sheets Tab: An excel file is also called an Excel workbook. Each workbook is
made up of at least one Worksheet. A new Workbook by default will have 3
worksheets. You can add / delete worksheets, move them around, hide
them, color them as well.
Moving around the workbook:
• All experienced excel users can tell you that excel is used up to 20 times
faster if you avoid using the mouse as much as you can. Instead make it a
habit of using keyboard shortcuts. Overtime, they will be on your fingertips.

So lets learn how to move around the excel Workbook:

• To move the cursor around, use the Direction keys on the keyboard.
• To go to the next empty cell, press Ctrl along with the Direction keys.
Remember that this only takes you to the next empty cell and not to the end
of the data.
• You can use Page-up or Page-down to scroll page-by-page (Up or down
only).
• If you want to select a number of cells, press Shift along with direction keys.
In case you want to select the entire area up to the next empty cell, them
press Ctrl + Shift + Direction keys.
• You can press Ctrl + End if you want to go to the used last cell in the
worksheet. Add Shift if you want to select the same.
• To navigate to adjacent sheets, press Ctrl + page-up (for going to the sheet
to the left) or Ctrl + Page-Down (for going to the Sheet to the right).
Freeze Panes:
• Typical data will have column headings and data-line items below.

• When you scroll down, after one page, the headers are no longer visible.

• Looking at some line-item down-below is a little difficult if you cant see the
column header along with it.

• So what do you do?

• Excel gives you the option to freeze the headers of the data.

• Place the cursor to the right of the columns you want to freeze and to the
below the rows you want to freeze. Shortcut key – Alt+W+F+F.

• Trying scrolling around the sheet Now. Life becomes much more easy.

• To de-activate this option, press Alt+W+F+F.

Selection, Adding / Deleting Rows & Columns:
• Earlier we learnt how to select cells (press Shift with direction keys).

• But what if you want to select the entire column or entire row?

• Selecting a Row: Press Shit + Space

• Selecting a Column: Press Ctrl + Space

How to add rows / Columns?

• Adding Rows: Select the entire row & press “Ctrl” & “Shift” & “+”.
Alternate: Press “Ctrl” & “Shift” & “+”, scroll to the option “Entire Row” &
press Enter.

• Adding Columns: Select the entire column, and press “Ctrl” & “Shift” & “+”.
Alternatively, press “Ctrl” & “Shift” & “+”, scroll to the option “Entire
Column” & press Enter.
Selection, Adding / Deleting Rows & Columns:
• A new Row will always be added to above your active-cell.

• Similarly a new column will be added to the left of your active-cell.

• Very similar process for removing Rows & Columns.

• Deleting a Row: Select the entire Row (Shift + Space) & then press “Ctrl” &“-
”. Alternatively, you can press “Ctrl” & “-”. scroll to the option “Entire Row”
& press Enter.

• Deleting a Column: Select the Entire Column (Ctrl + Space) & then press
“Ctrl” & “-”. Alternatively, you can press “Ctrl” + “-”. scroll to the option
“Entire Column” & press Enter.
Hide / Unhide Rows:
• You might need to hide / unhide rows. Maybe the data is too big and
distracting with unimportant columns. It is a good idea to hide them rather
than deleting.

• This option will just hide the rows / columns from view and not actually
delete them.

• To Hide a Column: Press “Ctrl + 0”.

• To Hide a Row: Press “Ctrl + 9”

• Once you hide a column, you will notice that the column borders between
the two columns will darken. This is an indicator that something is hidden.
You can also spot is by break in the alphabets.

• Unhide a Column: Alt + O + C + U

• Unhide a Row: Alt + O + R + U.

OR
• Unhide Column & Row : Select the cell + Right click + U
Column width / Row height:
• Defining Column widths – Alt + O + C + W
• Defining Row Heights – Alt + H + O + H
Paste Special:
• Pasting data is one of the most basic things you do in Excel. A simple copy
paste copies not only the data inside the cell, but also the format of the cell,
Comments, the imbedded formula in the cell, data Validation etc.

• In case you do not want to copy something very specific, Eg. Only the
Formula, or only the values without the formula, only the format, only the
comments, only the Column widths, all this can be done using paste special.

• To use paste special , first select the data that you want to paste. Now press
Alt + E + S. This will bring up the paste special window. From here you can
select what you want to specifically paste. Select the option and click Enter.

• Paste special also gives you the option to add, subtract, multiple or divide a
specific number to / from the entire selection.

• Paste special gives you the option to transpose the data. This is especially
useful while making Exhibits.
Filter:
• Allows you to you filter out rows in the data based on several options:
• Manual selection
• Colour
• Numericals
• Text functions
• Date functions.

• It helps you to know your data better.

• Select the data you want to apply filter to and press “Alt + D + F + F” OR “Alt
+A+T“
Sorting of Data:
• Excel allows you to sort data as per your custom specifications.

• Data in excel is nothing but several line-items with its relevant data in
columns.

• Sort command helps you define how Excel is supposed to align the data in
the rows i.e. which line-item should come first, then second, then third Etc.

• Remember to select all the columns, you will end up contaminating the
data.

• You can define several layers of rules for sorting the data.

• Excel also remembers what rules you applied for sorting.

Text – to - Column:
• This is used for splitting data in one column to another. Sometimes, the data
provided by the client is in such a format, that data of two or more columns
are merged into one column.

• Text – to- Column is also used to format entire columns.

LEN, Left, Right, Find, Mid:
• All of these functions are for data manipulation. These are usually used with
Text-Co-Column does not work since there is no definite separator to
distinguish each field.

• Len(Cell) gives you the total number of characters in the cell.

