Microsoft Excel

Unit -1
 Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft excel makes it easy to monitor and
record financial performance of any business
and thus is the most commonly used
spreadsheet application. Calculating the
overall performance of any business is easily
facilitated with the use of Microsoft excel.
Learning MS Excel is a vital need for
employees.
 Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Excel is a commercial spreadsheet application,
written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft
Windows and Mac OS X. At the time of writing this
tutorial the Microsoft excel version was 2010 for
Microsoft Windows and 2011 for Mac OS X.
• Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet tool capable of
performing calculations, analyzing data and integrating
information from different programs.
• By default, documents saved in Excel 2010 are saved
with the .xlsx extension whereas the file extension of
the prior Excel versions are .xls.
Explore Window in Excel 2010
Entering Values in Excel 2010

• Entering values in excel

sheet is a child’s play
and this session shows
how to enter values in
an excel sheet. A new
sheet is displayed by
default when you open
an excel sheet as
shown in the below
screen shot.
 Spell Check in Excel 2010
• MS Excel provides a feature of Word Processing program
called Spelling check. We can get rid of the spelling
mistakes with the help of spelling check feature.
• Let us see how to access the spell check.
• To access the spell checker, Choose Review ➪ Spelling or
press F7.
• To check the spelling in just a particular range, select the
range before you activate the spell checker.
• If the spell checker finds any words it does not recognize
as correct, it displays the Spelling dialogue with suggested
options.
 Exploring Options
• Let us see the various options available in spell check dialogue.
• Ignore Once − Ignores the word and continues the spell check.
• Ignore All − Ignores the word and all subsequent occurrences of
it.
• Add to Dictionary − Adds the word to the dictionary.
• Change − Changes the word to the selected word in the
Suggestions list.
• Change All − Changes the word to the selected word in the
Suggestions list and changes all subsequent occurrences of it
without asking.
• AutoCorrect − Adds the misspelled word and its correct spelling
(which you select from the list) to the AutoCorrect list.
 Special Symbols in Excel 2010
• If you want to insert some symbols or special
characters that are not found on the keyboard in
that case you need to use the Symbols option.
• Using Symbols
• Go to Insert » Symbols » Symbol to view
available symbols. You can see many symbols
available there like Pi, alpha, beta, etc.
• Select the symbol you want to add and click
insert to use the symbol.
 Using Special Characters
• Go to Insert » Symbols » Special Characters to
view the available special characters. You can
see many special characters available there
like Copyright, Registered etc.
• Select the special character you want to add
and click insert, to use the special character.
 Some Tool Tips
• Formatting Cell
• Comments
• Text Boxes
• Rotate Cells in Excel 2010
 Sheet Options in Excel 2010

• MS Excel provides various sheet options for

printing purpose like generally cell gridlines
aren’t printed. If you want your printout to
include the gridlines, Choose Page Layout »
Sheet Options group » Gridlines » Check
Print.
 Options in Sheet Options Dialogue

• Print Area − You can set the print area with this option.
• Print Titles − You can set titles to appear at the top for rows
and at the left for columns.
• Print −
• Gridlines − Gridlines to appear while printing worksheet.
• Black & White − Select this check box to have your color
printer print the chart in black and white.
• Draft quality − Select this check box to print the chart using
your printer’s draft-quality setting.
• Rows & Column Heading − Select this check box to have
rows and column heading to print.
 Options in Sheet Options Dialogue

• Page Order −
• Down, then Over − It prints the down pages
first and then the right pages.
• Over, then Down − It prints right pages first
and then comes to print the down pages.
• Margins
• Page Orientation
• Header and Footer
 Header and Footer

