MICROSOFT

EXCEL
STUDENTS TRAINING MANUAL

KEVIN M. OTIENO
&
EMMANUEL OLAAMONG
 INTRODUCTION
This spreadsheet package has been developed to simplify the process of
computing data. It’s a super calculator that enables the user to perform
calculations involving rows and columns. A single worksheet is made up of
16,384 columns and 1,048,576 rows by default. Using spreadsheet, you can
create a financial model in rows and columns just as you would on paper.
This powerful analytical tool can be used to analyze data in the following areas;
 Production
 Sales analysis
 Inventory, Tax and profit planning.
 Research and development
 Budgeting e.t.c

Other examples of spreadsheet include: -

Lotus 1 2 3
Quattro pro
Multiple
Super calc
E.t.c

LOADING THE PROGRAM

 In order to use a program, you must start (or open/load the program)
1. Click the Windows Start button.
2. The Start menu appears.
3. Point to All Programs/ Apps.
4. A menu appears. The programs and menus listed here will
depend on the programs installed on your computer.
5. Point to Microsoft Office.
6. lick Microsoft Office Excel 2007.
7. The excel 2007 program screen appears.

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 Parts of Microsoft excel window

Creating New File

A file in Microsoft word is called a Workbook. You can create new files or
workbook by;
Click on Office button (or file in other versions)
Select New.
From the appearing dialogue box select Blank workbook. A new workbook will
be created.
NB: When opening Excel for the first time a new workbook is always created.

The ribbon
Excel 2007 provides easy access to commands through the Ribbon, which
replaces the menus and toolbars found in previous versions of Excel. The Ribbon
keeps commands visible while you work instead of hiding them under menus or
toolbars.

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Navigating a Worksheet
Before you start entering data into a worksheet, you need to learn how to move
around in a worksheet. A worksheet is a single page in an excel workbook.
You must make a cell active by selecting it before you can enter information in
it. You can make a cell active by using:
The Mouse: Click any cell with the white cross pointer.
The Keyboard: Move the cell pointer using the keyboard‘s arrow keys.
To help you know where you are in a worksheet, Excel displays row headings,
indentified by numbers, on the left side of the worksheet, and column headings,
identified by letters, at the top of the worksheet. Each cell in a worksheet has its
own cell address made from its column letter and row number—such as cell A1,
A2, B1, B2, etc. You can immediately find the address of a cell by looking at the
Name Box, which shows the current cell address.

Name
box

FEATURES OF MICROSOFT EXCEL

THE HOME MENU
Most of the features are replicated in the previous from Microsoft Word,
therefore work in the same manner. In this menu we are going to highlight only
those that are new in Microsoft Excel

1. HIGHLIGHTING CELLS
a) To work with a range of cells, you need to know how to select multiple cells.
Click the first cell you want to select in the cell range and hold down the
mouse button, drag to select multiple cells. As you drag, the selected cells are
highlighted. Release the mouse button.
b) To highlight a column or row, click on the column title or row title.
c) To highlight the entire sheet click on the button above row 1 and left of
Column A.

2. INSERTING CELLS, ROWS/ COLUMNS

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 Inserting cells
Select the cell or cell range where you want to insert cells. The number of cells
you select is the number of cells to be inserted. Click the Home tab on the
Ribbon and click the Insert list arrow in the Cells group. Select Insert Cells.
The Insert dialog box appears. Here you can tell Excel how you want to move the
existing cells to make room for the new ones by selecting - Shift cells right - or -
Shift cells down. You can also select - Entire row or - Entire column in the Insert
dialog box to insert an entire row or column and not just a cell or cells. Select
the insert option you want to use and click ok.
Inserting rows/ columns
 Select the row heading below or column heading to the right of where you
want to insert the new row or column.
 The number of row or column headings you select is the number of row or
columns that will be inserted.
 Click the Home tab on the Ribbon and click the Insert list arrow in the Cells
group. Select Insert Rows or Insert Columns.
 The row or column is inserted. Existing rows are shifted downward, while
existing columns are shifted to the right.
Deleting Cells, Rows, and Columns
 You can quickly delete existing cells, columns, or rows from a worksheet.
When you delete cells the existing cells shift to fill the space left by the
deletion.
 Select the cell(s) you want to delete.
 Cick the Home tab on the Ribbon and click the Delete list arrow in the Cells
group. Select Delete Cells.
 The Delete dialog box appears. Here you can tell Excel how you want to move
the remaining cells to cover the hole left by the deleted cell(s) by selecting,
Shift cells left or Shift cells up.
 The cell(s) are deleted and the remaining cells are shifted.

