Essential

Week 1: Keyboard Shortcuts, Terminology, and

Ninja Tips
Week 1: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

If a shortcut requires pressing two or more keys at the same time, keys are separated by a + sign. An
exhaustive list of shortcuts is available on the Microsoft Office Support pages. Below are a small number of
shortcuts that we have selected to improve your speed and efficiency. The list is by no means exhaustive. If
different, Mac shortcuts are listed in second position. For a list of Mac specific keyboard shortcuts see the
Microsoft Office ( for Mac) Support page.

Undo/Redo

Possibly some of the most frequently used keyboard shortcuts ever are CTRL+Z and CTRL+Y |
CMD+Z or CMD+Y. Z stands for undo and Y for redo. Both operate on multiple levels, meaning that
you can go back in time a long way. As always there are of course exceptions to the rule and some actions
cannot be undone. In some of these cases, Excel will give you a warning (e.g., deleting a worksheet that has
content in it, cannot be undone and Excel will warn you about this) and then there are other events that you
cannot undo and no warning message is displayed (e.g. using the 'Move Chart' tool - more on this in Week
6).

CTRL-Y will redo your most recent action which comes in really handy if/when you want to apply a certain
step more than once.

New File/ New Workbook

To create a new workbook or new file, you do not need to go into any menu's. You can simply press:
CTRL+N | CMD+N

Open file / Open Workbook

To open the dialogue box and select an existing file (workbook) you can use the shortcut: CTRL+O |
CMD+O

Close file / Close Workbook

To close your current Workbook, you can click on the 'x' located at the top right (Windows) or top left (Mac),
But as shortcut keys are sometimes quicker, you can press: CTRL+W | CMD+W
Save file / Save Workbook

Saving your work regularly should become second nature. This shortcut will help. If you haven't saved your
file beforehand, Excel will ask you to assign a name and storage location to your file. If you have, this
shortcut will quickly save your file. CTRL+S | CMD+S

Select all

The select all shortcut actually behaves differently based on context. If you are in an empty cell and select
all, you will select the entire worksheet. If the active cell contains data that is part of a group (cells
containing contiguous data) select all will just select the group of cells instead. You can press it again to
select the entire worksheet. The shortcut for select all is: CTRL+A | CMD+A)

Enter a new line of Text

Sometimes when entering data into a cell, you may want to go to a new line below your current one, within
the same cell. Rather than let Excel choose when this happens you can use this key press combination to
force this behaviour. When editing a cell, press: ALT + Enter

Moving around the worksheet

You can use the arrow keys to move a single cell in any direction. Page Up and Page Down will
move one "page" (the number of rows shown on the screen) up or down. CTRL+arrow keys will move
to the next blank cell in that direction. If you have a large dataset with no gaps this will move to the edges of
the dataset. CTRL+Home takes you to the first cell that contains data in the top-left corner of the sheet.
CTRL+End goes to the last cell in the bottom-right. On certain keyboards without a Home key, you
might need to use CTRL+Fn+Home to use this shortcut.

Using the keyboard can make your work faster and smoother.

------------------------------------------------

Windows Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support pages | Mac Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support
pages

Terminology

Active Cell

The cell in the spreadsheet that is currently selected. It looks like this:
Cell

A cell is at the intersection between a row and a column. A cell is referenced by the column letter and row
number. The example below show cell B3:

Fill handle

The fill handle is the small black square on the bottom right-hand corner of the active cell.

You can display or hide the fill handle by:

1. Click File > Options. In Excel 2007 only: Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click
Excel Options.
2. In the Advanced category, under Editing options, select or clear the Enable fill handle
and cell drag-and-drop check box.

For more information, go to https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Display-or-hide-the-fill-handle-

80918200-9ae9-4615-93c9-13d4f1496f81.

Ribbon

The ribbon is the main menu bar at the top of the Excel screen. The ribbon is several tabs. The HOME tab has
some of the most frequently used tools. You can collapse the ribbon to allow more space for the
spreadsheet in the main window by double-clicking on any of the tab labels (single-click for Mac users).
When you repeat the action, the ribbon will re-appear. Once your ribbon is hidden, you can bring it back
temporarily with a single-click, use the tools you needed, and then make it disappear again with another
single-click on the tab or anywhere in the spreadsheet.

Row

The rows are counted in numbers. There are 1,048,576 rows in an Excel spreadsheet. You can read more
about the specifications and limits of Excel spreadsheets.
Column

The columns are listed in letters. There are 16,384 columns in an Excel spreadsheet. You can read more
about the specifications and limits of Excel spreadsheets.

Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access Toolbar sits above the ribbon (can also be customized to sit below the ribbon). Tools from
any of the ribbon tabs can be added for quick access without switching between tabs.

Status bar

The Status Bar is below the spreadsheet. It contains several useful areas. The Zoom tool, access to three
different view options as well as, by default, several calculation results which display dynamically whenever
data is selected in the spreadsheet:

Workbook

The term workbook refers to the entire Excel file. The file name of each workbook is at the top of the file
window.

Worksheet

A workbook can contain several worksheets. You can add worksheets at the bottom left by clicking on the
plus sign next to the last worksheet tab. Right-click on the worksheet tab and you can rename the
worksheet and execute a range of other commands.
Ninja Tips for the Week:

Take charge of those endless rows and columns

One of the amazing features of Excel is the sheer endless number of rows and columns. However,
sometimes they add to the confusion more than they help. You can actually hide the ones you don't need.
Open one of this week's workbooks and try this out step-by-step. Here is how

 Select the first column you don't need to see and then press the keyboard shortcut
CTRL+SHIFT+right arrow (for Mac use Command+Shift+right arrow). Right-click anywhere in this new
selection and select Hide.
 Select the first row you don't need to see and then press the keyboard shortcut CTRL+SHIFT+down
arrow (for Mac use Command+Shift+down arrow). Right-click anywhere in this new selection and
select Hide.

Tada :)

P.S: Just in case you want them back, select the last visible row and drag down into the hidden area, or the
last visible column and drag right, and click on Unhide. Everything is back to the way it was.

Week 2: Keyboard Shortcuts, Terminology, and

Ninja Tips
Week 2: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts:

Windows Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support pages | Mac Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support
pages

CTRL + Z — Undo previous action

F4 (fn + F4 / CMD + T) — Cycle through all 4 types of cell references. (Absolute, Mixed x2, Relative)

CTRL + ~ (CTRL + `) — Show formulas in the worksheet

SHIFT + F3 (CTRL + A) — Open Formula Builder/ Function Wizard

CTRL + PgUp (CMD + PgUp) — Go to the previous sheet.

CTRL + PgDn (CMD + PgDn) — Go to the next sheet.

Excel Terminology

Formula

A formula is entered into a cell to perform a calculation. A formula always starts with an equal sign (=) and
once committed (press Enter), the result is displayed in that cell. At its most basic, formulas can be simple
mathematical calculations with values much like you would type into a calculator. An example of a formula
would be: =A1+B1 which would take whatever value was entered into cell A1 and add it to the value that
was typed into B1. After typing the formula and pressing the Enter key, the resulting value will be displayed in
the cell in which you entered the formula.

Function

A function is what we referred to in the videos a 'mini-program' that you can use to make more complex
calculations. Functions are used inside formulas and therefore, you need to start with an equal sign (=).
Formulas operate with cell references and are very powerful. One commonly used function is SUM, which will
add up the values in a defined range. The function: =SUM(A1:A12) will sum up all values contained in
cells A1through to A12 and return the result once you commit the function by pressing the ENTER key.

Formula Bar

The formula bar is located underneath the ribbon. The first edit line shows cell reference of the currently active
cell - this is called the Name Box. The second edit line provides space to enter cell content and a helper tool to
enter formulas:

Once you enter an equal sign into the active cell, frequently used functions appear in the Name Box on the left -
a drop-down menu offers more options.

Value
Values are numeric data that is entered into a cell. When text is entered into a cell without being assigned a
number format, we refer to them as labels. When data is formatted as a value type, it can be referred to in
formulas and functions and used in calculations.

Range

A range refers to two or more cells. When these cells are together, we call this an adjacent range. Consider this
example:

This adjacent range covers all the cells from A1 through to C2 - or in Excel syntax this is written as A1:C2.
The colon (:) basically stands for 'through to'. Whenever we want to define a range of cells that are not all in one
place, we talk about non-adjacent ranges:

This range includes cells A1:A2 and C1:C2. In Excel syntax this is written as A1:A2,C1:C2.

Reference, relative

A relative cell reference is one that changes relative to the direction in which it is copied. Consider this
example:

A2 and B2 are relative cell references. When we copy the formula in C2 downwards into C3 and C4 with the
fill handle, then Excel will assume that you want to conduct the same calculation in rows 3 and 4 as you did in
row 2. In other words, Excel will perform the calculation A3*B3 in C3 and A4*B4 in C4. Excel effectively
updates the row number in each of the cell references for every row that you copy your formula downwards.

Reference, absolute

Or, as we like to fondly call it, the dollar thingy. A cell reference is absolute when it does not change whenever
it is copied. To make a cell reference absolute, you must include a $ before each element of the cell reference:
$A$1. This can be a bit cumbersome. The keyboard shortcut to turn a cell reference into an absolute cell
reference is to press F4.