• A header is the information that appears at

the top of each printed page and a footer is
the information that appears at the bottom of
each printed page. By default, new workbooks
do not have headers or footers.
• You can choose the predefined header and footer or create
your custom ones.
• &[Page] − Displays the page number.
• &[Pages] − Displays the total number of pages to be
printed.
• &[Date] − Displays the current date.
• &[Time] − Displays the current time.
• &[Path]&[File] − Displays the workbook’s complete path
and filename.
• &[File] − Displays the workbook name.
• &[Tab] − Displays the sheet’s name.
 Adding Header and Footer
• Choose Page Setup dialog box » Header or Footer tab.
• Other Header and Footer Options
• When a header or footer is selected in Page Layout view, the Header &
Footer » Design » Options group contains controls that let you specify
other options −
• Different First Page − Check this to specify a different header or footer
for the first printed page.
• Different Odd & Even Pages − Check this to specify a different header or
footer for odd and even pages.
• Scale with Document − If checked, the font size in the header and footer
will be sized. Accordingly if the document is scaled when printed. This
option is enabled, by default.
• Align with Page Margins − If checked, the left header and footer will be
aligned with the left margin, and the right header and footer will be
aligned with the right margin. This option is enabled, by default.
• Set Background
• Freeze Panes in Excel
• If you set up a worksheet with row or column
headings, these headings will not be visible
when you scroll down or to the right. MS Excel
provides a handy solution to this problem with
freezing panes. Freezing panes keeps the
headings visible while you’re scrolling through
the worksheet.
 Using Freeze Panes

• Follow the steps mentioned below to freeze panes.

• Select the First row or First Column or the row
Below, which you want to freeze, or Column right
to area, which you want to freeze.
• Choose View Tab » Freeze Panes.
• Select the suitable option −
– Freeze Panes − To freeze area of cells.
– Freeze Top Row − To freeze first row of worksheet.
– Freeze First Column − To freeze first Column of
worksheet.
• If you have selected Freeze top row you can
see the first row appears at the top, after
scrolling also. See the below screen-shot.
 Unfreeze Panes

• To unfreeze Panes, choose View Tab »

Unfreeze Panes.
 Formulas in MS Excel

• Formulas are the Bread and butter of

worksheet. Without formula, worksheet will
be just simple tabular representation of data.
A formula consists of special code, which is
entered into a cell.
• It performs calculations and returns a result,
which is displayed in the cell.
 Formulas in MS Excel

• Formulas use a variety of operators and

worksheet functions to work with values and
text. The values and text used in formulas can
be located in other cells, which makes
changing data easy and gives worksheets their
dynamic nature. For example, you can quickly
change the data in a worksheet and formulas
works.
 Elements of Formulas
• Formulas use a variety of operators and
worksheet functions to work with values and
text. The values and text used in formulas can
be located in other cells, which makes
changing data easy and gives worksheets their
dynamic nature. For example, you can quickly
change the data in a worksheet and formulas
works.
 Elements of Formulas
• A formula can consist of any of these elements
• Mathematical operators, such as +(for
addition) and *(for multiplication)
• Example −
• =A1+A2 Adds the values in cells A1 and A2.
 Elements of Formulas
• Values or text
• Example −
• =200*0.5 Multiplies 200 times 0.15. This
formula uses only values, and it always returns
the same result as 100.
 Elements of Formulas
• Cell references (including named cells and
ranges)
• Example −
• =A1=C12 Compares cell A1 with cell C12. If the
cells are identical, the formula returns TRUE;
otherwise, it returns FALSE.
 Elements of Formulas
• Worksheet functions (such as SUM or
AVERAGE)
• Example −
• =SUM(A1:A12) Adds the values in the range
A1:A12.
 Creating Formula
• For creating a formula you need to type in the
Formula Bar. Formula begins with '=' sign.
• When building formulas manually, you can
either type in the cell addresses or you can
point to them in the worksheet.
• Using the Pointing method to supply the cell
addresses for formulas is often easier and
more powerful method of formula building.
 Creating Formula
• When you are using built-in functions, you
click the cell or drag through the cell range
that you want to use when defining the
function’s arguments in the Function
Arguments dialog box. See the next screen
shot.
 Creating Formula
• As soon as you complete a formula entry, Excel
calculates the result, which is then displayed
inside the cell within the worksheet (the contents
of the formula, however, continue to be visible on
the Formula bar anytime the cell is active).
• If you make an error in the formula that prevents
Excel from being able to calculate the formula at
all, Excel displays an Alert dialog box suggesting
how to fix the problem.
 Copying Formulas in MS Excel
• Copying formulas is one of the most common
tasks that you do in a typical spreadsheet that
relies primarily on formulas. When a formula
uses cell references rather than constant
values, Excel makes the task of copying an
original formula to every place that requires a
similar formula.
 Relative Cell Addresses

