EXCEL MODULE 3

Trainers Direct
www.trainers-direct.com.au

Trainers Direct Pty Ltd

5/49 Frenchs Forest Road East, NSW 2086 Tel 02 9454 7702
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

Excel MODULE 3

(Manual – Version 5)

Page 2 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

TABLE OF CONTENTS
FREEZE PANES ................................................................................................................. 5
REMOVE FREEZE PANES ............................................................................................. 5
SORTING ............................................................................................................................ 6
SORTING A LIST ............................................................................................................. 6
FILTERING ......................................................................................................................... 7
FILTERING A LIST USING AUTOFILTER ....................................................................... 7
REMOVE FILTERING...................................................................................................... 8
REMOVING ALL FILTERS .............................................................................................. 8
CLEARING AN AUTOFILTER.......................................................................................... 8
USING SUBTOTALS .......................................................................................................... 9
REMOVING SUBTOTALS ............................................................................................... 9
PIVOT TABLES ................................................................................................................ 10
USING PIVOTTABLES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ..................................................................... 10
TO CREATE A PIVOTTABLE ................................................................................................ 12
Pivoting Data .............................................................................................................. 16
To change the row: .................................................................................................... 16
To add columns:......................................................................................................... 18
Filters ......................................................................................................................... 19
Slicers ........................................................................................................................ 23
PIVOTCHARTS ................................................................................................................. 25
EXCEL KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS.................................................................................. 30

Page 3 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

Page 4 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

FREEZE PANES

When you want to scroll your worksheet and still be able to see your titles for the columns
or rows, you can freeze panes. Then you can scroll the worksheet in one pane, while the
titles remain visible no matter how far down or across your scroll. Freeze panes is
especially useful for viewing large lists of tables or data.

The freeze panes command freezes everything to left or and above the active cell.

1. Select the View tab on the ribbon and click Freeze Panes from the Window
group, the following options will be listed:

2. Choose either Freeze Top Row or Freeze First Column to freeze row 1 or
column A OR

3. Position the active cell where you want to freeze the pane, ie if you want to
freeze column A and row 1 click cell B2 then choose Freeze Panes.

REMOVE FREEZE PANES

1. Click the Freeze Panes button.

2. Select Unfreeze Panes, the window will return to normal.

Page 5 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

SORTING

SORTING A LIST

The procedure for sorting lists of data is the same as those for sorting selected data on a
worksheet.

1. Highlight the whole range that contains the data.

2. If the entire range is not selected when you try to sort the data you will be asked
if your selected area needs to be expanded for it to move all relevant data also.

3. Select Data from the Ribbon.

4. Click the Sort & Filter group to display the following groups of commands.

5. Click Sort and enter or select the name of the column that you want to sort by
in the Sort By box, Set the Sort On and Order options if required. The order
option is useful to sort by an existing Custom List.

6. To add a further sort level click the Add Level button.

7. Click OK.

SHORTCUT: Select the range you need to sort and click on either the
descending or ascending Sort Icons.

Page 6 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

FILTERING

Filtering is a quick and easy way to find and work with a subset of data in a list. When you
filter a list, Excel displays only those rows that contain a certain value or that meet a set of
search conditions called criteria.

Unlike Sorting, Filtering does not rearrange a list. Filtering temporarily hides rows you do
not want displayed.

FILTERING A LIST USING AUTOFILTER

AutoFilter allows you to display a subset of your list very simply.

1. Click in any cell within the data list.

2. From the Data tab on the Ribbon, select Filter from the Sort & Filter group.

3. A drop down arrow appears on the Column Headings.

4. Click on one of the drop-down arrows and a list of the unique data in that
column will appear.

5. Select one or more pieces of data from the list by ticking the boxes.

6. All other data except that data corresponding to the selected data will be
hidden. Only records with the data as selected will be showing.

7. The arrow of the column where the data was selected will be marked with a .

8. To be more selective, select another drop down arrow and select an item(s) off
a second list.

9. Only records that contain both corresponding criteria will be shown. All others
will be hidden.

Page 7 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

REMOVE FILTERING

1. Click on the drop down arrows containing .

2. Tick the Select All box in the list.

3. Repeat steps 1 + 2 for all the columns showing until all lists are showing all
data again.

The will disappear, once all data is showing again.

REMOVING ALL FILTERS

To show all hidden rows in the list

1. Click to remove all filters.

All information will be visible again ready for the next new filter to be applied.

CLEARING AN AUTOFILTER

To display all the hidden rows and remove the AutoFilter:

1. Click to remove the filter arrows.

Page 8 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

USING SUBTOTALS

Excel can automatically calculate subtotal and grand total values. You specify the items
you want subtotals for, the values to be summarised and the function - such as SUM - to
use on the values. To insert subtotals into your list you will first need to sort the list.

