Excel Intermediate

Office 2010 Training
Excel 2010 Courseware

Student Manual Intermediate
Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Intermediate Courseware

Written by John Laska Published by Velsoft Training Materials Inc. Courseware Release Version 3.0
2005-2011 by Velsoft Training Materials, Inc. Notice of Rights

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 1 Prerequisites ................................................................................................................................... 1 Section 1: Advanced File Tasks..................................................................................................... 2
Lesson 1.1: Using Windows Explorer within Excel ............................................................................. 3
Navigating using Windows Explorer....................................................................................................................3 Performing Basic Tasks with Windows Explorer .................................................................................................4 Using Views with Windows Explorer ...................................................................................................................8 Using the Windows Explorer Navigation Pane .................................................................................................. 10
Lesson 1.2: Saving your Files............................................................................................................... 14

Using AutoRecover ............................................................................................................................................ 14 Publishing to PDF or XPS ................................................................................................................................. 16 Protecting an Entire Workbook.......................................................................................................................... 21 Protecting the Current Sheet .............................................................................................................................. 23 Opening and Converting Files in XLS Format .................................................................................................. 27 Saving Spreadsheets in XLS Format .................................................................................................................. 28
Lesson 1.3: Using File Management Tools, Part One ........................................................................ 34

Marking a Workbook as Final ........................................................................................................................... 34 Encrypting a Workbook...................................................................................................................................... 36 Digitally Signing a Workbook ............................................................................................................................ 38 Managing File Properties .................................................................................................................................. 41 Managing Versions ............................................................................................................................................ 46
Lesson 1.4: Using File Management Tools, Part Two ....................................................................... 49

Viewing a Summary of Sharing Issues ............................................................................................................... 49 Using the Document Inspector ........................................................................................................................... 50 Using the Accessibility Checker ......................................................................................................................... 52 Using the Compatibility Checker ....................................................................................................................... 56 Setting Compatibility Options ............................................................................................................................ 59
Section 1: Review Questions ................................................................................................................ 60
Section 2: Working with Functions and Formulas .................................................................... 62

Lesson 2.1: Using Formulas in Excel, Part 1 ...................................................................................... 63
Understanding Relative and Absolute Cell References ...................................................................................... 63 Understanding Basic Mathematical Operators ................................................................................................. 65 Using Formulas with Multiple Cell References ................................................................................................. 66 Understanding the Formula Auditing Buttons ................................................................................................... 68
Lesson 2.2: Using Formulas in Excel, Part 2 ...................................................................................... 77

Fixing Formula Errors ....................................................................................................................................... 77 Modifying Error Checking Options.................................................................................................................... 80 Displaying and Printing Formulas .................................................................................................................... 82
Lesson 2.3: Exploring Excel Functions ............................................................................................... 83

What are Functions? .......................................................................................................................................... 83 Finding the Right Functions............................................................................................................................... 84 Inserting Functions ............................................................................................................................................ 85 Some Useful and Simple Functions .................................................................................................................... 87
Lesson 2.4: Using Functions in Excel .................................................................................................. 88

Using the IF Function ........................................................................................................................................ 88
Working with Nested Functions ......................................................................................................................... 89 Breaking up Complex Formulas ........................................................................................................................ 90 Using Functions and AutoFill to Perform Difficult Calculations ...................................................................... 92
Lesson 2.5: Working with Names and Ranges ................................................................................... 96

What are Range Names? .................................................................................................................................... 96 Defining and Using Range Names ..................................................................................................................... 97 Defined Names Commands ................................................................................................................................ 99 Selecting Nonadjacent Ranges ......................................................................................................................... 102 Using AutoCalculate ........................................................................................................................................ 102
Lesson 2.6: Working with Array Formulas ..................................................................................... 104

What are Array Formulas? .............................................................................................................................. 104 Defining Basic Array Formulas ....................................................................................................................... 105 Using Functions within Array Formulas ......................................................................................................... 107 Using the IF Function in Array Formulas ....................................................................................................... 109
Section 2: Review Questions .............................................................................................................. 112
Section 3: Managing Tables ...................................................................................................... 114

Lesson 3.1: Working with Tables ...................................................................................................... 115
What is a Table? .............................................................................................................................................. 115 Creating Tables ................................................................................................................................................ 116 Modifying Tables.............................................................................................................................................. 119 Using the Table Tools Design Tab ................................................................................................................ 122 Adding a Total Row.......................................................................................................................................... 127
Lesson 3.2: Working with Records and Fields ................................................................................. 130

What are Records and Fields? ......................................................................................................................... 130 Adding Fields by Inserting Columns ................................................................................................................ 131 Adding Records by Inserting Rows .................................................................................................................. 133 Quickly Adding Records to a Data Table ......................................................................................................... 134 Deleting Records or Fields .............................................................................................................................. 135 Cleaning up Duplicate Records ....................................................................................................................... 135
Lesson 3.3: Working with Tables and Filters .................................................................................. 138

Sorting Data in a Table .................................................................................................................................... 138 What is an AutoFilter? ..................................................................................................................................... 142 Creating a Custom AutoFilter .......................................................................................................................... 145 Using an Advanced Filter ................................................................................................................................ 147 Using an Advanced Filter with Logical Statements ......................................................................................... 150 Copying Filtered Records ................................................................................................................................ 151
Lesson 3.4: Using Excel as a Database .............................................................................................. 156

Filtering with Wildcard Characters ................................................................................................................. 156 Validating your Data ....................................................................................................................................... 158 Data Validation using Lists .............................................................................................................................. 164 Data Validation using Formulas ...................................................................................................................... 166 Using Database Functions ............................................................................................................................... 168
Section 4: Adding the Finishing Touches ................................................................................. 175

Lesson 4.1: Research Tools ................................................................................................................ 176
Checking Spelling ............................................................................................................................................ 176 Using the Research Pane ................................................................................................................................. 179 Using the Thesaurus......................................................................................................................................... 183 Using the Translator ........................................................................................................................................ 184 Setting your Language ..................................................................................................................................... 186
Lesson 4.2: Using Themes .................................................................................................................. 189

Changing the Theme ........................................................................................................................................ 189
Customizing Theme Colors .............................................................................................................................. 191 Customizing Theme Fonts ................................................................................................................................ 193 Customizing Theme Effects .............................................................................................................................. 194 Managing Theme Files ..................................................................................................................................... 195
Lesson 4.3: Adding Text Boxes .......................................................................................................... 198

Drawing a Text Box ......................................................................................................................................... 198 Using the Drawing Tools Format Tab .......................................................................................................... 199 Common Text Box Editing Tasks ..................................................................................................................... 205 Inserting WordArt ............................................................................................................................................ 207 Common WordArt Editing Tasks...................................................................................................................... 209
Lesson 4.4: Inserting Pictures and ClipArt ...................................................................................... 211

Adding a Picture from a File ........................................................................................................................... 211 Adding Clip Art ................................................................................................................................................ 213 Adding a Screenshot......................................................................................................................................... 216 Overview of the Picture Tools Format Tab ................................................................................................... 219 Overview of the Pictures Mini Toolbar ............................................................................................................ 226
Lesson 4.5: Editing Pictures .............................................................................................................. 227

Resizing Pictures .............................................................................................................................................. 227 Moving Pictures ............................................................................................................................................... 229 Cropping Pictures ............................................................................................................................................ 230 Rotating and Flipping Pictures ........................................................................................................................ 236 Using the Format Picture Dialog..................................................................................................................... 237
Section 5: Showing Data as a Graphic ..................................................................................... 241

Lesson 5.1: Inserting SmartArt ......................................................................................................... 242
Inserting SmartArt............................................................................................................................................ 242 Adding Text ...................................................................................................................................................... 245 Adding Photos .................................................................................................................................................. 249 About the SmartArt Tools Tabs ........................................................................................................................ 251 Editing SmartArt .............................................................................................................................................. 255
Lesson 5.2: Formatting SmartArt ..................................................................................................... 256

Changing the Layout ........................................................................................................................................ 256 Changing the Color Scheme............................................................................................................................. 258 Changing the Style Scheme .............................................................................................................................. 260 Resetting the Graphic....................................................................................................................................... 261 Converting the Graphic.................................................................................................................................... 261
Lesson 5.3: Adding Symbols, Equations, and Shapes ..................................................................... 264

Inserting a Symbol or Special Character ......................................................................................................... 264 Inserting an Equation....................................................................................................................................... 266 Using the Equation Tools Design Tab .......................................................................................................... 268 Drawing Shapes ............................................................................................................................................... 272 Common Shape Editing Tasks .......................................................................................................................... 273
Lesson 5.4: Adding Sparklines .......................................................................................................... 277

What are Sparklines? ....................................................................................................................................... 277 Adding Sparklines ............................................................................................................................................ 277 About the Sparkline Tools Tab ......................................................................................................................... 281 Editing Sparkline Data..................................................................................................................................... 283 Removing Sparklines ........................................................................................................................................ 286
Lesson 5.5: Editing Sparklines .......................................................................................................... 288

Showing and Hiding Data ................................................................................................................................ 288 Changing the Style ........................................................................................................................................... 290 Changing the Sparkline and Marker Color ...................................................................................................... 291 Setting Sparkline Options ................................................................................................................................. 292
Index ........................................................................................................................................... 297
Introduction
Welcome to Velsofts courseware for Microsoft Office Excel 2010, a popular tool for creating spreadsheets, analyzing data, and charting information. This new version of Excel incorporates robust error checking, numerous file validation/verification tools, image editing, and Sparklines (charts within individual cells). This Intermediate level is intended to help everyday users of Excel become more proficient by expanding their knowledge of functions, formulas, and new Excel features. This manual will also help more experienced users who have little to no experience with Excel 2007 and the ribbon interface. This manual will cover advanced file management tasks, using functions and formulas to calculate information, and using tables in a worksheet. It will also cover how to use different reviewing and researching tools; work with text boxes, images, pictures, themes; and format images. Finally, it will cover how to use SmartArt, symbols, equations, and the very handy Sparklines feature. By the end of this manual, users should be comfortable with taking their workbook to the next level of functionality by ensuring the accuracy of their information, and increasing the presentation value of their work. This manual was created using Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus. Our test machine was a 32-bit computer using Windows 7 Ultimate. If you are an instructor, you can use any version of Windows that is accessible to your students. Any feature specific to Windows 7 in this manual will be marked as such. Occasionally, this manual may reference where certain keys are on the keyboard (such as Insert, Home, or Page Up). The directions are given based on a standard desktop keyboard that contains a separate number pad. Laptop keyboards may be different or have combined keys.
Prerequisites
This manual presumes that the user has a good working knowledge of Windows, including concepts such as using the Recycle Bin and Control Panel, and is fully capable of using the keyboard and mouse. It also presumes that the user has completed the Foundation level of this course (or has equivalent knowledge) and is familiar with concepts such as: The interface How to cut, copy, and paste information How to use multiple worksheets and workbooks How to format data and create basic charts How to view data in different ways How to print
Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Intermediate
Section 1: Advanced File Tasks

In this section you will learn how to: Navigate around your computer using Windows Explorer Perform some basic file management tasks in Windows Explorer View files in Windows Explorer Use the Navigation Pane in Windows Explorer Use AutoRecover Publish a workbook in PDF or XPS format Protect an entire workbook and a single worksheet Convert files in XLS format to the new XLSX format Save workbooks in XLS format Mark a workbook as final Encrypt the contents of a workbook Digitally sign a workbook Manage file properties Manage file versions View a summary of issues that could occur when sharing the file Use the Document Inspector, Accessibility Checker, and Compatibility Checker Set compatibility options when working with different file formats
Lesson 1.1: Using Windows Explorer within Excel

Welcome to Velsofts Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Intermediate courseware! This man ual will help you take your basic Excel skills to the next level by covering document security, formulas, functions, and simple data management. We will also cover how to polish your spreadsheets with images, graphics, and color. We will finish by covering how to use SmartArt, symbols, and the new (and very useful) Sparkline feature. Lets begin by looking at ways of performing file management from inside Excel. In this lesson, well look at how you can perform a number of file management actions through the Open/Save/Save As dialogs. People who are learning to use more advanced Excel features will likely end up using Excel a lot. So study these concepts and youll be well on your way to mastering data on your computer!
Navigating using Windows Explorer

When you choose to open or save a file, the dialog you see is actually a miniature version of Windows Explorer, the Windows tool that helps you navigate through files. There are a few tools in Windows Explorer that can help you sort and manage your files. The actual way you manage your files is up to you. Some people prefer to have folders with dates on them, to organize files when they were created. Other people organize files in folders with projects or topics. Still others incorporate those elements into the file name rather than creating folders. Were not going to focus on a specific method in this lesson; rather, were going to give you the tools to save files so you can develop a method that works for you.
First, lets go over the basics of using Windows Explorer to navigate:
You can use the Navigation Pane to select a primary save location, such as a hard drive, network folder, or USB flash drive. You can also use the Address Bar to type a location. Each location is like a breadcrumb trail leading back to a hard disk or storage drive. If you navigate too far, use the Back and Forward navigation buttons to retrace your steps. Now that we know how to navigate, lets take a look at using Windows Explorer to perform tasks.
Performing Basic Tasks with Windows Explorer

There are two ways to perform actions with Windows Explorer. You can use the Organize menu or right-click objects.
The Organize menu contains commands to cut and paste, change the layout of the window, and delete or rename files. Note that some commands in this menu may be greyed out depending on what objects are currently selected:
Note the New folder button to the right of the Organize menu. Click this command to add a new folder inside the current folder. Give the new folder a name, press Enter, and youll have a new place to save your work:
The second way of performing tasks in Windows Explorer involves right-clicking objects within the window. For example, if you right-click a file in Windows Explorer (not just Excel files) you will see a menu similar to the following:
You can do quite a lot of file management from within Windows Explorer. You can create new folders, create or delete files, or select which program you want to use with a particular file all while opening a spreadsheet! Also note the Share with and Send to options: Share with allows you to share this particular folder with members of your computer network or other people whose contact information has been entered into your computer. Send to lets you transfer a file from one part of your computer to another.
Using Views with Windows Explorer

Windows lets you view files in many different ways. Each view offers its own advantages, depending on how you like to search for files. To change the view, click the View command to cycle views or click the pull-down arrow beside the View command to select a view:
Extra Large Icons
Shows an extra-large thumbnail with the Excel logo:
Large Icons
Another type of large icon:
Medium Icons
With this view, icons are still large enough to easily identify which program will open and edit the file:
Small Icons
File names are displayed left to right:
List
List view is the most space-saving of all the views. File names are displayed in columns from left to right:
Details
Vital statistics for the files are shown. Note the headings above each column. If you click these headings, you can sort files in ascending or descending order:
You can click and drag the dividers between the column headings to view more or less information, as well as adjust the size of the Windows Explorer window. We will explore how to sort and group files with the other views in a moment.
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Tiles
A combination of Medium Icons and Small Icons. This is the default view when browsing for files using Windows Explorer via Excel:
Content
Offers everything that Details shows plus the name of the author(s), if applicable:
No matter which view you use, you can arrange icons just like using the column headers in Details view. Just right-click an empty portion of Windows Explorer, click Sort by or Group by, and choose your criteria:
Get used to using these menus as they can save you a lot of time when looking for files.
Using the Windows Explorer Navigation Pane

The Navigation Pane allows you to easily jump to different locations around your computer. Click a location in the pane to open the contents of that location.
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In Windows 7, there are five distinct areas to the Navigation Pane. (If you are using Windows Vista, the Navigation Pane should look roughly the same.)
If you hover your mouse inside the Navigation Pane, you will see small arrows appear beside individual items. The arrows mean that there are folders or sub-locations associated with the item. If an arrow is white, the sub-locations are hidden. If an arrow is black, the sub-locations are visible. Click a white arrow to expand a group or click a black arrow to collapse a group.
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Lets quickly go over the main areas in the Navigation Pane. From top to bottom, the y are: <Program Name> Favorites Shows you what application you are currently working with and any SharePoint resources that are available. Click one of these items to show the contents of folders that you use most often. You can actually add your own locations to this section; we will explore this in a moment. Unless you already have a method of filing your workbooks, you will likely use the Documents library to store and access your files. (This is known as My Documents in Windows XP.) Browse the hard disks and/or portable storage drives connected to your computer. If you are part of a network, you might have access to external storage. This might include another computer, a file server, a Network Access Storage (NAS) device, or some other means of storing information.
Libraries
Computer Network
You can customize the Favorites section of the Navigation Pane. Simply click and drag any folder to the Favorites section:
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It will then remain there as one-click access to that location in your computer:
To remove a link in the Favorites pane, right-click the item and click Remove:
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Lesson 1.2: Saving your Files

Excel 2010 is capable of working with a large number of file formats, making it a great platform to use when handling your data. As you work in Excel, you can take comfort knowing that a number of tools are available to help your data stay protected and secure. In this lesson, we will cover a number of topics including AutoRecover, workbook protection commands, and a brief introduction to the backwards and forwards compatibility features of Excel.
Using AutoRecover
Novice computer users are always being told to save their work. But if you are just starting out with Excel, dont worry even the experts forget to save their work from time to time! However, you cant account for every possible scenario, including power or equipment failure. Fortunately, Excel (and other programs within the Office 2010 suite) has an AutoRecover feature that does a pretty good of recovering data should something bad happen. To modify AutoRecover options, click File Options Save. To turn AutoRecover on, make sure that the Save AutoRecover information box is checked. Just below this option, you can specify how often you want Excel to save your changes as well as the backup location:
Unless you are advised otherwise, we recommend using the default options. Large files can take a long time to save, and you probably dont want to wait around every five minutes while Excel saves your file. If Excel or Windows crashes when AutoRecover is enabled, there is a very good chance you wont be that far behind in your work. When you reopen Excel, you will see a task pane appear
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on the left hand side of the window. This task pane will list all the workbooks you had open when Excel crashed, and the various versions of those files. You can right-click any workbook in this list to open the file, save it, or delete it. (You can leave the task pane open while you view the different versions of your workbook until you determine which one you want to keep.) You may also see this pane if Excel detects errors while opening your work. If this is the case, right-click the repaired file and click Show Repairs. If you try to close the recovered file without having viewed all the files, you will see a warning stating that some recovered files have not yet been opened. You will then have the option to save or delete the recovered file, or to cancel out of the dialog and return to your work.
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Publishing to PDF or XPS

Sometimes it is convenient to transform your work into a format that is better suited to online distribution or publishing. Often, files that are distributed online are published in PDF (portable document format). PDF files can contain images and text in a fairly small file size. Microsoft has also released a format called XML Paper Specification (XPS for short), which is similar to PDF. Excel 2010 contains built-in support for saving PDF and XPS files. Simply click File Save As and select PDF or XPS Document from the Save as type combo box:
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Both formats let you specify how much detail you would like to include when saving the file. First, choose between Standard and Minimum size:
Standard will provide the best quality overall. Minimum size will decrease the quality of pictures and other graphical elements in the presentation. This means that users with portable devices or slower Internet connections wont have to deal with a potentially large file. If you click the Options button, you will see specific customization options for that file type: PDF Options XPS Options
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With this dialog you can specify which sheet(s) you want to publish, including the currently selected data or the entire workbook. There are also checkboxes that will allow you to include or exclude non-printing information (such as file properties or document structure information). Once you have chosen your settings, you can click OK to return to the Save As dialog. Now, give the file a name, choose a save location, and click Save.
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Excel will need a few moments to convert your work to PDF/XPS. Once the conversion is complete, the PDF/XPS will open in whatever program has been set up to view this type of file. For example, here is a budget worksheet that will be saved as a PDF:
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And here it is as a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free PDF viewer available from http://www.adobe.com:
If you have Office 2010 installed on your computer, Microsofts XPS viewing program is already installed. The XPS version of a file will look quite similar to the PDF version.
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Protecting an Entire Workbook

If you have been working hard on a particular file and want to protect it against accidental (or intentional) tampering, use the Permissions commands available in the File menu. There are a number of options available here that we will explore in the coming lessons:
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Heres a quick overview of the options in this menu. Mark as Final (Low security) Encrypt with Password (Medium security) Protect Current Sheet (Low to medium security) Protect Workbook Structure (Medium security) Restrict Permission by People (Medium to high security) Add a Digital Signature (High security) Adds visual cues to let others know the worksheet has been completed. However, this warning can be bypassed and changes can still be made. Require a password to unlock and open the document for editing. Once unlocked, the document is left wide open. Control who can do what to the current worksheet. Complex workbooks make use of multiple sheets, so it makes sense to protect one sheet that contains basic or sensitive information that will be used throughout the rest of the workbook. Stops people from changing the layout of the workbook.
Use network credentials to control which users get access to what information in the workbook.
A digital signature ensures the proper origins of a workbook, meaning others know if they can trust the contents of the file.
Each of these options offers its own level of security: Low security items are more of a reminder to your coworkers to be careful with what they are doing. Medium security can vary, depending on how well you know the document recipient or others along the way that have access to this information. High security is often more difficult or expensive to use properly, but offers the best protection for sensitive information. You can apply multiple levels of security as well, such as restricting permissions and then adding a password. For example, you could allow only those within your department to view your spreadsheet, and those people will also need a password in order to access the information. Talk to your IT department to determine what sort of security would be best for your situation.
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Protecting the Current Sheet