• MS Excel does it automatically adjusting the cell

references in the original formula to suit the position
of the copies that you make. It does this through a
system known as relative cell addresses, where by
the column references in the cell address in the
formula change to suit their new column position
and the row references change to suit their new row
position.
 Relative Cell Addresses

• Let us see this with the help of example.

• Suppose we want the sum of all the rows at last, then
we will write a formula for first column i.e. B. We
want sum of the rows from 3 to 8 in the 9th row.
• After writing formula in • column C : =SUM(C3:C8)
the 9th row, we can drag • column D : =SUM(D3:D8)
it to remaining columns • column E : =SUM(E3:E8)
and the formula gets • column F : =SUM(F3:F8)
copied. After dragging • column G : =SUM(G3:G8)
we can see the formula
in the remaining
columns as below.
 Formula Reference in Excel

• Cell References in Formulas

• Most formulas you create include references to cells
or ranges. These references enable your formulas to
work dynamically with the data contained in those
cells or ranges. For example, if your formula refers
to cell C2 and you change the value contained in C2,
the formula result reflects new value automatically.
If you didn’t use references in your formulas, you
would need to edit the formulas themselves in
order to change the values used in the formulas.
 Formula Reference in Excel

• When you use a cell (or range) reference in a

formula, you can use three types of references
− relative, absolute, and mixed references.
• Relative Cell References
• The row and column references can change
when you copy the formula to another cell
because the references are actually offsets from
the current row and column. By default, Excel
creates relative cell references in formulas.
 Formula Reference in Excel

• When you use a cell (or range) reference in a

formula, you can use three types of references
− relative, absolute, and mixed references.
• Relative Cell References
• The row and column references can change
when you copy the formula to another cell
because the references are actually offsets from
the current row and column. By default, Excel
creates relative cell references in formulas.
 Absolute Cell References
• The row and column references do not change when
you copy the formula because the reference is to an
actual cell address. An absolute reference uses two
dollar signs in its address: one for the column letter
and one for the row number (for example, $A$5).
 Mixed Cell References
• Both the row or column reference is relative and the other is
absolute. Only one of the address parts is absolute (for
example, $A5 or A$5).
 Functions in Formula
• Many formulas you create use available worksheet
functions. These functions enable you to greatly
enhance the power of your formulas and perform
calculations that are difficult if you use only the
operators.
• For example, you can use the LOG or SIN function to
calculate the Logarithm or Sin ratio. You can’t do this
complicated calculation by using the mathematical
operators alone.
 Functions in Formula
• Using Functions
• When you type = sign and then type any alphabet you will see
the searched functions as below.
 Functions in Formula
• Suppose you need to determine the largest value in a
range. A formula can’t tell you the answer without using
a function. We will use formula that uses the MAX
function to return the largest value in the range B3:B8 as
=MAX(A1:D100).
 Functions in Formula
• Another example of functions. Suppose you want to find
if the cell of month is greater than 1900 then we can
give Bonus to Sales representative. The we can achieve it
with writing formula with IF functions as
=IF(B9>1900,"Yes","No")
 Function Arguments

• In the before examples, you may have noticed

that all the functions used parentheses. The
information inside the parentheses is the list
of arguments.
• Functions vary in how they use arguments.
Depending on what it has to do, a function
may use.
 Function Arguments