Ninja Tip for the Week

Order of basic mathematical operations

Calculations in Excel follow the general mathematical rules for calculations, in other words, Multiplication (*)
and Division (/) come before Addition (+) and Subtraction (-). So, when you are using these arithmetic
operators in your calculations, you need to keep these general rules in mind.

Example: =3+4*5

Excel reads the formula from left to right, so one might assume that it adds 3 and 4 together before it multiplies
the result by 5. However, as multiplication takes precedence over addition, Excel will calculate 3 plus the result
of 4 multiplied by 5. If you wanted Excel to choose the first path, you need to 'tell' this to Excel with the help of
parentheses. The formula should look like this: =(3+4)*5
Go to next item

Week 3: Keyboard Shortcuts and Ninja Tips

Week 3: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts:

Windows Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support pages | Mac Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support
pages

CTRL + SHIFT + & (CMD + OPTION + 0) -- Add a border around the outside of selected cells

CTRL + B (CMD + B) -- Change selection to Bold Text

CTRL+Arrow keys (CMD+Arrow keys) -- Go to first/last cell in a row, column.

CTRL+Home (CMD+Home) -- Select the first non-blank cell.

CTRL + End (CMD+End) -- Go to the last non-blank cell.

Ninja Tips for the Week:

Format Painter

You can double-click on the Format Painter and it will remain active as long as you need it. When you are
done, simply press Escape. This is very cool - switch over to Excel and try it out now!

Widening Columns

So, you have been entering data into your spreadsheet but all of sudden you notice that one entry has
turned into this: #####. Don't panic, your data is still there - Excel is just giving you a nudge to let you
know that your column is not wide enough to display all of the data. There are three easy ways of widening
your column. Option 1: Double click on the black line between your column and the next. Your column will
automatically widen to display your number. Option 2: Hover your mouse cursor over the little black line
between your column and the next, then drag it to the desired width. Option 3: right-click on the column
and select 'Column Width' from the context menu, then enter a width of your choosing.

Week 4: Keyboard Shortcuts, Terminology, and

Ninja Tips
Week 4: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support pages | Mac Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support
pages

CTRL + 0 (CMD + 0) -- Hide the column containing the selected cell.

CTRL + 9 (CMD + 9) -- Hide the row containing the selected cell.

CTRL + SHIFT + 0 (CMD + SHIFT + 0) -- Unhide the column containing the selected cell. (Select
cells surrounding hidden column) In some versions of Windows, this shortcut is assigned to a Windows feature.
If you have difficulty getting this keyboard shortcut to work you should follow the instructions in this article to
disable the shortcut for that feature.

CTRL + SHIFT + 9 (CMD + SHIFT + 9) -- Unhide the row containing the selected cell. (Select cells
surrounding hidden row)

CTRL + SHIFT + L (CMD + SHIFT + F) -- Add or remove a filter

Excel Terminology
Filter

Applying a filter to a column (or columns) quickly displays only those rows that contain the information you are
looking for. There are three different ways to access the filter tool: the right-click context menu, the Home
tab, or the Data tab. The filter tool allows you to control the data that is displayed on your screen. Any data
contained in rows that don't meet the selected criteria will remain hidden as long as the filter is applied. Once
the filter is cleared, the data display will return back to normal.

Sorting

The Sorting tool helps you to arrange your data in a specific order. There are three different ways to access the
sorting tool: the right-click context menu, the Home tab, or the Data tab. The sorting tool is quite powerful
and allows you to sort by multiple levels, match case and sort from left to right as well as from top to bottom.
When you want to sort your data, simply click anywhere in your data set and then open up Sorting.

Conditional Formatting

At its most basic, Conditional Formatting allows you to automatically apply formatting whenever certain
criteria are met. Access the tool in the Styles group on the Home tab once you have selected the data you want
to format conditionally. There are a number of options available:
Conditional formatting is a great tool with lots of versatile use cases. The formatting updates dynamically based
on new values entered which make it super-useful.

Ninja Tip of the Week

Conditional Formatting vs. Filtering

They both let you show data based on specific criteria or conditions. Why would you choose one over the other?

Filtering will only show data that matches the criteria. You can provide multiple filters, but only data that
matches all conditions will be visible.

Conditional formatting will show data that fits any of the conditions chosen. It also provides more visual and
graphical elements.
Go to next item
Week 5: Keyboard Shortcuts, Terminology, and
Ninja Tips
Week 5: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

CTRL + P | CMD + P: Open Print dialogue

CTRL + X | CMD + X: Cut selection

CTRL + C | CMD + C: Copy selection

CTRL + V | CMD + V: Paste data (from previous cut/copy action)

CTRL + F2: Open Print Preview window

Selecting cells with your keyboard and mouse:

The SHIFT key: When you use the SHIFT key in conjunction with your mouse to select cells, you can
select whole ranges. Single click on your first cell, press down Shift - hold it down, then single-click the last
cell of your selection. All cells between your first and last cell will be selected.

The CTRL key: When you hold the CTRL key and click cells/columns/rows with your mouse you can
select multiple items that are non-contiguous. Non-contiguous means the items are not directly next to
each other.

Windows Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support pages | Mac Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support
pages

Excel Terminology

Print titles
You can find this tool on the PAGE LAYOUT tab. In the dialogue box that opens you can configure a number
of settings. In these two edit boxes you can set which rows/columns to repeat at the left and top of every
printed page. In this sense, printing titles works a bit like Freeze Panes - except that Freeze Panes has no
bearing on the printed page.

Print area

The Print area of a spreadsheet is set up in the Print Titles dialogue box (see Print Titles). This is a great tool
to use when you are working with large sets of data and you are intending to print only one particular
section of it.

Page break

Page breaks in Excel divide a worksheet into separate pages for printing. There are two types of page
breaks: automatic (dotted blue line) and manual breaks (solid line). Automatic page breaks will adjust to
other page layout settings such as orientation, margins, and scale. Access the Page Break tool via the PAGE
LAYOUT tab. The page break view is accessible through the VIEW tab or the Status bar.
Ninja Tip of the Week

Font size vs Zoom slider

It can be tempting to enlarge a sheet's font so you can see things better on the screen. The problem is
though that the font size is relative to a printed page and something that looked great on the screen, is
oversized once we print. Remember to use the zoom slider in the Status Bar to enlarge data on the screen
instead.

Week 6: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support pages | Mac Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support
pages

F11 (F11*) -- Insert new Chart sheet from selection.

* To use the Function keys in Excel on a Mac you will need to use the fn key in addition to the function key.

If you don't want to press the fn key each time, you can change your Apple system preferences:

1. On the Apple menu, press System Preferences.

2. Select Keyboard.
3. On the Keyboard tab, select the check box for Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard
function keys.

This will now mean you need to use the fn key in addition to the Function key of choiceto perform the
special operations (change volume for instance)

Some function keys may be set to Operating System tasks. F11 may show your desktop rather than creating
a chart. If you wish to modify this behavior you can do change this from the Apple System Preferences:

1. On the Apple menu, press System Preferences.

2. Select Keyboard.
3. On the Shortcuts tab, select mission control
4. Uncheck Show Desktop
You may find other Function keys are set to certain Operating System behaviors also. You can change the
key associated with the behavior, or disable it. Please exercise caution when modifying the key to perform a
behavior as this will override other expected behavior performed by the key.

Excel Terminology

Chart Area

The chart area refers to the entire chart; typical elements are the data series, axes, titles and legends.

Chart Sheet

A chart sheet is a worksheet that only contains one chart. If you want to move your chart to a chart sheet,
you need to use the Move Chart tool on the CHARTS/DESIGN tab. When charts appear on worksheets along
with other information, they are embedded.

Data Label

Extra information associated with a data point. Often used to show the actual value of a data point, e.g. the
height of a bar or percentage of a pie slice. Data labels are not always displayed on the chart.

Data Points

Values from cells on worksheets, displayed as bars, lines, columns, pie slices or other shapes on a chart.

Data Series

A collection of related values plotted on a chart.

Embedded Chart

The chart is embedded as an object on the worksheet, alongside the data it is generated from. The chart can
be printed as part of that sheet or as a separate item. Best used when the data needs to be shown in the
context of the worksheet data.

Gridlines

Lines across the plot area, allowing the eye to travel more easily back to the values on the axes.

Legend

The legend is displayed in a location outside of the grid framed by the axis. A key that appears in a small box
beside your chart, showing which colours and symbols represent each data series.

Plot Area
The part of the chart bound by the vertical and horizontal axes and their opposing sides.

X & Y Axes

The X axis lies along the bottom of the chart and is usually used for categories. The Y axis goes up one side
and is used for data series values. The axes are reversed on bar charts.

Ninja Tip of the Week

Don't underestimate the right-click

Right-clicking on a chart in Excel allows you to alter pretty much any part and aspect of a chart. The right-
click gives you quick and convenient access to most options for a productive and efficient workflow.

Transposing columns into rows (and vice versa)

Every now and then you create a nice set of data only to realise that you would have preferred that the data
that is currently in columns to appear in rows (or the other way around). Excel provides a little-known
feature that allows you to do change your rows and columns by transposing them.

Sometimes you’ll be working with data formatted in columns and you really need it to be in rows (or the
other way around). Simply copy the row or column you’d like to transpose, right click on the destination cell
and select Paste Special. A checkbox on the bottom of the resulting popup window is labeled Transpose.
Check the box and click OK. Excel will do the rest.

