Software

Instructor | JOHN RHINO E. SANTOS

APRIL JOY D. PALAHANG

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DOING MORE
WITH EXCEL

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◦◦◦ TRACK CHANGES AND COMMENTS ◦◦◦

Let's say someone asked you to proofread or collaborate on a workbook. If you had a printed
copy, you might use a red pen to edit cell data, mark spelling errors, or add comments in the
margins. Excel allows you to do all of these things electronically using the Track
Changes and Comments features.

NOTE: Alert! The Track Changes command has been removed from the Review Tab in Excel
2016.

Understanding Track Changes

When you turn on the Track Changes feature, every cell you edit will be highlighted with a
unique border and indicator. Selecting a marked cell will show the details of the change. This
allows you and other reviewers to see what's been changed before accepting the revisions
permanently.

In the image below, each edited cell has a blue border and a small triangle in the upper-left
corner.

NOTE: There are some changes Excel cannot track.

NOTE: You cannot use Track Changes if your workbook includes tables. To remove a table,
select it, click the Design tab, then click Convert to Range.

To turn on Track Changes:

1. From the Review tab, click the Track Changes command, then select Highlight
Changes from the drop-down menu.

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2. The Highlight Changes dialog box will appear. Check the box next to Track
changes while editing. Verify that the box is checked for Highlight changes on
screen, then click OK.

3. If prompted, click OK to allow Excel to save your workbook.

4. Track Changes will be turned on. A triangle and border color will appear in any
cell you edit. If there are multiple reviewers, each person will be assigned a different
color.
5. Select the edited cell to see a summary of the tracked changes. In our example
below, we've changed the content of cell D14 from ? to Getting to know your
team.

When you turn on Track Changes, your workbook will be shared automatically.
Shared workbooks are designed to be stored where other users can access and
edit the workbook at the same time, such as a network. However, you can also
track changes in a local or personal copy, as seen throughout this lesson.
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To list changes on a separate worksheet:

You can also view changes on a new worksheet, sometimes called the Tracked Changes
history. The history lists everything in your worksheet that has been changed, including
the old value (previous cell content) and the new value (current cell content).
1. Save your workbook.
2. From the Review tab, click the Track Changes command, then
select Highlight Changes from the drop-down menu.

3. The Highlight Changes dialog box will appear. Check the box next to List
changes on a new sheet, then click OK.

4. The tracked changes will be listed on their own worksheet, called History.

To remove the History worksheet from your workbook, you can either save your
workbook again or uncheck the box next to List changes on a new sheet in
the Highlight Changes dialog box.

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REVIEWING CHANGES

Tracked changes are really just suggested changes. To become permanent, the changes
must be accepted. On the other hand, the original author may disagree with some of the
tracked changes and choose to reject them.

To review tracked changes:

1. From the Review tab, click Track Changes, then select Accept/Reject
Changes from the drop-down menu.

2. If prompted, click OK to save your workbook.

3. A dialog box will appear. Make sure the box next to the When: field is checked and
set to Not yet reviewed, then click OK.

4. A dialog box will appear. Click Accept or Reject for each change in the workbook.
Excel will move through each change automatically until you have reviewed them
all.

5. Even after accepting or rejecting changes, the tracked changes will still appear in
your workbook. To remove them completely, you'll need to turn off Track Changes.
From the Review tab, click Track Changes, then select Highlight Changes from
the drop-down menu.

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6. A dialog box will appear. Uncheck the box next to Track changes while editing,
then click OK.

7. Click Yes to confirm that you want to turn off Track Changes and stop sharing your
workbook.

To accept or reject all changes at once, click Accept All or Reject All in the Accept
or Reject Changes dialog box.

NOTE: Turning off Track Changes will remove any tracked changes in your workbook.
You will not be able to view, accept, or reject changes; instead, all changes will be
accepted automatically. Always review the changes in your worksheet before turning
off Track Changes.

COMMENTS

Sometimes you may want to add a comment to provide feedback instead of editing the
contents of a cell. While often used in combination with Track Changes, you don't necessarily
need to have Track Changes turned on to use comments.

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To add a comment:
1. Select the cell where you want the comment to appear. In our example, we'll select
cell D17.