• No arguments − Examples − Now(), Date(),

etc.
• One argument − UPPER(), LOWER(), etc.
• A fixed number of arguments − IF(), MAX(),
MIN(), AVERGAGE(), etc.
• Infinite number of arguments
• Optional arguments
 Built In Functions
• Functions by Categories
• Let us see some of the built in functions in MS Excel.
• Text Functions
• LOWER − Converts all characters in a supplied text string to lower case
• UPPER − Converts all characters in a supplied text string to upper case
• TRIM − Removes duplicate spaces, and spaces at the start and end of a text
string
• CONCATENATE − Joins together two or more text strings.
• LEFT − Returns a specified number of characters from the start of a supplied
text string.
• MID − Returns a specified number of characters from the middle of a
supplied text string
• RIGHT − Returns a specified number of characters from the end of a supplied
text string.
• LEN − Returns the length of a supplied text string
• FIND − Returns the position of a supplied character or text string from within
a supplied text string (case-sensitive).
 Built In Functions
• Date & Time
• DATE − Returns a date, from a user-supplied year, month
and day.
• TIME − Returns a time, from a user-supplied hour, minute
and second.
• DATEVALUE − Converts a text string showing a date, to an
integer that represents the date in Excel's date-time code.
• TIMEVALUE − Converts a text string showing a time, to a
decimal that represents the time in Excel.
• NOW − Returns the current date & time.
• TODAY − Returns today's date.
 Built In Functions
• Statistical
• MAX − Returns the largest value from a list of supplied
numbers.
• MIN − Returns the smallest value from a list of supplied
numbers.
• AVERAGE − Returns the Average of a list of supplied numbers.
• COUNT − Returns the number of numerical values in a
supplied set of cells or values.
• COUNTIF − Returns the number of cells (of a supplied range),
that satisfies a given criteria.
• SUM − Returns the sum of a supplied list of numbers
 Built In Functions
• Logical
• AND − Tests a number of user-defined conditions and returns
TRUE if ALL of the conditions evaluate to TRUE, or FALSE
otherwise
• OR − Tests a number of user-defined conditions and returns
TRUE if ANY of the conditions evaluate to TRUE, or FALSE
otherwise.
• NOT − Returns a logical value that is the opposite of a user
supplied logical value or expression i.e. returns FALSE if the
supplied argument is TRUE and returns TRUE if the supplied
argument is F
 Built In Functions
• Math & Trig
– ABS − Returns the absolute value (i.e. the modulus) of a
supplied number.
– SIGN − Returns the sign (+1, -1 or 0) of a supplied number.
– SQRT − Returns the positive square root of a given number.
– MOD − Returns the remainder from a division between
two supplied numbers.
 Data Filtering in Excel
• Filters in MS Excel
• Filtering data in MS Excel refers to displaying only the
rows that meet certain conditions. (The other rows
gets hidden.)
• Using the store data, if you are interested in seeing
data where Shoe Size is 36, then you can set filter to
do this. Follow the below mentioned steps to do this.
• Place a cursor on the Header Row.
• Choose Data Tab » Filter to set filter.
Data Filtering in Excel
 Data Filtering in Excel
• Click the drop-down arrow in the Area Row Header
and remove the check mark from Select All, which
unselects everything.
• Then select the check mark for Size 36 which will
filter the data and displays data of Shoe Size 36.
• Some of the row numbers are missing; these rows
contain the filtered (hidden) data.
• There is drop-down arrow in the Area column now
shows a different graphic — an icon that indicates
the column is filtered.
Data Filtering in Excel
 Using Multiple Filters
• You can filter the records by multiple
conditions i.e. by multiple column values.
Suppose after size 36 is filtered, you need to
have the filter where color is equal to Coffee.
After setting filter for Shoe Size, choose Color
column and then set filter for color.
 Data Sorting in Excel
• Sorting in MS Excel
• Sorting data in MS Excel rearranges the rows based
on the contents of a particular column. You may
want to sort a table to put names in alphabetical
order. Or, maybe you want to sort data by Amount
from smallest to largest or largest to smallest.
• To Sort the data follow the steps mentioned below.
• Select the Column by which you want to sort data.
• Choose Data Tab » Sort Below dialog appears.
• If you want to sort data based on a selected
column, Choose Continue with the selection
or if you want sorting based on other columns,
choose Expand Selection.
• You can Sort based on the below Conditions.
– Values − Alphabetically or numerically.
– Cell Color − Based on Color of Cell.
– Font Color − Based on Font color.
– Cell Icon − Based on Cell Icon.
Clicking Ok will sort the data.
Sorting option is also available from the Home