3. ADJUSTING ROW HEIGHT AND COLUMN WIDTH

When you start working on a worksheet, all the rows and columns are the same
size. As you enter information into the worksheet, you will quickly discover that
some of the columns or rows are not large enough to display the information
they contain.

Procedure
Point to the column/row header‘s intersection border until the pointer changes
to a sing.
Click and drag to the left or right (for column) or up or down for row to adjust
the width/ height.
A dotted line appears as you drag, showing you where the new column/ row
border will be.

To AutoFit columns or rows

The AutoFit feature automatically resizes columns or rows to fit the cell in each
column or row that has the widest or tallest contents.

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 Double-click the right border of the column(s) or bottom border of the row(s).

4. INSERTING, DELETING, RENAMING,MOVING OR COPYING

WORKSHEETS

Inserting worksheets
You can easily add worksheets to a workbook or delete unwanted ones.

Procedure
Click the Insert Worksheet tab.
A new worksheet is added to the workbook.

Insert worksheet Tab

Or, you can right click on any sheet tab and select insert. In the appearing
dialogue box select worksheet then click OK.

Deleting worksheet
Right-click the sheet tab you want to delete and select Delete from the
contextual menu.
The worksheet is deleted.
Renaming a worksheet
By default, Excel worksheets are given the names Sheet1, Sheet2, Sheet3, and
so on. You can give them more meaningful names.
 Double-click the sheet tab. The sheet name is selected so that it can be
renamed.
 Type a new name for the worksheet.
 Press <Enter>. The sheet is renamed.

Move or copy a worksheet

You can easily rearrange worksheets using the Move or Copy dialog box or by
using the mouse.
Click the To book list arrow to move or copy the selected sheet into another
workbook that is already open, or into a new workbook.

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Procedure
Select the sheet tab(s) for the worksheet(s) you want to move or copy.
Right-click one of the sheet tabs you want to move or copy and select Move or
Copy from the contextual menu.
The Move or Copy dialog box appears. (as shown above)
Select the sheet after which you want your moved or copied sheet(s) to appear
in the Before Sheet list. (Optional) Click the Create a copy check box to copy
the selected sheet.
If this box is check marked, the worksheet(s) will be copied to the new location,
instead of simply being moved.
Click OK. The worksheet(s) are moved or copied to the new location. The moved
or copied sheet will be placed in front of the sheet that is selected.

Or: To Move or Copy a Sheet: Select the sheet(s) you want to move or copy.
Click the Home tab on the Ribbon and click the Format button in the Cells
group. Select Move or Copy Sheet from the list.

NB: The easiest way to move or copy a worksheet within a workbook is with the
mouse. Select the sheet you want to move or copy. Click and drag the sheet tab
to move it to a new location in the workbook.

5. STYLES
Conditional formatting
Conditional formatting formats cells only if a specified condition is true. For
example, you could use conditional formatting to display weekly sales totals that
exceeded Ksh. 5,000 in bright red boldface formatting, and in bright blue italics
formatting if the sales totals were under Ksh. 2,000. If the value of the cell
changes and no longer meets the specified condition, the cell returns to its
original formatting.