Intermediate I
Week 1: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

If a shortcut requires pressing two or more keys at the same time, keys are separated by a + sign. An
exhaustive list of shortcuts is available on the Microsoft Office Support pages. Below are a small number of
shortcuts that we have selected to improve your speed and efficiency. The list is by no means exhaustive.
Mac shortcuts are listed in brackets (In newer versions of Excel on Mac, the CTRL+ shortcut keys also work).
For a list of Mac specific keyboard shortcuts see the Microsoft Office ( for Mac) Support page.

If you need to move to another worksheet but don’t want to take your hands off the keyboard, you can use
these shortcuts:
CTRL + Page Down | Option + Right Arrow: Move to the next sheet in the workbook.

CTRL + Page Up | Option + Left Arrow: Move to the next sheet in the workbook.

------------------------------------------------

Windows Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support pages | Mac Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support
pages

Excel Terminology

3-D Reference

The references we have used before can be thought of as 2-D references because they have 2 dimensions (2
important things to specify to identify a cell): columns (letters) and rows (numbers). They might refer to a
single cell (A3), a range in the same row or column (A3:D3, B2:B5), or span multiple rows and columns
(A3:D6). These cells must all be on the same Worksheet.

If you expand these references to include multiple Worksheets, you get a 3-D reference (an extra dimension
to specify to identify a cell). Again, these can refer to a single cell on multiple Worksheets (Sean:Carlos!
C8), or a range of cells on multiple Worksheets (Sean:Carlos!C8:E13).

Structure

In this topic, structure refers to the way the data is arranged in the workbook (this means the number of
rows and columns into which the data is entered and also the order of the rows and columns that the data
appears in).

Workbook

This is your entire Excel file. It contains 1 or more Worksheets.

Worksheet

Often just called a Sheet, this is where your data and charts live in Excel. You must have at least 1 Worksheet
in your Workbook and the upper limit is only limited by the resources on your computer.

Ninja Tip of the Week

If you have many Worksheets in your Workbook, it can be difficult to move between them to find the one
you are looking for. You can use the Activate dialog to move directly to a sheet. Right-click on the arrows
next to the Worksheet tabs:

You will see the Activate dialog:

You can select the Worksheet to move to and click OK. In this Workbook there are only 4 Worksheets, so it
does not save much time, but it would be very useful if you had many Worksheets.

Week 2: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

The CTRL (CMD) key When you are using a function like CONCAT to join text from multiple cells,
hold down the CTRL key while selecting the cells and Excel will automatically insert the comma between each
cell reference for you. For example, if you want the formula =CONCAT(A2,D2,G2) then hold down
CTRL while you click on cell A2 then D2 then G2.

CTRL + ; Inserts today’s date as a fixed value. (Note that this is different to the =TODAY() function
because this date is fixed and will not change when you come back to your workbook tomorrow or next week.)

CTRL + SHIFT + ;| CMD + ; Inserts the current time as a fixed value. (Note that this is different to the
=NOW() function because the time is fixed and will not change when you come back to your workbook an
hour or a month later).

F4 | CMD + T Toggle between relative and absolute references.

------------------------------------------------

Windows Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support pages | Mac Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support
pages

Excel Terminology

The anatomy of a function

Let’s look at the MID function as an example: =MID(text, start_num, num_chars)

= [equals] Every function must start with an equals sign.

MID [FUNCTION NAME] The standard syntax is to use upper-case letters, but the function will still work
in lower-case letters!

( [Open bracket] After a function name you must have an open bracket, "(", after this open bracket you
can start entering your arguments.
text, start_num, num_chars [arguments] These are the arguments that we input into a function.
An argument is an input into a function, where a function reads this argument, and other arguments if needed, to
process the function. You can directly type in arguments yourself or you can have other functions calculate the
values of the arguments for you. We explain this latter bit under nested functions below.

A2 [Cell reference] Within a function, depending on the function, you may either need to specify a cell
reference or you may need to specify a range. If a range is needed (not for this function), a range would be
specified in the syntax: A2:A10. Here A2:A10 which reads in natural language as A2 to A10, in other
words, the colon, ":" is the natural language equivalent of "to".

, [comma] Commas are used to separate arguments within a function. This way, Excel knows that the input
of one argument has ended and the input of the next argument is beginning. Some functions have only one
argument, and thus, a comma will not be needed.

) [Close bracket] At the end of the function, you must have a close bracket, ")", then Excel knows that
you have stopped inputting arguments. In the latest versions of Excel, you can get away without typing the last
bracket and then pressing Enter and Excel will automatically add this bracket for you.

Nested Functions

We can also have a function inside another function, where a function is used as an argument, such as:

=MID(A2,2,FIND(" ",A2))

Here, the FIND function is used within another function, MID, this entire then becomes a nested
function. Excel will work the innermost function first and gradually work its way outwards. Inner functions
are sometimes called helper functions.

Here, FIND(" ",A2) is used as the third argument of the MID function which should be num_chars, i.e.
the number of characters. In other words, instead of us telling Excel the number of characters, and this value
being static, the helper function, FIND, is telling Excel to find the number of characters, and hence this value
becomes dynamic.

CONCAT, CONCATENATE and &

The CONCAT function joins text together. The text being joined can be entered by referring to other cells, e.g.
=CONCAT(B4,B3), or the text can be typed directly =CONCAT("John","Smith"), the comma
specifies what you would like to join. Remember that when inputting text into a function use " " around the
text.

The & works in a similar way. It can be viewed that & is what tells Excel to join the text so =B4&B3 joins
B4 and B3. The same rules apply if the reference is made to text directly ="John"&"Smith". Remember
that & is used as part of a formula so you need to start with =.

CONCAT is the newer version of CONCATENATE function which became available in the Office 365
version of Excel. It does everything that CONCATENATE does and it also supports using a range as an
argument, for example, =CONCAT(A5:A20). CONCATENATE is still available in the newer versions
of Excel but you will not get the extra functionality.
CONCAT became available in the January 2016 version of Excel, which is only available if you have the
Office 365 version of Microsoft Office. You can read the Release Notes for the various versions of Excel and
you can also find out which version of Excel you are using.

Text to Columns

Open the file W2_Extracting_Text, where we want to extract the Floor, Wing and Extension from
Column K that contains all this information under Location.

Select the Location column, go to the Data tab and click on Text to Columns. You should get a
dialog box that looks like this where you can select Delimited or Fixed Width.

For Step 1, let’s start with Delimited and click Next.

In Step 2 above, check Space and Other, and type "-" next to Other. Here, Excel will split the string of
text in the Location column whenever it sees a space, " ", as well as whenever Excel sees a hyphen, "-".

Now click Next and you will see Step 3 as below:

Here you can specify the data format. Since ours is the default, General, we just need to click Finish. Excel
will then warn you that there is already data, and ask you whether you want to replace it. Click OK.

Now you should see the Location data split into 3 columns in your spreadsheet – the floor, the wing, and the
extension.

Another option to split the text into columns in Excel is to choose Fixed Width in Step 1 and then click
Next. Then Step 2 will appear as below:
You will then need to click within Data preview to add arrow markers to split the text according to a fixed
width.

This works well if the data follows a fixed length pattern like it does for the characters of the floor. However,
this does not work well for the wing (as you can see above) which sometimes has 4 characters, and at other
times has 5 characters.

Text to columns is a great tool for one-off changes, and when you do not need to retain the original raw
data. However, for more automated dynamic changes that need to occur as our spreadsheet is populated,
functions are much more useful, as we discuss in this week’s Practice Videos.

Ninja Tip of the Week

TEXTJOIN

TEXTJOIN is another function that can be used to join text together, this works well because of the following:
 1. You can specify once that you want a space between each word and don’t have to include a space each
time like we did in CONCAT
2. You now have the choice to ignore empty cells in a range.

For example =TEXTJOIN(" ", FALSE, "JOHN", "SMITH") returns JOHN SMITH. The first
argument specifies the separator you would like to see between each word (a space in this instance), the second
argument specifies whether to ignore empty cells or not, and then the text follows. You can specify the text as a
range, so =TEXTJOIN(" ", TRUE, A5:A12) is also valid and the text is contained in the specified range.

Like CONCAT, TEXTJOIN is only available in the latest Office 365 version of Excel.

Inserting a line break within text functions

In the course Excel Skills for Business: Essentials we saw that you can enter a line break inside a cell using the
shortcut ALT + ENTER (or CTRL + OPTION + RETURN for Mac), however this shortcut will not
work when you want to include a line break inside a text function. For example, say we have been given the
data in cells A2 and B2 below, and we want to join them on two lines in cell C2.

We can insert a line break using the function CHAR(10), so cell C2 could be entered as either of the
following functions:

=A2&CHAR(10)&B2

=CONCAT(A2,CHAR(10),B2)

Remember to turn on "Wrap Text" formatting for cell C2, otherwise it will display with all of the text on a
single line.

Week 3: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl+Enter -- Finish Editing and stay in the cell.

When you are typing in a cell, if you press Enter you will move to the next cell down or Tab to move to the
next cell to the right. To finish editing but stay in the same cell you can use Ctrl+Enter instead.
F3 -- Paste Name

When you are writing a formula, if you cannot remember the Named Range that you are trying to use, the
Paste Name dialog can help by displaying a list of all the names defined in the workbook.