Tab. Choose Home Tab » Sort & Filter. You can
see the same dialog to sort records
 Data Validation in Excel
• Data Validation
• MS Excel data validation feature allows you to
set up certain rules that dictate what can be
entered into a cell. For example, you may
want to limit data entry in a particular cell to
whole numbers between 0 and 10. If the user
makes an invalid entry, you can display a
custom message as shown below.
 Data Validation in Excel
• MS Excel data validation feature allows you to
set up certain rules that dictate what can be
entered into a cell. For example, you may
want to limit data entry in a particular cell to
whole numbers between 0 and 10. If the user
makes an invalid entry, you can display a
custom message as shown below.
• Validation Criteria
• To specify the type of data allowable in a cell or
range, follow the steps below, which shows all the
three tabs of the Data Validation dialog box.
• Select the cell or range.
• Choose Data » Data Tools » Data Validation. Excel
displays its Data Validation dialog box having 3
tabs settings, Input Message and Error alert.
• Settings Tab
• Here you can set the type of validation you need. Choose an option
from the Allow drop-down list. The contents of the Data Validation
dialog box will change, displaying controls based on your choice.
• Any Value − Selecting this option removes any existing data validation.
• Whole Number − The user must enter a whole number.For example,
you can specify that the entry must be a whole number greater than or
equal to 50.
• Decimal − The user must enter a number. For example, you can specify
that the entry must be greater than or equal to 10 and less than or
equal to 20.
• List − The user must choose from a list of entries you provide. You will
create drop-down list with this validation. You have to give input ranges
then those values will appear in the drop-down.
• Date − The user must enter a date. You specify a valid date range from
choices in the Data drop-down list. For example, you can specify that
the entered data must be greater than or equal to January 1, 2013, and
less than or equal to December 31, 2013.
• Time − The user must enter a time. You specify a valid time range from
choices in the Data drop-down list. For example, you can specify that
the entered data must be later than 12:00 p.m.
• Text Length − The length of the data (number of characters) is limited.
You specify a valid length by using the Data drop-down list. For
example, you can specify that the length of the entered data be 1 (a
single alphanumeric character).
• Custom − To use this option, you must supply a logical formula that
determines the validity of the user’s entry (a logical formula returns
either TRUE or FALSE).
• Input Message Tab
• You can set the input help message with this
tab. Fill the title and Input message of the
Input message tab and the input message will
appear when the cell is selected.
• Error Alert Tab
• You can specify an error message with this
tab. Fill the title and error message. Select the
style of the error as stop, warning or
Information as per you need.
Charts
 Charts
• A chart is a visual representation of numeric values.
Charts (also known as graphs) have been an integral
part of spreadsheets. Charts generated by early
spreadsheet products were quite crude, but they have
improved significantly over the years.
• Excel provides you with the tools to create a wide
variety of highly customizable charts. Displaying data in
a well-conceived chart can make your numbers more
understandable. Because a chart presents a picture,
charts are particularly useful for summarizing a series of
numbers and their interrelationships.
 Types of Charts
• There are various chart types available in MS
Excel as shown in the below screen-shot.
 Charts
• Column − Column chart shows data changes over a period
of time or illustrates comparisons among items.
• Bar − A bar chart illustrates comparisons among individual
items.
• Pie − A pie chart shows the size of items that make up a
data series, proportional to the sum of the items. It always
shows only one data series and is useful when you want
to emphasize a significant element in the data.
• Line − A line chart shows trends in data at equal intervals.
 Charts
• Area − An area chart emphasizes the magnitude of
change over time.
• X Y Scatter − An xy (scatter) chart shows the
relationships among the numeric values in several
data series, or plots two groups of numbers as one
series of xy coordinates.
• Stock − This chart type is most often used for stock
price data, but can also be used for scientific data
(for example, to indicate temperature changes).
 Charts
• Surface − A surface chart is useful when you want to find the
optimum combinations between two sets of data. As in a
topographic map, colors and patterns indicate areas that are in the
same range of values.
