Training manual on Excel Fundamentals by the

Department of ICT
 Microsoft Excel

Contents
Understanding Workbooks...................................................................................................................................................1
Navigating in a File..............................................................................................................................................................2
Typing Text or Numbers Into A Worksheet.........................................................................................................................3
Typing Simple Formulas In A Worksheet............................................................................................................................4
Filling A Series.....................................................................................................................................................................5
Inserting And Deleting Worksheets.....................................................................................................................................6
Copying A Worksheet..........................................................................................................................................................7
Renaming A Worksheet.......................................................................................................................................................8
Moving or Copying A Sheet To Another Workbook...........................................................................................................9
Changing Worksheet Tab Colours.....................................................................................................................................10
Grouping Worksheets.........................................................................................................................................................11
Freezing Rows And Columns.............................................................................................................................................12
Selecting Ranges.................................................................................................................................................................13
Selecting Rows...................................................................................................................................................................14
Selecting Columns..............................................................................................................................................................15
Understanding Formatting..................................................................................................................................................16
Applying General Formatting.............................................................................................................................................17
Changing Fonts...................................................................................................................................................................18
Changing Font Size............................................................................................................................................................19
Understanding Borders.......................................................................................................................................................20
Applying A Border To A Range........................................................................................................................................21
Wrapping And Merging Text.............................................................................................................................................22
PRACTICE EXERCISE.....................................................................................................................................................23
PRACTICE EXERCISE.....................................................................................................................................................24
PRACTICE EXERCISE.....................................................................................................................................................25
Understanding Functions....................................................................................................................................................26
Using The SUM Function To Add.....................................................................................................................................27
Calculating An Average.....................................................................................................................................................28
Finding A Minimum Value................................................................................................................................................29
Common Error Messages...................................................................................................................................................30
PRACTICE EXERCISE.....................................................................................................................................................31
Understanding Quick Analysis...........................................................................................................................................32
Quick Formatting...............................................................................................................................................................33
Quick Charting...................................................................................................................................................................34
Quick Totals.......................................................................................................................................................................35
Quick Sparklines................................................................................................................................................................36
Quick Tables.......................................................................................................................................................................37
Practice Exercise................................................................................................................................................................38
 Microsoft Excel
Printing A Worksheet.........................................................................................................................................................39

The Charting Process..........................................................................................................................................................40

Choosing The Right Chart..................................................................................................................................................41
Using A Recommended Chart............................................................................................................................................42
Creating A New Chart From Scratch.................................................................................................................................43
Working With An Embedded Chart...................................................................................................................................44
Resizing A Chart................................................................................................................................................................45
Repositioning A Chart........................................................................................................................................................46
Printing An Embedded Chart.............................................................................................................................................47
Creating A Chart Sheet.......................................................................................................................................................48
Changing The Chart Type..................................................................................................................................................49
Changing The Chart Layout...............................................................................................................................................50
Changing The Chart Style..................................................................................................................................................51
Printing A Chart Sheet........................................................................................................................................................52
Embedding A Chart Into A Worksheet..............................................................................................................................53
Deleting A Chart.................................................................................................................................................................54
PRACTICE EXERCISE.....................................................................................................................................................55
PRACTICE EXERCISE SAMPLE....................................................................................................................................56
 Microsoft Excel

UNDERSTANDING WORKBOOKS
In Microsoft Excel the data you enter, whether it
consists of numbers, text, or formulas, is stored in a sheets) that have been ruled into columns and rows.
file known as a workbook. Workbooks are just Before using Excel it is helpful to know what the
like huge electronic books with pages (or various parts and elements that make up a workbook
are.

5 6


A worksheet (or page) in a workbook contains 16,384 columns that are labelled using letters of the
alphabet. The first column in a worksheet is labelled column A, while the last is labelled XFD


A worksheet (or page) in a workbook contains 1,048,576 rows that are labelled using numbers from 1
to 1,048,576


Where a column and row intersect we get what is known as a cell. You enter your data into these cells.
Each cell in a worksheet can hold up to 32,767 characters – although it would be unrealistic to ever push
it this far. Cells are referred to by their column and row labels. For example, in the screen above the cell
we are pointing to is C11 – this reference is known as the cell address and is most important as it is
frequently used in commands and formulas


When you start typing something, you want it to appear somewhere in the worksheet. As a consequence
when the Status Bar shows Ready mode, at least one cell in the worksheet will be highlighted – this is
known as the active cell. In the screen above, the active cell is cell A1 – notice that the column label and
the row label also appears coloured to indicate the active cell. You can have more than one active cell –
when this occurs you have what is known as a range


A workbook (as you would expect) is made up of pages known as worksheets. You can have as many
sheets in a workbook as your computer resources can accommodate. As a default, a new blank workbook
normally has 3 worksheets labelled Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3. Of course these labels are pretty boring
and meaningless and can be changed to something more relevant

 The Insert Worksheet button here will insert another worksheet into the current workbook
should you need it

Page 1
NAVIGATING IN A FILE

Arrow Move one cell to the right, left, up or down

Keys

Tab Move once cell to the right

Ctrl+Home To beginning file

Ctrl+End To end of typed information

Home Beginning of a line

End End of a line

Page Down Down one screen

Page Up Up one screen

F5 To a specific page

Appear at the right and on the bottom of the screen. You may click the
Scroll bars
scroll arrows, drag the scroll box or click the scroll bar to move through
the document.
TYPING TEXT OR NUMBERS INTO A WORKSHEET
Generally when you start a new spreadsheet project, you wish to enter the data active. This can be done in a
the first task is to enter some headings into rows number of ways but the most common is to click in it
and columns. To type anything into a worksheet first before typing.
you need to make the cell into which

Try This Yourself:

Before you begin ensure
that there is a blank
workbook on the
screen…


Click in cell A3 to make
this the active cell, type 1 2
Garden Settings and
press 3

When you press the

next cell down
automatically becomes
the active cell. By the
way, even though the
text looks like it is in cells
A3 and B3 it really only is
in cell A3 – since there is
nothing in B3, Excel
4
allows the spill over to be
displayed giving the
illusion it is in 2 cells…


Type Pool Covers and
press


Repeat the above steps and
enter the remaining text in
column A as shown


Click in cell B2 to make
this the active cell, type 5
UK and press
When you press
the cell to the right
becomes the active
cell…


Enter the remaining text in
row 2 as shown

For
For
Your
Your
Reference…
Reference… Handy to Know…
ToTo savetext:
enter a new document:
 You don’t have to use or to make
1. Click on the File Tab adjacent cells active. You can simply use the
1. Click the cell pointer on the desired cell and
and select Save As
type the required information mouse and click in the cells if you want or even
Locate the storage folder in the Navigation pane
press the arrow keys to move up, down, left, or
2.Type
Press
a File name, anand
arrow key
click onor[Save] to
right.
confirm the data entry and to move the cell
pointer to another cell
TYPING SIMPLE FORMULAS IN A WORKSHEET
The whole idea behind Excel is to get it to perform even other formulas, already in the worksheet using
calculations. In order for it to do this you need to the cell addresses of these numbers rather than the
type formulas in the worksheet. Usually these actual value in them. Formulas must be typed
formulas reference existing numbers, or beginning with an equal sign (=).

2
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the
previous file with this
exercise...

 Click in cell B8 to make this

the active cell


Type =B3+B4+B5+B6+B7 and
examine what is happening on
the screen 3


Press to enter the formula
and move to the next cell
Notice that a calculation has
now been performed. We have
entered a formula in B8 that
says “add the values in B3,
B4, B5, B6, and B7 and show
them here”…
5


Ensure that C8 is the active
cell, type =SUM(C3:C7) and
press
This is an alternative type of
formula known as a “function”.
Again a calculation will
appear in the cell…


Click in cell B8 and notice that
the formula you typed appears in
the Formula Bar, while the result 6
of the calculation appears in the
worksheet

 Repeat step 5 with cell C8

 Click on the File Tab

and select Save to save the
additions that have been made

For Your Reference…

To enter a formula:
Click the cell pointer on the desired cell and type the formula commencing with =
Press, an arrow key orto confirm the data entry and to move the cell pointer to another cell
Handy to Know…
Operators
+ Addition
- Subtraction
* Multiplication
/ Division
FILLING A SERIES
A series refers to a sequence of ordered entries in reducing the amount of time taken for data entry, and
adjacent cells, such as the days of the week or months ensuring that the spelling is correct. Excel provides days
of the year. The fill technique can be used to create and months as special built-in series that you can
these in a worksheet for you, access.

2
Try This Yourself:
Before starting this exercise
you MUST open the file E707
Open File

Filling_1.xlsx...