Ctrl+F3 -- Name Manager (Windows only)

You can use the Name Manager to create, modify and delete Named Ranges.

Cmd+fn+F3 -- Define Name (Mac only):

The shortcut key is Mac-specific but the Define Name tool is available in both Windows and Mac. It allows
you to create new Named Ranges.

Ctrl+Shift+F3. Mac: Cmd+Shift+fn+F3 -- Create Names from Selection

If you want to create several named ranges at once you can use the Create Names from Selection tool. First,
select the range, including headers, then activate the tool. You can choose where the names come from,
usually the Top row or Left column, but you can also use the Bottom row or Right column.

Ctrl+Shift+Arrows -- Select to the edges of the data

To easily select large data ranges you can use Ctrl+Shift and the arrow key in the direction you want to
select. Continue to hold down Ctrl+Shift and use another arrow to select in another direction.

Terminology

Named Ranges

Named Ranges are a way to give a memorable name to a single cell or range of cells. You can then use this
Named Range in formulas where it functions like an absolute cell reference. It can also make your formulas
more readable because the name has more meaning than a cell reference. For example,
=N4*Pension_Rate is more meaningful than =N4*$P$2.

Ninja Tip of the Week

Want to see all the named ranges you have created in your table? Simply zoom out to less than 40%.
Week 4: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl+D -- Duplicate a chart

F4 -- Cycle between relative and absolute references

When you are writing a formula, if you have a cell reference selected, such as D4, if you press F4 once you
will get the absolute reference $D$4, press it again to get D$4 (row absolute, column relative), again to
get $D4 (column absolute, row relative), and once more will get you back to the relative reference D4.

Ctrl+Shift+> -- Increase the font size of a chart element

This only works on Windows. On Mac you should use the font size tools in the Home tab of the ribbon:

Excel Terminology
COUNTIF and COUNTIFS

The function signatures for the 2 functions are:

COUNTIF(range, criteria)

COUNTIFS(criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2]…)

If you only have 1 criteria that you want to count, these functions are identical. However, you can also use
COUNTIFS when you have multiple criteria. Other functions that follow this pattern are
SUMIF/SUMIFS and AVERAGEIF/AVERAGEIFS. We recommend that you always use the -IFS
versions of these functions.

Criteria Range

This is the range of data that includes the subset which is of interest. For example, the Account Manager
range when Connor Betts is the subset of interest.

Relative and Absolute Cell References

A relative cell reference looks like D4. This consists of the column letter(s) and row number(s). If you copy
this cell reference one column to the right it will change to E4. The column letter will increase by 1.
Similarly, if you copy it one row down it will change to D5. The row number will increase by 1. This is very
useful as you can write 1 formula and copy it across or down and have the formula change as you copy it.

But what happens if you do not want the cell reference to change when you copy the formula? You can
change the cell reference to an absolute cell reference by putting dollar signs ($) in front of the column
letter and row number. So we could change D4 to $D$4. Now when you copy the formula the cell
reference will not change.

You can also have mixed cell references, where either the column or row is “locked” and the other is
relative. If you copy $D4 one column to the right it will not change, but if you copy it one row down it will
change to $D5. Similarly, D$4 will not change when copied down rows but will when copied across
columns.

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Switch-between-relative-absolute-and-mixed-references-
dfec08cd-ae65-4f56-839e-5f0d8d0baca9?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US&fromAR=1

Types of Trendlines

When you add a trendline to a chart it will default to a Linear trendline. However, there are other options:
Exponential fits a lot of curved lines. It is ideal when data values rise or fall at constantly increasing rates:
Linear is good for a straight line graph, this shows a constant rate of change:

A Logarithmic trendline is useful when the rate of change in the data increases or decreases quickly and
then levels out:
Polynomial is good for data that fluctuates, a single peak like this would be an order 2, two peaks would be
an order 3, you can go up to order 6.

Power trendlines are good for datasets that compare measurements that increase at a specific rate:
And a moving average is good for evening out fluctuations in the data:

The Elements of a Chart

When you want to drag a chart around a worksheet you might find that you accidentally drag one of the
elements within the chart instead. To drag a chart you should put your mouse in the Chart Area. But where
is this? The Chart Area is the part of the chart that is not covered by any other elements. If you hover over
the chart a tooltip will appear showing you which element you are hovering over.

Some common chart elements are the Chart Area:

Plot Area:

Chart Title:
Legend:

These elements might not appear in the same place as on this chart. You can move these elements around
manually or use the Quick Layout tool.
Changing the Scale of a Chart

In the Advanced Charting video, we show how you can change the Axis Bounds of a chart. This has the effect
of changing the scale of the chart. You can use this to emphasize a particular feature of the chart or it can
mislead the reader into thinking that an effect is more important or dramatic than it actually is. There is no
firm rule about this. You should be very careful when presenting any data that you are representing the data
faithfully and not just telling the story that you or your audience wants to hear.

Ninja Tip of the Week

Comparison Operators

The criteria in these functions can use different comparisons. The simplest is equal to. You use this when
you want to find an exact match between the values in the criteria range and a given value. For example,
=COUNTIFS(Account_Manager, "Connor Betts") or =COUNTIFS(Order_Quantity,
50).

Equal to is the comparison operator that Excel will use if you do not specify something else. You can
explicitly use the equal to operator by using, for example, "=50", but you generally do not need to.
Notice that you need to use quotation marks when you specify the comparison operator.

The comparison operators for numbers are:

Equal to (=) =COUNTIFS(Order_Quantity, 50) or =COUNTIFS(Order_Quantity, "=50")

Not equal to (<>) =COUNTIFS(Order_Quantity, "<>50")
Greater than (>) =COUNTIFS(Order_Quantity, ">50")
Greater than or equal to (>=) =COUNTIFS(Order_Quantity, ">=50")
Less than (<) =COUNTIFS(Order_Quantity, "<50")
Less than or equal to (<=) =COUNTIFS(Order_Quantity, "<=50")

You can use these comparison operators with dates as well. You should specify the date in your local format,
for example =COUNTIFS(Order_Date,"<2015-01-01").

These operators also work when you are comparing text. Equal to and not equal to work the way
that you would expect. The greater than and less than operators work by comparing the words letter-by-
letter. So "a"<"b" and "apple"<"apricot". Note that these are case-insensitive:
=COUNTIFS(Product_Container, "Small Box") and =COUNTIFS(Product_Container,
"small box") do the same thing.

When comparing text there are 2 other operators that you can use: ? and *. These are called wildcards and
can take the place of a single letter (?) or many letters (*). So S?ng will match Sang, Sing, Song and
Sung (as well as nonsense words like Sqng) but it will not match Sting. The asterisk (*) will match any
number of letters. So we could use =COUNTIFS(Product_Container, "Small *") and that will
count Small Box and Small Pack.
Using a cell reference in the title of a chart

Just like a regular cell, chart titles can contain fixed values or you can use a formula. However, you can only
use very simple formulas that refer to another cell. If you want to use a more complicated formula, you
should create that formula in a cell and then reference that cell from the chart title.

Click on the chart title. It is important that the title is only selected, not in edit mode

Notice that the chart title has a solid border around it. If you click inside it to start editing, the border
changes to a dashed line

You can press Escape to get out of edit mode.

So we have the title selected. Now, how do we start all formulas? With an '=', so type that, then click on a cell
and press Enter to point the chart title to that cell. If you are using the workbook for the Advanced Charting
video, use A37 (Orders by Year and State) as the cell that contains the title.

On the Mac you will need to select the title, click in the Formula Bar, type '=', then click on the target cell.
This also works on Windows, but you have the option not to click on the Formula Bar.

Week 5: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl+T (Cmd+T or Ctrl+T) — Insert Table

Shift+Space (Shift+Space) — Select table row

Ctrl+Space (Ctrl+Space) — Select table column

Ctrl+A (Cmd+A) — Select table

Ctrl+. — Move between the corners of a table

Excel Terminology

Named Ranges and Tables

Named Ranges and Tables have some overlap in functionality and use, but there are some key differences.

Named Ranges Tables

Do not automatically extend at the edges of their range Automatically extend to include rows and columns added
Behaves like an absolute reference when used in a Structured References behave like a relative reference
formula — when you copy the formula to another when used in a formula — when you copy the formula to
column the reference to the Named Range will remain another column the Structured Reference will change
the same
Do not have formatting tools Can be easily formatted
Named Ranges do not know about other Named Ranges Provide a range of sorting and filtering tools that work
— they do not work together with the Table as a whole unit

Ninja Tip of the Week

You can easily move columns and rows around in tables:

To move a column in a table you must first select the column that you desire to move then navigate the
mouse icon to either the right/left edge depending on which direction you want to move the column in,
move the mouse icon it till this icon appears:

Click and drag the column to the position you want it in, watch the vertical bar that appears to drag it to the
edge of the column you desire to move to. You can move a row using a similar process.

Week 6: ToolBox
Excel Terminology

Dashboard

A dashboard is a summary display designed to give the user a quick overview of the data. They often contain
graphs and tables of numbers. They sometimes have some interactivity so that the user can select the
specific points of interest to focus on. Dashboards usually update automatically so that the user is looking
at the most recent or relevant information.

PivotChart

A chart based on a PivotTable. By using a PivotChart you get the summarization and filtering power of a
PivotTable combined with the visualization power of Excel charting.