• Doughnut − Like a pie chart, a doughnut chart shows the
relationship of parts to a whole; however, it can contain more than
one data series.
• Bubble − Data that is arranged in columns on a worksheet, so that x
values are listed in the first column and corresponding y values and
bubble size values are listed in adjacent columns, can be plotted in
a bubble chart.
• Radar − A radar chart compares the aggregate values of a number
of data series.
 Creating Chart
• To create charts for the data by below
mentioned steps.
• Select the data for which you want to create
the chart.
• Choose Insert Tab » Select the chart or click
on the Chart group to see various chart types.
• Select the chart of your choice and click OK to
generate the chart.
Creating Chart
 Editing Chart
• You can edit the chart at any time after you
have created it.
• You can select the different data for chart
input with Right click on chart » Select data.
Selecting new data will generate the chart as
per the new data, as shown in the below
screen-shot.
 Editing Chart
• You can edit the chart at any time after you
have created it.
• You can select the different data for chart
input with Right click on chart » Select data.
Selecting new data will generate the chart as
per the new data, as shown in the below
screen-shot.
 Editing Chart
• You can change the X axis of the chart by
giving different inputs to X-axis of chart.
• You can change the Y axis of chart by giving
different inputs to Y-axis of chart.
 Pivot Tables in Excel
• A pivot table is essentially a dynamic summary
report generated from a database. The
database can reside in a worksheet (in the
form of a table) or in an external data file. A
pivot table can help transform endless rows
and columns of numbers into a meaningful
presentation of the data. Pivot tables are very
powerful tool for summarized analysis of the
data.
 Pivot Tables in Excel
• Pivot tables are available under Insert tab »
PivotTable dropdown » PivotTable.
• Pivot Table Example
• Now, let us see Pivot table with the help of example.
Suppose you have huge data of voters and you want
to see the summarized data of voter Information per
party, then you can use the Pivot table for it. Choose
Insert tab » Pivot Table to insert pivot table. MS
Excel selects the data of the table. You can select the
pivot table location as existing sheet or new sheet.
Pivot Tables in Excel
 Pivot Tables in Excel
• This will generate the Pivot table pane as
shown next slide. You have various options
available in the Pivot table pane. You can
select fields for the generated pivot table.
Pivot Tables in Excel
• Column labels − A field that has a column orientation in the
pivot table. Each item in the field occupies a column.
• Report Filter − You can set the filter for the report as year,
then data gets filtered as per the year.
• Row labels − A field that has a row orientation in the pivot
table. Each item in the field occupies a row.
• Values area − The cells in a pivot table that contain the
summary data. Excel offers several ways to summarize the
data (sum, average, count, and so on).
• After giving input fields to the pivot table, it generates the
pivot table with the data as shown below.
 Data Tables in Excel
• In Excel, a Data Table is a way to see different
results by altering an input cell in your
formula. Data tables are available in Data Tab
» What-If analysis dropdown » Data table in
MS Excel.
Data Tables in Excel 2010
Data Tables in Excel 2010
 Data Table with Example
• Now, let us see data table concept with an example.
Suppose you have the Price and quantity of many
values. Also, you have the discount for that as third
variable for calculating the Net Price. You can keep
the Net Price value in the organized table format
with the help of the data table. Your Price runs
horizontally to the right while quantity runs vertically
down. We are using a formula to calculate the Net
Price as Price multiplied by Quantity minus total
discount (Quantity * Discount for each quantity).
Data Table with Example
 Data Table with Example
• Now, for creation of data table select the
range of data table. Choose Data Tab » What-
If analysis dropdown » Data table. It will give
you dialogue asking for Input row and Input
Column. Give the Input row as Price cell (In
this case cell B3) and Input column as quantity
cell (In this case cell B4). Please see the below
screen-shot.
Data Table with Example
 Data Table with Example
• Clicking OK will generate data table as shown
in the below screen-shot. It will generate the
table formula. You can change the price
horizontally or quantity vertically to see the
change in the Net Price.
Data Table with Example
 VLOOKUP Function
• Use VLOOKUP when you need to find things in
a table or a range by row. Organize your data
so that the value you look up is to the left of
the return value you want to find.