2. From the Review tab, click the New Comment command.

3. A comment box will appear. Type your comment, then click anywhere outside the
box to close the comment.

4. The comment will be added to the cell, represented by the red triangle in the top-
right corner.

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5. Select the cell again to view the comment.

To edit a comment:
1. Select the cell containing the comment you want to edit.
2. From the Review tab, click the Edit Comment command.

3. The comment box will appear. Edit the comment as desired, then click anywhere
outside the box to close the comment.

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To show or hide comments:

1. From the Review tab, click the Show All Comments command to view every
comment in your worksheet at the same time.

2. All comments in the worksheet will appear. Click the Show All
Comments command again to hide them.

You can also choose to show and hide individual comments by selecting the desired
cell and clicking the Show/Hide Comment command.

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To delete a comment:
1. Select the cell containing the comment you want to delete. In our example, we'll
select cell E13.

2. From the Review tab, click the Delete command in the Comments group.

3. The comment will be deleted.

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Let’s Have Some Practice!

1. Open your Practice_Workbook_#22.

2. Turn on Track Changes.
3. Replace the value in cell D14 with Rope Bridge Activity.
4. Change cell E15 to say Julia.
5. Save your workbook.
6. List changes on a new sheet. After you do this, the worksheet should look like this:

7. Return to the Agenda Planner tab.

8. Add a comment to cell E16 that says snacks will be provided by the exec team.
9. When you're finished, your workbook should look like this:

10. Accept All Changes, then turn off Track Changes.

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◦◦◦ INSPECTING AND PROTECTING WORKBOOKS ◦◦◦

Before sharing a workbook, you'll want to make sure it doesn't include any spelling errors or
information you want to keep private. Fortunately, Excel includes several tools to
help finalize and protect your workbook, including Document Inspector and the Protect
Workbook feature.

DOCUMENT INSPECTOR

Whenever you create or edit a workbook, certain personal information may be added to
the file automatically. You can use Document Inspector to remove this information before
sharing a workbook with others.

NOTE: Because some changes may be permanent, it's a good idea to save an additional
copy of your workbook before using the Document Inspector to remove information.

To use Document Inspector:

1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view.
2. From the Info pane, click Check for Issues, then select Inspect Document from
the drop-down menu.

3. You may be prompted to save your file before running Document Inspector.

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4. Document Inspector will appear. Check or uncheck boxes, depending on the

content you want to review, then click Inspect. In our example, we'll leave
everything selected.

5. The inspection results will appear. In our example, we can see that our workbook
contains comments and some personal information, so we'll click Remove All on
both items to remove this information from the workbook.

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6. When you're done, click Close.

PROTECTING YOUR WORKBOOK

By default, anyone with access to your workbook will be able to open, copy, and edit its
content unless you protect it. There are many different ways to protect a workbook,
depending on your needs.

To protect your workbook:

1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view.
2. From the Info pane, click the Protect Workbook command.
3. In the drop-down menu, choose the option that best suits your needs. In our
example, we'll select Mark as Final. Marking your workbook as final is a good way
to discourage others from editing the workbook, while the other options give you
even more control if needed.

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4. A dialog box will appear, prompting you to save. Click OK.

5. Another dialog box will appear. Click OK.

6. The workbook will be marked as final.

Marking a workbook as final will not prevent others from editing it. If you want to
prevent people from editing it, you can use the Restrict Access option instead.

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Let’s Have Some Practice!

1. Open your Practice_Workbook_#23.

2. Use Document Inspector to check the workbook and remove anything it finds.
3. Protect the workbook by Marking As Final.
4. When you're finished, your workbook should look something like this:

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◦◦◦ INTRO TO PIVOTTABLES ◦◦◦

When you have a lot of data, it can sometimes be difficult to analyze all of the information in
your worksheet. PivotTables can help make your worksheets more manageable
by summarizing your data and allowing you to manipulate it in different ways.

Using PivotTables to Answer Questions

Consider the example below. Let's say we wanted to answer the question What is the
amount sold by each salesperson? Answering it could be time consuming and difficult;
each salesperson appears on multiple rows, and we would need to total all of their different
orders individually. We could use the Subtotal command to help find the total for each
salesperson, but we would still have a lot of data to work with.