We know that workbooks (individual Excel files) are composed of one or more worksheets. Complex workbooks might make use of several worksheets, each of which might contain important data that is used by the rest of the workbook. Therefore, in order to help protect your data, you can protect a single worksheet using the File menu. To begin, make sure you are viewing the worksheet you want to protect and then click File Info Protect Workbook Protect Current Sheet:
The Protect Sheet dialog box will appear and prompt you to specify what sort of editing actions will be permitted. There is also a password field, which we will cover in a moment.
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There are fifteen types of editing restrictions that you can apply:
You can use this dialog in two ways: with or without a password. You can simply check items in the box and click OK to apply the restrictions without a password. For example, here we have checked Insert columns:
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If anyone tried to insert a column, the command is simply greyed out:
If a sheet is protected in this way, you can review the protection status by clicking File Info:
If you click Unprotect or click Protect Workbook Protect Current Sheet, the restrictions will be removed.
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Now, lets try protecting the worksheet and assigning a password in the Protect Sheet dialog:
You will be asked to confirm the password:
The command to perform the checked action(s) (in fact, all editing commands) will still be unavailable. However, because the sheet is also password protected, you will need to disable sheet protection before being able to do anything. Click File Info Unprotect; you will be prompted to enter the password and then edit the sheet as necessary:
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Opening and Converting Files in XLS Format

Excel is a popular program that has been around for a long time. In fact, Excel 2010 is the thirteenth version! However, Excel 2007 and 2010 use a new file format (.xlsx). Excel versions 97-2003 were by far the most popular in Excels history, so there is a very good chance you will encounter the older file format (.xls) from time to time. Excel 2010 does feature full backwardscompatibility with older files. This means that if you open a workbook that uses the older file format, Excel 2010 will still be able to fully interact with the data. To use a file in .xls format, simply open the file. Any workbook in the older .xls format will be opened in Compatibility Mode, visible in the title bar:
The old file will function exactly the same in Excel 2010 as it did in older versions of Excel. The only difference is that features from Excel 2007 and 2010 will not be available, since this older format does not support some specialized items like SmartArt and Sparklines. If the newer features of Excel do not interest you or if you are required to pass information back and forth with someone who is using Excel 2007 or earlier, Excel 2010 will have no trouble handling this older file format. However, if your organization has upgraded to the latest version of Office, it would be a good idea to upgrade the file formats to maximize compatibility with Excel 2010. Always remember: if you are going to convert your old documents, make sure you create a backup first! It is unlikely that you will encounter any serious problems, but dont say we didnt warn you!
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In order to use all of Excel 2010s features with your old file, you will need to convert it to the new .xlsx format. To do this, click File Info Convert:
You will be warned once more about what you are about to attempt; click OK to continue:
Once the process is complete and the new file format has been applied, Excel will ask if you want to close and re-open the workbook. This isnt necessary unless you want to use new Excel features right away:
Saving Spreadsheets in XLS Format

Going from an old format to a new one is easy, but going the other way can be a bit complex. Fortunately, Excel 2010 does a very good job of downgrading the file format if necessary.
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Consider this personal budget template, which is in Excel 2010 format (.xlsx). Although it might look complex, the structure of this file is simple:
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To convert this file to .xls format, click File Save As. Select Excel 97-2003 Workbook from the Save as type combo box and then click Save. You dont even have to change the file name:
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When saving a file in an older Excel format, Excel 2010 runs the file contents through the Compatibility Checker. This tool is designed to look for certain things in your workbook that might not look right or function properly in the older format. We will explore the Compatibility Checker more at the end of this section. In the case of the personal budget, the Compatibility Checker found two major areas of concern and two minor areas. The first warning is not a big deal, as table references for formulas will be converted into cell references. The second warning states that a type of conditional formatting is not supported by the Excel 97-2003 format. However, this does not always mean that your work will be lost. Clicking Continue will force Excel to do what it can to minimize the formatting losses and save the worksheet:
Remember, converting a file to an older format does not replace the original document. You have some breathing room to try different manual formatting changes before saving the file in an older format.
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As it turns out, the downgrade in file type did not significantly affect this document. It looks identical and the conditional formatting still works:
Now consider the following example. We have stretched one of the columns in the personal budget worksheet and added some Sparklines, a new feature to Excel 2010. (Sparklines are basically miniature graphs contained in a single cell.) In this case, the Sparklines show the difference between Projected Cost and Actual Cost (lines going up are over budget, lines going down are under budget):
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Sparklines are not supported in the Excel 97-2003 format, so if you were to save this file in the older format you would be warned by the Compatibility Checker and, in this case, not see anything at all in the .xls file:
The .xls file contains the widened column that held the Sparklines, but no Sparklines:
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Lesson 1.3: Using File Management Tools, Part One

In the last lesson, we introduced a number of ways that Excel can protect the contents of your document. In this lesson we will explore these options in more detail as well as look at other file management tools. This lesson will teach you not only how to protect your data from being modified in Excel, but also how you can protect your personal information.
Marking a Workbook as Final

When you finish working with your workbook, you should consider marking it as final. This will alert others who may use your data that the work is complete, and it will help jog your memory if you havent touched the file in a long time. To mark your work as final, click File Info Protect Workbook Mark as Final:
Click OK to confirm your choice and save the file:
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Your will receive a final notification explaining what this operation is designed to do:
The Backstage menu will now display a visual warning stating the file has been marked as final:
A similar warning is shown in the Information Bar, and the title bar shows that the file has been marked as Read-Only.
There is also a small notification in the status bar:
As youve probably guessed, you can click Edit Anyway to release the read-only lock and edit the file as you see fit. You can mark a document as final as many times as you want; just remember that any changes will remove this notification.
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Encrypting a Workbook
Encrypting a document with Excel is very easy, despite the underlying encryption operation being quite complex. In fact, encrypting a workbook using a password is one of the easiest ways to protect sensitive information between two people. To lock a workbook using a password, click File Info Protect Workbook Encrypt with Password:
Enter a password and click OK:
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You will be asked to confirm the password:
The Backstage menu will notify you that the workbook has been password-protected:
When it comes time to open the file, you (and anyone else) will be prompted for the password before you can even see the data. Enter the password and click OK:
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To remove a password, click File Info Protect Workbook Encrypt with Password. All you have to do is clear the Password field and click OK:
In a nutshell, encryption works by using the password as a way of jumbling up the contents of a file. Anyone who intercepts the encrypted file and examines the contents would only see a garbled mess. When the proper recipient enters the password, the jumbling process is performed backwards and the result is a perfectly readable and usable file.
Digitally Signing a Workbook

Another way of protecting your workbook is to digitally sign it. Digitally signing your work is like signing a check or a legal document: it confirms your identity. This signature provides reassurance to the recipient that the workbook really came from you. The actual makeup of the digital signature is directly linked to the structure of the file. If something in the file changes, the digital signature becomes corrupted. If the signature is corrupted, that means the data has somehow been intercepted and changed.
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To add a digital signature, click File Info Protect Workbook Add a Digital Signature:
Excel will inform you that although the digital signature helps identify the document as real, the signature might not be usable as evidence in a court of law. Here you have two choices: you can check out companies who offer digital signatures via the Office Marketplace or you can click OK to add Excels default signature:
If you click Signature Services from the Office Marketplace, your default Web browser will appear and direct you to the Office.com Web site. Here you can view and purchase digital signatures from Microsoft partners.
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If you click OK, give a reason for signing the presentation and click Sign. You can change details of your signature by clicking the Change button:
After the signature is applied, click OK to close the warning:
The contents of the Info item in Backstage view will change slightly once a digital signature has been applied. As you can see, there is a new option to view any applied signatures and the workbook has been marked as final:
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Click View Signatures to show the name associated with the signature. Any signers will appear in the Signatures pane on the right-hand side of the screen. Click the pull-down arrow beside a signer to view details:
If you are planning to use digital signatures on a regular basis, we recommend obtaining a digital identity from a Microsoft partner. You can also search the Internet for different companies that offer digital signatures, including free options. Speak with your IT department or contact a digital security company to determine what type of digital signature will be best for your needs.
Managing File Properties

Every file on your computer contains properties. Properties are vital statistics about the file itself, such as when it was first made, when it was last modified, who made the modification, how long it has been edited, etc. This information about the file is called metadata, or data about data.
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You can view and edit file properties by clicking File Info. You will see a thumbnail image of the file in its current state and all of the basic properties on the right-hand side of the Excel window:
Many of the fields shown here can be edited within Excel. Simply click a property to edit, such as the Categories or Author fields, and enter a new value:
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Use the Properties combo box under the thumbnail to change property views:
Show Document Panel will add a Document Properties pane to the top of the working area:
This properties pane will remain open and allow you to edit properties at any time. Close this pane by clicking the small x in the top-right hand corner.
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Advanced Properties will display a dialog box showing extra information about the file:
It contains the following tabs: General Summary Statistics Contents Custom Basic info about the file. Provides the same fields shown in the Info area of the File menu. Displays creation and modification dates, last accessed date, who last saved the file, revision number, and total editing time. Lists all major content types in the worksheet and their names, such as the names of all worksheets. Create and manage custom properties, such as Manager or Checked By.
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There is another way to access and manage file properties. Right-click the file in Windows Explorer and click Properties:
This Properties dialog provides even more options:
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Lets look at its tabs. General Security Details Main details about the who, what, when, and where of this file. Users of this particular computer or users within your organizations domain can be assigned read, write, and execute permissions. This tab is an extension of the properties that you can fill in using the Info tab of the Backstage view. There are additional customizable fields such as Company, Manager, and Language. This tab works in conjunction with Windows Backup to revert the current file to a previous version. We will discuss different methods of managing versions in a moment.
Previous Versions
Once you have finished working with the Properties dialog, click OK to apply the changes.
Managing Versions
Versioning is an important part of formal business practices. The ability to track changes from one version to another allows anyone to see how a project has progressed from one stage to another. Excel also keeps track of files you have worked with but didnt save. There are two different ways to use versioning using Office 2010 and Windows 7. You can use Excels interface to search for unsaved files, or you can use Windows Explorer to check for previous versions of a particular file. Excel remembers information about the last time you used a particular file. You can view these details by clicking File Info and looking at the Versions area:
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Click Manage Versions to browse previous unsaved versions:
This will open a special folder that is used to hold unsaved files from different Office 2010 programs. This folder is periodically emptied, so you may or may not see any files in this window. However, if any form of Excel file is available, you can open and view them from here. Outside of Excel, you can right-click a file Properties Previous Versions. If your computer has been set up to use Windows Backup, this tab will show all previous versions of this file.
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Lets take a look at the Previous Versions tab:
Windows will take a few moments to search its archives and track down previous versions of this file. Once the search is complete, select a file and click Open, Copy, or Restore: Open Copy Restore Opens the currently selected file. We recommend you do this first to make sure you are looking at the correct version! Makes a copy of the selected file. You can then navigate to another part of your computer using Windows Explorer and paste the copy. Overwrites the current version of the file with the selected file. Never do this unless you are 100% sure you want to restore the old version. This action is irreversible!
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Lesson 1.4: Using File Management Tools, Part Two

Excel contains a number of different file management tools to make sure your work is as accessible to as many different versions of Excel as possible. In this lesson, we will learn how to view compatibility issues and explore all of the different inspection tools.
Viewing a Summary of Sharing Issues

As you work with your spreadsheets, Excel keeps a watchful eye over everything and keeps track of possible issues. It will check to make sure you arent unintentionally sharing personal information, and will make sure that the document is accessible to your readers and compatible with as many different versions of Excel as possible. All of these issues are summarized in the Info item of the Backstage menu. For example, here are the issues Excel encounters when using the personal budget template:
Dont be alarmed by some of the issues you may encounter. The purpose of this summary is not to scare you, but rather to let you know that there are some issues you should think about before distributing this document to others. In order to help deal with these types of issues, there are a few tools available to help you out, and they too are available from the (very handy) Info section of the File menu.
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Using the Document Inspector

The Document Inspector is designed to check your file for potentially compromising personal or hidden information. This tool is available by clicking File Info Check for Issues Inspect Document:
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A window will appear and prompt you to select the types of personal or hidden information Excel should look for. By default, all options are checked, so click Inspect to proceed:
Excel will take a moment to examine the workbook for potential issues. Once the check is complete, you will be shown the results. In this case, we are examining the personal budget worksheet, and only one category has issues:
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Click Remove All to remove these issues, and then click Reinspect at the bottom of the dialog. The issues previously found should be gone, and the document should now be clear. Keep in mind that this feature is not designed to scare you! Just because a document may contain a number of issues, that doesnt mean all of them are bad or wrong. It is designed to alert you to issues you might not have thought about or are hidden from you.
Using the Accessibility Checker

The Accessibility Checker is designed to inspect your document for issues that might affect people who are differently-abled. You can open this tool from the Check for Issues menu:
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This command will open a pane on the right-hand side of the Excel window and list all of the errors and warnings related to accessibility. Here are some of the errors listed in the personal budget template. As you can see, there are quite a few:
To view the details of an error or warning, simply select one from the list. Excel provides a brief explanation why the issue appeared and how to fix it in the Additional Information area, shown at the bottom of the Accessibility Checker. Although the report certainly looks menacing, there are really only two types of issues here. All of the errors that are listed are related to alternate table text, and all the warnings shown relate to merged cells. Lets examine one issue of each type to see why it has been flagged.
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The personal monthly budget template is composed of several tables, and these tables are the cause of the errors. If we select one of the errors, the corresponding table will also be selected:
Here is the Additional Information provided by the Accessibility Checker:
Follow the directions under How To Fix in order to solve the problem. In this situation, a title and description can be added to the table. This alternate text can be picked up by some technologies to help people with vision or cognition issues figure out what the table is for.
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Next, lets examine one of the warnings about merged cells:
Here you can see that the cell containing Extra income has been merged across two columns, which might cause some issues for technology used to read spreadsheet contents. Therefore, the recommendation is to split this cell back into two separate cells. The majority of the other warnings regard the cells are used to separate the tables and make the spreadsheet easier to read:
If clients or members of your organization are differently-abled in some way, the Accessibility Checker will help you make your workbook as user-friendly as possible.
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Using the Compatibility Checker

The final checking utility is the Compatibility Checker. This tool is designed to scan your workbook for potential issues if it was opened in earlier versions of Excel. Open this tool by clicking File Info Check for Issues Check Compatibility:
The Compatibility Checker scans for issues relating to Excel 97-2003 and Excel 2007 file formats.
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After a moment, the Compatibility Checker dialog box will appear and show all possible conflicts between Excel 2010 and previous versions. Here are the issues located when checking the personal budget template:
Before we examine an issue, lets look at the other commands in this dialog. Click the Select versions to show combo box to determine which previous Excel version(s) will be checked with the Compatibility Checker. By default, both items are selected:
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At the bottom, there is a checkbox to always run the Compatibility Checker when saving this file. (We will explore compatibility options in the next topic.) There is also a button to copy all of these compatibility issues to a new worksheet within the workbook:
Click any of the links to view that issue directly. Lets look at one particular instance:
The summary of each issue gives you a quick summary of the problem and the source workbook. In this case, the template contains table references rather than cell references. This means that a value is calculated by the equation (=[value1]-[value2]) rather than using the direct cell references (=c12-d12). 101 is the number of occurrences for this particular instance. Click Find to locate the first occurrence of this issue. Click Help to open the Excel Help file. You will see an article outlining the different issues (summaries) that the Compatibility Checker looks for.
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Setting Compatibility Options

You can control how Excel checks file compatibility in one of two ways. When using the Compatibility Checker, click the checkbox at the bottom to always perform a compatibility check when saving the file:
The other way to control file compatibility is to cut out the middleman by choosing which file type to use for all new workbooks. To do this, click File Options Save and then choose a default file format:
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Section 1: Review Questions

1. A. B. C. D. 2. A. B. C. D. 3. A. B. C. D. 4. A. B. C. D. 5. A. B. C. D. 6. A. B. C. D.
Which part of Windows Explorer would you use to navigate directly to C:/Data/Session1/? Navigation buttons Address bar Navigation Pane Folder contents Which of the following file views shows the most information about a file? Large icons Small icons Details Tiles You added a custom folder shortcut to the Favorites section of the Windows Explorer Navigation Pane. How do you delete the shortcut? Right-click shortcut Send to Recycle Bin Right-click shortcut Cut Right-click shortcut Properties Delete shortcut Right-click shortcut Remove By default, how often does AutoRecover save your file? 2 minutes 5 minutes 10 minutes 30 minutes Which of the following security measures offers the least amount of protection against accidental or intentional modification of your work? Mark as Final Protect Current Sheet Restrict Permission by People Add a Digital Signature You have opened a file in .xls format. What will you see in Excels title bar? Nothing [.xls Format] [.xlsx Format Recommended] None of the above
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7. A. B. C. D. 8. A. B. C. D. 9. A. B. C. D. 10.
How do you remove a password from an encrypted workbook? When prompted for the password upon opening the file, click Remove Password, then enter the password to confirm your choice Click File Options Security Remove Password and enter the password to confirm your choice Click File Info Protect Workbook Encrypt with Password and remove the password Click Security Remove Password and enter the password to confirm your choice How do you void a digital signature? Add another digital signature Change contents of the file Save it in a new location on your computer None of the above Which file management tool would you use to check for hidden columns and rows? Accessibility Checker Compatibility Checker Document Inspector All of the above Your new computer includes Office 2010 but your organizations network use s Office 2003. How can you set Excel 2010 for maximum compatibility with the older file format? Make sure your hard disk is frequently defragmented Set Excel to always save in Excel 97-2003 format You cant; you will have to use the Compatibility Checker Dont use the new features of Excel 2010 that arent compatible
A. B. C. D.
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Section 2: Working with Functions and Formulas

In this section you will learn how to: Understand the difference between relative and absolute cell references Use basic mathematical operators Use formulas with multiple cell references Use the formula auditing commands Fix formula errors and recognize common errors Change error checking options Display and print formulas Recognize a function Search for functions included with Excel Add functions to your worksheet Use some useful and simple functions Use the IF function Work with nested functions Break up complex or long functions so they are easier to read Use functions and AutoFill together Recognize range names Define and use range names Use commands associated with range names Select non-adjacent ranges in the same worksheet Use AutoCalculate Recognize array formulas Define basic array formulas Use functions with array formulas Use the IF function in an array formula
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Lesson 2.1: Using Formulas in Excel, Part 1

Excel is a great tool to record, store, and sort information, especially numerical facts and figures. But the real versatility of this program can be found by using formulas to calculate data. Excel can do a lot of number crunching, even on older computers. In order to make the most of formulas, you need to understand the bits and pieces that are used to create them. In this lesson we will cover all the key concepts to get you started with formulas.
Understanding Relative and Absolute Cell References

You already know that worksheets are composed of rows (horizontal, referenced with numbers) and columns (vertical, referenced with letters). The intersection of each row with a column forms a cell, and each cell is given a name in the format ColumnRow. Consider the following worksheet:
The current cell, C2, contains a formula which adds A2 and B2 together. You can see this formula in the formula bar. Now, if we click and drag the small square in the bottom right-hand corner of the active cell down one cell (C3), watch what happens:
C3 now contains 0 because the cell references, which are now visible in the formula bar, have changed. When the AutoFill operation was performed, the cell references were modified relative to the location of the formula. Since A3 and B3 contain no values, the result is 0.
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The same thing will happen if we copy and paste C2 somewhere else:
F4 is 0 because the values relative to the formula location (D4 and E4) are empty. This happens because the original formula uses relative cell references. Each cell reference in the form ColumnRow is a relative reference. Most of the time, these relative references arent an issue. However, if data is to be moved around or copied using AutoFill, relative cell references can create incorrect and confusing results. To avoid this, use absolute cell references. These references use dollar signs ($) to make sure a formula always references the same location, no matter where it is moved. You can assign absolute cell references in three ways: $Column$Row: Both the row and column designation wont change ($A$1) $ColumnRow: The column designation wont change, but the row can ($A1) Column$Row: The row designation wont change, but the column can (A$1) If we add absolute cell references to our sample formula, the formula can be added anywhere and the value wont change:
You arent restricted to using only relative or only absolute cell references. Simply add the dollar signs wherever you need an absolute reference.
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Understanding Basic Mathematical Operators

Excel uses eight basic mathematical operators: Name Exponent Multiplication Division Addition Subtraction Equivalence Greater Than Less Than Symbol ^ * / + = > < Example 10^2 = 100 10*2 = 20 10/2 = 5 10+2 = 12 10-2 = 8 10 = 10 10>2 2<10
These operators are listed from top to bottom in order of precedence. This means that Excel does not simply calculate expressions from left to right; certain operations are performed before others. Items in boxes have the same level of precedence, meaning multiplication and division, addition and subtraction, and the greater than/less than operations each have equal precedence. Lets look at some examples. When calculated from left to right, 3*2+4 = 10. 3*2 is evaluated first, and then 4 is added because multiplication takes precedence over addition. However, 3+2*4 = 11. (2*4 is 8, 8 + 3 = 11.) 3^2*4 = 36. 3^2 is evaluated first, and the result is then multiplied by 4 (exponentiation takes precedence over multiplication). However, 3*2^4 = 48. You can impose your own order of operations by enclosing expressions in parentheses (). The operations inside the parentheses will be evaluated before the operations outside. If you have parentheses within parentheses such as ((2+3)*4), the expression in the inner parentheses, (2+3) =5, will be evaluated first, and the result will be used to evaluate the expression in the outer parentheses, (5*4) =20.
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One easy way to remember precedence order is to remember the word BEDMAS, which stands for Brackets (aka Parentheses), Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition, and Subtraction: Division and Multiplication have equal precedence, calculated from left to right. Addition and Subtraction have equal precedence, calculated from left to right. Try the following formulas in Excel: (3+2)*2=10 3+2*2=7 (10+20)/2=15 10+20/2=20 ((4+6)*2)^2=400 4+6*2^2=28 Remember to put the equals sign (=) at the beginning so Excel knows to calculate a result:
Using Formulas with Multiple Cell References