 Click on cell A4


Move the mouse pointer to the
small square (the fill handle) at 3
the bottom right corner of the cell
until the mouse pointer appears
as a thin, black cross


Drag the mouse pointer to
column F
Excel will fill the range with
the first six months of the
year…


Click on cell A5 and repeat
steps 2 and 3 to create the series 6
of months with their full names
You can also fill more than
one row at a time…

 Select the range A6:A12


Repeat steps 2 and 3 to fill
across to column F


Examine each of the series
created by the filling process

For Your Reference…

To fill a series:
1. Click on the first cell in the series
2. Drag from the fill handle across as many
columns as required
Handy to Know…
 As you drag the fill handle across, a tool tip
appears below the fill pointer displaying the
current value in the series. This is really handy
when you want to end on a particular month,
day or value.
INSERTING AND DELETING WORKSHEETS
Once you’ve decided on a structure for your worksheets inserted. However, remember that
workbook, you may find that there are some deletion of worksheets is permanent and can’t be
worksheets that can be deleted. Alternatively, undone using Undo, so always save your workbook
you may find that you need additional blank before making these changes.

1
Try This Yourself:
Before starting this
Open File

exercise you MUST open

the file E1324 Worksheet
Techniques_1.xlsx…
2


Examine the workbook – it
currently contains one
worksheet named Sheet1


Click on the New Sheet icon
at the end of the worksheet tabs
A new worksheet named
Sheet2 will be inserted. You 3
can also use the keyboard
shortcut...


Press + to insert
another new worksheet
This sheet is named 4
Sheet3 and is inserted
before the currently
selected sheet.
Now let’s delete a sheet...


Right-click on the Sheet3
worksheet tab to display the
shortcut menu


Select Delete to remove the
worksheet
As the worksheet contains
no data, the sheet will be
5
deleted immediately. If a
worksheet contains data,
Excel will ask you to confirm
your actions...


Repeat steps 4 and 5 to
delete Sheet2

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To insert a new worksheet into a workbook:  To insert a worksheet between existing
 Click on the New Sheet icon to the right of worksheets, right-click on the worksheet tab
the worksheet tabs before which you want to insert a new sheet,
then click on Insert to display the Insert dialog
To delete a worksheet from a workbook:
box. Select Worksheet and click on [OK].
 Right click on the worksheet tab, then select
Delete
 Microsoft Excel

COPYING A WORKSHEET
Just as you can copy the contents of cells and ranges have a budget workbook that contains data for several
within a worksheet, you can duplicate worksheets departments, you can create a worksheet for the first
within a workbook. This technique is ideal for department and then copy it to create identical
replicating layouts. For example, if you worksheets for other departments.

1
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous
Same File

file with this exercise, or

open the file E1324
Worksheet
Techniques_1.xlsx...


Right-click on Sheet1 to
display the worksheet shortcut
menu


Select Move or Copy to
display the Move or Copy 2
dialog box


Click on Create a copy so it
appears ticked, then click on
[OK]
The new worksheet is named
Sheet1 (2). Let’s create a
“template” from this
worksheet by deleting
unwanted data...


Select the range B7:E9, then
press to clear it
3

Repeat step 4 to clear the
ranges B14:E23, G7:J9 and
G14:J23, then press +
to return to cell A1
Now we can copy this
“template” to create
additional worksheets...
6

Repeat steps 1 to 3 three times
to create three copies of the
template worksheet – this time
without data
The final worksheet should
be named Sheet1 (5)

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To copy a worksheet:  You can copy the current worksheet using the
1. Right-click on the worksheet to copy, then HOME tab by clicking on Format in the Cells
select Move or Copy group, then clicking on Move or Copy Sheet.
2. Click on Create a copy so it appears ticked  The Before sheet options in the Move or
Copy dialog box allow you to position the
3. Click on [OK]
copied worksheet where you want.

Page
RENAMING A WORKSHEET
By default, Excel names worksheets as Sheet1, makes it much easier to understand the purpose of a
Sheet2, Sheet3, etc. These names are fine if you are worksheet. You can also adjust the horizontal scroll bar
not planning to share the workbook, but changing to make room for longer, more meaningful worksheet
these to something more relevant names.

1
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous
Same File

file with this exercise, or

open the file E1324
Worksheet
Techniques_2.xlsx... 3


Point to the vertical dots between
the sheet names and the
horizontal scroll bar, as shown
The pointer will change to
a double-headed arrow...


Click and drag the bar across to
the right, to the end of column
L, then release the mouse button


Double-click on Sheet1 (5) to
select the worksheet tab name
This will also place it into 5
edit mode…

 Type Comms, then press


Repeat steps 3 and 4 to rename
the other worksheets:
Sheet1 (4) Admin
Sheet1 (3) Shop
Sheet1 (2) IT
Sheet1 Maintenance

For Your Reference…

Handy to Know…
To rename a worksheet:
Double click on the current name on the worksheet tab  You can rename a worksheet by
Type the new name and press right-clicking on the worksheet tab to display the
shortcut menu and clicking on Rename.
 A worksheet tab name can contain up to 31
characters including spaces, but it is better to
keep it short and succinct.
MOVING OR COPYING A SHEET TO ANOTHER WORKBOOK
You can copy worksheets to other workbooks as can copy their worksheet to another workbook and send
required. For example, you might need to keep them their data only. If worksheets exist in the other
records for six different divisions – rather than send workbook, you will need to determine the order in
each division the entire set of records, you which to place the copied worksheet.

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the
previous file with this
Same File

exercise, or open the

file E1324 Worksheet
Techniques_6.xlsx...
1


Click on the Maintenance
worksheet tab
We’ll copy this completed
data to another
workbook...


Right-click on the worksheet
tab to display the shortcut
menu, then click on Move
or Copy to display the
Move or Copy dialog box


Click on the drop arrow for
To book, then select (new 2 4
book)


Click on Create a copy so
it appears ticked
This will create a
new workbook as
well as making a
copy of the
worksheet...


Click on [OK] 5
A new workbook will be
created and Maintenance
will be the only
worksheet in the
workbook…


Save the new workbook as
Maintenance.xlsx, then
close it

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To copy a sheet to another workbook:  To copy a worksheet into an existing workbook,
1. Right click on the worksheet tab, then click on make sure that you open the destination
Move or Copy workbook first to ensure that it is listed in To
book in the Move or Copy dialog box.
2. Select either (new book) or the name of
another workbook in To book
3. Tick Create a copy, then click on [OK]
 Microsoft Excel

CHANGING WORKSHEET TAB COLOURS

To make it easier for you to distinguish between financial years, departments or months. The active
worksheets, Excel enables you to change the colours sheet appears as underlined in a gradient version of the
of worksheet tabs. This allows you, for example, to selected colour, while inactive tabs will display a solid
quickly distinguish between different colour background.

2
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous
Same File

file with this exercise, or

open the file E1324
Worksheet
Techniques_7.xlsx...


Click on the Admin
worksheet tab to select the
worksheet


Right-click on the worksheet
tab to display the shortcut
menu, then point to Tab
colour 3

This will display a palette

of colour options…


Click on Red under
Standard colours to apply
the colour to the tab
4


Right-click on the
Maintenance worksheet tab
to display the shortcut menu,
click on Tab colour, then
click on Blue under
Standard colours
Notice how the Admin 5
worksheet tab colour is
now a solid rather than a
gradient…


Repeat either technique to
apply the following colours:
Shop Yellow 6
IT Green


Click on the Admin
worksheet tab to view the
results

Handy to Know…
For Your Reference… To apply the same colour to two or more sheets at once, select them first. Hold down
To change the colour of a worksheet tab:to select consecutive worksheets or hold down to select non-consecutive worksheets
1. Right-click on the worksheet tab to display
the shortcut menu
2. Point to Tab colour to display a palette of
colour options
3. Click on the desired colour

Page 13
GROUPING WORKSHEETS
Worksheet grouping enables you to make the same example, if you want to format the heading for multiple
change at once to all selected worksheets. This worksheets, you simply group the worksheets, make a
feature is useful in situations where your worksheets change to one worksheet and the other worksheets will
have identical layouts or text. For reflect the change also.

1
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the
previous file with this
Same File

exercise, or open the file

E1324 Worksheet
Techniques_8.xlsx...
2


Click on the Admin
worksheet tab, hold down
, then click on the Shop
worksheet tab to select the first
three worksheets

 Click in cell A1 to select the

cell
3


Click on the HOME tab, then
click on Italics in the Font
group
This will italicise the text in
cell A1 on this and all
other worksheets in the
group…


Click on the Maintenance
4
worksheet tab, then the Shop
worksheet tab to see that the
changes have been applied
here


Click on the IT worksheet tab
to see that the changes have
not been applied to this
worksheet
5
Since this was not part of
the grouped sheets the
changes have not been
applied here. Notice too
that clicking on a tab
deselects the previous
grouping

For Your Reference…

Handy to Know…
To group worksheet tabs:
Click on the first worksheet tab  To deselect a group, either click on the tab of a
Hold down, then click on the last worksheet tab worksheet that is not in the group, or right- click
on a tab and select Ungroup Sheets.
 Most formatting and text changes done on a
worksheet in a group will be applied to other
sheets in that grouping.
FREEZING ROWS AND COLUMNS
When you lay out your data in rows and columns, it is scroll across or down to particular cells, the headings
most likely that your headings end up at the top or to scroll out of view. This problem can be resolved by
the left of your data. If you have a large amount of freezing the rows and/or columns that hold the
data, you may find that when you headings.