Fortunately, a PivotTable can instantly calculate and summarize the data in a way that will
make it much easier to read. When we're done, the PivotTable will look something like this:

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Once you've created a PivotTable, you can use it to answer different questions by
rearranging—or pivoting—the data. For example, let's say we wanted to answer What is
the total amount sold in each month? We could modify our PivotTable to look like this:

To create a PivotTable:
1. Select the table or cells (including column headers) you want to include in your
PivotTable.

2. From the Insert tab, click the PivotTable command.

3. The Create PivotTable dialog box will appear. Choose your settings, then
click OK. In our example, we'll use Table1 as our source data and place the
PivotTable on a new worksheet.

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4. A blank PivotTable and Field List will appear on a new worksheet.

5. Once you create a PivotTable, you'll need to decide which fields to add. Each field
is simply a column header from the source data. In the PivotTable Field List,
check the box for each field you want to add. In our example, we want to know the
total amount sold by each salesperson, so we'll check
the Salesperson and Order Amount fields.
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6. The selected fields will be added to one of the four areas below. In our example,
the Salesperson field has been added to the Rows area, while Order
Amount has been added to Values. Alternatively, you can drag and drop fields
directly into the desired area.

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7. The PivotTable will calculate and summarize the selected fields. In our example,
the PivotTable shows the amount sold by each salesperson.

Just like with normal spreadsheets, you can sort the data in a PivotTable using
the Sort & Filter command on the Home tab. You can also apply any type
of number formatting you want. For example, you may want to change
the number format to Currency. However, be aware that some types of formatting
may disappear when you modify the PivotTable.

NOTE: If you change any of the data in your source worksheet, the PivotTable will not
update automatically. To manually update it, select the PivotTable and then go
to Analyze Refresh.
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PIVOTING DATA

One of the best things about PivotTables is that they can quickly pivot—or reorganize—your
data, allowing you to examine your worksheet in several ways. Pivoting data can help you
answer different questions and even experiment with your data to discover new trends
and patterns.

To add columns:
So far, our PivotTable has only shown one column of data at a time. In order to
show multiple columns, you'll need to add a field to the Columns area.
1. Drag a field from the Field List into the Columns area. In our example, we'll use
the Month field.

2. The PivotTable will include multiple columns. In our example, there is now a column
for each person's monthly sales, in addition to the grand total.

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To change a row or column:

Changing a row or column can give you a completely different perspective on your data.
All you have to do is remove the field in question, then replace it with another.
1. Drag the field you want to remove out of its current area. You can
also uncheck the appropriate box in the Field List. In this example, we've removed
the Month and Salesperson fields.

2. Drag a new field into the desired area. In our example, we'll place the Region field
under Rows.

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3. The PivotTable will adjust—or pivot—to show the new data. In our example, it now
shows the amount sold by each region.

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Let’s Have Some Practice!

1. Open your Practice_Workbook_#24.

2. Create a PivotTable in a separate sheet.
3. We want to answer the question What is the total amount sold in each region? To do
this, select Region and Order Amount. When you're finished, your workbook should
look like this:

4. In the Rows area, remove Region and replace it with Salesperson.

5. Add Month to the Columns area.
6. Change the number format of cells B5:E13 to Currency. Note: You might have to make
columns C and D wider in order to see the values.
7. When you're finished, your workbook should look like this:

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◦◦◦ DOING MORE WITH PIVOTTABLES ◦◦◦

As you learned in our previous lesson, Intro to PivotTables, PivotTables can be used to
summarize and analyze almost any type of data. To help you manipulate your PivotTable—
and gain even more insight into your data—Excel offers three additional tools: filters, slicers,
and PivotCharts.

Filters
Sometimes you may want focus on a certain section of your data. Filters can be used
to narrow down the data in your PivotTable, so you can view only the information you need.

To add a filter:
In the example below, we'll filter out certain salespeople to determine how their individual
sales are impacting each region.
1. Drag a field from the Field List to the Filters area. In this example, we'll use
the Salesperson field.