Excel is capable of doing complex calculations relatively quickly. Most of the time, your calculations in Excel will involve using multiple pieces of data for each calculation. In order to do this, you will need to be able to reference multiple cells at the same time. Consider the following table of data:
In order to calculate profit per item, sales need to be calculated and then the cost of the items needs to be subtracted from the sales.
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To do this, first calculate the sales. Enter =B2*C2 in cell D2:
This calculation is pretty easy to type because it only deals with two cells. However, if you need to create a formula based on many different fields, it can be very tedious to track down the correct cell reference. To make entering formulas easier, you can simply click the cells you need to use to automatically insert them. If we enter the same formula as above (units sold x price) but click the cells instead of type their names, the process goes a bit faster. Click the cell that will contain the formula and press equals (=) to begin the formula. Click the first cell that is to be added to the formula:
Type the mathematical operator and then click the second cell. Notice that Excel has colorcoded the selected cells so its easier to review the formula. Here, B3 is blue and C3 is green . (You can just make out the green behind the flashing black and white border.)
Once all the sales values have been calculated, we can move forward and calculate the profit. Profit is calculated by subtracting the expenses from the sales. Using what we know about Excels operations and order of precedence, our formula will be: Sales (Units Sold * Cost Per Item + Overhead) = Profit
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In our example, this translates into the following formula. Note the color coding for each cell:
Once the correct formula has been entered in the cells in the Profit column, the worksheet is complete:
Understanding the Formula Auditing Buttons

Since formulas are such a critical part of Excel, there are a number of tools you can use to make sure you are properly calculating your data. Even though Excel is capable of handling very complex formulas, the auditing tools are very easy to use. These tools are available on the Formulas tab:
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Lets go over the basics of these commands. Trace Precedents The Trace Precedents command is used to backtrack through all the cells that are used to calculate the current formula. In the case of our profit calculation from the previous example, Excel calculates each cell that was used in the calculation of this formula:
Each blue dot corresponds to a value used in the formula. An arrow points to the end value. (We have removed currency formatting to make the arrow in G2 easier to see.)
If you click the Trace Precedents command again, any values that were used to calculate any precedent formulas are also highlighted. This means you can keep clicking Trace Precedents to go back multiple levels of precedents. In this example, the values used to calculate the Sales column will be shown by clicking Trace Precedents a second time. Again, currency formatting has been removed to make this arrow easier to see:
You can remove these arrows by clicking Remove Arrows in the Formula Auditing group:
Well look at these commands more closely in a moment.
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Trace Dependents The Trace Dependents command works the opposite way of Trace Precedents: it highlights all the items that depend on the value in the current cell. In our example, this obviously wont work in the Profit column since there are no dependents to this value. Excel will alert you if you click this command (or Trace Precedents) when it doesnt apply:
However, the Sales column does have dependents:
This command can also be clicked multiple times in order to continue stepping through each level of dependency. Remove Arrows You can use the Trace Precedents and Trace Dependents commands independently of each other, or at the same time, in the same cell. However, you might end up with arrows everywhere, so to clear the screen, click Remove Arrows. Clicking the command directly will remove all of the arrows from the worksheet. You can also click the pull-down arrow to remove only the Precedent or Dependent arrows if you wish:
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Show Formulas The Show Formulas command will show all of the formulas in the worksheet rather than their computed value. This is a toggle command that also expands the column widths so the formulas are easier to read:
This mode is very useful when you are creating formulas for a large sheet. You can ensure that the formulas are correct before adding or computing data. Viewing formulas also makes it easier for others to view your work and understand how values are calculated instead of clicking cells one at a time and looking at the formula bar. Click this command again to show the calculated values. The columns will also return to their normal widths. Error Checking This function works like the spell checking command in a word processing program. Excel does actively check for some errors as you are entering formulas, but there are some issues that Excels automatic checking cannot account for. For example, here we have mistyped a cell reference in the formula in cell D2. This affects the formula in this cell as well as the dependent cell in the Profit column:
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Click the Error Checking command to make Excel scour your worksheet for any errors. If any are found, they will be listed one at a time in the Error Checking dialog box:
This this case, D2 contains a naming error: the cell reference B is incomplete. Use the buttons on the right to: Open the Help file for specific information about this error. Show the calculation steps that were followed in order to reach this point. Ignore this error for the time being Open the formula bar to fix the error by hand Click the Options button to open the Options dialog to the Formulas category. Here you can enable or disable the background checking option, choose the color used to highlight errors, and reset errors that were previously marked to be ignored:
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Evaluate Formula As we have seen by examining the other commands in this section, there are a number of commands you can use to easily and accurately track what a formula is doing. The Evaluate Formula command takes this concept one step further by showing you every single calculation that was used to reach a particular value. This command is extremely useful for making sure a complex formula is doing exactly what you intend it to do, or for finding that one small piece that is causing your calculation to fail along the way. Here, we have selected a value in the Profit column of our sales worksheet and will step through the formula:
The Evaluate Formula dialog box will appear and show the formula that will be evaluated:
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Click Evaluate to step into the first part of the formula. In this case, D2 is the first value to be filled in:
At this point, notice that the Step In button is now active. Click this button to delve one level deeper in the formula, just as the Show Precedents/Show Dependents command would show additional information. Here, the value of B2 is shown in a separate text area:
Click Step Out to close the separate text area and apply the value 400 in the same spot as B2. The Step Out command will also progress to the next step of the checker.
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Now, the next value is highlighted and the option to Step In is available again. Click Evaluate to continue checking and evaluating the formula:
Eventually, the checker will step through all the calculations one at a time before showing you the final step:
Clicking Evaluate once more will perform the final calculation and show the result. Clicking Evaluate a final time will start the process over from the beginning. Watch Window Imagine that you are compiling a very large number of survey results. As you add more and more data to the worksheets, it can be challenging to keep an eye on certain key values. The watch window is designed to display the value of certain cells as other information is changed within the worksheet. The watch window is a floating window that will remain open no matter what you are doing with Excel. Consider the completed sales worksheet that we have been using throughout this lesson:
If you want to keep track of a certain value in the Profit column, a watch window is perfect.
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To use this tool, simply click the cell you want to watch and then click Watch Window. A new window will appear and show you all the vital statistics regarding this value:
The Watch Window is very simple to use: To move the active cell to a value in the Watch Window, double-click a value. To add more values to this window, click Add Watch and specify the cell. To remove values, select one from the Watch Window and click Delete Watch. When you are finished with the Watch Window, click the close button.
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Lesson 2.2: Using Formulas in Excel, Part 2

We will continue our examination of formulas by exploring what to do if you encounter formula errors. In this lesson, we will look at how to fix formula errors, change the way Excel deals with errors, and learn how to display and print formulas.
Fixing Formula Errors

If you dont have much experience using formulas and multiple cell references, dont worry in some ways, its actually quite difficult to make mistakes in Excel! Errors in Excel are best described with an example, so lets keep it simple. Consider the following data:
Lets go over a few of the more common errors and warnings: Start every formula with equals (=) If you dont start with a formula with an equals sign, the fo rmula will simply be text in a cell:
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Match all open and closed parentheses
Excel keeps watch over the number of parentheses you use in a formula. If you add too many or not enough and try to compute the result, Excel will warn you. Excel can also attempt to provide a solution:
Click Yes to accept the correction, or click No to try to fix it yourself. Division by zero By default, Excel treats all empty cells as 0. Since division by 0 is not defined, this results in an error:
Notice that a warning message appears and is preceded by a number sign (#, aka hash mark). The warning icon shown beside the active cell offers a menu for help with this error and some possible solutions:
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Value is too large for cell width
If you have a very large number in a small cell or have entered a negative number in a cell formatted to hold a date or time, the cell will be filled with number signs:
Widen the column or correct the input error to get rid of the number signs. Incorrect cell reference This error occurs if the source data for a formula has been moved or deleted. For example, if we were to sum A1 and A2 in a formula but then delete column A, you would see the #REF! error for each cell reference that no longer exists:
To correct this error, use the Undo command or replace the missing data if you can. Null errors The #NULL error spears if two or more cell references are not separated correctly in a formula, such as if you forgot to include a mathematical operator:
This is not an exhaustive list of errors, but they are the ones you will run into the most often when working with mathematical operators. There are a number of additional errors that you can encounter when working with functions, which we will see in the next lesson.
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Modifying Error Checking Options

We said at the beginning of this topic that in some ways it is hard to make mistakes in Excel if youre paying attention to your work. The error checking built into Excel has been refined over the different versions and is designed to catch just about every possible scenario. However, the effectiveness of error checking does depend on Excel being properly configured. To manage these settings, click File Options Formulas. Everything you need to make Excel help you along the way can be found here. The settings shown below are the defaults:
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Lets quickly go over the option categories shown here: Calculation options Control when Excel will calculate values in the worksheet. By default, Excel will calculate the entire worksheet each time a change is made. In most instances, this wont be a problem. However, if your worksheet collects data from an external source, contains complex formulas, or has a lot of data, each calculation may take several seconds. Iterative calculations are beyond the scope of this manual. Working with formulas Control the way Excel deals with formulas in your workbook: Reverse the ColumnRow naming scheme to RowColumn Enable/disable the AutoComplete function (used to enter names of common functions, which we will explore in the next lesson) Enable/disable the use of table names in formulas, if you are using tables to store data (as we have seen with the personal budget worksheet) PivotTables are used to quickly rearrange data so it can be viewed in different ways, and are beyond the scope of this manual. Enable/disable the ability to use the GetPivotData function so you can extract PivotTable data and use it in your formulas. By default, Excel constantly checks your work for errors. We recommend leaving this setting enabled at all times because the sooner you can get rid of a problem, the easier your work will be! Use this setting to mark errors in the color of your choice, and reset previously ignored errors that were found by the Error Checking command. These options set the operating criteria for Excels error checking function. All options here are enabled by default except the option to mark empty cells referred to in a formula as errors. With this option disabled, all empty cells are assumed to be 0.
Error Checking
Error checking rules
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Displaying and Printing Formulas

If you enter a formula and press Enter, Excel will automatically calculate the formula (and all other formulas in the worksheet) and show its results. However, in order to make creating and reviewing worksheets a bit easier, you can show the formulas (instead of the result) on the worksheet and the printed page. To do this, click Formulas Show Formulas:
This will show formulas within the sheet:
You can view a preview of the page by clicking File Print:
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Lesson 2.3: Exploring Excel Functions

Functions are the next step in our examination of Excel. The purpose of a function is to provide you with an easy way to perform a complex calculation, so you can focus on results instead of trying to remember your grade-school math equations! In this lesson we will explore what separates a function from a formula and how to make the best of the multitude of functions provided in Excel.
What are Functions?

Functions are pre-made operations that use input to produce output. Excel features a number of functions relating to basic math, financial applications, logic, date & time, and more. Most functions accept input, but some functions dont. Here are two examples. The MAX function returns the highest value of a set of values: o =MAX(5, 10, 9.9) 10 o =MAX(-5, -10, -9.9) -5 The PI function takes no input but returns the value of pi to several decimal places: o =PI() 3.141592654 For example, if you want to add a column of ten numbers, you could type =A1+A2+A3++A10, but that would quickly become tedious and would also make the spreadsheet harder to work with. A much more efficient way of performing this calculation is to use the SUM function:
In this example, we typed =sum( and then clicked and dragged from A1 to A10, which filled in the values of that cell range. We added a closing parenthesis and press Enter, and the answer was computed. That is much easier than typing =A1+A2+A3++A10 and allows for much more flexibility if additional rows are added between the defined range.
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Finding the Right Functions

Functions have been a very important part of Excel right from the beginning because they make data computation and analysis very easy. In fact, Excel features over 300 built-in functions to calculate or provide information regarding: Databases Date and time Engineering Finance Worksheet metadata Logic Lookup and reference Math and trigonometry Statistical analysis Text strings External (miscellaneous) You can browse the nine categories available in the Formulas tab:
You will likely use many of the functions available under AutoSum, Financial, and Math & Trig. Remember to check the Recently Used menu to look at functions you have used in the past. We will explore how to add insert different types of functions later in this lesson.
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Inserting Functions
You can insert functions in one of three ways. First, you can click any of the function categories in the Formulas tab. Point to a specific function to see the argument(s) required by this function and a brief description of what it does:
Or, click Insert Function at the bottom of any menu (or right on the Formulas tab) to search for a particular function based on keywords and/or category:
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Finally, you can click a cell and begin to type a function name. The matching functions will filter themselves based on what you have entered:
Once you have decided on a function to use, Excel will prompt you to enter each argument as necessary. Add the closing parenthesis, press Enter, and Excel will calculate the value:
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Some Useful and Simple Functions

If you are going to be spending any great amount of time with Excel, there a number of functions you might end up using on a regular basis. In no particular order, here are some of our most commonly used functions: Function Name Sum Average Example =SUM(B4, C8:D18, 100) =AVERAGE(C8:D18) Description Returns the sum of numeric and/or numerical cell references. Returns the average of multiple values and/or cell references. Returns the number of cells that contain a non-zero value. Returns the largest value of all arguments.
Count Numbers =COUNT(C8:D18) Maximum Minimum Now =MAX(B4, C8:D18, 100) =MIN(B4, C8:D18, 100)
Returns the smallest value of all arguments. =NOW() Returns the current date and time formatted as a date and time. Each time the worksheet is opened, the current date and time will be inserted. Returns the current date formatted as a date. Returns the current decimal number in binary, hexadecimal, or octal, to the specified number of places. Returns TRUE if the value is a number or is text, respectively. Otherwise returns FALSE.
Today Decimal to Binary, Hexadecimal, Octal Is a number, is a text string?
=TODAY() =DEC2BIN(number, [places]) =DEC2HEX(number, [places]) =DEC2OCT(number, [places]) =ISNUMBER(value) =ISTEXT(value)
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Lesson 2.4: Using Functions in Excel

Functions are a major part of what makes Excel so popular. In this lesson, we will explore some different types of functions and some tricks you can use to perform complex calculations. Just keep in mind that even the most complex of formulas can be broken down into simple parts. Remember to pay attention to the order of precedence and the number of parentheses you use.
Using the IF Function

Logic operations play a big part in Excels functionality. One function in particular, the IF function, is very useful. You can use this function to calculate different values depending on the evaluation of a condition. The structure of an IF function is as follows: IF(logical_test, value_if_true, value_if_false) IF functions are called conditional functions because the return value will depend on whether or not a specific condition was satisfied. Consider the following function: IF (A1=10, 5, 1) If the value in A1 equals 10, then 5 is returned. Otherwise, 1 is returned. Lets look at how this works in Excel once we start to fill in the equation:
The small box beneath the function will tell you what you need to enter. Right now, the next expected argument is a logical expression. In this case, we want to test if A1=10, so we will add that and then a comma:
Now we will add the two remaining values and a closed parenthesis:
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The formula is now complete, so press Enter to complete the calculation:
Anything other than 10 in A1 will calculate as false and make Excel return 1:
Working with Nested Functions

Excel allows you to use functions within functions. This is called nesting. Excel lets you have up to 64 nested functions in a single calculation. Consider the following worksheet:
Data has been recorded in three different locations. If you wanted to find the average of all values, you could use the AVERAGE function to calculate the average at each station and then find the average of those three values. However, there is a way to compute this value in one step by using nested functions: AVERAGE(AVERAGE(A2:A6), AVERAGE(B2:B6), AVERAGE(C2:C6)) Whenever Excel encounters nested functions such as this, it examines the whole statement and then looks at the order of operations to determine what need to be done first. Nested functions behave like a hierarchy. In this case, the outside AVERAGE function depends on the inputs of the three inside average functions. The three inside averages are then passed to the outside AVERAGE function and the final result is then calculated.
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Heres another way to look at the way the same nested function is calculated. This formula is calculated from the bottom to the top:
It can be tricky to wrap your head around the thinking behind nested functions. Just remember to take it one step at a time, figure out what needs to be calculated in what order, and be careful with your parentheses!
Breaking up Complex Formulas

As you can see, Excel is capable of doing a lot in a single cell. But what you might not be able to see is how the formula actually works! Therefore, Excel takes a cue from computer programmers and allows you to add line breaks to a formula. Consider the following worksheet that contains test scores. The students were given a quiz that was marked out of 10:
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The teacher wants to add a description to each students score based upon their mark. If the student scores 8 or higher, their mark is Very High, if they score 6 or higher their mark is High, etc. The teacher ends up creating the following nested formula which will be AutoFilled for every students mark: IF(B2>=8, Very High, IF(B2>=6, High, IF(B2>=4, Average, IF(B2>=2, Low, Very Low)))) This statement is correct but its not very easy to read. If we add a few line breaks, the statement should be much easier to read: IF(B2>=8, Very High, IF(B2>=6, High, IF(B2>=4, Average, IF(B2>=2, Low, Very Low)))) If the mark is 8 or higher, the rank is Very High. If its not, Excel will continue attempting to calculate the mark until the statement is found to be true or false. To add these line breaks, click and drag the divider between the formula bar and the cells down a bit and then press Alt + Enter to add a line break at various points within the formula:
Look carefully at the formula bar: Excel automatically colors the parenthesis to make sure you have the correct number of opens and closes.
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Using Functions and AutoFill to Perform Difficult Calculations

As we have seen in this lesson, just about anything mathematical you want to calculate can be done in Excel including calculus, finance, and probability computations. To complete this lesson, we will explore how using functions and AutoFill can make complex calculations easier. Probability calculations, like those involving binomial distribution, can be difficult and tedious to perform manually. But by using Excel 2010 you can perform complex statistical calculations like this with just a few simple steps. In a nutshell, this can be done by using a formula on welldefined data, and then using AutoFill to copy the formula to multiple cells. For example, imagine that you are the floor manager for a widget assembly line. Binomial distribution can be used to calculate the probability of a certain number of events in a given number of trials. If you know that each widget coming off the line has a 6% chance of failing to work, you could use the binomial distribution function to find the probability of getting exactly one failure, or exactly two failures, and so on, in a given number of runs of the assembly line. (Each run builds one widget.) Consider the following worksheet. The probability of failure has been given a value of 0.06 (6%). Columns B and C are used to set up the production scenario:
Look at cells B3 and C3. To find the chances of getting exactly one failure (no more or no less) in 10 runs, we will use the binomial distribution function.
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To do this, select the cell that will hold the result (in our case, D3) and then click the Insert Function button (fx) beside the formula bar:
When the Insert Function dialog box appears, select Statistical from the category combo box and select BINOM.DIST. Click OK:
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The Function Arguments dialog box allows us to enter the details of the function:
Click the first argument field (Number_s) and then click cell B3 to enter the number of successes. (In this case, a success is when the widget fails to work.) Click the Trials field and then click the cell representing the number of assembly line runs, C3. Click the Probability_s argument field and click cell A3 to assign a probability of 0.06. Since we will be using AutoComplete to fill in the rest of the values, make this an absolute cell reference ($A$3). Finally, type FALSE in the Cumulative argument field.
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Once you have correctly filled in all fields, the result will be calculated. Click OK to add the function to the worksheet:
With the result in D3, use AutoFill to calculate the probabilities accordingly for each cell in the column. Each result can be turned into a percentage with cell formatting (use the Percent Style command in Home Number group.) For example, the probability of getting one failure in 10 runs is 34.4%, while the probability of getting 5 failures in 10 runs is 0.01%.
If you have specific calculation needs, take the time to research what calculations Excel can perform for you. By using well-structured data and AutoFill to perform bulk calculations, you can crunch a lot of numbers in a hurry!
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Lesson 2.5: Working with Names and Ranges

Working with data isnt always easy. A complex formula involving several cell ranges can be difficult to understand, and individual cells that contain important data can be hard to find on a large worksheet. Cell references like D5:D22 or A33:C660 dont communicate anything about the data they contain. To overcome this issue, Excel enables you to create meaningful names for cells and ranges. In this lesson, we will learn what cell and range names are and how to use them. We will also cover nonadjacent ranges and learn how to take advantage of Excels very handy AutoCalculate feature.
What are Range Names?

