Excel Basic to Advance

Introduction to the interface

Title Bar: The topmost bar that displays the name of the Excel application and the name of
the currently open workbook.
Ribbon: The Ribbon is a horizontal strip located below the title bar. It contains tabs, such as
Home, Insert, Page Layout, Formulas, Data, etc. Each tab is divided into groups that contain
related commands and functions for different tasks.
Worksheet Area: The main area of the Excel window is divided into multiple worksheets
(tabs at the bottom) where you can enter and manipulate data. By default, a new workbook
contains three worksheets, but you can add or delete worksheets as needed.
Formula Bar: The Formula Bar is located above the worksheet area. It displays the contents
of the currently selected cell and allows you to enter or edit formulas and data.
Column Headers: The columns are labeled with letters (A, B, C, etc.) at the top of the
worksheet. You can click on the column headers to select an entire column or perform
column-related operations.
Row Headers: The rows are labeled with numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) on the left side of the
worksheet. You can click on the row headers to select an entire row or perform row-related
operations.
Cell Grid: The cell grid forms the main part of the worksheet area. Each cell is identified by a
unique combination of a column letter and a row number (e.g., A1, B2, C3, etc.). Cells are
used to enter and store data, perform calculations, and display results.
Status Bar: The Status Bar is located at the bottom of the Excel window. It provides
information about the current status of the worksheet, such as the sum, count, or average
of selected cells, the mode of calculation, and various other indicators.

2. Workbook vs. worksheet

Workbook: A file that contains multiple worksheets and other related elements, serving as a
container for organizing and managing data in Excel.
Worksheet: An individual sheet within a workbook where data is entered, calculated, and
organized in a grid of cells, enabling data analysis and presentation.

3. Cells, rows, and columns

Cells: Individual units within a worksheet grid where data is entered and stored.
Rows: Horizontal lines in a worksheet grid used to organize and group related data.
Columns: Vertical lines in a worksheet grid used to categorize and organize data in a
structured manner.

4. Entering and Editing Data

To enter data, simply click on a cell and start typing, then press Enter to move to the next
cell.
To edit data, double-click on the cell or select it and make changes directly in the formula
bar.
You can also copy and paste data, use autofill to fill a series, or import data from external
sources for efficient data entry and editing.

5. Types of References
Relative Reference: Adjusts cell references relative to the formula's position when copied,
making it flexible for calculations across different cells.
Absolute Reference: Maintains the exact cell reference when copied, ensuring that the
formula always refers to the same cell, regardless of its new location.

6. Formatting Options
Number Formatting: Change the appearance of numeric data, such as decimals, currency,
dates, and percentages.
Font Formatting: Modify the font type, size, color, and style (bold, italic, underline) for text
within cells.
Cell Alignment: Adjust the alignment of cell content, including horizontal alignment (left,
center, right), vertical alignment (top, middle, bottom), and text orientation.

Borders and Gridlines: Apply borders around cells or ranges, customize border styles, and
show/hide gridlines to enhance the visual structure of the worksheet.

Cell Fill: Change the background color or add patterns to cells, making it easier to
differentiate and highlight specific data.
Conditional Formatting: Set rules to automatically format cells based on specific conditions,
such as color scales, data bars, and icon sets.
Cell Styles: Apply pre-defined cell styles that combine various formatting attributes for
consistent and professional-looking formatting.
Column Width and Row Height: Adjust the width of columns and the height of rows to
control the visual presentation of data.
Merge and Center: Combine multiple cells into a single cell and center the content within
the merged cell.

7. Flash fill (CLT+E)

Flash Fill is a feature in Excel that automatically recognizes patterns in
data and fills in the remaining cells based on the detected pattern.
8. Format Painter

Format Painter is a tool in Excel that allows you to copy the formatting of one cell or range
and apply it to another cell or range.

9. Tab and Group

Tabs in Excel, located in the Ribbon, categorize related commands and functions into
specific groups for easy access.
Groups are collections of related commands within a tab, making it convenient to find and
use specific features for different tasks, such as formatting, data analysis, or chart creation.

10. Logical Operator

SUM: Calculates the sum of a range of cells.
Example: =SUM(A1:A8)
IF: Evaluates a condition and returns one value if true and another value if false,
Example: =IF(A1>10, "Yes", "No")

AND: Returns TRUE if all conditions are TRUE.