1. Sort as required, select OK to return to the spreadsheet.

2. From the Data tab on the Ribbon, select Outline then click Subtotal.

3. Then from the Data menu. Choose Subtotals, a dialogue box appears as
follows:

4. Set the ‘At each change in’ setting to the column you sorted by

5. Select the function required e.g SUM for totalling

6. Add subtotal to: select the column which contains the values that you wish to
subtotal

7. Click on OK.

8. The list will appear with Subtotals.

REMOVING SUBTOTALS

1. From the Data tab on the Ribbon, select Outline then click Subtotal.

2. Select Remove All.

3. All subtotals will be removed from the data.

Page 9 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

PIVOT TABLES

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 data and allowing you to manipulate it in different ways.

Using PivotTables to answer questions

Let's say we wanted to answer the question: What is the amount sold by each
salesperson? for the sales data in the example below. Answering this question 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 Subtotalcommand 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's both easy to read and manipulate. When we're done, the PivotTable will look
something like this:

Page 10 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

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

Page 11 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

To create a PivotTable

Select the table or cells (including column headers) containing the data you want to
use.

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

2. 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.

Page 12 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

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

4. Once you create a PivotTable, you'll need to decide which fields to add. Each
field is simply a column headerfrom 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.

Page 13 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

5. The selected fields will be added to one of the four areas below the Field List.
In our example, the Salesperson field has been added to the Rows area,
while the Order Amount has been added to the Valuesarea. Alternatively,
you can click, hold, and drag a field to the desired area.

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

Page 14 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

Just like with normal spreadsheet data, you can sort the data in a PivotTable
using the Sort & Filtercommand in 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.

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.

Page 15 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

Pivoting Data

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

In our example, we used the PivotTable to answer the question: What is the
total amount sold by each salesperson? But now we'd like to answer a new
question: What is the total amount sold in each month? We can do this by
simply changing the field in the Rows area.

To change the row:

Click, hold, and drag any existing fields out of the Rows area. The field will
disappear.

Drag a new field from the Field List into the Rows area. In our example, we'll
use the Month field.

Page 16 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

The PivotTable will adjust—or pivot—to show the new data. In our example, it
now shows the total order amount for each month.

Page 17 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

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.

Drag a field from the Field List into the Columns area. In our example, we'll use
the Region field.

Page 18 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

The PivotTable will include multiple columns. In our example, there is now a
column for each region.

Filters

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

To add a filter:

In our example, we'll filter out certain salespeople to determine how they affect
the total sales.

Page 19 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

Drag a field from the Field List to the Filters area. In this example, we'll use
the Salesperson field.

The filter will appear above the PivotTable. Click the drop-down arrow, then
check the box next to Select Multiple Items.

Page 20 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

Uncheck the box for any items you don't want to include in the PivotTable. In our
example, we'll uncheck the boxes for a few different salespeople, then click OK.

The PivotTable will adjust to reflect the changes.

Page 21 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

Page 22 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

Slicers

Slicers make filtering data in PivotTables even easier. Slicers are basically
just filters, but they're 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:

Select any cell in the PivotTable.

From the Analyze tab, click the Insert Slicer command.

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

The slicer will appear next to the PivotTable. Each selected item will be
highlighted in blue. In the example below, the slicer contains a list of all
salespeople, and six of them are currently selected.

Page 23 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

Just like filters, only selected items are used in the PivotTable. When
you select or deselect items, the PivotTable will instantly reflect the changes.
Try selecting different items to see how they affect the PivotTable. Press and
hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard to select multiple items from a slicer.

You can also click the Filter icon in the top-right

corner to select all items from the slicer at once.

Page 24 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

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 this example, our PivotTable is showing each person's total sales per
month. We'll use a PivotChart so we can see the information more clearly.

Select any cell in your PivotTable.

From the Insert tab, click the PivotChart command.

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

Page 25 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

The PivotChart will appear.

Page 26 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

Try using slicers or filters to change the data that is displayed. The
PivotChart will automatically adjust to show the new data.

Page 27 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

Page 28 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

Page 29 of 30
MODULE 3 EXCEL COURSE NOTES

EXCEL KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

Shortcut Key Action
Ctrl Home or End Jump to cell A1 or last populated cell on sheet
END, arrow key Move by one block of data in row or column
Ctrl + Enter Fill the selected range with the current entry
Ctrl Shift ~ Apply the default format
Ctrl C Copy
Ctrl X Cut
Ctrl V Paste
Ctrl B, I, U Bold, italics or underline
Alt Enter Start a new line within the same cell (text wrap)
Shift +  → Select cells or increase/decrease an existing selection
Ctrl A Select All
Ctrl + (numpad) Insert an entire row or column (select row/column first)
Ctrl – (numpad) Delete an entire row or column (select row/column first)
Ctrl (key Show or hide formulae on a worksheet
underneath ESC)
Ctrl D Duplicate (cells above)
Ctrl G Go to specific cell reference
Shift Click Sheet Group consecutive sheets
Tabs
Ctrl Click Sheet Group non consecutive sheets
Tabs
Ctrl Drag sheet Duplicate sheet
Ctrl ; Insert current date
Ctrl Shift ; Insert current time
Ctrl W Close Window (same as file close)
F2 Edit the current cell
F3 Paste Name
F4 Insert an absolute cell reference
F11 Create a chart based on the selected range
F12 Save As
=today() Insert current date (automatically updates)
=now() Insert current date and time (automatically updates)

Page 30 of 30