Range names are meaningful labels that you can assign to individual cells or cell ranges. You can use a range name anywhere you would use a cell reference or cell range reference. This means you can use a name like Employees to describe a range of cells rather than their reference (like C2:C55). For example, consider the following worksheet. Cells A2 and B2 have been given names and those names have been used in a formula in cell C2:
As an added bonus, range names use absolute cell references. This means that if you copy a formula or use AutoFill while using named ranges, the formula will maintain its original cell references:
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Range names make formulas much more readable, improve worksheet clarity, and greatly improve worksheet organization. Range names can even help in overall design of your worksheet. Most small worksheets are usually constructed by filling a sheet with data and then performing calculations. However, range names enable you to complete a sheet by doing the opposite: constructing formulas and then adding the data. When you are designing your worksheet, you can create formulas using names instead of traditional cell references, and then define the names for the corresponding ranges as data becomes available. For example, here is an empty worksheet with a defined formula but no defined names, which results in a #NAME error. This error will remain visible until both value1 and value2 have been defined:
Defining and Using Range Names

Now that you understand the purpose of ranges, lets explore how to use them. To define a range name, select either a single cell or cell range and click Formulas Define Name:
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This will display the New Name dialog box. Give the cell or range a name, select which part(s) of your file will be able to use this name, and add a comment if you wish. By default, the active cell/selected cells will already be filled in at the bottom, but you can click the Change Cells button to define a new range:
Click OK to apply the name. Once a name has been applied, you can see the name in the name box (next to the formula bar), provided you have selected the correct cell/range that has the name:
You are free to modify the data in the range however you like. Even if you add extra rows or columns to the worksheet, the name will still apply:
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You can also name a cell or range by selecting it and then typing a name in the name box:
Click the pull-down arrow to the right of the name box to display a list of range names used in the current worksheet:
Using these range names will make your formulas and functions much clearer, especially if your work is to be passed on to others. It is much easier to remember and type the name of the range rather than specific cell references.
Defined Names Commands

Lets take a moment to explore the commands within the Defined Names group of the Formulas tab:
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Name Manager
Click this command to open the Name Manager dialog box:
The Name Manager offers you a single location to view and manage all of the range names in your workbook. Use the three buttons at the top to create a New range or Edit/Delete the currently selected range. Use the Filter command to show only the ranges based on the current criteria:
When you have finished using the Name Manager, click Close. Define Name Select a cell or cell range and click this command to define a new name. Give the range a name, decide which worksheet will use this name (by default, the whole workbook can use a range name), add a comment, and manually edit the cell range if necessary.
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Use in Formula
Click this command to insert any defined range name in the current cell:
Create from Selection
Excel can automatically create a range name using this command. Many people label their data in the top left-hand corner, so this command can examine a selected range of cells and determine a name from Words that are selected in the range. Consider the following range:
Click Create from Selection to show the Create Names from Selection dialog box. In this example, there is text in the leftmost cell, so Excel suggests that this range should be named based on the left column. Click OK to name this range Region 7:
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Selecting Nonadjacent Ranges

You know that you can select individual cells or click and drag your mouse to select multiple cells in a square or rectangle. However, you may need to select multiple nonadjacent cells in order to complete an operation. For example, consider the following worksheet that shows sales and expenses from nine different regions:
In the above image, all of the Sales totals (B5, F5, and J5) could be selected at once to format them in the same way. Do this by pressing and holding Ctrl and then clicking the cell or selecting the cell range you need. Each selected cell will be highlighted and you can perform actions on all these cells at once. Once you have selected the cells/cell ranges you need, release the Ctrl key:
All selected cells will be subject to the AutoCalculate tools in the status bar, which we will explore in the next topic.
Using AutoCalculate
Excel can automatically perform a number of quick calculations using the AutoCalculate function. All you have to do is select a range of cells and Excel will show basic information such as the average or sum of all values.
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To use this feature, just select two or more cells and then look at the status bar:
You can control which AutoCalculate features (as well as other features) will be shown in the status bar by right-clicking the status bar. All checked items (and their status) are visible if applicable, and all unchecked items are hidden:
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Lesson 2.6: Working with Array Formulas

Excel 2010 is packed full of features meant to help you get things done. We have already seen an impressive variety of formulas and functions you can use to perform all sort of calculations. In this lesson, we will discuss a powerful and flexible mathematical tool: array formulas. We will learn how to combine array formulas with functions, and discuss using array formulas with the IF function.
What are Array Formulas?

We already know that a formula contains one or more mathematical operations on data within the worksheet. An array can be defined as any grouping of two or more adjacent cells. These adjacent cells can form any size of square or rectangle:
When a selection is defined as an array, operations called array formulas can be performed on every cell in the selection rather than on just a single cell. This is a powerful technique that can be used to enhance Excel formulas and functions. Lets look at a quick example. Consider the following inventory sheet:
In order to calculate the value of everything in inventory, you could calculate the value of each quantity and then add all the values together. If you used AutoFill, this process wouldnt even take very long to complete. However, you would end up having a lot of additional information in the sheet that you dont really need to see. This example already contains an array with all the info we need (B2:C6), so an array formula can be used here.
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Defining Basic Array Formulas

Now that we understand what an array is and what array formulas can do, lets look at some examples. In order to calculate the total value of everything on the inventor y sheet, lets use an array formula. This example requires us to multiply one column of values with the other and add all of these results together. Therefore, the formula for this operation will look like this:
As you can see, each array is treated as a single argument within the formula. However, the formula in its current form will result in a #VALUE error because Excel does not recognize the arrays as arguments of the SUM formula. To correct this, click inside the formula bar and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter. This will add curly braces to either side of the formula, denoting this formula as an array formula, and Excel will computer the required value:
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Lets consider a larger example. All of the numbers in the following array need to be divided by 3 and increased by 100:
Select an area in the same sheet that is the same size as the above array. Type =A1:C10/3+100, and then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter:
As you can see, each value in the first array has been calculated according to the formula and its value entered in the corresponding matching place in the second array. (You can also easily see which values are evenly divisible by 3!) If you wanted to change the formula, say multiple by 3 instead of divide by 3, simply change the formula. However, any edits will make the curly braces around the formula disappear:
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If you press Enter with the formula in its current state, you will see a warning:
Click OK and then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to reapply array formula status. Excel will then recalculate the new array and show the results:
Using Functions within Array Formulas

You can insert functions at any point within an array formula just as you would a regular formula. Just remember the order of operations and use parentheses when needed. You might also want to test your formula on a few separate values to make sure your calculations are correct before using an array formula.
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Consider the following table that lists the radii of several circles:
In order to find the area of each circle, we will use the equation Area = r2. To calculate the area for each circle, we will use the following array function, including the PI function:
Now, lets encompass the entire existing formula in the AVERAGE function to find the average of all the areas:
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As you can see, the value in each cell is the same. Thats because we are computing the average of many things, not the individual results of many things. In this case, the formula can simply be used in a single cell rather than spreading the same result across a range:
Using the IF Function in Array Formulas

Earlier we learned how the IF function can be used to evaluate some simple logic scenarios. IF functions can also be combined with array formulas, enabling you to perform a number of different things all at once. Suppose you have a table of values and you want to know how many of the values in each row are the same:
You will need a way of checking how many cells are the same. To do this, you can use the following IF function: IF(A2=B2,1, 0)
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This process can be made more efficient by using an array function. Lets add the correct array references: IF(A2:A10=B2:B10, 1, 0) Finally, add a SUM function to count all the times the equation is satisfied and then turn it into an array function that Excel will recognize by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Enter: {=SUM(IF(A2:A10=B2:B10,1,0))} Excel should find there are three rows with equal values:
Heres another example where an IF function and array formula work well together. Imagine you wanted to calculate how many hours each person has worked:
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Use the following function to determine hours for Alice: {=SUM(IF(A2:A13="Alice",B2:B13,0))} Copy and paste the formula (making sure to check the cell references or use absolute references!) and then change the name to determine the hours worked by everyone else:
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1. A. B. C. D. 2. A. B. C. D. 3. A. B. C. D. 4. A. B. C. D. 5.
Which of the following is a valid absolute cell reference? AA$344 $D$99 $H2 All of the above Which of the following formula auditing commands will show you every single calculation step? Trace Precedents/Trace Dependents, depending on which way you want to see the calculation Evaluate Formulas Show Formulas Error Checking Which of the following statements has the correct syntax for the average function? AVG(A1, A2, A3) =AVERAGE(A1A3) =AVERAGE(A1:A3) =AVG(A1::A3) By default, Excel will display the SUM, COUNT, and AVERAGE functions for a selected range on the ________. Formulas tab Calculation Pane Navigation Pane Status Bar Based on the formula shown, what value will be shown in B1?
A. B. C. D.
-10 99 10 TRUE
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6. A. B. C. D. 7. A. B. C. D. 8. A. B. C. D. 9. A. B. C. D. 10. A. B. C. D.
Which of the following functions uses correct syntax? =COUNT(A1:Z99) =MAX{-99,-100,-98} =IF(G12=TRUE,IF(H23>G23,100,0),FALSE)) =SUM(A1:A15); If you give a cell a range name, that range name counts as: A relative cell reference An absolute cell reference A complete cell reference A finite cell reference What key(s) should you hold if you want to select cells B12, C2, and D4:E27? Shift Shift + S Ctrl + Shift Ctrl How do you tell Excel you want to use an array formula on the function =SUM(A1:A5*B1:B5)? Select the cell and click Formulas Array Formula Right-click the cell containing the function and click Special Array Formula Select the cell and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter Add curly braces to the outside of the formula Imagine you are using an array formula when you notice an error within the formula. What do you need to do to calculate the array formula again? Make the change and press Enter Make the change and then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter again Make the change and then click the Redo command Press Ctrl + P to pause Excels computation, make the change, and then press Ctrl + P again
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Section 3: Managing Tables

In this section you will learn how to: Recognize a table and its features Create tables from existing ranges Modifying tables Use items in the Table Tools contextual tab Use the total row Recognize records and fields Add fields and records by inserting columns and rows Delete records or fields Clean up duplicate records Sort data in a table Create AutoFilters to perform custom filtering Use advanced filters to fine-tune filtered records Copy filtered records to a new location Filter your data using wildcard characters Validate your data against different criteria Validate your data using lists and formulas Recognize and use database functions
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Lesson 3.1: Working with Tables

As we have seen in the last two sections, Excel is capable of doing just about anything involving data calculation. In this lesson, we will introduce another interesting feature: Excel is a very capable program for managing small databases. The word database might seem intimidating, but what you need to understand is that in its pure form, a database is nothing more than a table of data stored in a grid-like structure. And what does Excel store? Data in a grid! In this lesson, we will introduce tables, a great feature for separating data in a worksheet and the starting point for all databases, large and small.
What is a Table?
A table is a specially designated range of information that has added functionality that other cell ranges do not have. You can have multiple tables per worksheet, and tables can be as large or small as the amount of data you want to work with. We have already seen some worksheets that use tables, such as the personal budget template. In fact, this worksheet is composed almost entirely of tables:
A table is made from adjacent columns of data, with a unique label or heading for each column. Each row in the table should have entries organized according to the column headings. Remember, each worksheet has a lot more rows than columns. This design is well suited for data organized in long, adjacent, list-like columns. You can make a table with empty rows or columns if required, but this is not recommended.
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Creating Tables
Tables are made in one of two ways: by selecting and converting existing data, or by creating a blank table and filling in the information as required. In addition, tables can only be created from adjacent data. Lets start by looking at how to mark existing data as a table. Consider the following welldefined data:
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To create a table using existing data, select all data and column headings and then click Home Format as Table choose a table style:
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The Format As Table dialog box will appear and include the selected range of cells. Note the absolute cell references:
By default, My table has headers is checked whenever you select more than two rows of data. Make sure the cell range shown is correct and then click the OK button to create the table:
To create a table from scratch, click and drag the number of cells you will need in your table and then click Format As Table:
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Click OK to apply the table. The first row will contain column headings and the second row is ready to accept new data:
If you know what your column names need to be but dont yet have any data, select the column names and the next row down before clicking Format As Table:
Modifying Tables
Although we recommend thinking a bit about a table before adding one, the design is by no means set in stone. You can modify anything you like regarding a table by using right-click commands, the Table Tools contextual tab, and by physically modifying the table. If you examine your table closely, you will see a small blue handle in the bottom right-hand corner:
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Point to this blue arrow and your mouse will turn into a double-headed arrow. Click and drag this handle to change the size of your table, either horizontally or vertically, but not both: If you drag horizontally, your table will include new columns. Rename these new columns as you see fit.
If you drag vertically, your table will include new rows. (Note that this can also be achieved by pressing Enter in the last row of your table.) Add data as desired.
Click any cell in your table to show the Table Tools contextual tab. This tab contains everything you need to modify the look and functionality of your table:
Well cover these command groups in a moment.
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Lastly, you can use the right-click button to quickly modify different aspects of the table. We will explore these concepts later in this lesson and through the rest of this section:
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Using the Table Tools Design Tab

Whenever you are working with a table, the Table Tools Design contextual tab will appear. Use this tab to modify all aspects of your table. Lets take a look at the commands in each group. Properties Group Give the table a name or redefine the table size using these commands:
The Resize Table command is more flexible than simply dragging a corner with the blue arrow. Once you click this command, you can click and drag or define almost any area of your worksheet that you want to use for the new table size. There are just two conditions: At least one of the original column headers must remain At least one cell in the original data range must remain Consider the following table. Each of the red outlines is considered a valid resize range:
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However, the following range results in an error because it does not overlap at least one header:
Tools Group This group contains miscellaneous commands to modify your table:
This group contains a command to create a PivotTable based on the data in the table. Although PivotTables are beyond the scope of this manual, they allow you to easily arrange (pivot) data on the X and Y axes of a chart to look at a collection of data in several different ways. Remove Duplicates lets you clean up your data by removing duplicate information from one or more columns of data. (We will look at this command in the next lesson.) Finally, Convert to Range will remove the table designation from this group of cells. All of your data will be preserved, including the table headers.
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External Table Data Group This group gives you the necessary tools to work with external data sources and export the table to another location:
The Export command can send table data to SharePoint or a Visio PivotDiagram. Refresh will re-request all data from the external source, ensuring your data is always current. Properties lets you view and modify details regarding the external data. Open in Browser allows you to view all information from the external source in a web browser. Unlink will sever the link between Excel and the external source. The data will remain in the worksheet, but will no longer be up-to-date.
Table Style Options Group Use this group to toggle additional table items on or off:
Header Row will hide/show table headings. If this option is disabled, you can add information in the cells that used to contain table information:
If you re-enable the Header Row, the headers will appear underneath the data and effectively push down the entire table by one row. Total Row is a special footer row that can be used to automatically calculate some basic information about the table and its data.
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In the example shown below, the Total Row has counted the number of entries in this table:
First Column and Last Column will apply bold formatting to the respective column. Banded Rows and Banded Columns will add extra emphasis to the borders of each row and/or column in order to make the table easier to read. This command is comparable to the Borders command in the Font group of the Home tab.
Table Styles Group Use this group to choose a new table style, just as you would if you were applying table formatting for the first time:
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Click the More arrow to see more styles or to design a custom style. You can also remove all styles from a table with the Clear command in this menu:
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Adding a Total Row

Click Table Tools Design Total Row to show a new row at the bottom of your existing table:
Clicking on this checkbox will display another row at the bottom of the table. By default, the word Total is displayed in the leftmost cell. In this example, the number of rows in this table is displayed in column D:
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Each cell in the total row is customizable, including the cell that says Total. Simply click a cell and then click the pull-down arrow to choose a calculation:
None Average Count Count Numbers Max Min Sum StdDev Var
Displays an empty cell. Average of numerical values for the column. Displays the number of items in the column (number of non-empty cells in the column). Displays the number of numerical items in the column (number of cells containing numbers in the column). Displays the largest tem in the column. Displays the smallest tem in the column. Displays the sum of numerical data in the column. Displays the standard deviation for numerical column data. Displays the variance of numerical data in the column.
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In the following example, the total row displays the number of invoices, the total of all invoices, and the maximum (largest date) invoice:
Earlier you learned how to expand the size of a table. If you drag the move handle to lengthen the table, the total row will still stay at the bottom and any new data in the table will be recalculated accordingly.
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Lesson 3.2: Working with Records and Fields

Earlier we mentioned that an Excel spreadsheet is has a lot in common with a database table. In this lesson, we will expand on our knowledge of tables to use Excel as a basic database program. We will explore the similarities between Excel and a database, how to add and edit information, and how to make sure your database is as efficient as possible.
What are Records and Fields?

All databases, no matter how big or small, are composed of the same basic elements. Lets take a look at the terminology used with databases. Consider the following diagram:
Field
A field is the smallest piece of a database. It is one specific piece of information like a number, a word, a date, or a reference for some other piece of data. Each column in the diagram would all be the same data type; that is, one column of data would all be numbers. Each field in a table must have a unique name.

Table 1 has three field headings. People has two (Name and Age).
Record
A record is a collection of one or more fields together in a row.

Table 1 has X records, where X is any value >= 0. People has three records.
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Table
A table is comprised of zero or more records. (A table with no information is rare, but still allowed under the rules of databases.) Each table within a database must have a unique name.

Table 1 is an individual table. People is an individual table.
All data in a table is laid out in a grid format. Excel is perfect for small databases because you can easily view and manipulate a lot of data at once.
Adding Fields by Inserting Columns

There are two ways to add more fields to a table: expand the size of the table or manually insert new fields. To manually expand a table, click and drag the blue arrow in the bottom right-hand corner of the table and then define each new field as necessary:
However, if a Sales Rep column needs to be added between Customer Name and Invoice #, this method of table resizing is not practical.
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To add a new column in the middle of the table, right-click anywhere in the column to the right of the spot where you want the new column and click Insert Table Columns to the Left:
The new column is added and ready to be filled in:
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Adding Records by Inserting Rows

Adding extra records (rows) to a table works the same way. Click and drag the blue arrow in the bottom right-hand corner of the table down to add as many rows as you like. If your table includes a total row, it will be shifted to the bottom of the new empty rows:
If you need to add a record to a specific location in the table, right click anywhere in a row and click Insert Table Rows Above or Below:
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Quickly Adding Records to a Data Table

Using the methods shown above to add new records is fine when adding a little bit of data, but in most cases any new data you need to add will be added to the end of the table. Rather than manually inserting records and then filling them in, you can simply start typing in the next available row under the table. In order for this to work properly, you need to turn off the total row. Excel will use Table AutoExpansion to make this new row part of the existing table. For example, in this table we clicked in cell A5 and filled in each field by pressing Tab:
Once the Date field has been filled in, press Enter to move to the next available row. Start typing and Excel will automatically make that row part of the existing table. Note the AutoComplete icon underneath B6 which lets you control Table AutoExpansion:
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Deleting Records or Fields

In many database applications, deleting records (rows) is a common task. However, deleting fields (columns) means that you are changing the structure of the entire table. This operation should only be done if it is absolutely necessary. Changing table structure can cause all sorts of problems if other elements in your workbook depend on table data that no longer exists! Be cautious of the possible outcome if you change the structure of the table. If you need to delete a row or column from a table, right-click in any cell and click Delete Table Columns or Table Rows:
The column or row will be deleted. If you deleted the wrong data, just use the Undo command to revert your change. And always remember to save your work frequently!
Cleaning up Duplicate Records

Some databases are capable of holding phenomenal amounts of data. When databases reach that size, it is important that the database be well-designed and the data be as clean and organized as possible. If a database contains duplicate information, it can significantly affect the performance of database queries. Simply put, if you are looking for something and have to spend a lot of time looking over the same information over and over, your search is going to take a long time!
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Consider the following table. As you can see, it contains a lot of duplicate information:
To remove the duplicates from this table, click anywhere in the table and then click Table Tools Design Remove Duplicates. This will open the Remove Duplicates dialog box and select all table data (except the headers, if applicable):
As you can see, there are commands to select or unselect all columns in the table, and a checkbox to specify if the table contains headers. We will clean up the entire table by clicking OK.
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Excel will show you the details of the cleanup operation:
If this operation yielded some strange results or if you made an error, use the Undo command to revert your changes. Lets add another person (Earl) to the original table. All of the data in this table is unique from the others with the exception of Data 1. Earls value is the same as Carls:
If we remove duplicates based purely on the values in Data 1, we will end up with the unique records for Alice, Bob, and Carl. However, if duplicates are removed based on the Data 2, Recorded By, or Date columns, Earls data will remain as his other values were unique:
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Lesson 3.3: Working with Tables and Filters

In this lesson, we will continue our examination of tables in a mini-database environment. We have already seen how to create, edit, and remove duplicate information in a table. Now were going to learn how to perform more complex operations based on the existing data.
Sorting Data in a Table

