1 WORKING WITH EXCEL.
Getting to Know Excel.
Start Excel.
Tour the Excel Window.
Work with Excel's Ribbon.
Customise the Quick Access Toolbar.
Customise the Ribbon.
Work with Smart Tags.
Change the View.
Configure Excel Options.
2 ENTERING AND EDITING EXCEL DATA.
Learning the Layout of a Worksheet.
Understanding the Types of Data You Can Use.
Enter Text into a Cell.
Enter a Number into a Cell.
Insert a Symbol.
Edit Cell Data.
Delete Data from a Cell.
3 WORKING WITH EXCEL RANGES.
Select a Range.
Fill a Range with the Same Data.
Fill a Range with a Series of Values.
Move or Copy a Range.
Insert a Row or Column.
Insert a Cell or Range.
Delete Data from a Range.
Hide a Row or Column.
Freeze Rows or Columns.
Merge Two or More Cells.
Transpose Rows and Columns.
Define or Change a Range Name.
Use Worksheet Text to Define a Range Name.
Navigate a Workbook Using Range Names.
4 FORMATTING EXCEL RANGES.
Change the Font and Font Size.
Apply Font Effects.
Change the Font Colour.
Align Text Within a Cell.
Center Text Across Multiple Columns.
Rotate Text Within a Cell.
Add a Background Colour to a Range.
Apply a Number Format.
Apply an AutoFormat to a Range.
Apply a Conditional Format to a Range.
Apply a Style to a Range.
Change the Column Width.
Change the Row Height.
Wrap Text Within a Cell.
Add Borders to a Range.
5 BUILDING FORMULAS AND FUNCTIONS.
Understanding Excel Formulas.
Build a Formula.
Understanding Excel Functions.
Add a Function to a Formula.
Add a Row or Column of Numbers.
Build an AutoSum Formula.
Add a Range Name to a Formula.
Reference Another Worksheet Range in a Formula.
Move or Copy a Formula.
6 MANIPULATING EXCEL WORKSHEETS.
Create a New Worksheet.
Move a Worksheet.
Copy and Rename a Worksheet.
Delete a Worksheet.
Change the Gridline Colour.
Toggle Worksheet Gridlines On and Off.
Toggle Worksheet Headings On and Off.
7 DEALING WITH EXCEL WORKBOOKS.
Create a New Blank Workbook.
Create a New Workbook from a Template.
Save a Workbook.
Open a Workbook.
Arrange Workbook Windows.
Find and Replace Text in a Workbook.
Modify Workbook Colours.
Set Workbook Fonts.
Choose Workbook Effects.
Apply a Workbook Theme.
8 ANALYSING EXCEL DATA.
Sort a Range.
Filter a Range.
Set Data Validation Rules.
Convert a Range to a Table.
Create a Data Table.
Summarise Data with Subtotals.
9. VISUALISING DATA WITH EXCEL CHARTS.
Examining Chart Elements.
Understanding Chart Types.
Create a Chart.
Add Chart Titles.
Add Data Labels.
Position the Chart Legend.
Display Chart Gridlines.
Display a Data Table.
Change the Chart Layout and Style.
Format Chart Elements.
Customise a Chart Element Background.
Set a Chart Element's Outline.
Add Effects to a Chart Element.
Apply a Style to a Chart Element.
10 COLLABORATING WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
Add a Comment to a Cell.
Protect a Workbook.
Share a Workbook with Other Users.
Track Workbook Changes.
Accept or Reject Workbook Changes.
Make a Workbook Compatible with Earlier Versions of Excel.
Collaborate on a Workbook Online.
INDEX.
Chapter 1: Working with Excel
You use Microsoft Excel to create spreadsheets, which are documents that enable you to manipulate numbers and formulas to quickly create powerful mathematical, financial, and statistical models. In this chapter, you learn about Excel and you find out the kinds of tasks you can perform with Excel. You also learn how to start the program and you take a tour of the program's major features. This chapter also shows you how to work with the Excel Ribbon, how to customise the Ribbon and the Quick Access Toolbar, how to work with smart tags, and how to customise the view and other aspects of the program.
Getting to Know Excel
Working with Excel involves two basic tasks: building a spreadsheet and then manipulating the data on the spreadsheet. Building a spreadsheet involves adding data, formulas, and functions. Manipulating data involves calculating totals, working with series, creating tables for your data, and visualising data in charts.
This section gives you an overview of these tasks. You learn about each task in greater detail as you work through the book.