Procedure
 Select the cell range you want to format.
 Click the Home tab on the Ribbon and click the Conditional Formatting
button in the Styles group.
 A menu appears. Here you have several conditional formatting rules to
choose from: e.g.
 Highlight Cells Rules: These conditions focus on general analysis. Preset
conditions include: Greater Than; Less Than; Between; Equal To; Text That
Contains; Date Occurring; Duplicate Values.
 Top/Bottom Rules: These conditions focus on the high and low values in the
worksheet. Preset conditions include: Top 10 Items; Top 10%; Bottom 10
Items; Bottom 10%; Above Average; Below Average. e.t.c
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 A dialog box appears, allowing you to specify the details relating to the rule.
 Complete the dialog box to define the condition.
 Click OK.

Apply a cell style

 Select the cell(s) you want to format.
 Click the Home tab and click the Cell Styles button in the Styles group.
 A gallery of styles appears.
 Select a cell style.

6. Hiding Rows, Columns, Worksheets and Windows

You can hide rows, columns, worksheets and entire workbook windows from
view. Data isn‘t deleted, but simply hidden from view until you unhide it.

Procedure
 Select the row or column heading(s) for the row(s) or column(s) you want to
hide.
 Right-click the heading and select Hide from the contextual menu.
 The row(s) or column(s) are hidden.
 Or: Select the row or column heading(s) for the row(s) or column(s) you want
to hide. On the Home tab, click the Format button in the Cells group. Point to
Hide & Unhide and select Hide Rows or Hide Columns.

To unhide row/ column

 Select the row or column heading(s) on both sides of the hidden row(s) or
column(s).
 For example, if columns C and D were hidden, you would select the B and E
column headings.
 Right-click the heading and select Unhide from the contextual menu.
 Or: Select the row or column heading(s) on both sides of the hidden row(s) or
column(s). On the Home tab, click the Format button in the Cells group. Point
to Hide & Unhide and select Unhide Rows or Unhide Columns.

Hide or unhide a worksheet

 Right-click the sheet tab for the worksheet you want to hide.

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 Select Hide from the contextual menu.
 The sheet is hidden. It still exists in the workbook so any references to the
sheet will still work.

To unhide sheet
 Click the Unhide Window button in the Window group.
 The window is unhidden.
NB: If there is more than one window hidden, the Unhide dialog box will appear.
Select which window you want to unhide and click OK.

THE INSERT MENU

Most of the features of the insert menu are replicated in Microsoft word.
However we shall give emphasis to charts.

CHARTS
A chart is a pictorial representation of data.
Charts are used for data representation because they are easy to create and
easy to interpret.

Select the cell range containing the data and labels you want to chart. (NB:You can chart non-adjacent cells if you hold
down the <Ctrl> key while selecting the cells.)
 Click the Insert tab on the Ribbon.
 In the Charts group, there are several chart types to choose from. Each of the
chart types then has several charts to choose from.

 Click a chart type button in the Charts group. A list of charts for the selected
chart type appears.
 Select the chart you want to use from the list.
 The chart appears in the worksheet and the Chart Tools appear on the
Ribbon.

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 The Chart Tools include three new tabs—Design, Layout and Format—that
help you modify and format the chart.
Chart types

Chart Templates
You can save a template of a chart that you‘ve customized with your own layouts
and formatting. Then you can use the template to create similar charts in the
future.
When you save a chart as a template, that chart‘s properties are saved for easy
future use.

Procedure
 Select the chart you want to save as a template.
 Under Chart Tools on the Ribbon, click the Design tab and click the Save as
Template button in the Type group.

 The Save Chart Template dialog box appears.

 Type a name for the template in the File name box and click Save.

Delete a template
If you decide you no longer need a certain chart template, you can delete it.

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 Click the Insert tab on the Ribbon and click the Dialog Box Launcher in the
Charts group. The Insert Chart dialog box appears.
 Click the Manage Templates button.
 The Charts folder is displayed.
 Right-click the template file and select Delete. The file is deleted.