OR: Returns TRUE if at least one condition is TRUE.
NOT: Reverses the logical value of a condition (TRUE becomes FALSE and vice versa).
=: Tests for equality between two values.
<>: Tests for inequality between two values.
<: Checks if the left value is less than the right value.
>: Checks if the left value is greater than the right value.
<=: Checks if the left value is less than or equal to the right value.
>=: Checks if the left value is greater than or equal to the right value.

11. Insert Object:

The Insert Object feature allows you to embed or link objects from other applications, such
as Word documents or PDF files, Video, PPT, into an Excel worksheet.
12. STAT FORMULAS
1. COUNT: Counts the number of cells in a range that contain numeric values
2. COUNTA: Counts the number of cells in a range that are not empty, including cells
with text, numbers, and logical values.

3. AVERAGE 4. Median

MODE MAX
MIN 25th Percentile

STANDARD DEVIATION VARIANCE

Nth LARGEST

IFS FUNCTIONS:
COUNTIF: Counts the number of cells in a range that meet a specific criteria

AVERAGEIF: Calculates the average of cells in a range that meet a specific criteria.

SUMIF: Adds the values of cells in a range that meet a specific criteria
COUNTIFS: Counts the number of cells in multiple ranges that meet multiple criteria.

AVERAGEIFS: Calculates the average of cells in multiple ranges that meet multiple criteria.

SUMIFS: Adds the values of cells in multiple ranges that meet multiple criteria.

LOOKUP FUNCTION
VLOOKUP: Searches for a value in the leftmost column of a table and returns a
corresponding value from a specified column.

HLOOKUP: Searches for a value in the top row of a table and returns a corresponding value
from a specified row.

XLOOKUP: Searches for a value in a range or array and returns a corresponding value from a
specified column or array.
INDEX MATCH
INDEX: Retrieves the value from a specific row and column in a range or array.
MATCH: Searches for a specified value in a range and returns its relative position.
INDEX MATCH: Retrieves a value from a specific row and column in a range based on a
matching criterion in another column. Example: =
=INDEX(B5:G12,MATCH(B15,B5:B12,0),MATCH(C15,B5:G5,0)) retrieves the value from the
second column of the range A1:D10 where the value in C1 matches the corresponding value
in the range B5:G5.

Offset Match
OFFSET MATCH is a combination of two functions used in Excel to dynamically retrieve data
from a table. OFFSET function defines a range based on a given reference point, and MATCH
function finds the position of a specified value within a range. Together, they allow you to
retrieve data by dynamically adjusting the range based on the matching criteria.
Text functions
Upper Case: Converts text to uppercase letters.

Lower Case: Converts text to lower letters.

Trim: Removes leading and trailing spaces from text
Proper: Converts the first letter of each word to uppercase and the remaining letters to
lowercase.
Proper+ Trim: Converts the first letter of each word to uppercase and removes leading and
trailing spaces from text.
CONCATENATE: Joins multiple text strings together into one string.
LEFT: Extracts a specified number of characters from the beginning of a text string.
RIGHT: Extracts a specified number of characters from the end of a text string.

Find and Replace

Find: Locate specific data or values within an Excel spreadsheet.
Replace: Substitute identified data or values with new ones in an Excel spreadsheet.
Date and Time Formulas
TODAY: Returns the current date.

NOW: Returns the current date and time.

DATE: Creates a date value based on specified year, month, and day.

TIME: Creates a time value based on specified hour, minute, and second.

DAY: Extracts the day value from a date.

MONTH: Extracts the month value from a date.

YEAR: Extracts the year value from a date.

HOUR: Extracts the hour value from a time.

MINUTE: Extracts the minute value from a time.

SECOND: Extracts the second value from a time.

WEEKDAY: Returns the day of the week as a number (1 for Sunday, 2 for Monday, etc.).

DAYS: Calculates the number of days between two dates.

NETWORKDAYS: Calculates the number of working days between two dates, excluding
weekends.
EDATE: Returns a date that is a specified number of months before or after a given date.

EOMONTH: Returns the last day of the month, n months before or after a given date.

DATEDIF: Calculates the difference between two dates in years, months, or days.

TIMEVALUE: Converts a time in text format to a serial number (the fraction of a day).
Type of error

Data Validation
Range: Define a range of cells where you want to apply data validation.

Select range for

list

Criteria: Specify the rules or conditions that the data must meet, such as whole numbers,
dates, or custom formulas.
Input Message: Provide a custom message that appears when a user selects a cell with data
validation, offering guidance or instructions.