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the previous file
Same File

with this exercise, or open the

file E1324 Worksheet
Techniques_11.xlsx...


Click on the Maintenance
worksheet tab, then spend a few
moments examining the worksheet
Depending on your screen, it is
possible that you won’t be able to 3
see all of the figures on the screen
at once...

 Click in cell B6 to select the cell


Click on the VIEW tab, click on
Freeze Panes in the Window
group, then select Freeze Panes
Thin black lines appear above
and to the left of the selected cell.
This indicates that the areas
above and to the left are frozen...


Scroll to the right until Yearly 4
Average in column L appears next to
column A


Scroll down until Overheads in row
25 is below row 5


Press + to move to cell B6
– this is our temporary home cell, as
the cells above and to the left are
frozen


On the VIEW tab, click on Freeze
Panes in the Freeze Panes group,
then click on Unfreeze Panes to
unfreeze the rows and columns
5

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To freeze panes in a worksheet:  If you want to freeze only the rows above the
1. Click in the cell below and to the right of the selected cell (leaving all columns unfrozen),
area you want to freeze/unfreeze select the cell in column A of that row – e.g. to
freeze rows 1 to 6, click in cell A7. The same
2. Click on the VIEW tab
applies to freezing only columns and leaving the
3. Click on Freeze Panes in the Window rows unfrozen: select the cell in row 1.
group, then select Freeze Panes
 SELECTING RANGES
A contiguous range is any group of selected mouse, the keyboard or a combination of the two.
cells that form either a square or a rectangle. A Once selected, you can use the range for input, or
single cell that is selected is also considered to be a apply formatting, or copy the cells as required.
range. Ranges can be selected using the

Try This Yourself: 1

Before starting this exercise you MUST open the file E705 Ranges_1.xlsx...
Open File

Click on cell B7 to select it


Because it is the only cell selected it is the active cell…

Hold down the key and

 click in cell E10

a different colour and its contents appear in the formula bar. You can keep the range selected and change the active cell within the rang
2


Press several times and
3
h the various cells become active through the selection
n cell B7, hold down the mouse button, and drag down to cell C10 before releasing the mouse


previous selection has disappeared and the range B7 to C10 is now selected…


Press and to
deselect the selected cells and return the cell pointer to cell A1

For Your Reference…

To select ranges with the mouse:
1. Click in the left-most cell of the range
2. Hold down the key and click in the
last cell, Or
3. Drag the mouse pointer to the bottom right corner of the range
SELECTING ROWS
If you want to make changes to an entire row, such row header to the left of the row. Remember that any
as bolding all of the headings in a row or changing the changes you make will apply to every cell in the row
font of all the cell entries, you must first select the all the way across to column XFD, so be careful!
row. This is done by clicking on the

2
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous file
with this exercise, or open the
Same File

file E705 Ranges_1.xlsx...

 Press +
the active cell
to make cell A1


Move the mouse pointer to the 3
row heading for row 5
Notice that the mouse
pointer changes to a black
arrow that points towards the
row…

 Click once on row heading 5 to

select the entire row
4

 Click in cell B7and press +

This is the key combination for

selecting an entire row…
6
 Click on the row header for row 7
to select this row


Hold down and click on the
row header for row 10
All rows from 7 to 10 will
be selected…
7


Click in the row header for row 5,
then hold down the left mouse
button and drag down the row
headers to row 10
This is another technique for
selecting rows, but it does
require a steady hand!
For Your Reference…
To select an entire row:
1. Click on the row header of the row that you want to select
OR
1. Click in any cell in the row and press
+

Handy to Know…
 When every cell in a row or column is selected,
the corresponding row or column header is filled
in dark blue. When only some of the cells are
selected, the row or column header is filled in
orange. These indicators help you locate the
active cell(s) on the worksheet.
 SELECTING COLUMNS
If you want to make changes to an entire column, clicking on the column header directly above the
such as bolding all of the headings in a column or column. Remember that any changes you make will
changing the font of all the cell entries, you must first apply to every cell in the column all the way down to
select the column. This is done by row 1,048,576!

Try This Yourself: 2

Continue using the previous
file with this exercise, or open
Same File

the file E705

Ranges_1.xlsx...
3

 Press +
cell A1 the active cell
to make


Move the mouse pointer to the
column heading for column B
Notice that the mouse
pointer changes to a black
arrow pointing down the
column…


Click once to select the column
4
This time the row headers
change to orange to indicate
that at least one cell (but not
all) in each row is
selected…

 Click in cell D6 and press

+
This key combination also
selects an entire
column… 6

 Click on the column header for

column B to select it


Hold down and click on the
column header for column D
This time, columns B, C, and
D are all selected…


Click in the column header for
column A, then hold down the
left mouse button and drag the
mouse pointer across the column
headings to column E

For Your Reference…

Handy to Know…
To select an entire column:
1. Click on the column heading of the column that you want to select Make sure that you check your worksheet
OR carefully after you’ve made changes to entire
1. Click in any cell in the column and press columns. Remember that all of the cells in that
+ column are affected – even those in rows below
the visible area.
UNDERSTANDING FORMATTING
In Excel there are always two aspects to a number:
screen it is formatted to appear as a number with a
how the number presents on the screen (known as
percentage sign, whereas the real value in the cell is .
formatting) and the underlying value of the number.
02.
Take 2% as an example – on the

Number Formatting – The Veil Placed Over Numbers

All calculations in Excel are performed using numbers – this is only logical. So, when you want to perform a
calculation, you type the numbers in various cells, then create formulas to reference those numbers.
How do you show what those numbers represent? For example, how do you show you are working with
currency, or percentages, or even dates (which in Excel are really numbers)?
Excel allows you to show these representations using number formatting. With number formatting you change
the way a number looks so that it makes immediate sense to the reader of your worksheet. The underlying value of
number, however, remains unchanged. For example, instead of showing sales tax in a worksheet as .1 you show it
as 10%, to show 12889.95 as currency it would appears $12,889.95 or
€12,889.95 (depending upon the currency you are working with), and to show 44104 as a date you show it as 30-
Sep-2020 (remember, dates are actually numbers representing the number of days from January 1, 1900).
The following worksheet contains formatted numbers:

With the formatting removed from the numbers the worksheet looks as follows:

Formatting can also be applied as you type. For example, if you type 30/9/2020 Excel will place the number
44104 in the cell but will format this number as a date and show it as you typed it. There are also a range of
number formatting options on the ribbon that allow you to apply formatting to numbers after they have been entered
into a worksheet.
APPLYING GENERAL FORMATTING
The Number Format command in the Number formats easily and quickly to a selected cell or
group on the HOME tab contains a drop arrow that range of cells in the worksheet.
provides a gallery of the more commonly used
number formats. You can apply these

Try This Yourself:

Before starting this exercise
Open File

you MUST open the file

E1315 Number
Formatting_1.xlsx…


Click in cell D4, hold down
, then click in cell D13 to
select the range containing
dates


Click on the HOME tab, then
click on the drop arrow for
Number Format in the
Number group to see a gallery
of number formats


Click on Long Date to make
the short dates in the selected
range appear as long dates


Click in cell E4, hold down 2
, then click in cell E13 to
select the range containing
units of measure


Click on the drop arrow for
Number Format, then select
Number to display these as
numbers with 2 decimal places

 Repeat the above steps to

change G4:G13 to Currency


Repeat the above steps and
change the following ranges as
shown:
H4:H14 Percentage
I4:I4 Accounting
G15:I15 Currency

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To apply general formatting to numbers:  Excel may appear to round values up or down
1. Select the range to format as necessary – however, the value in the cell
does not change. Sometimes you’ll see minor
2. Click on the HOME tab, then click on the
rounding discrepancies.
drop arrow for Number Format in the
Number group  The Currency format shows the currency
3. Click on the desired number format format and symbol appropriate to the country
your computer is configured for.
CHANGING FONTS
The appearance that you choose for your text is In Excel 2007, font just refers to the typeface or
referred to as the font or typeface. Font shape of the letters. Typical classic fonts include
traditionally refers to a combination of typeface,
Times New Roman, Arial, Century Gothic and
style and size in points (e.g. Arial Bold 12 pt).
COPPERPLATE.

1
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous
file with this exercise, or
Same File

open the file E722 Font

Formatting_1.xls...


Click in cell A1 to make the cell
with the main heading the active
cell


Click on the drop arrow next to
the Font command in the 4
Font group on the Home tab to
display a gallery of available
fonts


Point to Arial Narrow, then Book
Antiqua, Garamond and Gill
Sans MT
If you don’t have these fonts,
try different ones. As you
point to each font, the preview
will change...