THE PAGE LAYOUT MENU

Most of the features of the insert menu are replicated in Microsoft word.
However highlighted are the few features unique to excel 2007.

Print titles
The Print Titles command allows you to designate certain rows and columns to
repeat on every printed page.

Procedure
 Click the Page Layout tab on the Ribbon and click the Print Titles button in
the Page Setup group.
 The Page Setup dialog box appears, displaying the Sheet tab.

 In the Print titles area, there are two text boxes: Rows to repeat at top and
Columns to repeat at left. You can use the cell reference buttons next to the
text boxes to select the ranges that contain the labels you want to repeat on
every page.
 Click the Rows to repeat at top or Columns to repeat at left cell reference
button.
 The dialog box is minimized so you can see the spreadsheet and select the
cells you want to repeat.
 Select the rows or columns you want to appear on every printed page and
click the cell reference button.
 The dialog box expands to its full size once again.
 Click OK.
 When you print, the rows and/or columns you selected will appear on every
page.

Background
You can apply printable pictorial background on your worksheets.

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Procedure
 Click the Page Layout tab on the Ribbon and click the background button in
the Page Setup group.
 The sheet background dialogue box will appear

 Chose the desired background then click insert.

 The background will appear tiled in your sheet

THE FORMULAS MENU

FORMULAS
Formulas expression enables the user to perform calculations involving values.
But unlike regular values, formulas contain information to perform a numerical
calculation, such as adding, subtracting, or multiplying.
All formulas must start with an equal sign (=). Formulas in Excel are also
referred to as Syntax
Excel has a wide range of formulas to perform different specific calculations.
The calculations performed are referred to functions. In this training however
we highlight the commonly used functions.
Formulas can contain numbers, like 5 or 8, but more often cell reference is
used.

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For example, in the sheet represented above to calculate the total for PET the
formula =34+38+33+35 adds the values but cell reference represents them as
B2+C2+D2+E2. Using these cell references is advantageous because if you
change the values in the referenced cells, the formula result updates
automatically to take the new values into account.
In cell referencing the Cell Range of cells is commonly used when presenting a
number of cells together. For the above example the range would be B2:E2

1. ADDITION
Method 1
In adding a range of cells, you use a plus sign (+) e.g. when adding cell B2, B3 &
B4 type the following formula.
=(B2+B3+B4) OR =B2+B3+B4

Method 2
Syntax =sum(cell range)
 Type an equal sign, type the word sum, type an opening bracket then define
the range. Type a closing bracket and press enter key. E.g. =SUM(B2:B4)

Method 3
 Highlight the range of cells you want to add
 Click on Auto sum icon from the standard toolbar

Method 4
 Type an equal sign
 Type the word sum
 Type an opening bracket
 Point in the first cell from the cells you want to add
 Press down the left button of the mouse and drag up to the last cell
 Release the button and press enter key
=Sum(drag the range and press enter

2. SUBRTACTION/ MULTIPLICATION & DIVISION

In subtraction you simply take the first cell the operator and the last cell.
e.g. =B2-C2
This applies both to the multiplication where the * sing is used and division
where the / sign is used.

3. IF FUNCTION
The IF function is a conditional function or logical function which evaluates the
condition you specify and return one value if the condition is true and another or
other values if the condition is false.
There are three parts in this formula:
Logical Test: This is this first argument, and it evaluates a statement as true or
false.
Value if True: If the statement in the Logical Test is true, then this value is
entered.

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Value if False: If the statement in the Logical Test is false, then this value(s) is
entered.

The syntax of IF function:

=IF(logical_test,value_if_true,value_if_false) e.g.

4. PMT FUNCTION
The PMT function calculates the payment for a loan based on periodic payments
and a constant interest rate.
The pmt syntax
= PMT(rate,nper,pv) e.g.