In order to make the most of Excels table functionality, you should make sure that your table contains headers. This will make the data more meaningful and easier to read, particularly if you are passing the data onto someone else in the future. To sort data in a table, click the pull-down arrow beside the name of the header you want to sort. Then choose an ascending or descending sort. These commands are also available on the Data tab:
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The values will now be sorted in ascending or descending order. The pull-down arrow beside the header name will also show what type of sort has been applied:
For more advanced sorting options, click somewhere in the table. Next, click Data Sort or click the pull-down arrow beside a header Sort by Color Custom Sort:
This command automatically selects the entire data range (except the headers, if applicable) for use with the Sort command.
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This will open the Sort dialog box. This box allows you to specify different logical conditions in order to sort the information within the table. For example, the dialog in the image below is set up to sort the Customer Name values in ascending order.
Column Sort On
Select the column that will be sorted. Select the input that will be used to sort the information. Choose between values, cell color, font color, or cell icon. (The last three items can be used in conjunction with conditional formatting, and each of these items will introduce additional criteria specific to the Sort On command.) Select the sort order. This will either be in ascending or descending order, or sort based on a customized list. (These custom lists can be comprised of any values, but have a specified order. For example, the days of the week Sunday Monday, Tuesday, etc. are not in alphabetical order, but do have an associated order.)
Order
Click the Options command in the Sort dialog for additional options:
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You can use the Add Level, Delete Level, and Copy Level commands to specify or edit additional sorting criteria. These criteria will be acted upon from top to bottom, essentially performing subsequent sort operations based on the outcome of the previous sort. For example, in the image below, the list will sorted by Customer Name, then by Invoice #, and finally by Date:
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What is an AutoFilter?
AutoFilter is the name for the automatic filtering built into every table in Excel. To use this feature, click the pull-down arrow beside the column header:
All of the filtering commands are highlighted (though some are inactive because there is currently no filter in use).
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Notice that Excel automatically scans the current column (Sales Rep in this case) for all unique values and then lists them. Check or uncheck values and then click OK:
Filtered rows have now been left out of the display:
The pull-down arrow beside the column header will show a funnel icon indicating that a filter is in use. Also, note the row numbers on the left. To remove a filter, click the pull-down arrow beside the heading and click Clear Filter or recheck the hidden fields:
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Note that depending on the type of data in a column, you will see either Text Filters or Number Filters appear in the AutoFilter menu:
We will explore these filters in the next lesson.
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Creating a Custom AutoFilter

A custom AutoFilter allows you to add more specific information and better filter the records shown by Excel. To create one of these filters, click the pull-down arrow beside any column heading and click Text Filters or Number Filters Custom Filter. This will open the Custom AutoFilter dialog box:
At the top of the dialog, the column name will be listed. In this example, we are using Invoice #. Next, you can specify the logical statement that will be used to filter your data. The first combo box is used to specify the logical operation. The options are: Equals Does not equal Is greater than Is greater than or equal to Is less than Is less than or equal to Begins with Does not begin with Ends with Does not end with Contains Does not contain
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The second combo box works like the AutoFilter command: it examines the data in the current field and allows you to use it in the second half of the logical statement:
You can also type custom values into the second combo box to have Excel filter records on exactly what you type. The second set of combo boxes lets you define a more complex logical statement. Each combo box works in the same way as the two at the top of the window: logical operation on the left, value on the right. Use the And/Or radio buttons to determine how the operation will work. And operations require both the first and second arguments to be true. If one or both statements compute to false, the complete And statement will be false. Example: If I have my rubber boots and my umbrella, I will go out in the rain. If I only have one of these items, or neither of the items, I will stay inside. Or operations require at least one of the arguments to be true. Both statements can also be true. If both statements compute to false, the complete Or statement will be false. Example: If Alice or Bob is free tonight, I will go to a movie with Alice or Bob or both. If neither is free, I wont go to the movie. Custom filters can be removed by clicking the pull-down arrow for the column heading that contains the filter and clicking Clear Filter from <column name>.
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Using an Advanced Filter

Custom filters allow you to easily construct a filter using And/Or statements. However, there may come a time when you need to construct a logical statement using several parts, including multiple And/Or statements at once. To do this, Excel lets you create your own advanced filter. Consider the following table:
If we wanted to list all people who were more than 40 years old, we can define a parameter directly in the worksheet, like this:
Notice that the heading in F1 matches the corresponding table heading. We are now ready to apply the advanced filter.
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Click anywhere in the table. Then, click Data Advanced:
The Advanced Filter dialog box will appear:
The table data and headings are selected with a flashing border, and the cell range has automatically been entered in the List range box. The top of the dialog shows that the filter will be applied to the table as is. (We will cover copied filter results in a moment.)
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Next, we need to define the criteria for the filter. Click in the Criteria range field to enter the range or click and drag the criteria in the worksheet (including the Age heading) to have Excel automatically fill in the correct range:
Click OK to filter the records:
To remove this advanced filter, click Data Clear.
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Using an Advanced Filter with Logical Statements

That operation was pretty straightforward, and can easily be performed using a custom filter. However, the real usability of the advanced filter comes from the ability to chain several logical statements together. Both And and Or statements can be expanded to include multiple criteria:

If I have my rubber boots and my umbrella and my rain coat and my lozenges, I will go out in the rain. If I dont have even one of these items, I will stay inside. If Alice or Bob or Carl or Danielle is free tonight, we will go to a movie together. If no one is free, I wont go to the movie.
You can also combine And/Or statements together:

If I have my rubber boots and my rain coat or my umbrella, I will go out in the rain. If Alice or Bob or Carl and Danielle are free tonight, we will go to a movie together.
Although logical statements are interpreted from left to right, Excel must first calculate all And statements. Therefore, And statements take precedence. Lets explore this concept with some examples. To perform more complex operations in Excel, you can specify a criteria range. For example, the criteria shown in F1:H2 below states if Height < 60 and Weight > 120 and Age > 30. This yields the following three records:
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In order to specify Or statements, move the Or criteria down one cell from the criteria name. For example, F1:H3 now states if Height > 60 and Age > 30 or Weight > 120.
Remember, And statements need to be calculated first. Since the Height and Age criteria are directly below their headers, they are treated as And statements. The Weight criterion is one cell beneath its header, so it is treated as an Or statement. Lets explore the results. Alice is less than 60 in height and is older than 30, so the And statement is true. She also weighs more than 120, but since Weights criterion is in the Or position, and the And statement was already true, the overall statement is true. Bob is taller than 60 so the And statement fails. However, he does weigh more than 120, so the Or statement is true.
Copying Filtered Records

When you create an advanced filter, you have the option to filter the current list where it sits or copy the filtered records to another location. If you choose to filter the list in place, certain rows in the worksheet will disappear from view. This means that if you enter data in the rows beside a table and then filter the table, some of that adjacent data might disappear!
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Consider the following table and criteria:
If we apply an advanced filter to the table with these criteria, Alice and Bobs rows (2 and 3) will disappear, taking the filter criteria with them. To avoid this, you can copy the filtered records to a new location and leave the original table intact. In order to do this, you need to tell Excel where it should put the records. You will also need to include the table headers in the new location so Excel knows where each filtered record should be displayed. Lets put the records under the existing table. Start by typing the corresponding field names below the existing table:
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As you can see, the names do not have to directly align with the same column or row as the original table. You can even put copied records on another worksheet. Next, click somewhere in the original table and then click Data Advanced. When the Advanced Filter dialog appears, click the Copy to another location radio button. We have filled out the rest of the dialog and are ready to click OK:
As you can see, the Copy to field only contains two rows: the row of headers and one row for copied records. We dont know how many rows may be filtered, if a ny! Not to worry: Excel can automatically expand the number of rows needed for additional filtered records. However, if there is data below the specified Copy to range and more space is needed, Excel will overwrite that data. If we click OK in the Advanced Filter dialog box, Excel will warn us that there are indeed more rows than available space:
Clicking Yes will show the additional rows but may overwrite other data. Clicking No will only will in as many available rows as defined in the Copy to field.
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Lets click Yes, to copy the filtered rows:
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It is not necessary to provide space for all copied records; that is, we might only want to list the name and age of all filtered records. To do this, simply type only the headings you want to show and then proceed with the filter:
Here are the results:
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Lesson 3.4: Using Excel as a Database

Throughout this section, we have seen how to convert a range to a table, use some basic database components, and use filters to query table data. In this lesson we will explore a few more Excel features that you can use to get the most out of your Excel mini database, including wildcard characters, data validation, and Excel database functions.
Filtering with Wildcard Characters

Sometimes when you are using custom or advanced filters, it can be difficult to effectively narrow down filtered rows. By using wildcard characters, you can fine tune your filters to retrieve all the data that you are after. You can use the question mark (?) or the asterisk (*) as wildcard characters. A question mark will substitute a single character in a string, while an asterisk can substitute multiple characters in a string. Wildcard characters can only substitute letters, not numbers: ca? could be car, cat, can, cap, etc. tele* could be television, teleportation, telemarketing, etc. ?eformed could be reformed or deformed. Take a look at the following table:
If you wanted to list all the bears, you can use wildcard characters within a custom filter.
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To do this, click the pull-down arrow beside the Animal field. Click Text Filters Custom Filter. Type * Bear for the filtering criteria and then click OK:
The two bears should now be listed:
Lets try another custom filter:
The first condition tests if Animal equals L?on. The first condition is combined with an Or statement, which tests if Animal equals D*. Remember, Or will return the records that meet either criterion.
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The records that have a word starting with the letter D and the records that have a four letter word of the form L?on (where ? can be any letter) will be shown. Here are the filtered results:
Wildcards can be used anywhere in a word to substitute the characters you want. For example, ma*atics could represent the word mathematics with the * substituting for the letters t, h, e, and m. Similarly, Ro?e could represent Rope or Role or Rose or any other word of this form. You can also combine wildcard characters together: H??se is not the same as H*se, because H??se could be Horse or House but not Hose, while H*se could be Horse, House, or Hose. S*e? could be Sewer, Softer, Soften, or Salamander.
Validating your Data

Data validation is an important part of database design and functionality. This means that you are making sure the right data is being entered in the right place. If you had a database table that contained a column of sales figures, you wouldnt want to accidentally be able to enter text in the same column. To make sure problems like this dont occur, Excel lets you set up validation rules to make sure the right data is being entered in the right format in the right location. Validation rules arent restricted just to tables. You can apply these rules anywhere in a worksheet. If you or someone else enters information that is not properly formatted or of the right type, you can even customize error messages informing the user what went wrong.
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To set up data validation in a single cell, click the cell and then click Data Data Validation:
This will display the Data Validation dialog box:
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Before we get into how to set up a rule, lets take a quick look at what each of the three tabs can do. Settings This tab lets you define the validation rule. The Allow field is used to specify the data type: Any value, meaning no restriction on text or numbers Whole numbers defined by some logical condition (<, >, >=, etc.) Decimal numbers defined by some logical condition List, as defined by a range of cells from another location Date defined by some logical condition Time defined by some logical condition Text length with min/max length settings Custom data as defined by a formula specified to your needs Each input type comes with its own set of conditions so you can specify exactly what is allowed in this cell. Input Message (optional) Error Alert (optional) Use this option to add a notification to the cell alerting users what the cell is for and what type of input is allowed. You can enter a title and a short, descriptive message. You can use this tab to write an error message explaining the details of what went wrong. This message will be displayed if someone does enter incorrect data. Usually the error message will state the limits of input for this cell.
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Lets try making a new rule for a cell using all of these tabs. First, we will define the rule for data in the cell. We will select the Decimal data type and ignore blank (empty) input:
As you can see, once the data type has been set, there are input fields available to set the rules based on whatever item has been selected in the Data combo box. By default, between is selected:
Lets leave this box set to between and then define the Minimum and Maximum values.
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You can enter values directly into these boxes (as we have done below) or you can click the insert buttons to the right of each field to choose a value from your worksheet:
Now we can click Input Message and inform users what type of data is acceptable. Note that the Show checkbox has been selected as well:
Finally, we will add an error message to display if incorrect data has been entered. Note the different types of warning icons:
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Each of the three error styles performs differently: Stop alerts prevent you from entering invalid data Warning alerts can be used to warn of invalid data entry, but permit it if the user is sure Information alerts are the most gentle, and can provide information to the user before committing the data Although the Input Message and Error Alert are optional features, we recommend filling in something for each. Once the rule has been defined, click OK to apply it and return to your worksheet. Lets look at how the rule behaves. Since we selected the feature to show the input message, a small ScreenTip will appear when the cell is selected:
If valid information has been entered, the ScreenTip will disappear and you can continue with your work:
If invalid information has been entered, the Stop error message will appear:
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Data Validation using Lists

If you have ever filled out an electronic form, you have likely used a combo box to choose from a list of options (such as the month of your birth.) The combo box is handy because it gives the user a list of options to choose from, thus eliminating the chance of the user entering incorrect data. You can make one of these combo boxes in Excel by using a validation rule. To start, pick List from the Allow combo box. You can use a range of values or items from your worksheet by entering the range in the Source box. You can also type your own list of values, separating each with a comma:
Note the options to ignore blank inputs and the option to include the in-cell dropdown menu (combo box). We recommend you keep In-cell dropdown checked to make it easier for others to enter data. Lets look at an example. Consider the following table of animals:
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Select a cell that will be used by the validation rule and then fill in the following information:
The combo box is ready for use:
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To specify your own list values, use a comma to separate each value. You can enter thousands of separate list items if you want, but well stick to seven familiar values:
Here is the result:
Data Validation using Formulas

Data validation allows you to check cell input in a wide variety of ways. However, if you have a very specific set of criteria needed for validation that cannot be filled using the other values in the Allow combo box, you can enter a formula using the Custom option. These formulas work just like the ones we have explored earlier in this manual. You can reference other cells, use ranges, specify relative or absolute cell references, use other mathematical functions, etc. Dont forget the equals sign at the beginning! Keep the following in mind when using data validation formulas: The formula must begin with an equals sign The formula must evaluate to either TRUE or FALSE
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Lets look at a custom formula. Can you figure out what this formula does?
If the value entered into cell A2 is greater than B2, the function will return True. This means that the value in A2 will remain and you can carry on with your work. If A2 < B2, the function will return False and Excel will show an error.
Remember, the type of alert and the message content can be specified when you are setting up the validation rules.
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Using Database Functions

Database functions allow you to perform operations on multiple fields in an Excel database. In a sense, they offer some of the power of array formulas, but generally make worksheets faster because they do not require the same amount of recalculation. With database functions you can get counts, averages, or sums of your database on selection criteria involving multiple fields. Implementing database functions is a little like implementing advanced filters: you have to establish a criteria range first before you use the function itself. Take the following Excel table as an example.
Imagine you had to calculate the total profit for all Tuesdays and Thursdays with Sales greater than $2200 and Profit less than $1900. This could be performed with a number of separate
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calculations, but this solution quickly becomes impractical with large volumes of data. There is an easier method of doing this using a database function. The first step in using a database function is to set up a criteria range. We will start by entering the field headings that we want to use exactly as they are in the original data list. For this example, we will need the fields Day, Sales, and Profit for our criteria range. Next, we will enter the criteria for the function somewhere in the worksheet, making sure to match the headings with the criteria. In our example, here is the criteria range for the DSUM database function. Note the use of a wildcard:
If you wanted to join the criteria with a logical Or operator, you would offset the criteria on separate rows (like an advanced filter). To enter the function, click the cell that will hold the function result (F4 in our case) and click the function button (fx) on the formula bar:
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In the Insert Function dialog box, choose Database from the category combo box:
Select DSUM from the list of functions and then click OK:
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The Function Arguments dialog box will appear. Fill in the following information and then click OK:
The result of this formula is shown in the destination cell. But as you may have noticed, the formula result is already displayed in the Function Arguments dialog box. This prevents you from having to repeatedly open and close the Function Arguments dialog, meaning you will spend less time fine-tuning your formulas. Some other useful database functions are: DAVERAGE DCOUNT DMAX and DMIN Used to average values in a field based on specified criteria. Counts the cells that contain numbers and meet the specified criteria. Return the largest and smallest values respectively from records that meet the specified conditions.
DPRODUCT Multiplies values in a field according to specific conditions. DGET Returns a single record value from a record that meets the specified conditions.
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All of the database functions use the same argument format: FunctionName(Database range, Field to be returned or calculated, Criteria range) Here is another database function (DAVERAGE) that has been used to calculate the average of all weekly Sales totals. Week 1s value is highlighted in the red rectangle:
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1. A. B. C. D. 2. A. B. C. D. 3. A. B. C. D.
Which of the following components are necessary to constitute a database? At least one table At least one field in the table Both A & B None of the above; more tables and fields are required You have just created a new table. What is the quickest way to add two more fields to that table? Click and drag the bottom right-hand corner of the table two fields to the right Press Ctrl + F + 2 Table Tools Design Resize Table None of the above You have created a table of numerical data and added the Total Row. Which cell(s) can you modify in this row? Only the rightmost cell All cells except the one that says Total All cells including the one that says Total You cannot modify any cells; the Total Row is used only to sum the rightmost column You have right-clicked a cell in the middle of a table and pointed to Delete. What options are included in this submenu? (Select all that apply.) Entire Table Table Columns Table Rows Cells You are working with a table of data that contains a number of duplicates. The table contains three columns of data with headers. How can the Remove Duplicates command be used to clean up this table? Columns can be cleaned up one at a time Multiple columns can be cleaned up at one time, including the headers The entire table can be cleaned All of the above
4. A. B. C. D. 5.
A. B. C. D.
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6. A. B. C. D. 7.
You are performing a custom sort using the Sort dialog box. What does the Add Level button allow you to do? Sort data from multiple tables at once Allow you to specify And/Or criteria Add an additional sorting operation to be performed None of the above You are working with a file that contains two separate tables, side by side. If you apply an Advanced Filter to one table and filter the list in place, what can happen to data in the second table? Nothing will happen Data in the second table might disappear as rows in the first are filtered The second table will be sorted under the same sort criteria None of the above You are copying filtered records to a new location. If the destination range isnt large enough for the filtered rows and you opt to paste the rows anyway, what will happen to data beneath the destination range? The data will be overwritten The data will remain untouched and you will lose the filtered records Excel will stop the filtering operation once the destination range is full None of the above Which of the following results might appear when using the wildcard filter Ant* ? (Select all that apply.) Aunt Anthony Anti All of the above Which of the following validation messages prevents users from committing any invalid data? Information Warning Stop All of the above
A. B. C. D. 8.
A. B. C. D. 9. A. B. C. D. 10. A. B. C. D.
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Section 4: Adding the Finishing Touches

In this section you will learn how to: Check spelling in your worksheet Open and browse the Research Pane Use the thesaurus to look for synonyms Use the translator to translate words and phrases Set the display and editing language in Office 2010 Use themes to make your work consistent Customize theme colors, fonts, and effects Save and manage custom theme files Add a text box to your worksheet Use commands in the Drawing Tools tab Edit text box contents Add and edit WordArt Add a picture to your worksheet from your computer Search for and add Clip Art Insert a screenshot Recognize commands in the Picture Tools tab Use the mini toolbar for pictures Resize images Move images around your worksheet Crop images Rotate and flip images Describe functionality in the Format Picture dialog
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Lesson 4.1: Research Tools

In this lesson, we will look at the tools needed to finish off your file to make sure the information it contains is as correct as possible. We will cover how to check your spelling and how to use the Research Pane. Finally, we will cover how you can translate elements of your worksheet and set the editing language.
Checking Spelling
Checking spelling in a spreadsheet is easy just open the worksheet you want to check and click Review Spelling:
You will likely be prompted to begin checking spelling at the beginning of the sheet (A1):
The Spelling command only checks for misspelled or unrecognized words. It does not check for grammatical errors.
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Any misspelled or unrecognized words will be displayed in the Spelling dialog box. Lets look at one example:
As you can see, the word Wednesdy is misspelled and shown at the top of the dialog. There are two suggestions listed in the lower half of the dialog and a number of other commands: Ignore Once Ignore All Add to Dictionary Change Change All AutoCorrect Ignore this particular instance and keep checking the rest of the worksheet. Ignore all instances of Wednesdy and keep checking the rest of the sheet. Add this particular word to Excels dictionary so each subsequent entry is listed as correct. This is useful for proper names. Change this particular instance of the misspelled/unrecognized word to whatever is currently highlighted in the Suggestions box. Change all instances of the misspelled/unrecognized word to whatever is currently highlighted in the Suggestions box. Click this button to have AutoCorrect automatically change this instance of the word to whatever Excel feels is correct. In this case, the misspelled word was just a typo and can be easily corrected.
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Options
This will open the Options dialog to the Proofing commands. Here you can change AutoCorrect options and set additional corrective actions:
Undo Last
If you accidentally changed something with the previous misspelled/ unrecognized word, click this button to revert that change and then continue checking the worksheet. Stop checking for spelling errors and close this dialog.
Cancel
When the checking is complete, click OK to return to your work:
There is a very good chance that your workbooks will be filled with all sorts of spelling errors that arent really errors, such as proper nouns, model and product numbers, abbreviations, etc. If you find yourself wading through a lot of these errors, make liberal use of the Add to Dictionary command. However, dont discount the spell check command completely spelling errors, particularly those in a medium typically dominated by numbers, tend to stand out! Always check your spelling and have someone else go over your work if possible.
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Using the Research Pane