VLOOKUP (lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

 Vlookup- Arguments
• lookup_value
• The value you want to look up.
• The value you want to look up must be in the
first column of the range of cells you specify in
table_array.
• Lookup_value can be a value or a reference to
a cell.
 Vlookup- Arguments
• table_array
• The range of cells in which the VLOOKUP will
search for the lookup_value and the return
value.
• The first column in the cell range must contain
the lookup_value.
• The cell range also needs to include the return
value you want to find.
 Vlookup- Arguments
• col_index_num
• The column number (starting with 1 for the
left-most column of table-array) that contains
the return value.
 Vlookup- Arguments
• range_lookup
• A logical value that specifies whether you want
VLOOKUP to find an exact match or an approximate
match −
• TRUE assumes the first column in the table is sorted
either numerically or alphabetically, and will then
search for the closest value. This is the default
method if you do not specify one.
• FALSE searches for the exact value in the first
column
 Vlookup- Arguments
• Use absolute references for range_lookup as it
allows you to fill-down a formula so that it
always looks at the same exact lookup range.

• When searching number or date values,

ensure that the data in the first column of
table_array is not stored as text values.
Otherwise, VLOOKUP might return an
incorrect or unexpected value.
 Vlookup- Arguments
• If range_lookup is FALSE and lookup_value is text, you can
use the wildcard characters—the question mark (?) and the
asterisk (*)—in lookup_value. A question mark matches
any single character. An asterisk matches any sequence of
characters. If you want to find an actual question mark or
asterisk, type a tilde (~) in front of the character.

• If range_lookup is TRUE or left out, the first column of the

table_array needs to be sorted alphabetically or
numerically. If the first column is not sorted, the return
value can be wrong.
 Vlookup- Arguments
• Either sort the first column of the table_array, or use FALSE for
an exact match.

• When searching text values in the first column, make sure the
data in the first column does not have leading spaces, trailing
spaces, inconsistent use of straight ( ' or " ) and curly ( ‘ or “)
quotation marks, or nonprinting characters. In these cases,
VLOOKUP might return an unexpected value

• If range_lookup is TRUE, then if the value in the lookup_value

is smaller than the smallest value in the first column of the
table_array, you will get the #N/A error value
 Vlookup- Arguments
• If range_lookup is FALSE and the exact number isn't found,
you will get the #N/A error value

• If col_index_num is greater than the number of columns in

table_array, you will get the #REF! error value

• If the table_array is less than 1, you will get the #VALUE!

error value

• If the formula is missing quotes, you will get the #NAME?

error value
 HLOOKUP Function
• The HLOOKUP function searches for a value in the top
row of a table or an array of values, and then returns a
value in the same column from a row you specify in the
table or array.
• You can use HLOOKUP when your comparison values
are located in a row across the top of a table of data,
and you want to look down a specified number of rows.
• The H in HLOOKUP stands for "Horizontal". You can use
VLOOKUP when your comparison values are located in
a column to the left of the data you want to find.
 Syntax

HLOOKUP (lookup_value, table_array, row_index_num, [range_lookup])