• Left (Cell, No of Characters) – gives you the left most “x” no of characters.
• Right(Cell, No of Characters) - gives you the right most “x” no of characters.
• FIND(Text, Cell, Start point) – Gives you character number of the text you
want to find in the text string. This can also be done using filters.
• MID (Text, Start number, Num_chrs) – Gives you any middle value in a text.
SUM:
• One of the most basic functions in Excel.

• Following is the syntax for the SUM Function:

• SUM(Number1, Number2…..)
SUM(Cell1, Cell2)
SUM(Cell1:Cell2)

• You can also use the auto-sum function. Rather than type of the entire
formula, you can just press “Alt & =”. What excel does is, selects the
continuous data above the active-cell and applied the sum function on it.

• Be careful in doing this because if you have a blank cell between the data,
excel will not select the entire data. In such cases, you will have to manually
use the formula.
Count:
• The simple count function shows the No. of cells where a numeric value is
present.

• Syntax: COUNT(value1, value2..) or COUNT(RANGE)

• There are several variations of count:

• COUNTA (Counts the No. of cells having some data)
• COUNTBLANKS (Counts the No. of Cells which are blank)
• COUNTIF – To be covered later.

• Excel also displays “COUNT” in the lower toolbar when you select a range.
You can customize what you want to see by right-clicking the same.

• Use Double quotes to define logical conditions like not equal, greater than
etc.
ROUND:
• This function helps you round-off numerical.

• ROUND(RANGE, No of digits after the decimal): Rounds to the nearest digit.

• ROUNDUP(RANGE, “”): Rounds to the higher value.
• ROUNDDOWN(RANGE, “”): Rounds to the lower value.
IF Function:
• “If” function allows to command Excel to carry out a task if a required
condition is satisfied or not.

• This is very helpful during analysis to tag certain line items based on a logical
condition.

• You can defined any number of logical conditions with IF. Example
calculation of Tax based on slab system.

• IF can also be used with AND / OR

Dates:
• Dates in Excel are not just dates. They are actually numbers which the
system reads. Each date is a number. Date is just another format of that
number.

• Excel always reads it as a number and not a specific date. It has an infinite
calendar pre-loaded inside.

• The Filter drop-down also displays dates under years and then under
months. This is convenient for selection.

• Let us understand how dates are to be worked with and used during
analysis.
Pivot:
• The most important Tool in Excel is the pivot table. A pivot table generates
summarized reports from the data according to your specifications.

• A full-fledged raw data sometimes does not make a lot of sense. However if
it is summarized, it makes more sense.

• The pivot table gives you the option to place fields either as Master filters,
Rows or Columns. The table will then read the data and summarize it
accordingly.
Vlookup / Hlookup:
• Vlookup is perhaps the most important function to be learnt.

• Every data that comes from a system usually has unique identification
number / code. E.g.:
• Order information – Sales Order Number
• Customer Information – Customer Code
• Billing Information – Invoice Number
• Product Information – Product Code
• Entries in a ledger – Document Number

• Vlookup helps you to use these unique numbers and look-up data recorded
against each of them.

• Take an example. For Purchase function, you have data relating to GRN in a
file. You also have data relating to PO in a separate file. The GRN data has a
column for PO Reference. You want to know whether goods in excess of
ordered quantity has come in. PO Quantity is sitting in another file. All you
have is PO number in the GRN file. How do you do it?
Vlookup / Hlookup:
• You use Vlookup to get the values from one file to another on the basis of
on unique field.

• Vlookup(Unique field, Base data, Result column No.)

• Be careful that the unique number should be the same in terms of the
actual text or number and that it is a unique field.
Concatenate:
• The basic purpose of this formula is to merge two text strings. Eg. You have
text in two diff cells. You want both the texts in another Cell. You can use
Concatenate.

• Concatenate(“Text String1”, “Text String2”….)

• Concatenate(Cell1,Cell2…..)
• Try out the basic application.
Conditional Formatting:
• Lets you format cells based on a defined condition.
Formatting Cells:
• You will require to format cells for various purposes:
• Preparing Exhibits.
• Making the data more presentable.
• Making the data more understandable.

• To format a cell, you may use the “Home” tab in the Excel Ribbon or press
Ctrl + 1 to bring up the Formatting window.

• Excel gives you various options for formatting like Categories, Fonts,
Alignment, Borders, Coloring the Font as well as the entire Cell & Protect
cells (Restrict editing).

• Exhibit Formatting Etiquettes are provide in the excel file.

Macros:
• People generally feel that Macros are too difficult and never try them out.
What are macros?

• Excel works on Visual Basic programming language. Macros is a tool to

create your own programs which you can execute.

• Macros are generally required when you need to do the same thing again
and again. It is rather better to write a program once and let Excel handle
the rest.

• Macros can be recorded from the developer tab. Press Record Marco. A
window will pop-up which will ask you to name the macro. Give the macro a
suitable name (No space allowed) and press enter.

• Now what ever you do, will be recorded by Excel and put into programming
language automatically. After you have finished, go back to developer tab
and click Stop recording.
Saving of Workbooks:
• Saving your data is something you should always be careful about. It is
always a good habit to hit Ctrl + S (to save the workbook) regularly during
analysis.

• Your excel can crash for any number of reasons like too much data, specific
format that is causing the file to overload, too many lookup formulas Etc.

• So remember to save your work like every 30 Seconds or so. Make it a habit
of pressing Ctrl + S.

• If you want to continue your current file in a separate workbook , hit Save
as. You can bring up the option by pressing F12 key. Once you save your
book using save as. The original book will close and you can continue work
in your new book.

• In case you are creating a book with macros, you need to save as a macro
enabled workbook. Otherwise your macros wont run.
Thank You!!!