PivotTable

A powerful and convenient way to summarize data in Excel. Similar to a cross-tabulation in other software.

Slicer

Slicers provide a convenient way to filter a PivotTable. You can also see which filters are currently in use.

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Use-slicers-to-filter-PivotTable-data-249f966b-a9d5-4b0f-b31a-
12651785d29d

Dataset

A dataset is a set of data that contains fields (columns) that usually have different formatting for example,
text, number, currency.

Field List

This is the list of all the columns contained in the dataset. For example Account Manager, Total Revenue,
Cost, etc.

Field

This is one of the elements that makes up the field list (one of the columns in the dataset e.g. Account
Manager).

Data Source

This refers to where the data is coming from (the original table on which the pivot table depends on).

Ninja Tip of the Week

You can format empty cells in a pivot table by right-clicking on any cell in the table, then go to Pivot Table
Options. In Layout & Format, under Format, you can choose to put a hyphen for every empty cell. A hyphen
is one reasonable example of something you could add, you can add something else more appealing for
yourself.
Intermediate II
Week 1: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

F3: Brings up the Paste Name dialog box, which lists the named ranges available in your spreadsheet.

F4: Toggle absolute and relative references.

Ctrl+T: Insert Table

Ctrl+F3: Name Manager (Windows only): You can use the Name Manager to create, modify and delete
Named Ranges.

Cmd+F3 or Ctrl+L: Define Name (Mac only): These shortcut keys are Mac-specific but the Define Name
tool is available on both Windows and Mac. It allows you to create new Named Ranges.

Ctrl+Shift+F3 | Cmd+Shift+F3: Create Names from Selection. If you want to create several named
ranges at once you can use the Create Names from Selection tool. First, select the range, including headers,
then activate the tool. You can choose where the names come from, usually the Top row or Left column, but
you can also use the Bottom row or Right column.

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Windows Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support pages | Mac Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support
pages

Excel Terminology

Data Validation

This is a method used to reduce the errors entered in your workbook by limiting the data accepted by Excel
to the most reasonable outcomes.

Data validation dialog box

This is the box that appears when you go to the data validation tool.

Drop-down List

This is the List that appears next to each cell that contains the List data validation. This shows a predefined
list which you have to specify.

Named range

This refers to a cell or a range of cells that have been named something useful.

Lookup List

This is the List that you place somewhere in your workbook that you can refer to in source which appears in
the data validation dialog box.

Automated drop-down List

This is a drop-down list that we form by referring to a lookup list (that has been placed in a named range
and table). It automatically changes when the lookup list is changed.

Paste Special

By default, when you copy and paste a cell both the contents of the cell and any special characteristics are
copied. You can use Paste Special to only paste the contents or some of the original cell's characteristics.
For example, you can use Paste Special to paste the Data Validation from one cell to another.

Input Message

This is the message that appears when clicked in a data validated cell which can contain something
meaningful to assist a user as to what values are reasonable. This only happens when you have specified
one.

Error Message

This is the message that pops up when something outside what is specified in the data validation is entered
into the cell.

Specified range

This is a range that is specified by cell references e.g. B4:B9.

Conditional formatting

This is a way of formatting a cell or range of cells based on whether they satisfy a specified criteria.

Week 2: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

Insert new row/column

With an entire row selected, use Control + Shift + + (Mac: Control + I) to insert a new row.

With an entire column selected, use Control + Shift + + (Mac: Control + I) to insert a new column.

Delete row/column

Once you have a row/column selected, delete the row/column by using Control + - (Windows and Mac).

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Windows Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support pages | Mac Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support
pages

Excel Terminology

Conditional Logic

This is a way to control the output in a cell based on the satisfaction/dissatisfaction of a certain condition.
For example, the IF statement will do one thing if a condition is satisfied; otherwise, it will do something else
which you will have to specify.

Argument

In relation to a function like IF, an argument is the input to the function. For example, the logical test is one
of the arguments of the IF function.

Logical Test

This is what you specify to Excel as what it should test to find out whether it’s true/false. This is the first
argument in the IF function. For example B4>5 is a logical test.

Logical operator

This is the mathematical relation that you use in the logical test; for example <> is a logical operator which
means not equal to. The logical operators are:

= Equals (use for text as well, not case-sensitive)

> Greater than
< Less than
>= Greater than or equal to
<= Less than or equal to
<> Not equal (use for text as well, not case-sensitive)

Nested functions

A nested function is a function inside another function. In terms of IF functions, this helps to further control
the output in a cell. For two IF functions nested within a 3rd one, this will mean that if the first condition (in
the outermost IF function) is not met, then Excel will still have another 2 conditions to test.

Logical functions

These are functions that return TRUE/FALSE as their output based on whether a certain set of conditions are
met. For example, for AND all conditions must be true for it to return TRUE and for OR only one of the
conditions must be true.
Logical value

This is to be differentiated from text; a logical value doesn’t go in quotation marks. An example of a logical
value is TRUE. Note that the logical value TRUE is different to the word "TRUE" - placing the term in
quotation marks tells Excel to treat it as text, rather than a logical value.

Ninja Tip of the Week

More Logical Functions

NOT

We can use the NOT function in IF statements like we have used the AND and OR functions. NOT is another
logical helper function and it is used to indicate that a logical test is not true. Consider the following
example:

=IF(NOT(A5=1), B5*5%,0)

Reading out this function, it says "If the value in A5 is not equal to 1, then multiply the value in B5 by 5%; if
the test is not true, return the value 0 (zero)."

EXACT

When you use "=" to test if 2 strings are the same, it ignores the case of the strings. If you need to test that 2
strings are exactly equal, including the same case, use the EXACT function. EXACT is another logical helper
function. The EXACT function requires the two text strings that you are comparing to be separated by a
comma. Consider the following example:

=IF(Exact(A5, "JOHN"), B5*5%,0)

Reading out this function, it says "If the value in A5 is exactly JOHN, then multiply the value in B5 by 5%; if
the test is not true, return the value 0 (zero)."

Week 3: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

Tab:
Accept a function that Excel has suggested at the prompt.

F4:

Immediately after typing a cell reference in the formula bar, use F4 to change the type of cell reference.
Pressing F4 once will enforce an absolute reference. Pressing F4 repeatedly will let you cycle between absolute
referencing, mixed referencing and relative referencing.

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Windows Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support pages | Mac Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support
pages

Excel Terminology

VLOOKUP

This is a function from the lookup family that is used for retrieving and categorising data. For example, it can
automate the process of entering an individual’s grade based on what mark he/she got. The grades and the
marks of all individuals would have to be placed in a lookup table. The V stands for vertical and can only be
used when your data has been organised vertically.

Lookup Value:This is the value that you want to look up from the table. Excel will look for this value in the
first column of the lookup table.

Lookup Table/Table Array: This refers to the table that contains the lookup value and the value you
would like returned. This can be specified by a table name, named range or cell references.

Col_index: This is the column that contains the value you want Excel to return.

Range Lookup: This argument is in square brackets and can be omitted when using range VLOOKUP.
This argument must be set to FALSE when using an exact match VLOOKUP.
Range VLOOKUP: This is a way of looking up a value from a table such that you don’t necessarily want
Excel to find an exact match for the lookup value. Excel will use the largest value that is less than or equal to
the lookup value. For range lookup, make sure that the data is sorted alphabetically or numerically. This is the
default VLOOKUP in Excel.

Exact Match VLOOKUP: This is a way of looking up a value with a unique identity, e.g. employee I.D.
or account number of a particular employee. In this case, an exact match would be appropriate.

INDEX

This function returns a value, or the reference to a value, from within a table or range.

Array: This is the first argument of the Index function and it is usually a range of cells.

Row_num: This is the number of the row that contains the value you want to return. This option becomes
optional if your array only contains one row.

Col_num: This is the number of the column that contains the value you want to return. This option becomes
optional if your array only contains one column.

Area_num: This is to be specified when more than 1 disjoint (separated) set of cell references is specified so
that it becomes important to communicate to Excel which disjoint set is of interest to you.

Note: To use the INDEX function to extract a row/column from a table specify the col_num/row_num as 0.
Remember to highlight which cells you would like to place the array in and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter at the end
of your formula.

CHOOSE

This is a function in the lookup family of functions. This function retrieves a value from a list based on a
numeric value you specify. It is good for small lists that won’t change often.

Index_num: This is a numeric value which communicates to Excel which position in the list to retrieve the
value from.

Value 1, Value 2: This must be filled with the cell references of your list. Remember, use (say)
B4,B5,B6 and not B4:B6.

MATCH

This is a function in the family of lookup functions. This function works almost like VLOOKUP. It looks up a
value in a row or column and returns a number for the position in which that value is contained. This function is
usually used in combination with other lookup functions, e.g. INDEX.

Lookup_value: This is the value to be looked up in the lookup array.

Lookup_array: The range of cells being searched by Excel.

Match type: This can be omitted if you desire to have the default option, which is the less than match type.

0 is an exact match and it will return the position of the value that first matches the lookup value.
1 is the less than match type. For this type, the data in the array must be arranged in ascending order. The
position of the largest value that is less than or equal to the lookup value is returned.

-1 is the greater than match type. For this type, the data in the array must be arranged in descending order.
Excel will return the smallest value greater than or equal to the lookup value.

#NA

This error usually appears when the lookup function cannot find the lookup value in the lookup table.