Error Alert: Display a warning or error message if the data entered violates the defined
validation criteria, helping maintain data accuracy and integrity.

Excel Tables (CTRL+L)

Excel tables are structured ranges of data that provide various benefits, such as automatic
sorting and filtering, easy data referencing, and the ability to create dynamic formulas and
charts based on the table's contents.

Excel Table
Ranges can be converted into tables.
Tables make it easier to structure and organize data.

Table Design
This menu has options and commands such as:

 Resize
 Remove duplicates
 Convert to range
  Style options (Total row, Header row, Banded row etc..)
 Formatting

Table Name
1. Select the table
2. Click the Table design menu
3. See the name input field

Table Resizing
 Resize table command
 Drag to resize
 Adding headers

Removing Duplicate
Removing duplicates are helpful when cleaning a dataset and you do not want to include
copies.
Excel sorting
Ranges can be sorted using the Sort Ascending and Sort Descending commands.

Sort Ascending: from smallest to largest.

Sort Descending: from largest to smallest.

Non-working sorting example (Sort one range column)

It is not recommended to sort the names alone because it will break the relationship

Clicking the other option in the warning "Expand and Sort" makes the sort function include
Column B and sorts them in relation to each other.
Filtering
AutoFilter: Apply basic filtering to a range of data in Excel.
Filter by Color: Filter data based on cell color in Excel.
Filter by Condition: Apply specific criteria or conditions to filter data in Excel.
Top/Bottom Filters: Filter data to show the top or bottom values in Excel (e.g., top 10,
bottom 5).
Text Filters: Filter data based on text criteria, such as contains, does not contain, or begins
with, in Excel.
Number Filters: Filter data based on numerical criteria, such as greater than, less than, or
equal to, in Excel.
Date Filters: Filter data based on date criteria, such as before, after, or between certain
dates, in Excel.
Custom Filters: Create custom filtering criteria using formulas or expressions in Excel.
Advanced Filters: Apply complex criteria using multiple conditions to filter data in Excel.
Filter by Selection: Filter data based on the selected cell's value in Excel.
Non-Woking Example
Excel Conditional Formatting
Conditional formatting is used to change the appearance of cells in a range based on your
specified conditions.

The conditions are rules based on specified numerical values or matching text.

Formatted with a Colour Scale.

Highlight cell rule

Appearance options
 Light Red Fill with Dark Red Text
 Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text
 Green Fill with Dark Green Text
 Light Red Fill
 Red Text
 Red Border

Cell type rule

 Greater Than...
 Less Than...
 Between...
 Equal To...
 Text That Contains...
 A Date Occurring...
 Duplicate/Unique Values

Icon Set option

Excel has a number of different icon sets, organized as:
Excel Manage rule
Conditional Formatting rules can be managed and removed using the Clear
Rules and Manage Rules features.
Excel charts
Charts are visual representations of data used to make it more understandable.

Commonly used charts are:

 Pie chart
 Column chart
 Line chart

Creating charts in excel

Select the range

Click on the Insert menu

Bar Charts
Bar charts show the data as vertical bars.
There are three different type of bar charts:

 Clustered bar( )
 Stacked bar( )
 100% stacked bar( )

Stacked Bar charts

 Stacked bar charts are used to highlights the total amount of contribution for each
category.
 This is done by stacking the bars at the end of each other.
 The charts are used when you have more than one data column.

Column chart
Column charts show the data as vertical bars.
Excel has three different types of column charts:

 Clustered column( )

 Stacked column( )

 100% Stacked column( )

Histogram and Pareto chars

A Pareto or sorted histogram chart contains both columns sorted in descending order and a
line representing the cumulative total percentage. Pareto charts highlight the biggest factors
in a data set, and are considered one of the seven basic tools of quality control as it's easy to
see the most common problems or issues.

Create a Pareto chart

Select your data. Typically, you select a column containing text

(categories) and one of numbers. A Pareto chart then groups the same
categories and sums the corresponding numbers.

1. Click Insert > Insert Statistic Chart, and then under Histogram, pick Pareto.
 You can also use the All Charts tab in Recommended Charts to create a Pareto chart
(click Insert > Recommended Charts > All Charts tab.