 Vlookup- Arguments
• lookup_value
• The value to be found in the first row of the
table.
• Lookup_value can be a value, a reference, or a
text string.
 Vlookup- Arguments
• table_array
• A table of information in which data is looked
up.
• Use a reference to a range or a range name.
• The values in the first row of table_array can
be text, numbers, or logical values.
• See Notes Below.
 Vlookup- Arguments
• row_index_num
• The row number in table_array from which the
matching value will be returned.
• A row_index_num of 1 returns the first row value in
table_array, a row_index_num of 2 returns the
second row value in table_array, and so on.
• 1 ≤ row_index_num ≤ the number of rows in the
table_array.
• HLOOKUP returns the #VALUE! error value; if
row_index_num is greater than,
 Vlookup- Arguments
• range_lookup
• A logical value that specifies whether you want
HLOOKUP to find an exact match or an approximate
match.
• If TRUE or if omitted, an approximate match is
returned. In other words, if an exact match is not
found, the next largest value that is less than
lookup_value is returned.
• If FALSE, HLOOKUP will find an exact match. If one is
not found, the error value #N/A is returned.
 Vlookup- Arguments
• table_array

• If range_lookup is TRUE, the values in the first row of

table_array must be placed in ascending order: ...-2, -1, 0, 1, 2...,
A-Z, FALSE, TRUE. Otherwise, HLOOKUP may not give the correct
value

• Uppercase and lowercase text are equivalent

• Sort the values in ascending order, left to right

• If range_lookup is FALSE, table_array does not need to be sorted

 Vlookup- Arguments
• If row_index_num is less than 1, HLOOKUP
function returns the #VALUE! error value.

• If row_index_num is not recognized as a numeric

value, HLOOKUP function returns the #VALUE!
error value.

• If row_index_num is greater than the number of

rows in the table_array, HLOOKUP function returns
the #REF! error value.
 Vlookup- Arguments
• If HLOOKUP function cannot find lookup_value, and
range_lookup is TRUE, it uses the largest value that is less than
lookup_value.

• If lookup_value is smaller than the smallest value in the first row

of table_array, HLOOKUP function returns the #N/A error value.

• If range_lookup is FALSE and lookup_value is text, you can use

the wildcard characters, question mark (?) and asterisk (*), in
lookup_value. A question mark matches any single character; an
asterisk matches any sequence of characters. If you want to find
an actual question mark or asterisk, type a tilde (~) before the
character.
 Goal Seek
What is the Goal Seek Excel Function?
The Goal Seek Excel function (often referred to as What-if-
Analysis) is a method of solving for a desired output by changing
an assumption that drives it. The function essentially uses a trial
and error approach to back-solving the problem by plugging in
guesses until it arrives at the answer.

For example, if the formula for revenue is equal to the number of

units sold multiplied by the selling price, Goal Seek can
determine how many units have to be sold to reach $1 million of
revenue, if the selling price is known. The function is extremely
useful for performing sensitivity analysis in financial modeling.
 Goal Seek Example

• Let’s look at a simple exercise first, to see

how Goal Seek works. Suppose we have a
very basic model that takes the number of
units sold, the retail price, and a discount to
calculate total net revenue.
 Example
• The current model contains the following information:

• # of units: 500
• Retail price: $25.00
• Selling discount: 10%
• Revenue: $11,250
Now suppose we want to find out how many units have
to be sold to reach $20,000 of revenue. See the
screenshot below and follow the steps listed to use the
Goal Seek Excel tool.
Example
 Steps to Use Goal Seek Excel:
1. Put the cursor on the cell that contains the output you
want to change (revenue)
2. On the Data ribbon, select What-if-analysis, then select
Goal Seek (keyboard shortcut is Alt, A, W, G)
3. When the dialog box appears (as shown below) make
“Set cell” equal to the revenue cell (E10)
4. Set “To value” equal to the output you want to achieve
(type the number in)
5. Set “By changing cell” equal to the assumption you want
to solve for (# of units, or cell E4)
6. Press OK
 • The output from the analysis. We can see that to achieve
Steps to Use $20,000 of revenue, 889 units need to be sold. Notice that
the solution is displayed directly in cell (E4), not in the
Goal Seek •
dialogue box.
Press OK to keep the solution running in the model (cell E4
Excel: will permanently change to 889 units), or press Cancel to
return to the original assumption (500 units).