Ninja Tips of the Week

Reminder: Relative and Absolute References

A relative cell reference consists of the column letter(s) and row number(s), e.g. D4. If you copy this cell
reference one column to the right it will change to E4. The column letter will increase by 1. Similarly, if you
copy it one row down it will change to D5. The row number will increase by 1. This is very useful as you can
write one formula and copy it across or down and have the formula change as you copy it.

But what happens if you do not want the cell reference to change when you copy the formula? You can change
the cell reference to an absolute cell reference by putting dollar signs ($) in front of the column letter and row
number. So we could change D4 to $D$4. Now when you copy the formula the cell reference will not
change.

You can also have mixed cell references, where either the column or row is "locked". If you copy $D4 one
column to the right it will not change, but if you copy it one row down it will change to $D5. Similarly, D$4
will not change when copied down rows but will change when copied across columns.

Range Lookup vs. Nested IFs

Range lookup can be used as an efficient alternative to nested IF functions. While nested IFs can be difficult to
implement, check and edit, range lookups overcome these issues because they are much easier to use.

Consider the following example for categorising retail price by discount level:

Under the nested IFs approach, you would input the following in cell E4:

=IF(D4<$G$5,$H$4,IF(D4<$G$6,$H$5,IF(D4<$G$7,$H$6,$H$7)))
Under the range lookup approach, you would only have to input the following in cell E4:

=VLOOKUP(D4,$G$4:$H$7,2)

Under both approaches, you would be able to copy the formula down column E to categorise all the retail
prices, but the range lookup approach would be much more efficient and less prone to error.

Week 4: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

F2 Displays the formula in editing mode and shows the color-coded precedents for all argument in a
formula.

F9 Recalculates formulas in all open workbooks.

Shift+F9 Recalculates formulas in the active worksheet only.

Ctrl+[ This will take you to the active cell’s precedent cells.

Ctrl+] This will take you to the active cell’s dependent cells.

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Windows Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support pages | Mac Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support
pages

Excel Terminology

Circular References

This is an Excel formula error which occurs when a formula refers to the cell that contains the formula. For
example, if you enter the formula =A1+A2 in the cell A1, then you have created a circular reference.

Excel will let you know if a circular reference exists when you first open a workbook that contains one or
more circular reference, Excel will also shows this on the Formulas tab, under the Error Checking tool as well
as in the status bar.
Watch Window

An Excel toolbar which allows you to keep watch of cells and their formulae as you navigate around your
Excel workbook.

Iteration

A repetition of a calculation by Excel. Understanding iterations is important for resolving circular references.

Displayed Value

The value in an Excel cell that is visible to the user.

Stored Value

The actual value which Excel recognises as being assigned to a particular cell.

Precision

The level of accuracy of an Excel calculation. The stored value is of maximum precision. The precision of the
displayed value can be changed to a desired level.

Formula Auditing

A group on the Formulas tab which contains tools to help you identify and correct formula errors.

Protection

This is a useful privacy and security feature which allows you to restrict modification or access to your Excel
file or a particular worksheet.

Active Cell

The cell that is currently selected. Text will appear in this cell when you begin typing. There can only be one
active cell at a time and it is surrounded by a heavy border to help you distinguish it from all other cells.

Precedent Cell

This is a cell that the formula in the active cell refers to. For example, if the formula in cell D5 is =A1 and
cell D5 has been selected, then A1 is a precedent cell to the active cell D5.
Dependent Cell

This is a cell that has a formula which refers to the active cell. For example, if the formula in cell D5 is =A1
and cell A1 has been selected, then D5 is a dependent cell of the active cell A1.

Cell Errors

Error Meaning
code
#DIV/0! An Excel error which occurs when you have divided by 0 (zero) or an empty cell.
#NAME? An Excel error which occurs when your formula contains unrecognisable text.
#VALUE! An Excel error which occurs when a value in your formula is of the wrong data type.
##### This is not actually an error. This is Excel's way of telling you that the column is not wide enough to
show the numeric value of the cell. You can still use the cell in calculations, but you will need to widen
the column to see the value of the cell.

Ninja Tips of the Week

Quick tips re tracing precedents/dependents:

 Double-click any arrow in order to select the cell at the other end of an arrow.
 Once you make any change (e.g., alter your formula or insert cells, etc.), the tracer arrows disappear.
Consider making a copy of your workbook/worksheet if you prefer to keep the original tracing.

Don't forget to check your spelling

While the Error Checking feature will keep you focused on correcting formula errors, in some situations it is
just as important to keep an eye on spelling errors (which can be corrected using the spell-checker under
the Review tab).

Consider whether a password for Protection is necessary. If you use one, make sure you note it down and
store it in a safe place; Excel cannot recover the password for you if you forget it.

Limitations of the Evaluate Formula tool

The MS Excel Support Pages caution that "the following functions are recalculated each time the worksheet
changes, and can cause the Evaluate Formula to give results different from what appears in the cell: RAND,
AREAS, INDEX, OFFSET, CELL, INDIRECT, ROWS, COLUMNS, NOW, TODAY, RANDBETWEEN".

Week 5: Toolbox
Excel Terminology
SUMPRODUCT

An Excel function which multiplies ranges or arrays together and then takes the sum of the product.

Variable Cell

This is a cell with a value that you are allowing to change at the outset of your data analysis.

Target Cell

This is the cell that you set to a particular value (or maximise/minimise) by changing the variable cells.

What-If Analysis

This refers to a group of data analysis tools. It allows you to experiment with different values in your Excel
formulae and investigate the results.

Constraint

A limit on the value of a particular cell.

Add-in

A feature which can be added to Excel to complement existing features. For example, Solver is an add-in.

Data Table

A What-If Analysis tool which allows you to quickly try different values for a given Excel formula.

Scenario

A particular set of values given to the variable cells. You can name each scenario that you create and use
Scenario Manager to compare the different scenarios that you have created.

Base Case Scenario

This is the scenario where all the variable cells have the values you expect them to at the outset of your data
analysis.

Best (Worst) Case Scenario

This is the scenario where all the variable cells have the most (least) favourable values from your perspective.

Ninja Tip of the Week

Goal Seek and Solver are similar data analysis tools. However, Goal Seek is simpler and best used for quick
computations, while Solver is a more powerful tool which allows you to perform more complex computations.

While Scenario Manager gives you the flexibility to choose the number of scenarios, a common technique in
scenario analysis is to have a best (optimistic) case, worst (pessimistic) case and base (likely) case.

Week 6: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt + F8: Opens the Macro Dialog Box.

Alt + F11: Shortcut which allows you to toggle between the Excel worksheet and code window.

Alt + T + M + R: Records a macro. This will also stop recording a macro.

Ctrl + Home: Go to the top most cell on the left of your worksheet.

Shift + F10 | Fn Shift F10: Display context menu

------------------------------------------------

Windows Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support pages | Mac Shortcuts: Microsoft Office Support
pages

Excel Terminology

Macro

A set of programming instructions which you can implement in Excel to automate repetitive tasks.

Relative Macro: This is a Macro you would write when the tasks you are trying to automate are not identical. A
relative position is what you want recorded e.g. each time you copy, go one step down. Contrast this to cell B9.

Store in a workbook: Macro will travel with the workbook.

Store in Personal Macro workbook: Stored in your Excel Start-up folder and will open up but remain hidden
when you open up excel. It can be used with multiple workbooks not specific to one.
Trusted Location: Macros in this location will be enabled automatically without you having to enable them.

Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)

The computer code used in Excel to record macros.

Visual Basic Editor (VBE)

A window which allows you to create and edit macros using VBA.

Debug

Identify and remove errors from the VBA code used to write a macro.

Macro Dialog Box

A window which allows you to create, edit, delete or run macros.

Macro Recorder

Once you begin recording a macro, the Macro Recorder will track your actions in Excel and record them in
VBA code.

Macro-Enabled

This term describes a workbook which has had all macros saved safely for future use.

Project explorer

A navigation panel which appears on your screen when you are editing a macro that allows you to navigate
across different macros in different Excel workbooks.

Code window (same as VBE)

A window which appears on your screen during macro editing mode that contains the VBA codes on which
your macros are based.

Compiler

This is what converts the high level language like what you would type in VBA into a low level language which
is what the computer understands.

Module

This is a storage unit for a set of macros.

Sub

An abbreviation in VBA coding standing for ‘subroutine’. All recorded macros begin with ‘Sub’ and end with
‘End Sub’.
Comment

Descriptive text appearing in the code window which is ignored by Excel when the macro is being run. Each
comment begins with an apostrophe.

Data import

This allows Excel to read the data that may be a text file e.g. the BPay text data.

Delimited

Describes data which are separated by characters of a particular type (e.g. commas, semicolons, etc.)

Ninja Tips of the Week

 Instead of one long macro, it is often better to use short, simple macros which perform the same task.
 Be careful when you assign a keyboard shortcut to run a macro. It will override any existing Excel
command which uses the same shortcut. It is best to use uppercase letters to avoid this problem.
 When you delete a macro, Excel cannot recover it for you.
 While you can learn VBA code and use it to write macros, you can still use macros without knowing
VBA code.
 When recording a macro, you will naturally try to avoid making mistakes to improve the efficiency of
the macro. However, it is also vital to remember to stop recording the macro when you are finished.
 To avoid the deletion of your macro when saving your Excel workbook, remember to save the file as an
Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook. Excel Binary Workbook and Excel Macro-Enabled Template are also
safe to use.
 Use VBA code comments to document descriptions and updates relating to a macro. This makes it easier
for you and others to work with your macros because helpful comments can complement the sometimes
overwhelming VBA codes.
 Instead of deleting an error code, convert it to a comment by placing an apostrophe at the start of the
original code. This allows you and others to review it.