2. The filter will appear above the PivotTable. Click the drop-down arrow, then
check the box next to Select Multiple Items.
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3. Uncheck the box next to any item you don't want to include in the PivotTable. In
our example, we'll uncheck the boxes for a few salespeople, then click OK.

4. The PivotTable will adjust to reflect the changes.

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Slicers
Slicers make filtering data in PivotTables even easier. Slicers are basically just filters but
are easier and faster to use, allowing you to instantly pivot your data. If you frequently filter
your PivotTables, you may want to consider using slicers instead of filters.

To add a slicer:
1. Select any cell in the PivotTable.
2. From the Analyze tab, click the Insert Slicer command.

3. A dialog box will appear. Check the box next to the desired field. In our example,
we'll select Salesperson, then click OK.

4. The slicer will appear next to the PivotTable. Each selected item will be highlighted
in blue. In the example below, the slicer contains all eight salespeople, but
only five of them are currently selected.

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5. Just like filters, only selected items are used in the PivotTable. When
you select or deselect an item, the PivotTable will instantly reflect the change. Try
selecting different items to see how they affect the PivotTable. Press and hold
the Ctrl key on your keyboard to select multiple items at once.

You can also click the Filter icon in the top-right corner of the slicer to
select all items at once.

PivotCharts
PivotCharts are like regular charts, except they display data from a PivotTable. Just like
regular charts, you'll be able to select a chart type, layout, and style that will best represent
the data.

To create a PivotChart:
In the example below, our PivotTable is showing a portion of each region's sales figures.
We'll use a PivotChart so we can see the information more clearly.
1. Select any cell in your PivotTable.
2. From the Insert tab, click the PivotChart command.

3. The Insert Chart dialog box will appear. Select the desired chart type and layout,
then click OK.

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4. The PivotChart will appear.

Try using filters or slicers to narrow down the data in your PivotChart. To view
different subsets of information, change the columns or rows in your PivotTable.
In the example below, we've changed the PivotTable to view the monthly sales for
each salesperson.

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Let’s Have Some Practice!

1. Open your Practice_Workbook_#25.

2. In the Rows area, remove Region and replace it with Salesperson.
3. Insert a PivotChart, and choose the type Line with Markers.
4. Insert a slicer for Regions.
5. Use the slicer to only show the South and East regions.
6. Change the PivotChart type to Stacked Column.
7. In the PivotChart Fields pane to the right, add Month to the Legend
(Series) area. Note: You can also click the PivotTable and then add Month to
the Columns area; the result will be the same.
8. When you're finished, your workbook should look something like this:

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◦◦◦ WHAT-IF ANALYSIS ◦◦◦

Excel includes many powerful tools to perform complex mathematical calculations,

including what-if analysis. This feature can help you experiment and answer
questions with your data, even when the data is incomplete. In this lesson, you will learn
how to use a what-if analysis tool called Goal Seek.

GOAL SEEK

Whenever you create a formula or function in Excel, you put various parts together to
calculate a result. Goal Seek works in the opposite way: It lets you start with the desired
result, and it calculates the input value that will give you that result. We'll use a few
examples to show how to use Goal Seek.

To use Goal Seek (example 1):

Let's say you're enrolled in a class. You currently have a grade of 65, and you need at
least a 70 to pass the class. Luckily, you have one final assignment that might be able to
raise your average. You can use Goal Seek to find out what grade you need on the final
assignment to pass the class.

In the image below, you can see that the grades on the first four assignments
are 58, 70, 72, and 60. Even though we don't know what the fifth grade will be, we can
write a formula—or function—that calculates the final grade. In this case, each assignment
is weighted equally, so all we have to do is average all five grades by
typing =AVERAGE(B2:B6). Once we use Goal Seek, cell B6 will show us the minimum
grade we'll need to make on that assignment.

1. Select the cell with the value you want to change. Whenever you use Goal Seek,
you'll need to select a cell that already contains a formula or function. In our
example, we'll select cell B7 because it contains the formula =AVERAGE(B2:B6).
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2. From the Data tab, click the What-If Analysis command, then select Goal
Seek from the drop-down menu.

3. A dialog box will appear with three fields. The first field, Set cell:, will contain the
desired result. In our example, cell B7 is already selected.