Scroll to and click on Comics
Sans MS, or another font of
your choice if you don’t have
this one
This time the font formatting
has changed in the cell and is
no longer just a preview – it
won’t change again unless
you make another font

For Your Reference…

To apply font formatting:
Select the text
Click on the drop arrowfor Font
Point to a font to preview it
Click on the font to apply it
CHANGING FONT SIZE
One way that text can be emphasised is by changing be changed for small detailed items, such as
the size of the font. For example, if your normal comments or a caption. Main headings in a
text is 11 pt, you may like to make the headings 13 worksheet usually appear in a slightly larger font
pt or larger. Font size may also size compared to the rest of the data.

1
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous
file with this exercise, or
Same File

open the file E722 Font

Formatting_2.xlsx...
2


Click in cell A1 to make the cell
with the main heading the active
cell


Click on the drop arrow next to
the Font Size command
in the Font group on the Home
tab to display a gallery of
available sizes


Point to various sizes and
notice how Live Preview
shows you how the heading
will look


Click on 16 to change the
heading to 16 pt
You can also change the
font size of parts of a 8
document, and you can use
the Mini toolbar...

 Click in cell A2


Click with the right-mouse
button to display the mini-
toolbar and the shortcut menu


Click on the drop arrow next to
Font Size and
click on 14


Click in cell A3 to hide the
toolbar

For Your Reference…

To change font size:
Select the cell or range that you want to change
Click on the drop arrow of Font Size
Click on the required font size
Handy to Know…
 You may have noticed that the text didn’t
change size when you used the mini toolbar
until you actually clicked on a different font
size. This is because Live Preview doesn’t
work with the mini toolbar.
UNDERSTANDING BORDERS
Borders are lines that are placed around the edges of is that the lines can be used to group together data or
individual cells or ranges. The lines may be thin, indicate totals, or to draw the user’s attention to critical
thick, solid, dashed, black or coloured, or even double cells that may need special data entry. Here are some
lines. The reason for using borders examples.

A Worksheet without and with Borders

Borders can be used to apply a structure. Here’s the same worksheet shown without borders and then with
borders applied. The use of borders helps to highlight the totals and separate them from the other data.

Border Variations
Borders can be applied to all four sides of a cell, or to individual sides of a cell. The following examples show
a cell without a border, with an outside border and a top and double bottom border.
APPLYING A BORDER TO A RANGE
You can apply a border to a range of cells. This indicate that they are in separate groups. Borders can
allows you to place an outline around them to be used in ranges of cells to create a more form-like
indicate that the cells are somehow related to each appearance. The borders available for single cells can
other, or to place borders between cells to also be applied to ranges.

1
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous
file with this exercise, or
Same File

open the file E730 Applying

Borders_2.xlsx...

 Select the range A5:A11

3


Click on the drop arrow for
Borders and select
Outside Borders


Click away from the range to
see the border
An outline has been
placed around the cells...


Repeat steps 1 and 2 to apply an
outline border to each of the
following ranges in the
order that they are listed:
B5:B11, C5:C11, D5:D11,
E5:E11, F5:F11, G5:G11,
H5:H11, I5:I11, A5:I5,
A11:I11
B13:B19, C13:C19,
D13:D19, E13:E19, F13:F19,
G13:G19, H13:H19, I13:I19,
A13:I13, A19:I19

You can hold down

and select several of these
ranges at once before
applying the border...


Click away from the last
selected range to see the
5
result

For Your Reference…

To apply a border to a range:
Select the range
Click on the drop arrow for Borders
in the Font group on the Home tab
Click on the border option of your choice
WRAPPING AND MERGING TEXT
Microsoft Excel will allow long cell entries to spill to place long text entries in a cell you can arrange for
across to other adjacent cells to the right as long as Microsoft Excel to wrap the text within the cell and
those cells are empty. If those cells contain data the also merge that cell with others to accommodate the
spill-over will be chopped off. If you need longer text entry.

Try This Yourself:

Before starting this exercise
you MUST open the file
Open File

E723 Cell
Alignment_9.xlsx...
3


Click in cell A5
This cell contains a long text
entry that spills across
several columns…


Click on the Expand Formula
Bar tool to the right of the
formula bar to see all of the text


Click on the Wrap Text
command in the
Alignment group on the
Home tab to wrap the text in 5
cell A5
Notice how the row height
has now increased…

 Hold down the key and

click in cell E5 to select the
range A5:E5

 Click on the drop arrow

Merge & Centre in the
for

Alignment group and select

Merge Cells to merge the cells
in the range


Move the mouse pointer to the
bottom of the row 5 heading
border and drag the row height up
until you reach 30 points
For Your Reference…
To wrap text - click in the cell to merge and click on the Wrap Text commandin the Alignment group on the Home tab
To merge text - click on the drop arrow for Merge & Centrein the Alignment
group and select Merge Cells

Handy to Know…
 In the example above, wrapping forced the text
into one cell and Excel expanded the row height
so that all of the text was accommodated. We
then merged the text across several horizontal
cells in the exercise above so that we could
reduce the row height to a more acceptable level.
PRACTICE EXERCISE Font Formatting
Tasks:

Before starting this exercise you MUST have completed all of the topics
in the chapter Font Formatting…

 Open the workbook called PE_Font Formatting.xlsx (it can be found in the
same folder as the student files)

 Format the heading in cell A1 as Cambria, 36 pt, bold, Orange Accent 2


Format the other headings as bold, italic or underline as shown on the
following page


Use Orange, Accent 2, Lighter 80% to fill the area behind the headings as
shown on the following page


Add the superscript 1 in cell H3 and in cell B27 with the following comment
1
Fee may be reduced as the result of Government Assistance
Your completed worksheet should appear as shown on the
following page...


Use the Save As command to save the workbook as PE_Font Formatting
(Completed).xlsx
 Microsoft Excel

PRACTICE EXERCISE
Cell Alignment

Tasks: Completed:

Before starting this exercise you MUST have completed all of the topics
in the chapter Cell Alignment…

 Open the workbook called PE_Cell Alignment1.xlsx (it can be found in the
same folder as the student files)

 Right-align the fees 
 Left align the range B6:B21 
 Centre align cells B23, B25 and B27 
 Use the Save As command to save the workbook as PE_Cell Alignment1
(Completed).xlsx


[email protected] Page 33 St. George’s Information Services

 Microsoft Excel

PRACTICE EXERCISE
Number Formatting

Tasks: Completed:

Before starting this exercise you MUST have completed all of the topics in
the chapter Number Formatting…

 Open the workbook called PE_Number Formatting.xlsx (it can be found in

the same folder as the student files)



On the Cargo worksheet, apply formatting to the dates and figures so that they
appear as shown in sample A on the next page
This will involve applying a date format, thousands separator, setting
the number of decimals and applying the currency format...



On the Purchases worksheet, apply formatting so that the figures appear as
shown in sample B on the following page
The currency formats should be $, € Euro (€ 123), R English (South
Africa) and ETB Amharic (Ethiopia) respectively. You’ll need to widen the
columns a little to make room for the characters added by the formatting...



Use the Save As command to save the workbook as PE_Number
Formatting (Completed).xlsx

I Page 34
 Microsoft Excel

UNDERSTANDING FUNCTIONS
Imagine having to create a formula that calculated
time consuming to develop. This is the role of
the monthly payments on a loan, or the average of
hundreds of arithmetic functions that have been pre-
over 100 cells – these would require complex or
programmed in Excel for you.
long formulas that would be

Functions Overview
Functions are simply pre-programmed formulas already provided for you in Excel which can perform calculations
covering a wide range of categories including statistics, date and time arithmetic, financial calculations, lists,
engineering, and more.
Just like normal formulas that you create, functions must start with an equal sign. The equal sign is then
followed by the name of the function (usually a descriptive name which indicates the purpose of the function).
Most functions also require additional information known as arguments which are supplied to the function in
brackets after the function name. Functions are therefore written as follows:
=name(arguments)
The arguments are quite often cell or range references that contain values that can be used in the function. For
example, the commonest function is the SUM function which, as its name suggests, is used to sum or add values
together. If you wanted to add all of the values in the cells from B10 to D15 you would write this function as:
=SUM(B10:D15)
As you can see this is much simpler than writing your own referential formula which would look like:
=B10+B11+B12+B13+B14+B15+D10+D11+D12+D13+D14+D15
Imagine writing and proofing a formula where you had to add 200 cells!
Typing Functions
If you are familiar with the function that you need you can type it into a cell exactly the same way you type any
other formula. If you are not sure if Excel has a function or you can’t quite remember how it is written you can
use the Insert Function tool on the Formula Bar to assist you. When you click on this tool the Insert
Function dialog box will be presented to you which lists the most recently used or common functions and also
allows you to search for other functions that you might need.