The Research Pane is useful command that gives you access to an Internet search engine, thesaurus, a variety of translation services, and company profiles. To open the pane, click Review Research:
The Research Pane will open on the right-hand side of the window. The contents of the selected cell will already be filled in at the top of the pane:
You can also open the Research Pane and type whatever you want to research in the text box at the top of the pane.
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Use the combo box at the top of the pane to select an action:
Excel can access a number of resources from Microsoft or from third-party information providers. An Internet connection is required to make full use of the Research Pane: All Reference Books Browse Microsofts Encarta encyclopedia, search the thesaurus, or use the automated online translation service (we will explore these options more in later in the lesson.) Search Bing (Microsofts search engine) just as you would in a Web browser. Factiva iWorks is a business search tool that searches the Internet for publications, news stories, or pictures related to your search term. HighBeam Research is similar to Factiva iWorks in that you can browse online articles for information related to your search term. Thomson Gale Company Profiles list headquarters and financial information for companies based on their stock symbols.
All Research Sites
All Business and Financial Sites
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Each option will display its results in the main portion of the Research Pane. Note that some online services may take a few moments to retrieve all results. For example, if you use Bing to research Wednesday, you should see something that looks like this:
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Use the scroll bar to see additional results for the selected research option, or let Excel try other actions in order to get the results you need:
At the bottom of the pane there are commands to update the services that are used with Excel, purchase additional services from the Office marketplace, and set research options:
Click Research options to enable or disable a number of variations on the existing services:
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Using the Thesaurus

A thesaurus is used to show similar words (called synonyms) to the selected word. For example, synonyms for box include container, rectangle, cubicle, pack, and fight. To use the thesaurus, select a word and click Review Thesaurus:
This will open the Research Pane and show synonyms for the selected word. You can also type a word in the search box at the top of the pane and press Enter to see synonyms:
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If you point to any word in the pane, you can click the pull-down arrow to insert it at the active cell, copy the word, or find more synonyms for this word:
Using the Translator

The translator is capable of translating selected text into another language using an automated online translation service. To translate a word or phrase, select the cell containing the words and then click Review Translate. Like the thesaurus, this command opens the Research Pane to the general translation option:
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In this example, box has been translated from English to general Spanish:
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To translate using different languages, change the languages displayed in the From and To combo boxes:
Setting your Language

Whenever an Office program is installed on your computer, the language used by the operating system is assumed to be the default language for all users. However, there may come a time when you need to switch the working language. Most operating systems only install one language at a time. Additional languages are available for download via the operating system provider, and these languages must be installed by your IT department. Also note that you cant change language preferences for a single Office program. Any changes you make will take affect across the entire Office suite.
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To modify these language properties, click File Options Language:
As you can see, this dialog has three main areas that let you change language preferences: Choose Editing Languages The installation language of Office will be the default proofing language. Use the combo box under the language list to select a language and then click Add. The new language will be listed under the current default language. Once the language has been installed and enabled in the operating system, you can set it as the default:
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Choose Display and Help Languages
If additional languages have been installed and configured for use in your operating system, use these settings to change the language used to display commands in the program and the contents of the Help file. The language used by a ScreenTip can be either the display language, French, or Spanish:
Choose ScreenTip
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Lesson 4.2: Using Themes

For most people, Excel isnt very visually exciting. Although you can make some great looking and informative charts, the data used to generate that chart is usually nothing but black and white, and most of the time, thats fine. However, if you are working on an important project or plan to present your data, Excel makes it easy to turn a sheet of numbers into something a bit more interesting to look at. The rest of the lessons in this section will focus on how to make your worksheets more attractive and interesting. Well start in this lesson by discussing how to use and customize themes.
Changing the Theme

A theme is a collection of colors, fonts, and object effects that can be applied simultaneously to an entire workbook. In a nutshell, they allow you to change the look and feel of a complete workbook with just one click! When used properly, themes can be a tremendous time-saver. Consider the following worksheet. It contains data, a chart, and a SmartArt diagram:
By default, Excel uses the Office theme. This theme uses the Calibri font and is colored with an arrangement of blues, greens, reds, oranges, and purples.
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To view the other themes, click Page Layout Themes. Then, select a theme to use. As you can see, the Office theme is already selected:
As you move your mouse pointer over the different themes, Excel will automatically apply theme elements to the current worksheet so you can see what each one looks like. These themes are duplicated in other office programs like Word and PowerPoint. If you are working on a project that includes a report, a presentation, and spreadsheet data, you can make each element of your project look the same using themes.
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Just click a theme to apply it. Here we have used the Urban theme:
This theme relies heavily on darker colors. The font and font size (including the row and column headers for the worksheet) have also been changed. The data in the worksheet and all functionality are maintained, no matter what the theme happens to be.
Customizing Theme Colors

Although themes are presented as a collection of colors, fonts, and effects, each of these attributes can be adjusted independently. To change the current theme color, for example, click Page Layout Colors and click a new color:
Just point to a color set to see how the new colors work and then click that set to apply it to the worksheet. Each themed color set includes a collection of dark, light, and complementary colors. Theme colors only affect things like titles and charts, not cell data. If you want to change the color of your data, it must be done manually.
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At the bottom of the Colors command, you can click Create New Theme Colors to define the dark, light, and complementary colors you want to use. Give the theme a name and then click Save so you can use your custom theme later:
Custom color schemes will appear in the Colors menu for easy access later on.
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Customizing Theme Fonts

The theme fonts can be changed as easily as the theme colors. Click Page Layout Fonts and select a font group:
Each group has a heading and body font, and each font name demonstrates what the font looks like. Move your mouse over a set to see how it looks. If you like it, click it to apply it to your worksheet.
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At the bottom of the Fonts command you can click Create New Theme Fonts to define the heading and body fonts. Give the theme a name and click Save so you can use this theme in the future:
Like custom colors, custom font schemes will also be shown on the Fonts menu for easy access.
Customizing Theme Effects

Theme effects allow you to customize the look of shapes, diagrams, and some charts. To change the effect scheme, click Page Layout Effects and pick an effect style from the list:
Effects schemes cannot be customized.
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Managing Theme Files

If you have customized a theme to include new colors, fonts, and/or effects, you can save the collection and then use it in the future. To do this, click Page Layout Themes Save Current Theme:
This will open the Save Current Theme dialog box. By default, new themes are saved within your profile folder.
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Give the theme a meaningful name and then click Save:
If you click the Themes command again, you will see the new theme appear at the top of the list under the Custom heading:
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If you dont need a custom theme anymore, click the Themes command, right-click the theme you want to remove, and click Delete:
You will be asked to confirm your choice:
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Lesson 4.3: Adding Text Boxes

One of the great things about a spreadsheet is that you can click a cell and type. This allows you to add extra instructions or information wherever you need it. However, there isnt very much room in a cell, and expanding the row or column size may distort other elements in the worksheet. This can make it difficult for you to add titles or supplemental information during spreadsheet construction. To get around this, Excel lets you add free-floating text boxes and WordArt. In this lesson, we will explore how to create and edit these useful elements.
Drawing a Text Box

A text box is like a virtual sticky note that you can add anywhere to your spreadsheet. It can be moved anywhere on the spreadsheet without affecting the underlying data. To insert a text box, click Insert Text Box:
Your mouse pointer will change shape to become an upside-down cross:
The lower-right quadrant formed by the cross will be the top-right corner of the text box. Click and drag an area on the spreadsheet to insert a text box of that size:
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Release the mouse pointer and the text box is ready to use. Simply type your text:
The round and square handles around the outside are used to move, size, and rotate the text box. We will discuss those concepts later in this lesson.
Using the Drawing Tools Format Tab

A text box is considered a drawing (technically its considered a shape!), so adding one will show the Drawing Tools Format contextual tab. This tab lets you adjust the size, look, and feel of a text box or other type of shape:
Lets go over the basics of the commands in this tab. Insert Shapes Add a new shape style from the gallery. Shapes include arrows, lines, rectangles, basic shapes, flowchart symbols, banners, callouts, etc. Adding any of these shapes is just like adding a text box; simply click and drag in the spreadsheet.
Once certain shapes have been added, they can be changed or skewed with the Edit Shape command. You can also add additional Text Boxes.
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Shape Styles When you add a shape or text box, you are basically adding a black-and-white cutout to your spreadsheet. Use the Shape Styles group to choose from a number of different styles, all of which are based on the color scheme used by the current theme:
You can also independently change the inside color of a shape (fill) as well as the outline using the Shape Fill and Shape Outline commands. You can also choose from a number of Shape Effects that give your shape additional style and depth:
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Click the option button in this group to open the Format Shape dialog. Here, you have the ability to modify every last detail of a shapes appearance in one location. Click a category on the left and modify the details on the right:
WordArt Styles WordArt is a type of specialized text that is used for titles and banners, and we will explore its functionality later in this lesson. WordArt can be stylized just like other shapes, and you can change the fill color, outline color, or add stylistic elements to the WordArt with this group:
You can also use this group to format the text in a shape or text box.
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Arrange Text boxes, WordArt, and other shapes are all free-floating objects in your spreadsheet. Use the commands in the Arrange group to physically arrange all shapes and drawings:
If you have overlapping objects, use the Bring Forward or Send Backward commands to determine the stacking order. Each of these commands will move the object forward or backward one layer at a time. The Selection Pane will open on the right-hand side of the screen and allow you to select a certain object within the worksheet. This is a useful feature if your worksheet contains several layered objects:
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The Align command will help you automatically line up two or more selected objects at one time:
The Group command is also available when two or more objects are selected at one time. Grouping objects together is very useful because it allows you to move and edit several objects at once:
Finally, the Rotate command lets you rotate objects around their center point:
Note that if you horizontally flip a text box or WordArt, the text will not be displayed backwards. Only the surrounding shape (if applicable) will be mirrored.
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Size The Size group lets you precisely define the dimensions of an objects outside borders. Type a value in the text box or use the small arrow buttons to incrementally adjust the value:
Click the option button to open the Format Shape dialog and display additional size options:
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Common Text Box Editing Tasks

There are two categories of text box editing: modification of text in the text box and modification of the box itself. Lets start by looking at how to modify the contents of a text box. Each text box behaves like a miniature word processing document. This means you can do just about anything inside a text box as you could with the contents of a Microsoft Word document. Click inside the text box and use the text commands on the Home tab to modify the contents. This includes font and font size, color, alignment, direction, etc.:
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You can also format text in a text box using the WordArt Styles group of the Drawing Tools Format contextual tab:
All text boxes (and other shapes) can be modified using the mouse. Click the text box border to see these handles:
Move the text box by pointing to any outside edge. Your mouse pointer will turn into a four-headed arrow. Click and drag to move the text box. Click and drag any square handle to resize the text box in one dimension:
Click and drag any round handle to resize the text box in two dimensions:
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Click and drag the round green handle to rotate the text box around its center point:
Inserting WordArt
WordArt is a special type of text that is designed to enhance titles and headings within your worksheet. Each piece of WordArt also behaves much like a text box in that it can be physically resized using your mouse. To add WordArt to your worksheet, click Insert WordArt:
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After clicking this command, choose from a number of different WordArt styles:
The WordArt will appear in the worksheet. Type your text:
Now lets look at editing WordArt.
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Common WordArt Editing Tasks

You can modify WordArt as you would any other text in Excel. For example, you can use the Font and Alignment groups in the Home tab to modify the text:
As you can see, the default WordArt size is quite large, so you may want to shrink it down a bit to avoid overwhelming the rest of your spreadsheet. For additional text commands, select the WordArt and then click the option button in the Font group:
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You can also use the WordArt Styles group in the Drawing Tools Format contextual tab to quickly change the look and feel of the WordArt. To modify all WordArt settings, click the option button in this group and make changes in the Format Text Effects dialog box:
As you have probably guessed, you can modify anything you want regarding text boxes and Word Art. Dont go overboard with WordArt and text boxes! Keep your spreadsheet looking clean and tidy, dont use too many colors, and if you make a mistake, use the Undo command.
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Lesson 4.4: Inserting Pictures and ClipArt

In the last lesson, we took a break from ordinary data and learned how to use text boxes and WordArt to liven up a spreadsheet. This lesson will expand on those topics by showing you how to add pictures, Clip Art, and screenshots using the Insert tab. We will also introduce the new picture editing tools available in Excel. In the real world, most spreadsheets will never need to be made to look more attractive. Excel is often used to store and calculate data, not present it. However, if you do plan to distribute your work as part of a presentation to other people, its nice to know that even Excel has the ability to make your data look presentable.
Adding a Picture from a File

Most of Excels multimedia capability is found on the Insert tab. To add a picture, logo, diagram, or graphic to help supplement your work, click Insert Picture:
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This will open Windows Explorer and allow you to browse your computer for image files. Once you have located the file using Windows Explorer, select the image and click Insert:
The picture will be inserted on top of the active cell, so you might need to move it right away. Simply click and drag anywhere on the image to move it:
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Note that pictures also include the same types of round and square handles as shapes, so that you can adjust the image:
Remember: Click and drag the square handles to resize in one dimension. Click and drag the round handles to resize in two dimensions. Click and drag the round green handle to rotate the image about its middle.
Adding Clip Art

Clip Art is Microsofts collection of free images and illustrations stored online and with your Office installation. You can even browse video and audio galleries! Each image has a number of tags associated with it, which are used to help categorize what the image shows. To browse the various Clip Art galleries, click Insert Clip Art:
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This will open a pane on the right-hand side of the screen. Type a search term at the top and press Enter (or click Go) and Excel will search:
The Excel installation on your computer already contains a few Clip Art images, but the choice is limited. If you have an Internet connection, we recommend leaving the Include Office.com content box checked.
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To add one of the items to your worksheet, just click it:
If you point to an item in the Clip Art task pane, a pull-down arrow will appear. Click this arrow for more image options:
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You can broaden or narrow your search by specifying which media types should be included in the search. Change these options by clicking the Results should be combo box and selecting the types of media to search:
Adding a Screenshot
Office 2010 programs now include basic screen-capturing technology. A screenshot is just like it sounds: a picture of whatever is on your screen at the time. Screenshots are often used to demonstrate how to do something (like a user manual for Excel 2010!) or used as evidence when diagnosing a problem with a program. They provide a quick and easy way to take a picture of whatever is on your screen. Be cautious with what you capture. Being able to easily capture anything on your screen can give away personal info, private e-mail addresses, copyrighted material, and other things you might not want people to see!
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To take a screenshot, click Insert Screenshot. Excel will show a thumbnail image of all open programs:
Click any of the thumbnails to add it to your worksheet. Remember, you may be dealing with very large images:
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In many cases, you may only need a small portion of the contents in the window. To capture a custom-sized area, make sure the window containing the information you want to capture is not minimized. Click Insert Screen Shot Screen Clipping. Excel will minimize and your screen will appear faded with the exception of your mouse pointer. Click and drag an area of your screen to capture only that area. For example, here we are capturing the title and navigation area of the Microsoft Office home page:
Once you have defined the area, the screen clipping will appear in your workbook:
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Overview of the Picture Tools Format Tab

Each time you select a picture or Clip Art illustration, the Picture Tools Format contextual tab will appear. This tab features a number of different image modification tools that can help you quickly make changes to your image. Lets take a moment to go over the basics of what these commands do, and then we will explore some of them in more detail in the next lesson.
Adjust Most of the image modification tools are found here, including some tools that are new to the Office suite:
For example, Remove Background lets you specify the areas of an image you want to keep, and then force Excel to remove all background information. Consider the following image:
The Remove Background command will analyze the image to see what elements are in focus or are obviously different from its surroundings. In this example, the butterfly and flower are both
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in focus over different background colors that are out of focus. Therefore, Excel should have no problem removing the background. Here you can see that Excel has automatically marked the areas in bright pink as the background. You can also adjust the box dimensions to make sure the subject is well-defined. When you are satisfied with the settings, click Keep Changes and Excel will remove the highlighted background areas:
Note that the tabs have changed at the top of the interface. This special Background Removal tab is only visible when you select an image and click Remove Background.
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The background has been now been excluded from the image:
The Corrections command will adjust image sharpness, brightness, and contrast:
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The Color command adjusts color saturation and tone and offers a number of recoloring options:
Artistic Effects lets you add a pre-formatted image adjustment:
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The last three commands in this group work with the physical attributes of the image file: Compress Pictures will resample an image at the current size in order to decrease overall file size. If you inserted a large image but then shrank it to fit better into your work, all of the original large image data remains. This command will remove that extra information to shrink the image file size. Change Picture replaces the current image with another image. When you click this command, the Windows Explorer dialog will allow you to pick another file. When the new file is inserted, it will be adjusted to fit within the boundaries of the original image. Reset Picture works like a specialized Undo command. Use this command to reset the image to its original state and/or size:
Picture Styles This group allows you to add stylized borders and effects to the image:
Move your mouse over different thumbnails to see what they look like, and then click the style to apply it to the image. You can also click the More arrow to see and apply even more styles:
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Just as workbook themes are a combination of colors, fonts, and effects, picture styles are a combination of border colors and effects. Use the Picture Border and Picture Effects to create your own picture style:
The Picture Layout command lets you include your image in a piece of SmartArt. SmartArt is a special type of diagram that is used to outline steps or describe a process. It is also completely customizable and can be modified on the fly. (We will explore SmartArt in more detail in the next section.) Click this command to select a SmartArt style to use with your image:
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Finally, the option button in the Picture Styles group opens the Format Picture dialog. Here you have access to all the image modification options in one location. Select a category on the left and specify options on the right:
Arrange The Arrange group lets you organize multiple images within your worksheet. These commands are just like the ones we discussed to arrange shapes and WordArt in Lesson 4.3:
Bring Forward and Send Backward will move images up and down in relation to each other. Use these commands to layer multiple images. The Selection Pane is displayed on the right-hand side of the screen and will list all images in the workbook. Options in this pane include the ability to show or hide the image as well as use the Bring Forward/Send Backward commands.
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The Align command lets you position multiple images relative to each other. The Group command lets you tie pictures together as one unit and then modify all grouped images at once. The Rotate command will rotate an image around its center point and let you flip the image horizontally or vertically.
Size These commands allow you to modify the physical size and shape of an image. Use the Crop tool to trim edges or define a specific size:
Click the option button to open the Format Picture dialog to the Size tab.
Overview of the Pictures Mini Toolbar

Many Office products include mini toolbars that let you perform common actions, contextual to the selected object. These mini toolbars usually appear after you highlight or right-click objects, and pictures are no exception. Here we have right-clicked an image:
You can use this toolbar to specify the image size, move the image forward or backward in relation to other images, and crop or rotate the image.
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Lesson 4.5: Editing Pictures

In the last lesson, you learned how to add different types of images to your worksheet to help enhance or clarify the data. This lesson will teach you how to perform some common image editing tasks.
Resizing Pictures
When you select an image, a number of square and round handles will appear around the outside edge:
Click and drag the square handles to resize in one dimension (either horizontally or vertically, depending on which side of the picture you have clicked). Click and drag the round handles on each corner to resize in two dimensions. The opposite corner will stay anchored while you click and drag a round handle. Click and drag the round green handle to rotate the picture around its center point.
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You can also use the Size group in the Picture Tools Format contextual tab to adjust the image size to your exact specifications:
Click the option button in this group to open the Format Picture dialog to the Size group. Here you have the ability to use more advanced sizing options, including scale:
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Moving Pictures
Moving an image in your worksheet is easy simply click and drag to move it around:
You can control the placement of images using the Align command. Click Picture Tools Format Align Snap to Grid or Snap to Shape:
Both of these options are toggled on or off by clicking the command.
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Snap to Grid means that when you are moving your picture, at least one edge will be in alignment with the gridlines that define the cells in your worksheet. This makes lining up images with data a breeze. Snap to Shape will help you align the edges of your image to other shapes in your worksheet. For example, when this feature is enabled and we move the image, the right edge of the image can be aligned perfectly with the middle of a shape:
Cropping Pictures
Excels photo cropping tools are easy to use and can save you editing time. To crop a picture, select a picture and then click Picture Tools Format Crop. Lets go over the five commands shown here:
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Crop This command will place cropping handles around the outside edge of a picture. Drag the sides to crop in one dimension or drag a corner to crop in two dimensions. Move these handles until you are satisfied with the crop:
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Click the Crop command again to confirm the changes and the image will be cropped:
Here is the end result:
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Crop to Shape Click Crop Crop to Shape to see a list of available shapes. Click one of the shapes to crop the image to that shape:
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Here, we have cropped this picture into an arrow shape:
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Aspect Ratio Choosing one of the listed aspect ratios will automatically move the cropping handles to the specified ratio. If you are satisfied with the cropping position, click Crop to commit the change:
Fill Excel will remember picture dimensions after you crop an image. Use the Fill command to resize the picture so that the entire picture area is filled, while maintaining the original aspect ratio. Any area of the picture that falls outside of the picture area will be cropped. Fit This command works in a similar fashion as Fill. Fit will resize the picture so that the entire picture displays inside the picture area, while maintaining the original aspect ratio.
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Rotating and Flipping Pictures

When you select an image, a round green handle will appear at the top. Click and drag this green handle to rotate the image:
Press and hold Shift while rotating to rotate the image in 15 degree increments. This allows you to rotate the image exactly 45 or 90 degrees. You can also use the Rotation command in the Arrange group to rotate a certain direction or flip the image horizontally/vertically:
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Using the Format Picture Dialog