The second field, To value:, is the desired result. In our example, we'll
enter 70 because we need to earn at least that to pass the class.

The third field, By changing cell:, is the cell where Goal Seek will place its answer.
In our example, we'll select cell B6 because we want to determine the grade we
need to earn on the final assignment.

4. When you're done, click OK.

5. The dialog box will tell you if Goal Seek was able to find a solution. Click OK.

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6. The result will appear in the specified cell. In our example, Goal Seek calculated
that we will need to score at least a 90 on the final assignment to earn a passing
grade.

To use Goal Seek (example 2):

Let's say you're planning an event and want to invite as many people as you can without
exceeding a budget of $500. We can use Goal Seek to figure out how many people to
invite. In our example below, cell B5 contains the formula =B2+B3*B4 to calculate the
total cost of a room reservation, plus the cost per person.
1. Select the cell with the value you want to change. In our example, we'll select
cell B5.

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2. From the Data tab, click the What-If Analysis command, then select Goal
Seek from the drop-down menu.

3. A dialog box will appear with three fields. The first field, Set cell:, will contain the
desired result. In our example, cell B5 is already selected.

The second field, To value:, is the desired result. In our example, we'll
enter 500 because we only want to spend $500.

The third field, By changing cell:, is the cell where Goal Seek will place its answer.
In our example, we'll select cell B4 because we want to know how many guests we
can invite without spending more than $500.

4. When you're done, click OK.

5. The dialog box will tell you if Goal Seek was able to find a solution. Click OK.
6. The result will appear in the specified cell. In our example, Goal Seek calculated
the answer to be approximately 18.62. In this case, our final answer needs to be a
whole number, so we'll need to round the answer up or down. Because rounding
up would cause us to exceed our budget, we'll round down to 18 guests.

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As you can see in the example above, some situations will require the answer to be
a whole number. If Goal Seek gives you a decimal, you'll need to round up or
down, depending on the situation.

OTHER TYPES OF WHAT-IF ANALYSIS

For more advanced projects, you may want to consider the other types of what-if
analysis: scenarios and data tables. Instead of starting from the desired result and working
backward, like with Goal Seek, these options allow you to test multiple values and see how
the results change.
• Scenarios let you substitute values for multiple cells (up to 32) at the same time. You
can create as many scenarios as you want and then compare them without changing
the values manually. In the example below, we're using scenarios to compare different
venues for an upcoming event.

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• Data tables allow you to take one or two variables in a formula and replace them
with as many different values as you want, then view the results in a table. This
option is especially powerful because it shows multiple results at the same time,
unlike scenarios or Goal Seek. In the example below, we can view 24 possible results
for a car loan.

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Let’s Have Some Practice!

1. Open your Practice_Workbook_#26.

2. Click the Challenge tab in the bottom-left of the workbook.
3. In cell B8, create a function that calculates the average of the sales in B2:B7.
4. The workbook shows Dave's monthly sales amounts for the first half of the year. If he
reaches a $200,000 mid-year average, he will receive a 5% bonus. Use Goal Seek to
find how much he needs to sell in June in order to make the $200,000 average.
5. When you're finished, your workbook should look like this:

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◦◦◦ WHAT ARE REFERENCE STYLES? ◦◦◦

WHAT ARE REFERENCE STYLES?

Every Excel spreadsheet contains rows and columns. Most of the time, columns are
identified by letters (A, B, C), and rows are identified by numbers (1, 2, 3). In Excel, this is
known as the A1 reference style. However, some prefer to use a different method where
columns are also identified by numbers. This is known as the R1C1 reference style.
In the example below, the image on the left has a number over each column, which means
it is using the R1C1 reference style. The image on the right is using the A1 reference style.

While the R1C1 reference style is helpful for certain situations, you'll probably want to use
the A1 reference style most of the time. This tutorial will use the A1 reference style. If you're
currently using the R1C1 reference style, you'll need to turn it off.

To turn off the R1C1 reference style:

1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view.

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2. Click Options.

3. The Excel Options dialog box will appear. Click Formulas on the left side of the
dialog box.

4. Uncheck the box next to R1C1 reference style, then click OK. Excel will now use
the A1 reference style.

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