The Insert Function dialog box will also type the function out for you and then provide you with a further
dialog box to guide you through the process of specifying the arguments that the function needs to perform
its calculation.

I Page 35
USING THE SUM FUNCTION TO ADD
One of the most used functions is the SUM function. type the function, and then use the pointing technique to
This function allows you to add the values in a range fill in the arguments. Excel then paints marquees around
of cells. The function is written as: =SUM(range the cells involved helping you to track your progress.
or ranges to add). You can

1
Try This Yourself:
Before starting this exercise
you MUST open the file
Open File

E710 Formulas_4.xlsx...

 Click on B9 then type =sum(

to start the formula


Click on B6 to point to this cell
2
as the start, hold down the
key and click on B8
Notice the relative addressing
details, 3R x 1C, that appear
in the tool tip…

 Type ) and press

complete the function
to


Click on B9, then move the
mouse pointer to the fill handle
on the lower right corner of the 7
cell and drag across to E9 to fill
the selected range with the
equivalent functions

 Click on the Copy command

on the Clipboard group on the
Home tab

 Click on B14, hold down

and then click on cells B19
and B24

 Release and press

to paste equivalent functions

For Your Reference…

To type a sum function for a contiguous range:
Type =sum(
Select the range of cells
Type )
Press
Handy to Know…
 You can also use the Sum command in the
Editing group on the Home tab of the
Ribbon to have Excel automatically enter a
sum function based on a range of cells.
 You can also type the name of a function in
upper or lowercase – it is not case sensitive.
CALCULATING AN AVERAGE
The AVERAGE function allows you to average the average function can be applied using the Functions
values in a range of cells. It is written in much the Wizard, a part of Excel that steps you through the
same way as the SUM function, for example, process of creating a function or you can type it in
=AVERAGE(range of cells to average). The yourself if you are comfortable with it.

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the previous
file with this exercise, or open
Same File

the file E710

Formulas_6.xlsx...


Click on B29 then click on the
Insert Function tool to
display the Insert Function
dialog box


Click on AVERAGE in Select a
function then click on [OK] to
display the Function
Arguments dialog box


Click on the Range Selector
tool for Number1 to roll up
the wizard, then hold down
and select the following ranges
B6:B8
B11:B13
B16:B18
B21:B23

 Press to complete the range 3

specifications, then click on [OK]
to complete the process
Let’s use the
AutoSum function…


Click on B34, then click on the 5
drop arrow for the Sum command
on the Editing group, then
select Average

 Click on B9, hold down and

click on B14, B19 and B24, then
press to complete the
formula
For Your Reference…
To insert an average function:
Click in the cell then click on the Insert Function tool
Click on AVERAGE in Select a function
Insert the required ranges then click on
[OK]

Handy to Know…
 You can type queries like “How do I work out
the monthly payment for a car loan?” into the
Search box in the Insert Function dialog
box. Once you have selected a function from the
Select a function list, the Function
Arguments dialog box will help you to enter
the values into the function.
 FINDING A MINIMUM VALUE
The Minimum or MIN function allows you to extract The function can be applied using the Function
the lowest value from a range of values. It is written Wizard, or by typing the function in detail directly
in much the same way as the SUM function. For into the cell.
example, =MIN(range of cells).

s Yourself:
using the previous file with this exercise, or open the file E710 Formulas_8.xlsx...
Same File

n click on the Insert Function tool


ert Function dialog box
arrow
t a category
Statistical

lick on MIN in Select a function then click on [OK] to display the Function Arguments dialog box
ge Selector


 tool to roll up the wizard,

then hold downand select the following ranges:
B6:B8 B11:B13

B16:B18 B21:B23
to complete the
6

Press
range specifications, then click on [OK] to complete the process
Let’s simply type the function this time…
Click on B36 and type
=MIN(B9,B14,B19,B24)

 Press to complete the 7


formula

For Your Reference…

Handy to Know…
To insert a minimum function:
Click in the cell then click on the Insert Function tool  You might use a Minimum function in real life
Click on MIN in Select a function to find the lowest value in a large range of
Insert the required ranges then click on numbers. For example, in a large inventory it can
[OK] be used to work out which product is the slowest
seller.
COMMON ERROR MESSAGES
Microsoft Excel has some in-built messages that can other formula cells that depend upon it. The messages
assist you when something goes wrong with a are always prefixed with a hash sign (#) and appear
formula. These messages appear in the cell that with a code. The more common error messages are
contains the formula, and sometimes also listed below.

A Line of Hash (#) Signs

Sometimes referred to as “tramlines”, a line of hash
signs usually occurs because a column is not wide
enough to display the numbers in the cell or formula.
Widening the column will correct this problem – you
can drag the column heading until the value in the cell
appears as it should.

#DIV/0!
This message means you are trying to divide a value by zero
– this is mathematically impossible. In the example at the left
we are trying to find the average number of persons per
household. All is fine as long as there is a value greater than
zero in cell B3 (Houses). As soon as we change this to a zero
an error message appears in the formula cell (B5).
To prevent the error you will need to enter a value
greater than zero into cell B3, the divisor cell.

#VALUE!
In this message Excel is advising that something in the formula
is not a value and therefore a calculation can’t be made.
A close examination of the example at the left shows cell B3
contains the word “three”. Therefore the formula in cell B5 is
trying to divide 192,664 (in cell B2) with a word, which
doesn’t make sense.
To fix the error, a value (a number) will need to be
entered in cell B3.

#NAME?
This message appears when text is found in a
formula that can’t be matched to either a
legitimate function or range name.
In the example to the left, the formula has been
entered as =SOME(B3:B7) – there is no such
function as SOME, and presumably the author
should have typed =SUM(B3:B7).
PRACTICE EXERCISE
Formulas And Functions

Tasks: Completed:

Before starting this exercise you MUST have completed all of the topics
in the chapter Formulas And Functions…

 Open the workbook called PE_Formulas And Functions.xlsx (it can be

found in the same folder as the student files)



Create a formula that calculates the gross pay for each employee, then use a
function to calculate the total of the gross pay
The total for Gross Pay should appear in E14...

 Create a formula that calculates the tax as being 20% of the gross pay for each
employee, then create a total for the tax

 Create a formula to calculate the net pay for each employee and then a total of
the net pay

 Create a formula that calculates the superannuation as being 8% of the gross
pay for each employee, then create a total for superannuation



Use functions to determine the average, maximum and minimum values for each
column, setting the number of decimal places to 2
Your worksheet should appear as shown on the following page...



Use the Save As command to save the workbook as PE_Formulas And
Functions (Completed).xlsx
UNDERSTANDING QUICK ANALYSIS
The Quick Analysis tools were developed in
Live Preview with some of these tools to create the
response to the fact that users weren’t using or even
Quick Analysis tools.
aware of the more powerful analytical tools found in
Excel. So Excel decided to combine

The Quick Analysis Button

The Quick Analysis button
appears when a range is
selected in a worksheet.
Clicking on the button displays
the Quick Analysis gallery
which contains quick analysis
tools that can be applied to the
selected data.
The tools have been organised
along tabs at the top –
FORMATTING, CHARTS,
TOTALS, TABLES, and
SPARKLINES.
When you click on a tab, options
specific to that tab are presented.

Using Quick Analysis Tools With Live

Preview
Most of the Quick Analysis tools in the
Quick Analysis gallery provide a Live
Preview of the changes in the worksheet
when you point to an option.
This is very useful if you are not sure of the
formatting or type of analysis you require as it
provides you with a preview of what the data
would look like if you selected that specific
option.
At the right we have selected only the totals
from the worksheet shown above. We have
pointed to options from the TOTALS tab (%
Total and Average) and from the
FORMATTING tab (Data Bars).
Live Preview has either presented another row
of analysed data or has formatted the selection
accordingly.
All of these tools are also available on the ribbon
but using the Quick Analysis tools is much
quicker.
QUICK FORMATTING
The first tab in the Quick Analysis gallery is colouring it or presenting it in a slightly different way.
FORMATTING. This tab provides access to the In the Quick Analysis gallery you can apply data bars,
conditional formatting tools of Excel. These are the colour high and low values, values over or below a
tools that allow you to analyse data by value, and more.