All of the picture editing tools can be found in one location the Format Picture dialog. To open this dialog, click the option button in the Picture Styles group of the Picture Tools Format dialog box.
Note that many of the option categories listed on the left are similar to those available in the Format Shape dialog. Some of the options available in this dialog might cause undesired results, such as the Fill category, which will replace the picture with a solid color or gradient. If you end up with unexpected results, you can always use the Undo command.
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Lets review each of the categories. Fill Line Color Line Style Shadow Reflection Glow and Soft Edges 3-D Format 3-D Rotation Picture Corrections Picture Color Artistic Effects Crop Choose a fill to replace the image (none, solid, gradient, picture/texture, or pattern). Each option will show a different set of sub-options. Choose no border, a solid border, or a gradient border to outline your image. Select from a number of colors and transparency percentages. Give the picture a more stylized border by customizing these settings. Choose a shadow style/direction and color, and then modify the transparency, size, blur level, angle, and distance. Choose a reflection style and then modify the transparency, size, distance, and blur level. Apply a glowing neon-style border or soft edges to the image. Choose a 3-D bevel style, depth, contour, and refraction surface. Transform the image around the X, Y, and Z axes. You can combine these settings with a shadow to give the image a floating effect. Sharpen or soften the image and adjust the brightness and contrast. Modify color saturation and tone, or recolor the entire image. Change the look of the image with a number of pre-set effects. Use the commands here to precisely control the cropping level of an image. Specify the picture position and offset, and then define the final crop position. Control the image size and scale. Control image positioning relative to cells and set restrictions on the image as a whole. If the object is a text box, control text layout and margins. Specify the alternative text (a title and description) for the image to enhance the accessibility of your worksheet.
Size Properties Text Box Alt Text
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1.
Which of the following things are checked by Excels spell checker? Spelling and grammar Spelling, grammar, and incorrect capitalization Spelling, grammar, incorrect capitalization, and improper column sizes (too small to display all text) D. None of the above
A. B. C.
2. A. B. C. D.
If the default language for Office is English, which of the following languages can Excel be set to use? Only one; whatever language is set as the default for Office English, French, and Spanish (International sort) Whichever language is used by the operating system Excel can be set to use any other language, as long as the language files are installed correctly in the operating system You have opened an Excel file with four worksheets. Which of the following elements will be affected if you use a new theme? The current worksheet The entire workbook The entire workbook and all future files opened in Excel None of the above Your workbook contains a single worksheet that has a large table of figures. If you change the theme effects, which of the following will happen? The table will be unaffected, so nothing will happen The table headings will be stylized with theme effects You will be prompted to insert a shape None of the above Which of the following components of shape and text box styles can be formatted? Colors, fonts, effects Fill, outline, effects Pattern, 3-D rotation, gradient Colors, textures, rotation
3. A. B. C. D. 4. A. B. C. D. 5. A. B. C. D.
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6. A. B. C. D. 7. A. B. C. D. 8. A. B. C. D. 9. A. B. C. D. 10. A. B. C. D.
You have added some WordArt and want to add a text strikethrough effect. Which dialog do you need to open? WordArt Titles Stylized Text Font Which of the following items can you browse using the Clip Art pane? Illustrations Videos Photographs All of the above You have found an interesting picture using Internet Explorer and want to use Excel to capture a screenshot. Which of the following things should you NOT do? Check the image copyright Minimize Internet Explorer and then try to take the screenshot Find the web page before opening Excel All of the above You have added an image to your worksheet and want to make sure it is lined up exactly with a table of data. Which of the following commands will make this easy? Snap to Grid Picture Layout Selection Pane Corrections You have added an image and want to rotate it 30 degrees counter-clockwise. Which keyboard shortcut will help you reach this angle? Press and hold the left arrow key while dragging your mouse Press and hold F9 while dragging your mouse Press Ctrl + R and type -30 Press and hold Shift while dragging your mouse
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Section 5: Showing Data as a Graphic

In this section you will learn how to: Add SmartArt to your worksheet Add text and photos to SmartArt Use commands on the SmartArt Tools tabs Edit existing SmartArt Change the layout of a SmartArt diagram Choose the color and style for a SmartArt diagram Reset the SmartArt diagram back to its default settings Convert a SmartArt diagram into individual shapes Add symbols or special characters to a worksheet Insert an equation Use the Equation Tools tab to create custom equations Draw and edit shapes in your worksheet Recognize a Sparkline and its use Add Sparklines to your worksheet Use the commands on the Sparkline Tools tab Edit Sparkline data Clear Sparklines from a worksheet Show and hide elements of your Sparkline Change the Sparkline style Change the Sparkline and marker colors Set Sparkline axis options
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Lesson 5.1: Inserting SmartArt

SmartArt was introduced in Office 2007 as a way to quickly and effectively convey information using a variety of different charts and diagrams. Office 2010 includes even more chart and diagram templates, along with a number of new visual effects. In this lesson, you will learn how to add and edit different kinds of SmartArt and learn about the tools that support this great feature. If you have never used SmartArt before, pay close attention because it is an excellent tool and a huge time-saver!
Inserting SmartArt
To add SmartArt to your worksheet, click Insert SmartArt:
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You will see the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box appear:
Here, you can browse the different categories on the left, browse the category contents from the list in the middle, and confirm that the diagram will be suitable by reading the description on the right. When you are ready to proceed, click OK. There are over 200 different types of diagrams to choose from, so you should be well-equipped to map out any sort of information or process you need.
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Here we are adding a process diagram that is used to show sequential and overlapping steps in a process:
The basic diagram will be inserted into the worksheet and is ready to be filled in:
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Adding Text
Adding text to a diagram is very straightforward just click any of the [Text] placeholders and type. Its as easy as that! Here, we are outlining the basic steps to bake a cake:
The real power of SmartArt comes from is customization. Click the blue arrows button on the left-hand side of the diagram to show the text and level editing pane:
Here, you can edit the text in each level or step of the diagram. As you can see, the list shown here looks and acts much like a bulleted list:
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Each step and sub-step is on a separate level. If you add or edit the levels within this pane, the diagram will automatically update and rearrange contents to match the pane. For example, lets continue outlining the basic steps to baking a cake. We want to outline the five main steps, and outline details for each step: Pre-heat the oven (350 degrees Fahrenheit) Combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder) Combine wet ingredients (eggs, milk, oil, vanilla) Mix dry and wet ingredients in a pan (grease the pan or use parchment paper for easier cleanup) Bake (40 minutes) Currently, our diagram only shows three main levels. In order to add extra levels, click inside any of the main levels and press Enter. As you add levels, the diagram will automatically change to match the contents of the editing pane. For example, here we clicked in the third main [Text] placeholder and pressed Enter:
We now have a fourth main point, but notice that the third main point does not have anywhere to enter sub-point information. In some situations, this may not be a problem. But in our case, we need to have sub-points for every point.
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To fix this we will press Tab to change this fourth main point into a sub-point for the third main point. This is called demoting a main point to a sub-point:
Next, we will click the second sub-point and then press Shift + Tab to move this point up one level and make it a main point. This is called promoting a sub-point to a main point:
Using this combination of adding new points and then using Tab and Shift + Tab to adjust the level of each point, we will end up with the correct diagram structure.
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You can also use the Promote and Demote commands in the Create Graphic group of the SmartArt Tools Design tab:
Now its simply a matter of filling in the details and the diagram is complete:
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Adding Photos
Some types of SmartArt contain image as well as text placeholders. In fact, there is an entire category of SmartArt that supports images:
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Consider the following Accented Picture diagram. It contains a title text placeholder with an accompanying image and three smaller image placeholders with descriptors for each:
Click any of the image placeholders to open the Insert Picture dialog box. Use Windows Explorer to browse to the image you want to insert. Different diagrams will have different placeholders. In this example, the image fills the entire shape background:
Once an image has been added to a diagram, you can use any of the image manipulation tools we discussed in Lessons 4.4 and 4.5, including those on the Picture Tools Format tab.
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About the SmartArt Tools Tabs

There are two contextual tabs that appear when you are working with SmartArt. The Design tab lets you construct the diagram and apply an overall style:
The Format tab is used to fine-tune the individual elements of the diagram, add WordArt, and arrange or resize objects:
Lets go over the details of these tabs in order to help you get the most out of your SmartArt, starting with the Design tab. Create Graphic Use this group to add and edit the components that hold the data within your diagram. You can add new shapes, create bulleted lists within shapes, promote and demote items in the diagram, etc.:
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The handy Right to Left command lets you reverse the flow of the diagram:
Click the command again to return the diagram to its original form. Layouts The Layouts group lets you change the style of diagram. In our case, we are using a process diagram, so browse this section to change the layout to another process style:
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SmartArt Styles This group allows you to format the entire diagram with a number of different pre-formatted styles. You can also change the overall color scheme of the diagram by clicking Change Colors:
Reset The Reset group enables you to reset a diagram back to its default style and layout:
Click Convert to Shapes to remove the SmartArt designation from a diagram. This means that the diagram will become a grouped collection of objects. Next, lets look at the commands on the Format tab. Shapes This group allows you to modify the look of the individual shapes that make up the diagram:
If you are using a SmartArt style that uses 3-D, click Edit in 2-D to make editing easier. You can also select any shape in the diagram and click Change Shape to pick from Excels shape library , or make any of the shapes larger or smaller.
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Shape Styles This group allows you to change the style of individual shapes within the diagram. Or, you can modify the fill color, shape outline, or shape effects individually. You can also click the option button to open the Format Shape dialog:
WordArt Styles Any text in a SmartArt diagram can be made into WordArt using these commands. Choose an overall style, or edit the fill and outline colors manually. You can also apply custom text effects. Finally, click the option button to open the Format Text Effects dialog:
Arrange Even though all shapes within a SmartArt diagram are grouped together, you can still modify individual shape positions and alignments:
Size Fine-tune the width and height of the diagram or shapes within the diagram with these commands. Use the option button to open the Format Shape dialog to the Size category:
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Editing SmartArt
You can move, resize, and manage SmartArt just as you would a picture or a shape; many of the commands are very similar. To move SmartArt around your worksheet, select the diagram and then click and drag the border in any direction:
SmartArt can be resized just like an image or shape. Click and drag the middles of each side to resize in one dimension or click and drag the corners to resize in two dimensions:
To delete a SmartArt diagram, select the diagram and press Delete or Backspace on your keyboard. You will not be asked to confirm your choice, so if you do this by accident, use the Undo command.
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Lesson 5.2: Formatting SmartArt

Now that you know a little bit about SmartArt, you can see how fast and easy it is to make a professional-looking diagram. In this lesson, we will focus on techniques that you can use to tweak your diagrams, including special focus on the two contextual tabs introduced in the last lesson.
Changing the Layout

There are a number of different SmartArt categories (lists, cycle diagrams, relationships, etc.), and each category features a number of different layouts. Once a SmartArt diagram has been inserted, you can easily change the diagram layout to something else from the same category. Consider the following vertical chevron list:
Using the SmartArt Tools Design tab, you can make this diagram assume a new layout from the list category. To do this, click the More arrow in the Layouts group:
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Choose a new layout:
And it will be applied to the diagram:
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If you click More Layouts at the bottom of this menu, you can change the overall SmartArt category to something else. Excel will maintain the information you have already entered in the diagram. However, if you change the overall category used by the diagram, the information in the diagram might not make sense. For example, our list diagram has been transformed into a grid matrix and doesnt really mean anything in this new context:
Changing the Color Scheme

In Lesson 4.2, we learned that you can change the look and feel of the entire workbook by changing the theme. Each theme has primary and secondary (complementary) colors.
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You can change which theme colors are used in the diagram by clicking SmartArt Tools Design Change Colors:
Click any color scheme to apply it to the diagram.
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Changing the Style Scheme

SmartArt styles give the diagram some depth by using shadows and 3-D effects. To change the style, select the diagram and then click the More arrow in the SmartArt Styles group. Click a style to apply it to the diagram:
Here is an example:
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You can, of course, click a thumbnail in the SmartArt styles group directly to apply it without viewing the entire gallery.
Resetting the Graphic

If you have been tinkering with the graphical settings for a diagram, you can return the diagram to its default appearance by clicking SmartArt Tools Design Reset Graphic:
This command is only reversible by clicking Undo, so be careful!
Converting the Graphic

SmartArt diagrams are special collections of shapes that are grouped together to form a single object. You can remove the SmartArt designation by clicking SmartArt Tools Design Convert to Shapes:
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Our vertical chevron list is now treated as a collection of individual shapes. Notice the different border around the diagram when it is selected, compared to a selected SmartArt diagram:
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To work with each individual shape, right-click the diagram and click Group Ungroup:
Now each shape is independent of the rest:
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Lesson 5.3: Adding Symbols, Equations, and Shapes

If your work requires you to show certain formulas or otherwise describe the process behind a calculation, Excel features support for a number of special characters, symbols, equations, and shapes. In this lesson, we will discuss how to add and edit these particular items.
Inserting a Symbol or Special Character

There may come a time when you want to use a special character that is not available on your keyboard. Much of the mathematics used in science makes use of special characters, particularly those of the Greek alphabet. To browse these symbols and special characters, click Insert Symbol:
This will open the Symbol dialog box. Here, you can browse from a wide variety of symbols or special characters, depending on which tab you choose:
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Use the Font and Subset combo boxes to choose from hundreds of different types of symbols:
Once you have located the symbol you want to use, click Insert. (Unfortunately, there is no way to search the Symbol dialog box unless you know a specific character code.) The symbol will be added to the active cell:
You can add as many symbols as you like by selecting a symbol and clicking Insert. When you are finished inserting symbols, click Close (which will initially appear as Cancel) to close the Symbol dialog.
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Inserting an Equation
We learned earlier that Excel contains a vast number of formulas and functions to help you calculate just about everything that can be calculated. All of these functions and formulas can be represented by equations (although equations cannot be used to calculate data). Excel includes a number of pre-formatted equations or you can design your own from the ground up. To browse some common equations, click Insert Equation and choose an equation to insert:
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The equation will be inserted in a placeholder. In this case, the placeholder was expanded to display the equation on the same line:
Whenever an element inside an equation is selected, the Equation Tools Design contextual tab will appear:
As you can see, this tab contains many commands to customize your equation. Well take a closer look at it in the next lesson. If you want to manually create an equation, click Insert Equation. (Make sure to click the top portion of the button and not the arrow.) An empty editing box will appear, along with the Equation Tools Design contextual tab:
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Using the Equation Tools Design Tab

The Equation Tools Design tab contains all the tools you need to create your equation. This tab appears only if you are creating a new equation or have selected an element inside the equation. If you select the equation as a whole (as you would a shape or image) this tab will not appear. The tab looks like this:
Lets take a moment to go over the elements that you will find in this tab: Tools This group allows you to add a common equation to the equation placeholder. The Professional and Linear commands will switch formatted equation elements back and forth between proper notation and linear (written) form. For example, x2 is in professional form while x^2 (as you would type it on your keyboard) is in linear form. Use the Normal Text command to insert a placeholder within the equation to add non-math text in a math region.
Click the option button to display additional equation options relating to the equation content.
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These tools allow you to copy text from an equation and add duplicate operators to the copied text:
Click Math AutoCorrect to open the AutoCorrect dialog. Here you can control how the AutoCorrect function will work while you are editing equations. For example, you might need to add (C) to your equation, but by default Excel will change (C) to . Symbols This group works like the Symbol command found on the Insert tab. The difference is that only symbols used in mathematics (not complete symbol sets) are available here:
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Click the pull-down arrow to see all available symbols in a category:
Finally, you can select the symbol category using the combo box at the top:
Structures All manner of equations can be created by using the Structure group. Choose a category of structure you want to add and then select a structure from one of the submenus:
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Each submenu displays a number of different possibilities for that particular category. For example, notice in the image below that all of the items under the Functions heading have text areas for you to enter values/variables:
Remember, equations are not functional you cannot define values in cells or in the equation and calculate a result.
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Drawing Shapes
Shapes allow you to add diagrams and emphasis to your work. You can use shapes as a background to emphasize text, highlight areas of data, list important information (when text is added), etc. To add a shape, click Insert Shapes and choose a shape from the list:
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Then, click and drag an area inside your worksheet to add the shape:
Common Shape Editing Tasks

Shapes can be moved by clicking and dragging them, like text boxes and images:
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And, you can resize shapes just like text boxes and images: by dragging the square or round handles.
If you press and hold Shift while dragging the shape, its shape will be maintained, allowing you to scale the object without distorting it:
Press and hold Ctrl while dragging to expand the size of the shape around its center point. The tail of the arrow in the image below shows the starting point. The arrow points in the direction of the clicking and dragging operation:
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Finally, you can press and hold Ctrl + Shift while dragging to constrain the shapes proportions while scaling the shape about its middle. Some shapes allow you to adjust the actual look of the shape with a yellow diamond handle:
In this example, we can click and drag this diamond to adjust the thickness of the cross:
Some shapes allow you to modify their bounding points. To start, select a shape and click Drawing Tools Format Edit Shape Edit Points:
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This will add small black squares to each point on the shape:
Click and drag these black points to warp the sides of the shape and create something truly abstract. Believe it or not, the following object used to be a cross!
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Lesson 5.4: Adding Sparklines

You have no doubt heard the phrase a picture is worth a thousand words. Microsoft has taken this phrase to heart and has included a new feature with Excel 2010: Sparklines. Sparklines are miniature graphs that are contained within a single cell and can summarize a lot of information with just a few clicks. In the next two lessons, we will explore this versatile new feature.
What are Sparklines?

Sparklines are small graphs contained within a single cell that are used to summarize data and display data trends. They can be positioned anywhere and can be customized however you like. There are three kinds of Sparklines: Line Sparklines are used to show the upward or downward trend for a collection of data, as if you were watching a stock price rise and fall. Column Sparklines are similar to Line Sparklines, but the data is plotted in a bar graph instead of a line graph. Win/Loss Sparklines show the number of times data was above or below 0, disregarding what the value of the data may be.
Adding Sparklines
To really understand what Sparklines are all about, lets look at an example. Consider the following table of numbers:
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If you wanted to see a Line Sparkline for the first row of data, click in any empty cell (we will use cell K2) and then click Insert Line:
When the Create Sparklines dialog appears, the cursor will be shown in the Data Range text box, meaning the Sparkline needs a data range:
There are three ways in which you can enter the data range: Manually type the data range (A2:J2) Click the range button to the right of the field and click and drag from A2:J2 Simply click and drag from A2:J2 It is important to note that Sparklines can only be used on data within a single row or column. That is, the data range used by a Sparkline has to be one dimensional. Ranges A1:E1 and B1:B10 are valid because they only reference a single row or column. You cannot use a square or rectangular range of cells as data for a single Sparkline.
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Click OK to continue and the Sparkline will be inserted. The Sparkline Tools Design contextual tab will also be shown:
Look carefully at the Sparkline graph. There is an obvious spike in values near the end of the graph, and sure enough, the last two pieces of data (Data 9 and 10) are quite large in comparison to the rest of the values. This type of SparkLine is useful for sniffing out hiccups in your information. Since Sparklines are shown in a single cell, row and column dimensions will affect the way the Sparkline is displayed. You can increase the row and column dimensions to zoom in on the graph:
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Now lets add a Column Sparkline to the second row of data. This time, click and drag the data range first and then click Insert Column:
When the Create Sparklines dialog appears, we just have to enter a cell location that will hold the Sparkline and click OK:
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This type of Sparkline shows the same sort of information you would see with a Line Sparkline, but the addition of shaded areas will help emphasize data discrepancy:
The final type of SparkLine is called Win/Loss. It essentially counts the number of that values are above or below zero times in a range. Here is the last row of our table with a Win/Loss Sparkline in cell K4:
As you can see, some of the items in the Sparkline are above the middle and some are below. Look closer at the Sparkline data (particularly Data 9 and 10). It doesnt matter how large or small the number is: if its positive, a mark is displayed above the middle of the graph and if its negative, the mark is below the middle of the graph.
About the Sparkline Tools Tab

Now that you understand how to add a Sparkline, lets take a brief look at the commands on the Sparkline Tools Design contextual tab:
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Sparkline The Sparkline group offers commands to modify the data and cell ranges that were used to generate the Sparkline. We will explore these commands in more detail later in this lesson:
Type There are three types of Sparklines: Line, Column, and Win/Loss. Use these commands to switch back and forth between each type of Sparkline:
Show Use the checkboxes in this group to toggle various data points on and off. We will explore what each of these commands does in the next lesson:
Style At this point in the manual, you should be very comfortable with the concept of styles. Use these commands to browse the various color schemes (which are based on the workbook theme) and modify visual elements of the Sparkline:
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Group Use the commands in this group to fine-tune what the Sparkline displays. The Axis command lets you customize various horizontal and vertical axis elements. You can also use the Group command to group Sparklines together so they can share formatting and scaling options:
The Clear command is used to remove Sparklines from a worksheet. (If you click a cell that contains a Sparkline and press Delete, the Sparkline will still remain.)
Editing Sparkline Data