Advanced
Week 1: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

If a shortcut requires pressing two or more keys at the same time, keys are separated by a + sign. An exhaustive
list of shortcuts is available on the Microsoft Office Support pages. Below are a small number of shortcuts that
we have selected to improve your speed and efficiency. The list is by no means exhaustive. If different, Mac
shortcuts are listed in the second position. For a list of Mac-specific keyboard shortcuts see the Microsoft Office
(for Mac) Support page.

NAVIGATING

Go to the top of the worksheet – CTRL + Home | CMD + Home

Go to the end of a contiguous range – CTRL + arrows | CMD + arrows

Display the Go To dialog box – F5

Go to previous/next worksheet – CTRL + Page Up/Down | CMD + Page Up/Down

Go to next workbook – CTRL + Tab | CMD + ~

Commit cell changes and go to the next cell below – ENTER

Commit cell changes and go to the next cell to the right – Tab

SELECTING

Select entire row – Shift + Space

Select entire column – CTRL + Space

Select the entire worksheet (or contiguous dataset) – CTRL + A | CMD + A

Select a contiguous range – CTRL + Shift + arrows

FORMULAS and FUNCTIONS

Expand or collapse formula bar – CTRL + Shift + U

Switch to formula view – F9

Insert a function/Open Formula Builder – Shift + F3

Select function and open brackets (after typing =) – Tab

FORMATTING

Open Format dialogue – CTRL + 1 | CMD + 1

Cell format – Shift + CTRL + ! (Number) or + $ (Currency) or + % (Percentage)

Toggle between type of cell reference – F4

EDITING
Delete row(s)/column(s) – CTRL + -

Add row(s)/column(s) – CTRL + Shift + +

DOCUMENTING

Insert/edit comment – Shift + F2

Name a cell or cell range – CTRL + F3 | CMD + F3

Display the Paste Name dialog box – F3

Terminology

Tables

The Table feature in Excel converts a standard range of cells into a cohesive data set. Tables have a number
of benefits that achieve a great deal of automation and flexibility. Refer to Intermediate I, Week 5 for more
details.

Named Ranges

Also referred to as Defined Names. Named Ranges are a way to give a memorable name to a single cell or
range of cells. You can then use a Named Range in formulas where it functions like an absolute cell
reference. It can also make your formulas more readable because the name has more meaning than a cell
reference. For example,=N4*Pension_Rate is more meaningful than =N4*$P$2. Refer to
Intermediate I, Week 3 for more details.

Wire-framing

The terminology is often used in website and software design but it is just as relevant for spreadsheet
design. A wireframe is a basic diagram of the content, arrangement and hierarchy of elements of your
spreadsheet. You can draw it on a piece of paper to start with. Especially with larger projects, this
diagramming exercise will be very important to help visualise your ideas, optimise the contents and links
between the various elements of your spreadsheet.

Styles

Styles in Excel work similarly to styles in Word. Styles can be used to easily control the formatting across a
whole workbook. Once assigned, a cell style controls all formatting aspects of a cell, including font type,
size, and colour, number format, borders, fill, etc.

Themes
A theme controls a set of formatting for the entire document, including colors, fonts, and effects. Themes
can be customised and shared with collaborators and across other MS Office programs.

Ninja Tips

Whilst there are many different ways of documenting and styling a spreadsheet, consider these tips when
you design and build your workbooks:

Accuracy

 Ask yourself at every stage: Does this result actually make sense? Never trust a spreadsheet!
 Choose the best function for the job.
 When using IF functions, avoid more than three nested IFs! Use ALT+Enter to create a new line
inside your formula to improve the readability of your formula.

Flexibility

 Avoid hard-coding values into formulas at all cost.

 Use named ranges and tables where possible.

Responsiveness

 Use tables where possible. Named ranges in tables are super powerful as they will grow along with
your data - they are a great way to 'set and forget'
 Avoid using volatile functions. They can seriously affect the performance of your workbook.
 Avoid dual data entry. Not only can this lead to errors and inconsistencies, it also means that your
workflow becomes bogged down in having to trace where you need to update the same information
more than once.

Easy-to-maintain

 Use styles and themes for your formatting where possible.

 Spend some time on coming up with standard naming conventions that you apply across all of your
work. Group named ranges, tables by using prefixes (e.g., tbl_; lkp_; nav;). If you want your named
ranges to appear before table and other elements, consider using a prefix like AA.
 Avoid using macros if at all possible. They are great but hard to maintain and there is often a simpler
way to do a lot of things in Excel

User-friendly

 Remember that others may have to work with and understand your spreadsheet. Include your future
self in that group! You need to be able to understand what you did in six months time!
 Work with a colleague to peer-review your work.
 Use comments and data validation where appropriate.
Week 2: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

Array Formulas

Compute an array formula - CTRL + Shift + Enter

Convert an existing formula into an array formula - F2, and then CTRL + Shift + Enter

Terminology

Array

This is a grid of any number of cells. In the formula bar, a colon separating two cell references indicates a
reference to an array. E.g. A5:A7 is a reference to the array containing the cells A5, A6 and A7.

Array Formula

Also known as a CSE (Control-Shift-Enter) Formula, this is an advanced Excel formula which relies on the use
of arrays. Curly braces { } in the formula bar indicate the use of an array formula.

Multi-Cell Array Formula

A type of array formula which gives results in multiple cells from a single formula.

Single-Cell Array Formula

A more common type of array formula which produces a result in a single cell from a single formula.

Array Constant

This is an array of values as opposed to an array of cell references. It is specified by putting values in curly
braces which are separated by semicolons. E.g. {1;2;3} is an array constant.

Transpose

The action of converting a row of Excel values to a column of the same values, or vice versa.

Structured Referencing
This is a type of referencing that Excel uses for tables. After creating a table, Excel automatically designates
names to the table and each column header in the table. Then, formulas that refer to cells within the table can
refer to those names instead of actual cell references.

Ninja Tips

Using TRUE and FALSE for counting

If you multiply the logical values TRUE or FALSE by 1 (one), then Excel will return the numerical values 1
(one) or 0 (zero), respectively. This will allow you to use Excel formulas that are based on the original logical
values, which would otherwise not be possible.

Consider this example: Given two named ranges for current and old USD price, the array formula
{=SUM((USD_Price<Old_USD_Price)*1)} will first convert the logical values produced by
USD_Price<Old_USD_Price to '0's and '1's and then sum the results. Effectively, you will have counted
how many price decreases have occurred amongst all the pairs of current and old USD prices.

Structured References

When using structured referencing, a mixture of relative referencing and absolute referencing is employed by
Excel. Generally, referencing tends to be absolute for formulas copied vertically but relative for formulas
copied horizontally. To convert from relative to absolute structured referencing, the name for the column header
needs to be duplicated before the formula is copied horizontally. For example, use:

TopQtr[@[Best Quarters]:[Best Quarters]] instead of just TopQtr[@[Best Quarters]]

Where TopQtr is the name of the table being extracted from and Best Quarters is the header name of
the desired column in the table.

Week 3: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

Today's Date

Today's date – CTRL + ; | CMD + ;

This enters the date as a fixed value, unlike using the TODAY function which is dynamic. Remember that
the TODAY function is a volatile function and will take up calculation resources as it re-calculates every
time you make a change in your spreadsheet.
Terminology

Non-Printing Character

This is a character that is there but it isn't displayed when you print and you can't see it. E.g. a space.

Binary

This is low-level language that the computer understands. This contains 0's and 1's.

Decimal

This represents the base 10 number system e.g 13, 32. This is easier to understand than binary and this is
used instead.

ASCII

American Standard Code for Information Interchange. The ASCII table provides a mapping between well-
understood characters like a space and shows how this is represented in binary, the language that the
computer understands.

Some Useful Data Cleaning Functions

ISBLANK: This is a logical function that tests whether a cell is blank. E.g. ISBLANK(A1) will return
TRUE if A1 is empty. A cell containing a space may appear to be empty but is recognised as containing a
character by Excel.

TEXT: This is a function that returns takes a number in a specified number format and returns text in a
specified text format. E.g. if J1 contains a date recognised by Excel, TEXT(J1, "mmmm") will return the
full name of the month.

DATE: This function can be used to combine three values to form a date that Excel recognises.

TRIM: Removes leading, trailing and extra spaces. TRIM will remove double spaces between words but
won't removes single spaces.

CLEAN: This is a function that removes some, but not all, of the non-printing characters. The CLEAN
function removes the first 32 non-printing characters from the ASCII code (those with decimal value 0 to 31).

ISNUMBER: This is a logical function that returns TRUE if the argument is numeric.

ISTEXT: This is the text analogue of ISNUMBER.

LEN: This is a function that returns the number of characters contained in a cell including those that aren't
visible.
CODE: This is a function that takes a character as an argument and converts it to its decimal equivalent
(ASCII value).

SUBSTITUTE: This is the function equivalent of Find and Replace.

CHAR: This function is the opposite of CODE - this takes a decimal value and returns the character it
represents.