2
Try This Yourself:
Before starting this
Open File

exercise you MUST

open the file E1355
Quick Analysis_1.xlsx…


Click in cell B5, hold down
, then click in cell E9
to select the range B5:E9


Point to the bottom of the
selected range so that the
Quick Analysis button
appears, as shown, then
click on it to see the Quick
Analysis gallery 3


On the FORMATTING
tab, point to Data Bars to
see data bars representing
the size of the selected
values


Point to Colour Scale to
see colours used to signify
the scale of values (from
red for low to green for
high)

 Point to Top 10% to see

the top 10% of values


Click on Greater Than to
see the Greater Than
dialog box 6


Type 200000 in Format
cells that are
GREATER THAN, then
click in cell A1 to see the
changes

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To apply Quick Formatting in a worksheet:  Quick Formatting applies conditional
1. Select the range to be formatted, then click on formatting, not the standard formatting.
the Quick Analysis button  The Clear Format option in the Quick
2. Choose the desired formatting from the Analysis gallery will clear any conditional
FORMATTING tab formatting that has been applied.
QUICK CHARTING
Charts aren’t all that difficult to create in Excel, tools provide a way of seeing what the different charts
especially with the Recommended Charts feature. will look like without having to first create the chart.
However, deciding what style and type of chart can be
daunting. Fortunately the Charts

3
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the
previous file with this
Same File

exercise, or open the

file E1355 Quick
Analysis_2.xlsx...


Click in cell A3, hold
down , then click in
cell E9 to select the range
A3:E9


Click on the Quick
Analysis button, then
click on the CHARTS tab
to see a range of
recommended chart types
for this range


Point to Clustered
Column to see a Live 6
Preview of the chart with
the Week as the legend


Point to Line, then
Stacked Area, then
Stacked Column to see
how these options appear in
Live Preview


Point to the second
Clustered Column to see
a preview of the chart with
the Days as the legend


Click on the second
Clustered Column to
create a chart in the
worksheet

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To use the Quick Charting tools:  When creating a chart you’ll need to ensure that
1. Select the range to be charted, then click on the the range you select includes the labels to be
Quick Analysis button used on the chart.
2. Choose the desired option from the
CHARTS tab
 Microsoft Excel

QUICK TOTALS
The TOTALS tab in the Quick Analysis gallery operations (e.g. AVERAGE instead of SUM) or use the
has some useful tools and options to help you build options to create the totals and calculations in the first
your worksheet. You can use the options to analyse place.
data and perform alternate arithmetic

Try This Yourself: 3

Before starting this

Open File

exercise you MUST

open the file E1355
Quick
Analysis_3.xlsx…


Click in cell B5, hold
down , then click in
cell E9 to select the range
B5:E9


Click on the Quick
Analysis button, then
click on the TOTALS tab
to see the calculation
options for this range


Point to Vertical Sum to
see a preview of the totals 6
for each column


Point to Horizontal
Sum to see a preview of
the totals for each row


Point to the other options
and study the results – do
not click on any at this
stage


Click on Vertical Sum
to create column totals 7


Click on the Quick
Analysis button again,
click on the TOTALS tab,
then click on Horizontal
% to see the percentages
for each day of the week

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To create Quick Totals in a worksheet:  Always check any operation that performs
1. Select the range to be totalled/calculated and calculations and embeds formulas for you to
click on the Quick Analysis button ensure that the correct cells and ranges are
included in totals.
2. Choose the desired calculation methodology
from the TOTALS tab

Page 46
QUICK SPARKLINES
Sparklines are mini charts that are embedded into a acceptance or understanding that Microsoft would like.
worksheet, usually immediately adjacent to the data. So, you’ll now find them in the Quick Analysis tools
Sparklines are only relatively new in Excel and where you can easily implement them without too much
probably haven’t gained the head scratching.

Try This Yourself:

Before starting this
Open File

exercise you MUST

open the file E1355
Quick Analysis_4.xlsx…


Click in cell B5, hold down
, then click in cell E9 to
select the range B5:E9


Click on the Quick
Analysis button, then
click on the
SPARKLINES tab


Point to Line to display a
line drawing showing
trends for each row across 3
the four weeks


Point to Column to
display the trend as
columns rather than a
continuous line


Click on Column to add
Sparklines in column F
Notice that after the
Sparklines have been
created the SPARKLINE
TOOLS tab on the
ribbon is now available
so that you can further
enhance or modify the
5
Sparklines

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To use Quick Sparklines in a worksheet:  The Win/Loss is a special type of Sparkline
1. Select the range to be analysed, then click on that shows positives above an imaginary line and
the Quick Analysis button negatives below it. You need to have values
range from the negative to the positive to make
2. Choose the desired Sparkline from the
any good use of it.
SPARKLINES tab
QUICK TABLES
In computer terminology a table is created when data does have columns and rows of continuous data. But it
is organised into rows and columns. You’d think then must also have headings which provide filter buttons.
that a worksheet would be a table – but it is not in the Creating a table is not hard, but it is much easier using
Excel definition. In Excel a table Quick Tables.

Try This Yourself:

Before starting this
exercise you
Open File

MUST open the file

E1355 Quick
Analysis_5.xlsx…

 Click in any cell

containing data


Hold down + ,
then press to select
all of the non-empty cells
around the current cell 3


Using the scroll bars,
scroll to the bottom right
corner of the selection,
click on the Quick
Analysis button, then
click on the TABLES tab


Click on Table to turn
the selected range into a
table


Scroll across and on the
drop arrow for Position
to see sorting and
filtering options 6


Click on Select All to
remove the tick, then
click on Effective
People Leader so it
appears ticked


Click on [OK] to see
only those people with 7
this position title

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To use Quick Tables to create a table:  A drawback of using Quick Tables is that all
1. Select the entire data to be used as a table of the data must be selected first. Using the
normal operation to create a table (the Table
2. Click on the Quick Analysis button
command on the INSERT tab of the ribbon)
3. Click on the TABLES table, then click on only one cell in the table needs to be selected.
Table
PRACTICE EXERCISE
The Quick Analysis Tools

Tasks: Completed:

Before starting this exercise you MUST have completed all of the topics
in the chapter The Quick Analysis Tools…

 Open the workbook PE_Quick Analysis.xlsx (it can be found in the same
folder as the student files)

 Use the Quick Analysis tools to apply a colour scale to the data in the
worksheet



Use the Quick Analysis tools to create a chart for the Overheads data. This
chart should be a clustered column chart that has the column headings as the x
axis, and displays the legend at the bottom of the chart. Make the chart title
Cost of Overheads.

 Reposition the chart below the data 



Use the Quick Analysis tools to create Sparklines for the Qtr1 to Qtr4
and Total columns for Overheads
Your worksheet should appear as shown on the following page…



Use the Save As command to save the workbook as PE_Quick Analysis
(Completed).xlsx
 PRINTING A WORKSHEET
Traditionally, printing means producing your over what and how much to print, as well as enabling
document on paper, but in today’s Web and online you to select the printer to use. You can print one or
world it might mean printing to the Web or to multiple copies of a document, one or multiple pages
another file. Excel gives you a lot of control and even collate copies.

1
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous file with this exercise...


Click on File Tab then

different to the one shown, as the available options will depend on the make and model of printer that you are using...




For Your
Handy to Reference…
Know…
For Your
IfToyouReference…
close
saveayour
workbook: Handy
workbook using the close command, the to Know…
workbook will be closed without the prompting message above.
To print a document:
Excel  the
allows you to have a number of workbooks open at Yousame
can also print
time. Whena document
you closedirectly, without
a workbook when others are still o
1. Click on the File Taband select Close opening the Print dialog box. Click the arrow on
1. Click on the File Tab the Quick Access toolbar, Click Quick Print.
2. Click on Print This will send one copy of the document directly
to the printer.
THE CHARTING PROCESS
Charts provide a way of seeing trends in the data in any of the Insert commands in the Charts group on
your worksheet. The charting feature in Excel is the
extremely flexible and powerful and allows you to
create a wide range of charts from

Inserting Charts
The first step when creating a chart is to select the data from the worksheet that you want to chart. It is important
to remember that the selected range (which can be either contiguous or non-contiguous), should include
headings (e.g. names of months, countries, departments, etc). These become labels on the chart. Secondly, the
selected range should not (normally) include totals as these are inserted automatically when a chart is created.
The second step is to create a chart using the INSERT tab on the ribbon. You can choose a Recommended Chart
where Excel analyses the selected data and suggests several possible chart layouts.
Alternatively you can create the chart yourself from scratch by choosing one of the Insert commands in the
Charts group. Charts that you create in Excel can be either embedded into a worksheet, or they can exist on
their own sheets, known as chart sheets.

Embedded Charts
Charts that appear within a
worksheet are known as
embedded charts. A chart is
really an object that sits on top
of the worksheet – unlike
numbers and letters, charts are
not actually placed into
worksheet cells.

Chart Sheets
If you want to keep your chart
separate from the data you can
move the chart to its own
sheet. Chart sheets make it
easier and more convenient to
work with your chart because
you’ll see more of it on the
screen – since the data is not
there!
CHOOSING THE RIGHT CHART

A chart is far more effective at communicating results, communicate different types of information. Some
outcomes or trends than a table of figures displaying charts show simple relationships between values, while
the same information. Different chart types have others are designed for quite technical purposes. Here is
been created to a summary of the use of different chart types.

Column, Bar These chart types, either in 2D or 3D, are used to

compare values across categories. For example, they
could compare the populations of different countries.