Once a Sparkline has been established, its functionality is not set in stone. You can modify all elements that control the Sparkline with the Sparkline group on the Sparkline Tools Design contextual tab. To start, select a Sparkline and then click the Edit Data command:
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Your options are: Edit Group Location & Click this command to open the Edit Sparklines dialog box. Here you Data can change the Data Range used by the Sparkline or change the Sparkline location:
This command will work with groups of Sparklines or a single Sparkline. Edit Single Sparklines Data This command will allow you to edit the data range for the selected Sparkline.
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Hidden & Empty Cells
If the Sparkline data range happens to contain empty cells, use this dialog to decide what to do with them. If some of the data used by the Sparkline is contained in hidden rows or columns, use the checkbox here to take that hidden data into account or use only the visible data:
Switch Row/Column
This command is only available when you are working with square data ranges. This means that if you are creating Sparklines based on a range with an equal number of rows and columns, the Sparklines can display data based on a row or a column from that range. Consider the following data, which we are using to add a group of Sparklines:
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The corresponding Line Sparklines show data from each row: E2 shows data from B2:D2, E3 is B3:D3, and E4 is B4:D4.
If we click Edit Data Switch Row/Column, the Sparklines will now display info in each of the three columns:
Now, E2 shows data from B2:B4, E3 is C2:C4, and E4 is D2:D4. (You could technically display the same information simply by putting Sparklines under the data rather than beside it, but that may not always be practical. This command offers extra flexibility if necessary.)
Removing Sparklines
If you select a cell that contains a Sparkline, you can actually write other information on top of the Sparkline or even use formulas and functions:
Even if you select a cell containing a Sparkline and then press Delete, the Sparkline will remain as part of the cell background.
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In order to remove a Sparkline, select the Sparkline cell and click Sparkline Tools Design Clear Clear Selected Sparklines or Clear Selected Sparkline Groups:
The cell will now be empty. This command can also be performed by clicking Home Clear Clear All:
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Lesson 5.5: Editing Sparklines

Now that we are more familiar with the basics of Sparklines, lets go over some of the different editing tools that you can use to customize them. In this lesson, we will cover how to hide and show information on the Sparkline, change its style and color, and use the Axis command.
Showing and Hiding Data

The Sparkline Tools Design contextual tab includes a Show group. These checkboxes allow you to toggle different pieces of information on or off. This means you can create more meaningful Sparklines for your reader:
Consider the following data and Sparkline. We have doubled the size of the cell containing the Sparkline to make it easier to see:
Lets go over the commands in the Show group to see how each affects the Sparkline: High Point Adds a (very) small dot to the highest absolute value on the Line Sparkline. Column and Win/Loss Sparklines highlight the highest absolute value:
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Low Point
Adds a dot to the lowest value on the Line Sparkline. Column and Win/Loss highlight the lowest value:
Negative Points
For all three types, the values lower than zero are highlighted. This is the default setting for a Win/Loss Sparkline:
First Point
Displays the first data point by adding a small dot or highlighting the first column:
Last Point
Displays the last data point by adding a small dot or highlighting the last column:
Markers
This option is only available with Line Sparklines. Each point of data is marked with a dot:
Since these options are controlled via checkboxes, you can toggle as many as you like on or off at one time. You can also customize the colors used by these options with the Marker Color command, which we will explore in a moment.
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Changing the Style

Sparklines arent much more than a line or a few bars. Therefore, the Sparkline styles only change the color. However, the colors available in the Styles command are based on the worksheet theme (which you can control by clicking Page Layout Themes), so you will be able to choose from a number of complementary colors:
Click any style to apply it to the current Sparkline.
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Changing the Sparkline and Marker Color

If you want to change the Sparklines color, you can pick a style or use the Sparkline Color command to choose a custom color:
The Marker Color command lets you customize the color of the different elements that we explored in the Show group (High and Low Points, Markers, etc.) First, select the element that you want to modify and then select a color from the color picker. For example, here we are modifying the Marker points on a Line Sparkline:
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Setting Sparkline Options

Most of a Sparklines functionality can be controlled using the Axis command. Here you can do things like change the axis scale and set maximum/minimum limits on what the Sparkline will show:
Horizontal Axis Options Switch between General and Date Axis to have the Sparkline change the way it looks based on corresponding calendar data. This means that you can include time periods to rescale the Sparkline. For example, consider the following data and Sparklines. (Again, we have increased cell size to make the Sparklines easier to see.)
Both Sparklines are based on the same data (in row 2) and show even growth.
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We can scale one of the graphs according to time by clicking Axis Date Axis Type. You will be prompted to enter the dates that correspond with the Sparkline data:
This will scale the second Sparkline to match the dates that were entered. As you can see, there is a small gap between January and March, and a large gap between March and October:
Vertical Axis Minimum/Vertical Axis Maximum Value Options By default, each Sparkline will automatically adjust its scale in order to highlight as much variance in the data as possible. This makes the Sparkline data (the differences in the data) easier to see by eliminating a lot of empty space. Consider the Column Sparkline we saw earlier:
As you can see from the data, the minimum value is 10 and the maximum value is 30. However, the value 10 is barely visible in the graph because of the way the Y-axis has been rendered.
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If you click Axis Custom Value (under the Minimum heading) you can specify a minimum Y value for this Sparkline. We will stick with the default value, 0.0:
This will redraw the Sparkline to show a Y axis that is 30 units high. This means that the column representing 30 is still the highest, and the column representing 10 is now shown its full size:
You can also set the maximum value along with the minimum. In this example, the Sparkline data hasnt changed, but the Y axis now displays data from -40 to 40:
With the maximum/minimum values set to 5 and 0 respectively, all three columns will be shown as the same size:
These options allow you to set precise limits on the way the Sparkline looks. This makes searching for odd or specific values a bit easier because you can effectively zoom in or zoom out of the Sparkline.
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1. A. B. C. D. 2. A. B. C. D. 3. A. B. C. D. 4. A. B. C. D. 5. A. B. C. D. 6. A. B. C. D.
You have added a new sub-point to a SmartArt diagram but want to turn the point into a main point. What is this action called? Descending Ascending Promoting Demoting Which of the following elements in a SmartArt diagram can be modified? Individual shape sizes, position, and orientation Height and width of shapes Text All of the above A SmartArt diagram is essentially a collection of: Colors Shapes Patterns Ideas You have selected a SmartArt diagram and want to click the Change Colors command. What objects will this command affect? All colors Only the currently selected item in the diagram All main points in the diagram All sub-points in the diagram Which of the following is true concerning equations in Excel? You can plug values into an equation for Excel to calculate Equations are inserted directly into the active cell Equations are only for show (they are not functional) All of the above You need to insert a special character and need to use this character many times. What is the easiest way to use the character multiple times? Keep the Insert Symbol dialog open at all times and click Insert to place the character when needed Add the special character once and then copy and paste the character as needed You can only add one special character once to a worksheet Open the Insert Symbol dialog each time you need the symbol; it will remain in the Recently Used list
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7. A. B. C. D. 8. A. B. C. D. 9. A. B. C. D. 10. A. B. C. D.
Which of the following Sparklines is best for accentuating positive and negative data? Win/Loss Line Column Pos/Neg Your worksheet has data in cells A3:E3. Which of the following ranges is valid for holding the Sparkline? Any single cell Any range that is one row by five columns A3:E3 All of the above Which type of Sparkline enhancement shows the same sort of information as a Win/Loss Sparkline? Low Point Negative Points Markers High Point If you click Axis Show Axis, which axis (or axes) will appear in your Sparkline? Horizontal Vertical Horizontal and vertical Z-axis
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Index
Accessibility Checker ..................................................................................................................... 53 Common issues ......................................................................................................................... 54 Array formulas And IF functions ...................................................................................................................... 109 Defining ................................................................................................................................... 105 Redefining ............................................................................................................................... 107 Using functions with ............................................................................................................... 107 Using to find duplicates .......................................................................................................... 110 What is .................................................................................................................................... 104 AutoCalculate .......................................................................................................... 62, 96, 102, 103 Options .................................................................................................................................... 103 AutoFill .......................................................................................................... 63, 64, 92, 95, 96, 104 AutoFilter ............................................................................................................ 142, 144, 145, 146 AutoRecover ....................................................................................................................... 2, 14, 60 Changing save interval .............................................................................................................. 14 Enabling and disabling .............................................................................................................. 14 Recovering files ......................................................................................................................... 14 Repairing files with ................................................................................................................... 15 What is? .................................................................................................................................... 14 Basic Mathematical Operators ..................................................................................................... 65 Examples ................................................................................................................................... 66 Parentheses .............................................................................................................................. 65 Cell references Absolute .................................................................................................................................... 64 Color coding .............................................................................................................................. 68 Multiple ..................................................................................................................................... 66 Relative ..................................................................................................................................... 63 Clip Art ................................................................................................ 175, 211, 213, 214, 219, 240 Compatibility Checker ..................................................................................2, 31, 33, 56, 57, 59, 61 Issue details............................................................................................................................... 58 Options ...................................................................................................................................... 58 Data validation Error Alert ....................................................................................................................... 162, 163 Input Message................................................................................................................. 162, 163 Lists ................................................................................................................................. 164, 166 Using formulas ........................................................................................................................ 166 Validation rules ....................................................................................................................... 158 What is? .................................................................................................................................. 158 Database functions Defining function arguments .................................................................................................. 171
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Logical criteria ......................................................................................................................... 169 What are?................................................................................................................................ 168 Database terminology Field ......................................................................................................................................... 130 Record ..................................................................................................................................... 130 Table........................................................................................................................................ 131 Digital signatures Signing ....................................................................................................................................... 40 Viewing...................................................................................................................................... 41 Document Inspector ..................................................................................................................... 51 Equation Common equations................................................................................................................. 266 Design tab ............................................................................................................................... 268 Placeholder ............................................................................................................................. 267 Structure ................................................................................................................................. 270 Switching written form ........................................................................................................... 268 Symbols ................................................................................................................................... 270 Evaluate formula Tracing values ........................................................................................................................... 73 File management Accessibility Checker ................................................................................................................. 52 Compatibility Checker ............................................................................................................... 56 Compatibility options................................................................................................................ 59 Digital signature ........................................................................................................................ 38 Digital signature marketplace ................................................................................................... 39 Document Inspector ................................................................................................................. 50 Encrypt with password ............................................................................................................. 36 Entering password .................................................................................................................... 37 Managing versions .................................................................................................................... 46 Mark as Final ............................................................................................................................. 34 Read-Only.................................................................................................................................. 35 Removing password .................................................................................................................. 38 Summary of issues .................................................................................................................... 49 File properties Advanced properties ................................................................................................................. 44 Document Panel........................................................................................................................ 43 Editing ....................................................................................................................................... 42 Properties............................................................................................................................ 18, 41 Viewing...................................................................................................................................... 42 File server ...................................................................................................................................... 12 File versioning ............................................................................................................................... 47 Restoring previous versions ...................................................................................................... 48 Filtering data Custom AutoFilter ................................................................................................................... 157
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Wildcard characters ................................................................................................................ 156 Formulas Common errors ......................................................................................................................... 77 Entering basic formulas ............................................................................................................ 67 Error Checking ........................................................................................................................... 71 Error Checking options........................................................................................................ 72, 80 Evaluate Formula ...................................................................................................................... 73 Formula Auditing commands .................................................................................................... 68 Removing trace arrows ............................................................................................................. 70 Show Formulas .................................................................................................................... 71, 82 Trace Dependents ..................................................................................................................... 70 Trace Precedents ...................................................................................................................... 69 Watch Window ......................................................................................................................... 75 Functions Adding line breaks..................................................................................................................... 90 Browsing.................................................................................................................................... 85 Common .................................................................................................................................... 87 Database ................................................................................................................................. 171 DSUM ...................................................................................................................................... 169 Function Arguments dialog ....................................................................................................... 94 Function categories................................................................................................................... 84 IF function ............................................................................................................................... 104 Improving readability ................................................................................................................ 91 Inserting ........................................................................................................................ 85, 86, 93 Nested functions ....................................................................................................................... 89 What are?.................................................................................................................................. 83 IF Function Parameters ................................................................................................................................ 88 Images Adding Clip Art ................................................................................................................ 213, 215 Aligning ................................................................................................................................... 230 Arranging................................................................................................................................. 225 Artistic effects ......................................................................................................................... 222 Corrections .............................................................................................................................. 221 Cropping .................................................................................................................................. 231 Flipping .................................................................................................................................... 236 Format Picture dialog...................................................................................................... 225, 237 Format tab .............................................................................................................................. 219 Moving .................................................................................................................................... 229 Recoloring ............................................................................................................................... 222 Remove background ............................................................................................................... 219 Resizing ................................................................................................................................... 227 Rotating ................................................................................................................................... 236 Screenshot .............................................................................................................................. 216
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Styles ....................................................................................................................................... 223 Language settings ....................................................................................................................... 186 Logic statement And .......................................................................................................................................... 146 Multiple statements................................................................................................................ 150 Or ............................................................................................................................................ 146 Nonadjacent Ranges ............................................................................................................. 96, 102 PDF Customizing output ................................................................................................................... 17 Example of ................................................................................................................................ 20 Publishing to ............................................................................................................................. 16 What is? .................................................................................................................................... 16 Range names Create from selection ............................................................................................................. 101 Defining ..................................................................................................................................... 97 Defining scope........................................................................................................................... 98 Name Manager ......................................................................................................................... 99 Names in current worksheet .................................................................................................... 99 Using before data definition ..................................................................................................... 97 What are?.................................................................................................................................. 96 Research Pane Additional options................................................................................................................... 182 Additional services .................................................................................................................. 182 Opening ................................................................................................................................... 179 Resources ................................................................................................................................ 180 What is? .................................................................................................................................. 179 Research tools Factiva iWorks ......................................................................................................................... 180 Thomson Gale Company Profiles ............................................................................................ 180 Shape Inserting .................................................................................................................................. 272 Manipulation ........................................................................................................................... 274 SharePoint Server ......................................................................................................................... 12 SmartArt .................................................................1, 3, 27, 189, 224, 241, 242, 248, 251, 253, 295 Adding images ......................................................................................................................... 249 Adding text .............................................................................................................................. 245 Changing color ........................................................................................................................ 259 Changing layout ...................................................................................................................... 256 Changing style ......................................................................................................................... 260 Choosing a style ...................................................................................................................... 243 Converting to shapes ...................................................................................................... 253, 261 Deleting ................................................................................................................................... 255 Design tab ............................................................................................................................... 251 Format tab .............................................................................................................................. 251
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Layouts .................................................................................................................................... 252 Moving .................................................................................................................................... 255 Promoting/demoting shapes .................................................................................................. 247 Resetting ......................................................................................................................... 253, 261 Resizing ................................................................................................................................... 255 Styles ....................................................................................................................................... 253 Switching directions ................................................................................................................ 252 Using WordArt ........................................................................................................................ 254 What is? .................................................................................................................................. 242 Sparklines .......................................1, 27, 32, 33, 241, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 296 Axis options ............................................................................................................................. 292 Column .................................................................................................................................... 277 Defining range ......................................................................................................................... 278 Editing ..................................................................................................................................... 283 Horizontal scale....................................................................................................................... 293 Inserting .................................................................................................................................. 277 Limitation ................................................................................................................................ 278 Line .......................................................................................................................................... 277 Marker colors .......................................................................................................................... 291 Removing ................................................................................................................................ 286 Style................................................................................................................................. 282, 290 Toggling Sparkline features............................................................................................. 282, 288 Vertical scale ........................................................................................................................... 293 What are?................................................................................................................................ 277 Win/Loss ................................................................................................................................. 277 Zooming in/out ....................................................................................................................... 279 Spelling ........................................................................................................................................ 176 Dialog commands.................................................................................................................... 177 Symbol Adding ..................................................................................................................................... 264 Searching for ........................................................................................................................... 265 Table Adding data ............................................................................................................................. 134 Additional table details ........................................................................................................... 124 Advanced Filter ............................................................................................................... 148, 153 Convert to Range .................................................................................................................... 123 Copying filtered records.......................................................................................................... 151 Creating ................................................................................................................................... 115 Creating from data .................................................................................................................. 117 Creating from scratch ............................................................................................................. 118 Custom AutoFilter ................................................................................................................... 145 Custom sort ............................................................................................................................. 140 Deleting records or fields ........................................................................................................ 135 Design Tab ............................................................................................................................... 120
302
External Table Data ................................................................................................................. 124 Inserting columns.................................................................................................................... 131 Inserting rows ......................................................................................................................... 133 Modifying dimensions............................................................................................................. 119 Remove Duplicates ......................................................................................................... 123, 136 Resize ...................................................................................................................................... 122 Sorting data ............................................................................................................................. 138 Styles ....................................................................................................................................... 125 Table name.............................................................................................................................. 122 Total Row ........................................................................................................................ 127, 173 Total Row options ................................................................................................................... 128 What is? .................................................................................................................................. 115 Table filters Number filter .......................................................................................................................... 144 Text filter ................................................................................................................................. 144 Text box Effects...................................................................................................................................... 200 Format Shape dialog ............................................................................................................... 201 Format tab .............................................................................................................................. 199 Inserting .................................................................................................................................. 198 Layering ................................................................................................................................... 202 Manipulation ................................................................................................................... 203, 206 Shape....................................................................................................................................... 199 Styles ....................................................................................................................................... 200 Text editing ............................................................................................................................. 205 Themes Changing ................................................................................................................................. 190 Custom colors ......................................................................................................................... 191 Custom effects ........................................................................................................................ 194 Custom fonts ........................................................................................................................... 193 Custom theme management .................................................................................................. 197 Custom themes ....................................................................................................................... 195 What are?................................................................................................................................ 189 Thesaurus Inserting synonyms ................................................................................................................. 184 Opening ................................................................................................................................... 183 Translator .................................................................................................................................... 184 Translation options ................................................................................................................. 186 Wildcard characters .................................................................................................................... 156 Windows Explorer ..................................................................................................................... 3, 10 Adding/removing Favorites ...................................................................................................... 13 Creating folders........................................................................................................................... 6 Favorites area............................................................................................................................ 12 Grouping files ............................................................................................................................ 10
303
Navigating ............................................................................................................................. 4, 11 Opening ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Organize menu ........................................................................................................................ 4, 5 Right-click functionality .............................................................................................................. 7 Sharing files with ......................................................................................................................... 7 Sorting files ............................................................................................................................... 10 Views ........................................................................................................................................... 8 WordArt .............................................................. 175, 198, 201, 203, 207, 211, 225, 240, 251, 254 Inserting .................................................................................................................................. 207 Styles ....................................................................................................................................... 208 Text editing ............................................................................................................................. 209 Text effects.............................................................................................................................. 210 Workbook protection Current worksheet .................................................................................................................... 23 Digitally signing ......................................................................................................................... 39 Editing restrictions .................................................................................................................... 24 Levels of protection .................................................................................................................. 22 Notification ............................................................................................................................... 25 Password ................................................................................................................................... 23 What is? .................................................................................................................................... 21 XLS compatibility Backing up files ......................................................................................................................... 27 Changing file type ..................................................................................................................... 30 Compatibility Mode .................................................................................................................. 27 Converting to .xlsx..................................................................................................................... 27 Saving .xlsx as .xls ...................................................................................................................... 28 XPS Customizing output ................................................................................................................... 17 Publishing to ............................................................................................................................. 16 What is? .................................................................................................................................... 16

Excel Intermediate

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Excel Intermediate

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Office 2010 Training

Excel 2010 Courseware

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Intermediate Courseware

2005-2011 by Velsoft Training Materials, Inc. Notice of Rights

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Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Lesson 1.2: Saving your Files............................................................................................................... 14

Lesson 1.3: Using File Management Tools, Part One ........................................................................ 34

Lesson 1.4: Using File Management Tools, Part Two ....................................................................... 49

Section 1: Review Questions ................................................................................................................ 60

Section 2: Working with Functions and Formulas .................................................................... 62

Lesson 2.2: Using Formulas in Excel, Part 2 ...................................................................................... 77

Lesson 2.3: Exploring Excel Functions ............................................................................................... 83

Lesson 2.4: Using Functions in Excel .................................................................................................. 88

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Lesson 2.5: Working with Names and Ranges ................................................................................... 96

Lesson 2.6: Working with Array Formulas ..................................................................................... 104

Section 2: Review Questions .............................................................................................................. 112

Section 3: Managing Tables ...................................................................................................... 114

Lesson 3.2: Working with Records and Fields ................................................................................. 130

Lesson 3.3: Working with Tables and Filters .................................................................................. 138

Lesson 3.4: Using Excel as a Database .............................................................................................. 156

Section 3: Review Questions .............................................................................................................. 173

Section 4: Adding the Finishing Touches ................................................................................. 175

Lesson 4.2: Using Themes .................................................................................................................. 189

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Lesson 4.3: Adding Text Boxes .......................................................................................................... 198

Lesson 4.4: Inserting Pictures and ClipArt ...................................................................................... 211

Lesson 4.5: Editing Pictures .............................................................................................................. 227

Section 4: Review Questions .............................................................................................................. 239

Section 5: Showing Data as a Graphic ..................................................................................... 241

Lesson 5.2: Formatting SmartArt ..................................................................................................... 256

Lesson 5.3: Adding Symbols, Equations, and Shapes ..................................................................... 264

Lesson 5.4: Adding Sparklines .......................................................................................................... 277

Lesson 5.5: Editing Sparklines .......................................................................................................... 288

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Section 5: Review Questions .............................................................................................................. 295

Index ........................................................................................................................................... 297

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Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Intermediate

Section 1: Advanced File Tasks

2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Intermediate

Lesson 1.1: Using Windows Explorer within Excel

Navigating using Windows Explorer

2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Intermediate

First, lets go over the basics of using Windows Explorer to navigate:

Performing Basic Tasks with Windows Explorer

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Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Intermediate

2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Intermediate

2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Intermediate

2005-2011 Velsoft Training Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Intermediate

Using Views with Windows Explorer

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Microsoft Office Excel 2010 Intermediate

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