Configure Bins

1. Right-click on the chart horizontal axis, > Format Axis >Axis Options.

2. Use the information below to pick the options you want in the Format Axis task pane.
 Histogram charts
Excel 2013
1. Make sure you load the Analysis ToolPakto add the Data Analysis command to
the Data tab.

2. On a worksheet, type the input data in one column, and the bin numbers in
ascending order in another column.

3. Click Data > Data Analysis > Histogram > OK.

4. Under Input, select the input range (your data), then select the bin range.

5. Under Output options, choose an output location.

6. To show the data in descending order of frequency, click Pareto

(sorted histogram).

Pie Chart
Pie charts arrange the data as slices in a circle.

Pie charts are used for representing values of qualitative (categorical) data.

Pie charts show the contribution of each category to the total.

Excel has two types of pie charts:

 2-D pie ( )
  Doughnut ( )

Doughnut Chart
Doughnut charts arrange the data as slices in a circle with hollow center.

Doughnut charts are often used when you have more than one data column.

Line Chart
Line charts show the data as a continuous line.
Line charts are typically used for showing trends over time.

In Line charts, the horizontal axis typically represents time.

Line charts are used with data which can be placed in an order, from low to high .

Excel has six types of line charts:

 Line ( )

 Line with Markers ( )

 Stacked Line ( )

 Stacked Line with Markers ( )

 100% Stacked Line ( )

 100% Stacked Line with Markers ( )

Area Chat

An area chart is similar to a line chart with one difference – the area below the line is filled
with a color.

Both – a line chart and an area chart – show a trend over time.
Tree Map
A tree map chart provides a hierarchical view of your data and makes it easy to spot
patterns, such as which items are a store's best sellers. The tree branches are represented
by rectangles and each sub-branch is shown as a smaller rectangle. The tree map chart
displays categories by color and proximity and can easily show lots of data which would be
difficult with other chart types.

Tree map charts are good for comparing proportions within the hierarchy

Create Tree Map chart

1. Select data

2. Go to the Insert tab > Insert Hierarchy Chart > Tree map.

You can also use Recommended Charts to create a tree map chart by going
to Insert > Recommended Charts > All Charts.
3. Change label display

Waterfall chart
A waterfall chart shows a running total as values are added or subtracted. It's useful for
understanding how an initial value (for example, net income) is affected by a series of
positive and negative values.

The columns are color coded so you can quickly tell positive from negative numbers. The
initial and the final value columns often start on the horizontal axis, while the intermediate
values are floating columns. Because of this "look", waterfall charts are also called bridge
charts.

Creating waterfall chart

1. Select your data

2. Click Insert > Insert Waterfall or Stock chart > Waterfall.

 You can also use the All Charts tab in Recommended Charts to create a waterfall chart.

Heat maps
A Heat Map in Excel is a visual representation that quickly shows you a comparative
view of a dataset.

For example, in the dataset below, I can easily spot which are the months when the
sales were low (highlighted in red) as compared with other months.

Creating heat map

1. Select the dataset

2. Go to Home –> Conditional Formatting –> Color Scales. It shows various
color combinations that can be used to highlight the data.
Combo charts

1. Click anywhere in the chart you want to change to a combo chart to show the CHART
TOOLS.

2. Click DESIGN > Change Chart Type.

3. On the All Charts tab, choose Combo, and then pick the Clustered Column - Line on
Secondary Axis chart.

4. Under Choose the chart type and axis for your data series , check the Secondary
Axis box for each data series you want to plot on the secondary axis, and then change
their chart type to Line.

5. Make sure that all other data series are shown as Clustered Column.

Sparkline
A sparkline is a tiny chart in a worksheet cell that provides a visual representation of data.
Use sparklines to show trends in a series of values, such as seasonal increases or decreases,
economic cycles, or to highlight maximum and minimum values. Position a sparkline near
its data for greatest impact.

Add sparkline

1. Select a blank cell at the end of a row of data.

2. Select Insert and pick Sparkline type, like Line, or Column.

3. Select cells in the row and OK in menu.

 4. More rows of data? Drag handle to add a Sparkline for each row.

Funnel chart

Funnel charts show values across multiple stages in a process. For example, you could use a funnel
chart to show the number of sales prospects at each stage in a sales pipeline. Typically, the values
decrease gradually, allowing the bars to resemble a funnel.

1. Set up your data like the above example. Use one column for the
stages in the process, and one for the values.
2. Select the data.
3. Click Insert > Insert Waterfall, Funnel, Stock, Surface or Radar
chart > Funnel.
 Dumbbell chart
Dumbbell chart also called DNA chart, which can help you to compare two points in a
series that are on the same axis.

Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts:

PivotTable is a functionality in Excel which helps you organize and analyze data.

It lets you add and remove values, perform calculations, and to filter and sort data sets.

PivotTable helps you structure and organize data to understand large data sets.

How Pivot tables works

Pivot tables have 4 main component

1. Column
2. Rows
3. Filter
4. Values
The Table Pivot is displayed how by your settings.

The PivotTable Fields panel is used to change how you see the data.

The settings can be separated in two: Fields and Layout.

 1. Fields

The checkboxes can be selected or unselected to display or change the property of

the data.

Layout

Drag and drop fields to the boxes to the right to display data in the table.

You can drag them to the four different boxes that we mentioned earlier (four main
components):

1. Filters
2. Rows
3. Columns
4. Values
Pivot table timeline
Instead of adjusting filters to show dates, you can use a PivotTable Timeline—a dynamic
filter option that lets you easily filter by date/time, and zoom in on the period you want with
a slider control. Click Analyze > Insert Timeline to add one to your worksheet.

1. Click anywhere in a PivotTable to show the PivotTable Tools ribbon group, then
click Analyze > Insert Timeline.

2. In the Insert Timeline dialog box, check the date fields you want, and click OK.
Work with link in excel
Quick access to related information in another file or on a web page, you can insert a hyperlink in a
worksheet cell. You can also insert links in specific chart elements.

1. On a worksheet, click the cell where you want to create a link.

You can also select an object, such as a picture or an element in a chart, that you want
to use to represent the link.

 On the Insert tab, in the Links group, click Link .

You can also right-click the cell or graphic and then click Link on the shortcut menu, or
you can press Ctrl+K.

2. Under Link to, click Create New Document.

3. In the Name of new document box, type a name for the new file.

Protect Worksheet

To prevent other users from accidentally or deliberately changing, moving, or deleting data
in a worksheet, you can lock the cells on your Excel worksheet and then protect the sheet
with a password. Say you own the team status report worksheet, where you want team
members to add data in specific cells only and not be able to modify anything else. With
worksheet protection, you can make only certain parts of the sheet editable and users will
not be able to modify data in any other region in the sheet.

Protect the worksheet

Next, select the actions that users should be allowed to take on the sheet, such as insert or
delete columns or rows, edit objects, sort, or use AutoFilter, to name a few. Additionally,
you can also specify a password to lock your worksheet. A password prevents other people
from removing the worksheet protection—it needs to be entered to unprotect the sheet.

Given below are the steps to protect your sheet.

1. On the Review tab, click Protect Sheet.

2. In the Allow all users of this worksheet to list, select the elements you want people to
be able to change.
Unprotect an Excel worksheet

To unprotect a sheet, follow these steps:

1. Go to the worksheet you want to unprotect.

2. Go to File > Info > Protect > Unprotect Sheet, or from the Review tab
> Changes > Unprotect Sheet.
3. If the sheet is protected with a password, then enter the password in the Unprotect
Sheet dialog box and click OK.

VBA and Macros Excel

A VBA Macro is nothing but a line of code to instruct Excel to do a specific task. Once we
write the code in VBA, we can execute the same task at any time in the workbook. The
macro code can eliminate repetitive, boring tasks and automate the process.

VBA Visual Basic for Applications is the Microsoft programming language for Microsoft
products like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. It will do all the programming we wish to do in
the VBE (Visual Basic Editor). It is the platform to write our code of tasks to execute in Excel.
To start with VBA coding in Excel, you need to record a Macro.

Enable developer tab

1. Go to file option
2. Under file, go the option
3. Select customize ribbon

Record Macros
1. Developer” tab, click on Record Macro.
Give a proper name to the Macro.

The macro recorder keeps recording all your activities in the Excel sheet.
Stop recording under the “Developer” tab.

Under the “Developer” tab, click on “Visual Basic.”

As soon as you click on “Visual Basic,” we will see the below window.

Double click on “Modules.”

Now, we will see the code on the right-hand side.

Macro code started with the word SUB.

All the macro has two parts: the “Head” and the “Tail”
because every macro has a name.

Saving Macros
One must save the Excel workbook containing macro code as “Macro-
Enabled Workbook. Then, click “Save As” and select the file’s extension as
“Macro-Enabled Workbook.