Line, Area Lines in 2D or 3D are useful for showing trends

such as sales or employment figures. An area chart
is a line chart with the area below the line filled in.

Surface The surface chart plots trends in two dimensions. You

could use this to plot departmental sales figures over
time. The chart then shows you the trends between
departments, as well as the sales trends over time.

Pie, Doughnut If you want to show proportion, such as the sales

figures from different departments that make up a
total, then the pie and doughnut charts are for you.
The only variation between the doughnut chart and the
pie chart is that the doughnut chart can display more
than one series of values.

Stock The stock chart type has been designed to show the
stock figures for a day, and the trend over time. At its
simplest, you can plot the high, low and close figures,
and at its most complex, the volume, open, high, low,
and close. It can be adapted to show the relationships
between any five sets of values.

XY (Scatter) Scatter diagrams are used to display the relationship

between two variables. For example, you could
research the age and price of a series of cars, and plot
the values you find. You could also investigate the
height and weight relationship of a group of people.

Radar A radar diagram is designed to show the change in

values from a central point. For example, it can be
used to show mobile telephone coverage, including
multiple networks and multiple measurements.
USING A RECOMMENDED CHART
If you are undecided about the best type of chart for selected data and presents you with what it considers to
the data you have selected to graph, then you may be the best way to chart that data. Several alternatives
wish to use Excel’s Recommended Charts are presented and you simply choose the one you like
feature. This feature analyses your most.

Try This Yourself:

Before starting this
Open File

exercise you MUST open

the file E1317
Charting_1.xlsx…


Click in cell A3, hold down 1
You can also use the Quick Analysis tool that appears at the
, then click in cell G7 to bottom right corner of a selected range to create a quick
select the range A3:G7 chart. However, this method will not allow you to preview a
wide variety of charts.


Click on the INSERT tab,
then click on
Recommended Charts in
the Charts group
The Insert Chart dialog
box will display with a
number of recommended
chart options…


Click on each of the
alternatives in the left pane to
see a preview of how the chart
will appear in the right pane
and spend a few moments
reading the descriptions


Click on Line chart (the
second alternative in the left
pane), then click on [OK] to
embed the chart in the
worksheet


Point to the top border of the
chart, then click and drag the
chart immediately below the
data 2


Click in cell A1 to deselect
the chart

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To use the Recommended Charts feature:  When selecting data for a chart you should
1. Select the data to be charted include headings (e.g. names of the month,
regions, etc.) but not the totals derived from the
2. Click on the INSERT tab, then click on
data. In the example above the names of the
Recommended Charts in the Charts group
months and the cities are selected but the total
3. Click on the desired chart and click on [OK] revenue and the regional totals are not.
CREATING A NEW CHART FROM SCRATCH
The easiest way to create a chart is by using the INSERT tab of the ribbon. This may be faster if you have a
Recommended Chart feature. However, you can specific style of chart in mind.
create a chart yourself from scratch using

Try This Yourself:

Before starting this
Open File

exercise you MUST

open the file E1317
Charting_1.xlsx…


Click in cell A3, hold down
, then click in cell G7 to
select the range A3:G7
Note that we have
selected the data
including headings but 2
excluding the
totalling…


Click on the INSERT tab,
then click on Insert
Column Chart in the
Charts group to see a
gallery of Column chart
types


Under 2-D Column, click
on Clustered Column
The chart will be
embedded in the
worksheet. The chart
will be active (selected)
and you’ll see additional
tabs on the ribbon for
working with the chart…


Point to the chart, then
click to select it and drag
the chart so that it is 4
underneath the data, as
shown


Click in cell A1 to deselect
the chart

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To create a chart from scratch:  When a chart gallery appears after you’ve used
1. Select the range to chart the Insert chart command, you can point over
each image in the gallery to see a Live Preview
2. Click on the INSERT tab, then click on the
of the chart in the worksheet. This will help you
appropriate Insert command in the Charts
to select the right chart for your needs.
group
3. Click on the desired chart type
WORKING WITH AN EMBEDDED CHART
By default, new charts are placed in the active want to work with a chart you must select it – this can
worksheet, which is usually the one that contains the be done by clicking on the chart. The chart itself is made
data. Charts are placed over the top of the worksheet, up of many objects and these too can be selected by
embedded as objects. When you clicking on them.

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the
Same File

previous file with this

exercise, or open the
file E1317
Charting_2.xlsx...


Point to the border of the
chart and click once to
select the chart as an object
The border of the chart
will thicken to indicate that
the chart is selected, the
range of data used for the
chart will be coloured, the
ribbon will show
chart-specific tabs and
commands, and additional
tools will appear to the 2
right of the chart…


Click on the chart legend to
make it the active object in
the chart

 Click on the vertical axis

to make it the active object


Click on the horizontal
axis to make it the active
object


Click on the border of the
chart to make the overall
chart the active object
again – notice that the
range of data has been
coloured again


Click in cell A1 to deselect
the chart 3

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To select a chart and its objects:  Once an object is selected, be it a chart, a legend
1. Click on the border of the chart to select an on the chart, or the like, you can right- click on
embedded chart the object to see a shortcut menu specific to the
selected object.
2. Click on the various objects of a chart to
select them
RESIZING A CHART
There are two main ways to resize a chart if you are These handles appear with dots in them. You can also
not satisfied with its current size. A chart that has resize a chart using commands in the Size group on
been selected can be resized by dragging one of the the CHART TOOLS: FORMAT tab that appears
sizing handles around its border. when the chart is selected.

3
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the
previous file with this
Same File

exercise, or open
the file E1317
Charting_3.xlsx...

 Click on the chart to

select it


Point to the sizing handle
on the left border of the
chart until the mouse
pointer changes to a
double arrow


Hold down the left
mouse button and drag
left until the chart
appears as shown
4
You can also resize a
chart from the
ribbon…

 Click on the CHART

TOOLS: FORMAT tab


Click on the up spinner
arrow for Shape
Height in the Size
group until it shows 8.5
cm


Click on the up spinner
arrow for Shape Width
in the Size group until it
shows 17 cm


Click in cell A1 to
deselect the chart

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To resize a chart:  If you wish to change the size of a chart quickly
1. Select the chart, then click on and drag a sizing and easily, clicking on and dragging the resize
handle on the border of the chart, or handles is the best option whereas if you want to
Click on the CHART TOOLS: FORMAT tab, resize a chart to a specific size it is best to resize
then click on up/down spinner arrows for the chart using the tools in the Size group on the
Shape Height and Shape Width in the Size CHART TOOLS: FORMAT tab.
group
REPOSITIONING A CHART
It’s unlikely that a chart embedded in the worksheet on and dragging the border of the chart to the
by Excel will be exactly where you would like it to be. desired location. The chart obviously must be
You can easily relocate a chart to a more appropriate selected before it can be dragged to a new
position by clicking position.

2
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the
previous file with this
Same File

exercise, or open
the file E1317
Charting_4.xlsx...

 Click on the chart to

select it


Point to the border of
the chart until the
mouse pointer changes
to a four- headed
arrow


Hold down the left
mouse button and drag
the chart below the
data so that the Total
Revenue row in the 3
worksheet is visible


Click in cell A1 to
deselect the chart

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To move a chart:  You can use the standard cut and paste
1. Click on the chart to select it commands to move a chart. Select the chart,
click on the HOME tab, then click on Cut in the
2. Move the mouse pointer to the border of the
Clipboard group to copy it to the clipboard.
chart until the mouse pointer changes to a four-
Click in a new location and, on the HOME tab,
headed arrow
click on Paste in the Clipboard group to paste
3. Drag the chart to a new location the chart.
PRINTING AN EMBEDDED CHART
When you print a worksheet, Excel will print underlying data. All you need to do is to position the
whatever is in or embedded in that worksheet chart in the appropriate location then access the print
(including charts). This makes it easy and commands in the usual way.
convenient to print both the chart and its

1
Try This Yourself:
Before starting this
Open File

exercise you
MUST open the file
E1317
Charting_5.xlsx…


Click on the FILE
tab, then click on
Print to see a
preview of the data
and the chart
Not all of the chart
or data may be
visible so we’ll
change the
orientation to
landscape…


Click on Portrait
Orientation in 2
Settings then select
Landscape
Orientation


Click on [Print] to
print the chart
If you don’t have a
printer connected or
you don’t wish to
print, click on the
Back arrow to
display the
workbook again

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To print an embedded chart:  If you only want to print the chart and not the
1. Click on the FILE tab, then click on Print data, click on the chart to select it, click on the
FILE tab, then click on Print. You will notice
2. Click on [Print]
that only the chart will appear in the preview.
CREATING A CHART SHEET
Charts can either be stored in a worksheet or in a are interested in printing the chart on its own page. Charts can
separate sheet of their own known as a chart sheet. be shifted back and forth between a worksheet and a chart
Chart sheets separate the chart from the underlying sheet.
data and are useful especially if you

2
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the
Same File

previous file with this

exercise, or open the
file E1317
Charting_6.xlsx...