5. VLOOKUP
The VLOOKUP function looks up information in a worksheet. The VLOOKUP
searches vertically down the left most column of a cell range until it finds the
value you specify. When it finds the specified value, it then looks across the row
and returns the value in column you specify.
You can use it for example to determine grades.
The VLOOKUP syntax
=VLOOKUP (lookup_value,table_array, col_index_num)
E.G. =VLOOKUP(B2:$B$11:$C$20,2,TRUE)

6. MODE/ MEDIAN
Mode finds the most common value among the chosen range while median
calculates the middle point of the values chosen.
1. e.g. =MODE(B2:B11)
2. MEDIAN(B2:B11)

7. RANK
8. Calculates the position of a value either ascending or descending
e.g. =RANK(B2,B$2:B$11,0)
for descending value 1 is normally replaced with 0

THE DATA MENU

Most of the features of the insert menu are replicated in Microsoft word.
However highlighted are the
few features unique to excel 2007.

FILTERING DATA
When you filter data, Excel displays only the records that meet the criteria you
specify—other records are hidden. You can also filter by multiple columns; each
time you filter by an additional column, the data is further reduced.

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 TO FILTER DATA
1. Select the range of data you want to filter or select a cell within the range.
2. Click the Home tab on the Ribbon, click the Sort & Filter button in the
Editing group, and click Filter. Filter buttons that look like arrows appear in
the first cell of each field header.

3. Click the filter button for the column you want to filter. A list of filter options
appears at the bottom of the list. There is an option for every entry in the field.
4. Checkmark the check boxes of values that you want to display. Remove the
checkmarks from check boxes of values that you want to hide. The data is
filtered so that records that do not meet the criteria are hidden. You can keep
filtering by additional columns.
5. Click OK.

REMOVE FILTERING
You can remove a filter to once again display all the data. Click the Home tab on
the Ribbon, click the Sort & Filter button in the Editing group, and select Filter.
The filter buttons disappear and filtering is removed.

SORTING
You can take ranges of data and sort them into different orders. For example, you
can sort text alphabetically, numbers by size, dates and times chronologically,
cells or fonts by color or icon, or you can create a custom sort.
1. Once you have your data organized in columns and rows, you can sort by
values in a certain column. Select the range of data or select a cell in the
column
you want to sort by.
2. Click the data tab on the Ribbon and click the Sort & Filter button in the sort
and filter group.
3. A list of sorting options appears, which change according to the type of data
you are sorting: Text options: Sort A to Z or Sort Z to A. Number options:
Sort Smallest to Largest or Sort Largest to Smallest. Date options: Sort
Oldest to Newest or Sort
Newest to Oldest.
4. Select a sort option. The column is sorted based on the values in the leftmost
column in the selected range. All the fields within each record move together.
For example, if you sort a list of first and last names by last name, the first
names still correspond to the last names after sorting.

VALIDATION
Validation is setting of limit in which data can be entered.
1. To validate data Click the data tab on the Ribbon and click the validation
button in the data tools group.

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2. Under settings define the criteria of your filter.
3. Under input message type the text that will be displayed when you point on
the validated cells.
4. Under error alert type the text that will be displayed when the validation rule
is violated.
5. Click ok.

REMOVING VALIDATION
1. To remove validation Click the data tab on the Ribbon and click the
validation button in the data tools group.
2. Under settings click on any value.
3. The validation will be removed.

THE DATA MENU

Most of the features of the insert menu are replicated in Microsoft word.
However highlighted are the
few features unique to excel 2007.

PROTECTING WORKSHEETS AND WORKSHEET ELEMENTS

You can prevent unauthorized changes to your data by protecting worksheets. In
a protected worksheet, none of its contents—cells or other elements—can be
changed. However, you can prepare the worksheet so that certain cells and
elements can be changed after it is protected.

1. Display the worksheet you want to protect.

2. Click the review tab on the Ribbon and click the protect sheet button in the
changes. Group

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3. Check the options you want to protect
4. Type the password, confirm it by retyping it again and click ok.

To remove unprotect the sheet

Click the unprotect sheet, supply the password and click Ok.

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