VALUE: This function turns text into numeric values. This can only be applied to text that contains
numbers. If there are any other characters, the function doesn't work.

Ninja Tips

Similar to the ASCII codes there also exists Unicode. Unicode covers a larger number of characters than
ASCII, including characters from languages other than English. Use the function UNICODE(text) to
return the number (code) equivalent for the first character of the specified text. For example,
UNICODE("C") will return the number corresponding to the letter C.

Week 4: Toolbox
Keyboard Shortcuts

Today's Date

Today's date – CTRL + ; | CMD + ;

This enters the date as a fixed value, unlike using the TODAY function which is dynamic. Remember that
the TODAY function is a volatile function and will take up calculation resources as it re-calculates every
time you make a change in your spreadsheet.

Excel Terminology

Some Useful Date Functions

EOMONTH: This function returns the last day of the month after adding a specified number of months to
the date. E.g. EOMONTH(C5,2) this will give the end of the month 2 months after the specified date in
C5. If the specified date represents the beginning of a quarter this function would provide the date of the
end of the quarter.

WORKDAY.INTL: This is a newer version of the WORKDAY function. This function returns the date
after adding a specified number of working days to a given date. This function allows the user to specify
when the holidays are and also when the weekends are. To specify a unique set of holidays use weekend
string values. E.g. "0001011" would mean Thursday, Saturday and Sunday are the weekends. The start is
Monday, 0 represents a working day and 1 represents a non-working day.

EDATE: Returns the date after a specified number of months have been added to a date.

DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit): this function returns the difference in two dates. The units
argument determines what sort of difference in the dates is returned. E.g. “MD” means return the excess of
days after years and months have been taken into account.

Financial Terms

Principal: This refers to the amount of money that goes to reducing the loan amount after interest
charges are removed.

Future Value (FV): This represents how much an investment will be worth in the future. It can also
refer to the residual on a loan.

Present Value (PV): The amount of money invested or borrowed today. This represents the value of a
stream of cash flows today. This is sometimes also called the principal.

NPER: Number of repayment periods. If there are 4 years and payment frequency is monthly then this
value will be 4*12 = 48.

PMT: Payment amount, regular payment made annually or monthly. Excel assumes this stays constant.

Type: The default for type is 0 to represent at the end of the period. 1 means at the start of the period. E.g if
an annuity is paid every year if it’s paid every 1 Jan that would correspond to start and therefore 1 and if it’s
paid every 31 Dec that would correspond to the end of the period so 0 or left blank.

Sign convention: Excel’s sign convention is that cash inflows are considered positive and cash
outflows are considered to be negative values.

Loan Schedule: This is a table detailing each periodic payment on a loan. This shows the interest paid
and also the reducing amount of the loan. The example shown in the video is one for an amortization table.
A way of paying off a loan such that each payment first pays the interest and what is left pays off the
outstanding debt.

Annualised interest rate: This represents the effective interest rate for a period that has been
annualised, e.g. if the effective rate per month is 2% the annualised value is 24%.

Capital Budgeting
Capital budgeting: These are some techniques that a firm can use to select between different
projects. The most profitable project is selected. This is done because in most cases resources are scarce
and so not all projects can be selected.

Cost of Capital: This is the amount of return that shareholders require for investing their money into
the business.

IRR: The Internal Rate of Return. This tells us the rate of growth that a project will produce. When
comparing projects with the same investment amount, the one with the highest IRR is the most desirable. If
only one project is being compared then compare it to the cost of capital and select it if IRR > cost of capital.

NPV: The Net Present Value. This is the difference in the present value of the income produced by the
project and the costs needed to keep the project running. If multiple projects with the same investment
income are being compared, the one with the highest NPV is the most desirable. If only one project is
considered select it if NPV>0.

Depreciation

Depreciation: This is a reduction in the value of an asset. This is done to reflect the fair value of assets as
time goes by. Depreciation is also used by companies for tax purposes, depreciation is recorded as an
expense on income statements and so reduces the amount of tax the company pays.

Some important terms in depreciation.

Life: This is how long you estimate the asset will be useful for.

Salvage value: This is how much you estimate the asset will be worth at the end of its lifetime.

Cost: This is how much you pay for the asset.

Depreciation amount: This the amount each year that you calculate the asset should depreciate by.

Value of asset after depreciation: This value is calculated by the beginning of year value -
depreciation amount for that year.

Some examples of depreciation methods are:

Straight line method: In this method, the same amount is depreciated from the beginning of year
value of the asset for the lifetime of the asset. The amount to depreciate by is calculated by the following
formula: (Cost - Salvage value)/life

The Excel function SLN(cost, salvage, life) will calculate the depreciation amount.

Sum of Year Digits: This method assumes that most of the depreciation takes place at the beginning
of the assets life.
For example, if the asset is assumed to have a life of 10 years, for the first year the depreciation fraction is
10/55, for the second year 9/55, and so on (55 = 1+2+...+10). The fraction is then multiplied by (cost - salvage
value) to get the depreciation amount.

This Excel function can calculate the depreciation amount: SYD(cost, salvage, life, period) to
specify the period e.g from the given example 1 for the first year, 2 for the second year.

Double declining balance method (DDB): Another depreciation method that assumes most of
the depreciation of the asset takes place at the beginning of the assets life. The default in this method is to
take double the straight line method percentage and multiply it by the value of the asset after depreciation.

The following Excel function can calculate the depreciation amount: DDB(cost, salvage, life,
period, [factor]) there is an additional argument called factor which you specify if you don’t want the
default which is double the straight line method percentage.

Ninja Tips

There should be a distinction made between interest and interest rate. Interest refers to an amount paid
because of the cost of borrowing money. Interest rate refers to the rate charged. E.g $200 would be the
interest paid and 6% would be the interest rate.

The annualised interest rate should be differentiated from the effective annual interest rate. An effective
annual interest rate of 12% p.a would be equivalent to (1.12)^(1/12) - 1 per month. To find the
equivalent rate solve the equation (1+ i/100)^n = (1 + r/100), where i is the effective interest rate
of the period you desire to find, e.g. monthly effective rate, n is the number of periods of compounding that
makes the period for i, equivalent to 1 year e.g 12 in the above example, r is the annual interest rate, e.g.
12%. If we were looking for an effective quarterly rate n would be 4. When the above equation is solved it
gives i/100 = ( 1+ r/100)^(1/n) - 1.

Conventional cash flows are cash flows with only one sign change. This means all cash inflows precede the
cash outflows or the other way around. Only conventional cash flows are guaranteed to have a unique IRR
value. If the cash flows aren’t conventional then the IRR value may not be unique.

Week 5: Toolbox
Excel Terminology

Lookup Functions

LOOKUP: An Excel function which looks for a value in a single row or column and returns the value in the
same position of another row or column.
INDIRECT: This function redirects Excel to another cell reference that has been constructed by a text string.
E.g. If the number 2 is in cell A1 and A1 is typed in cell B2, then typing the formula =INDIRECT(B2) in
a new cell will redirect Excel to the cell reference in B2, which is A1. The number 2 will be returned because
this is the value in A1.

ADDRESS: An Excel function which returns the reference to a cell based on the row number and column
number that you specify.

ROW: As a function, this will return the row number in which a particular cell is located.

COLUMN: As a function, this will return the column number in which a particular cell is located.

OFFSET: This Excel function will give as an output a cell or range of cells lying a specified number of rows
and columns away from an original cell or range of cells.

Ninja Tips

The OFFSET Excel function can be used in the arguments of other Excel functions in place of an ordinary cell
reference. For example, you can sum the values in the array B3:D4 by using
=SUM(OFFSET(A1,2,1,2,3)) instead of =SUM(B3:D4).

When inserting or deleting a row or column, your Excel formulas will automatically change but you may not
want them to. The INDIRECT Excel function is useful for overcoming this problem. For example, if you want
to sum the array C2:D3, regardless of row/column insertions/deletions, use
=SUM(INDIRECT("C2:D3")) instead of =SUM($C$2:$D$3).

The LOOKUP function requires the values that are being looked up to be in ascending order, or else the wrong
value may be returned.

Week 6: Toolbox
Excel Terminology

Dashboard

A central location in Excel which allows the user to navigate across all the information and data relevant to
the user’s work, whether in a business environment or otherwise. Dashboards are visual, easy-to-use
interfaces that combine tables, charts and numbers to provide updates about the status of the work and its
performance.

KPI (Key Performance Indicator)

This is a value indicating how successful a company or other entity is in meeting its objectives. Examples of
KPIs include Profit, Cost, Sales By Region, etc.

Ninja Tips

Data need not be kept in the worksheets associated with your professional dashboard. Instead try to link
your spreadsheet to external data sources to reduce the size of your workbook and, more importantly, allow
the user to check the validity of the data sources.

Try to make the dashboard as interactive as possible (e.g. drop-down lists, data validation, buttons, etc.) so
that users are able to analyse exactly the information that they need.

Use named ranges and structured referencing instead of conventional formulas because this will enhance
the clarity of your workbook calculations and thought process, while also complementing the dashboard in
making navigation of the work as easy and intuitive as possible.

An important measure to be taken prior to building a professional dashboard is to understand the purpose
of the dashboard and the most likely users. This is what gives the dashboard its professional quality and its
ability to align with the needs and expectations of users.