Click on the chart to select
it and display the CHART
TOOLS:DESIGN and 3
CHART TOOLS:
FORMAT tabs


Click on the CHART
TOOLS: DESIGN tab,
then click on Move Chart
in the Location group to
display the Move Chart
dialog box


Click on New Sheet, then
type Revenue Chart
This will become
the sheet name for
the chart…


Click on [OK] to move the
embedded chart to its own
sheet


Click on the Chart Data
worksheet tab to see the
data again
Notice that the chart is
no longer embedded on
this worksheet

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To create a chart sheet:  Keeping charts on their own sheets makes
1. Click on the CHART TOOLS: DESIGN tab, them easier to work with as they do not
then click on Move Chart in the Location obstruct the data.
group
2. Click on New Sheet, type a name for the
sheet and click on [OK]
CHANGING THE CHART TYPE
When you create a chart, you may not always of what each chart type is designed for and to select the
achieve the result that you desire. Fortunately, the format that best suits your purpose. Just be aware that
process for changing a chart type is quite simple. some chart types are designed for specialised
You just need to have an understanding applications.

3
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the
previous file with this
Same File

exercise, or open
the file E1317
Charting_7.xlsx...


Click on the Revenue
Chart worksheet tab to
see the chart, then click
anywhere on the chart to
select it and display the
chart commands on the
ribbon


Click on the CHART
TOOLS: DESIGN tab,
then click on Change
Chart Type in the Type
group to display the
Change Chart Type
dialog box

 Click on 3-D Column,

as shown


Click on [OK] to apply
the change to the chart


Click on the Chart Data
worksheet tab to return to
the worksheet

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To change the chart type:  You can use Change Chart Type in the
1. Ensure the chart or chart sheet is selected Type group on the CHART TOOLS:
DESIGN tab for either embedded charts or
2. Click on the CHART TOOLS: DESIGN tab,
charts that have their own worksheet tabs.
then click on Change Chart Type in the
Type group
3. Click on the desired chart and click on [OK]
CHANGING THE CHART LAYOUT
Excel has a gallery of chart layouts that can be elements of the chart are placed within the chart.
applied to an existing and selected chart that is either Different layout options can therefore change the
in its own worksheet or embedded into the data appearance of your chart and its readability.
worksheet. Chart layouts are the way

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the
Same File

previous file with this

exercise, or open the file
E1317 Charting_8.xlsx...


Click on the Revenue
Chart worksheet tab to
see the chart, then click
anywhere on the chart to
select it and see the
CHART TOOLS: 2
DESIGN and CHART
TOOLS: FORMAT tabs


Click on the CHART
TOOLS: DESIGN tab,
then click on Quick
Layout in the Chart
Layouts group to display
a gallery of layout options


Click on Layout 3 to
apply this chart layout to
the chart


Repeat steps 2 and 3 to
select other chart
layouts and see how
they appear when applied
to the chart
5


Click on Quick Layout in
the Chart Layouts group
and click on Layout 5


Click on the Chart Data
worksheet tab to display
this worksheet

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To change the chart layout:  Chart layouts are predefined themes created by
1. Ensure the chart or chart sheet is selected Microsoft. Even if you choose one of these
layouts you can still make your own
2. Click on the CHART TOOLS: DESIGN tab,
modifications to the way the elements and
then click on Quick Layout in the Chart
objects are positioned and how they appear.
Layouts group
3. Select the desired layout
CHANGING THE CHART STYLE
The style of a chart refers to its colour scheme and and effort. Excel also makes it easy to change chart
overall appearance and can impact the clarity of styles if you decide the style you have chosen is not
the content of the chart. Choosing a predefined appropriate.
chart style can save valuable time

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the
previous file with this
Same File

exercise, or open
the file E1317
Charting_9.xlsx...


Click on the Revenue
Chart worksheet tab to
see the chart, then click
anywhere on the chart to
select it
2


Click on the Chart
Styles tool to the right
of the chart to see a
gallery of style options,
as shown


Scroll through the
gallery and point to
each style to see how
your chart will look in
Live Preview

 Scroll to and click on

Style 9


Click on the Chart
Styles tool to the right
of the chart to close the
gallery


Click on the Chart Data
worksheet tab
4

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To change the chart style:  Instead of using the Chart Styles tool to the
1. Ensure the chart or chart sheet is selected right of the chart, you can also choose chart
styles from the CHART TOOLS: DESIGN tab
2. Click on the Chart Styles tool to the right of
on the ribbon when a chart is selected.
the chart
3. Click on the desired style
PRINTING A CHART SHEET
You can print an embedded chart simply by printing simply ensure that the chart sheet is active, then click
the worksheet as if it is a standard worksheet. You on the FILE tab, click on Print, apply the print settings
can also print a chart sheet in exactly the same way. as desired and click on [Print].
To print a chart sheet, the

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the
Same File

previous file with this

exercise, or open the file
E1317 Charting_10.xlsx...

 Click on the Revenue Chart

worksheet tab


Click on the Chart Title text
box, select the text, then type
Revenue Chart to change
the title


Repeat step 2 to change the
Axis Title to Euros
2


Click on the FILE tab, then
click on Print to see the print
options and a preview of the
chart
No further adjustment is
required here so we can
go ahead and print it…


If you wish to print the chart,
click on [Print]
If you don’t have a printer
connected or wish to
save paper, click on the
Back arrow to return to
the worksheet…


Click on the Chart Data
worksheet tab

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To print a chart sheet:  When you preview a chart prior to printing, it
1. Click on the chart sheet tab may not appear as clearly as you would like.
This is due to the screen resolution, not the chart
2. Click on the FILE tab, then click on Print
itself. The printed version of the chart will
3. Click on [Print] appear clearer than the preview.
EMBEDDING A CHART INTO A WORKSHEET
Charts can either be presented in their own sheets sheet and a worksheet as often as you wish without
or they can be embedded into a worksheet that impacting at all on the chart. Sometimes it is easier to
contains data. In fact, you can move a chart back work with a chart in its own sheet, but it may be
and forth between its own necessary to print the chart with its data.

3
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the
previous file with this
Same File

exercise, or open
the file E1317
Charting_11.xlsx...

 Click on the Revenue 4

Chart worksheet tab


Click on the CHART
TOOLS: DESIGN tab,
then click on the Move
Chart tool in the
Location group to
display the Move Chart
dialog box


Click on Object in, then
click on the drop arrow
and click on Sheet 2


Click on [OK] to move
the chart to the
worksheet 5


Reposition the chart by
dragging it to the top left
of the sheet, then drag
the resizing handles to
resize it as shown


Click on the Chart Data
worksheet tab

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To embed a chart in a worksheet:  Embedding is normally only done when it is
1. Click on the CHART TOOLS: DESIGN tab, necessary to print the worksheet and the data
then click on Move Chart in the Location together.
group
2. Click on the drop arrow, select the sheet to
embed it into, then click on [OK]
 DELETING A CHART
If you no longer require a chart you can easily delete chart sheets you can delete the sheet by right
it. With embedded charts you must first select the clicking on the chart sheet tab and choosing the
chart in the worksheet and then press the key to deletion option.
delete the chart. With charts in

1
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the
previous file with this
Same File

exercise, or open
the file E1317
Charting_12.xlsx...


Click on Sheet 2 to see
the chart in the
worksheet, then click on
the chart to select it


Press to delete
the chart

For Your Reference…

Handy to Know…
To delete a chart:
Click on the worksheet to see the chart, then click on the chart to select it Because it is so easy to delete a chart object it is
Press also easy to delete it by accident! Remember,
you can use the Undo feature in Excel to restore
accidental deletions.
 Microsoft Excel 2013 - Level 1

PRACTICE EXERCISE
Creating Charts

Tasks: Completed:

Before starting this exercise you MUST have completed all of the topics
in the chapter Creating Charts…

 Open the workbook called PE_Creating Charts.xlsx (it can be found in the same
folder as the student files)

 Create a Clustered Column chart showing the sales of products for the
months of January through to June

 Drag the chart down below the data and resize it so that it is the same width as
the data, keeping the proportions as far as possible



Change the chart type to 3-D Stacked Column and change the chart title to
Sales
The chart should appear as shown in sample A on the following page...

 Create a Pie in 3-D chart of the products and their totals then place it on its own
chart sheet called Product Sales

 Change the Chart Title to Product Sales 


Change the layout to Layout 6
The chart should appear as shown in sample B on the following page...

 Print the pie chart 



Use the Save As command to save the workbook as PE_Creating Charts
(Completed).xlsx

Files required for PE_Creating Charts.xlsx

exercise:
Files/work created by PE_Creating Charts (Completed).xlsx, 1 printed copy of the Product
student: Sales chart
Exercise Completed:


Page 66 Chapter 10 - Practice Exercise

PRACTICE EXERCISE SAMPLE
Creating Charts