Build a Spreadsheet
Add Data
You can insert text, numbers, and other characters into any cell in the spreadsheet. Click the cell that you want to work with and then type your data in the Formula bar. This is the large text box above the column letters. Your typing appears in the cell that you selected. When you are done, press . To edit existing cell data, click the cell and then edit the text in the Formula bar.
Add a Formula
A formula is a collection of numbers, cell addresses, and mathematical operators that performs a calculation. In Excel, you enter a formula in a cell by typing an equals sign (=) and then the formula text. For example, the formula =B1-B2 subtracts the value in cell B2 from the value in cell B1.
Add a Function
A function is a predefined formula that performs a specific task. For example, the AVERAGE function calculates the average of a list of numbers and the PMT function calculates a loan or mortgage payment. You can use functions on their own, preceded by =, or as part of a larger formula. Click Insert Function () to see a list of the available functions.
Manipulate Data
Calculate Totals Quickly
If you just need a quick sum of a list of numbers, click a cell below the numbers and then click the Sum button (), which is available in the Home tab of Excel's Ribbon. You can also select the cells that you want to sum and their total appears in the status bar.
Fill a Series
Excel enables you to save time by completing a series of values automatically. For example, if you need to enter the numbers 1 to 100 in consecutive cells, you can enter just the first few numbers, select the cells, and then click and drag the lower right corner to fill in the rest of the numbers. Most programs also fill in dates and the names of week days and months.
Manage Tables
The row-and-column format of a spreadsheet makes the program suitable for simple databases called tables. Each column becomes a field in the table and each row is a record. You can sort the records, filter the records to show only certain values, and add subtotals.
Add a Chart
A chart is a graphic representation of spreadsheet data. As the data in the spreadsheet changes, the chart also changes to reflect the new numbers. Excel offers a wide variety of charts, including bar charts, line charts, and pie charts.
Start Excel
Before you can perform tasks such as adding data and building formulas, you must first start Excel. This brings the Excel window onto the Windows desktop and you can then begin using the program. This task and the rest of the book assume that you have already installed Excel 2010 on your computer.
When you have finished your work with Excel, you should shut down the program. This reduces clutter on the desktop and in the taskbar, and it also conserves memory and other system resources.
1 Click Start.
The Start menu appears.
2 Click All Programs.
The App Programs menu appears.
3 Click Microsoft Office.
The Microsoft Office menu appears.
4 Click Microsoft Excel 2010.
The Microsoft Excel window appears on the desktop.
Note: When you are finished with Excel, close the program by clicking the File tab and then clicking Exit.
After you have used Excel a few times, it should appear on the main Start menu in the list of your most-used programs and you can click that icon to start the program. You can force the Excel icon onto the Start menu by following Steps 1 to 3, right-clicking the Microsoft Excel 2010 icon and clicking Pin to Start Menu. If you are using Windows 7, you can click Pin to Taskbar to add the Excel icon to the taskbar.
Tour the Excel Window
To get up to speed quickly with Excel, it helps to understand the various elements of the Excel window. These include standard window elements such as the title bar and status bar, as well as Office-specific elements such as the Ribbon and the File tab.
A Title Bar
The title bar displays the name of the current workbook.
B Quick Access Toolbar
This area gives you one-click access to a few often-used features. To learn how to customise this toolbar, see "Customise the Quick Access Toolbar."
C Excel Window Controls
You use these controls to minimise, maximise, restore and close Excel's application window.
D Workbook Window Controls
You use these controls to minimise, maximise, restore, and close the current workbook window.
E File Tab
Click this tab to access file-related commands, such as Save and Open.
F Ribbon
This area gives you access to all of Excel's commands, options and features. To learn how to use this element, see "Work with Excel's Ribbon."
G Worksheet
This area displays the current worksheet and it is where you will do most of your Excel work.
H Status Bar
This area displays messages about Excel's current status, the results of certain operations and other information.
Work with Excel's Ribbon
You use Excel's Ribbon element to access all of the program's features and commands. The Ribbon is the horizontal strip that runs across the top of the Excel window, just below the title bar. The Ribbon is organised into various tabs, such as File, Home and Insert, and each tab contains related controls, which usually include buttons, lists, and check boxes. There is no menu bar in Excel, so you do not use pull-down menus to access commands.
1 Click the tab that contains the Excel feature you want to work with.
Excel displays the controls in the tab.
A Each tab is organised into groups of related controls, and the group names appear here.
B In many groups you can click the dialog box launcher button () to see group settings.
2 Click the control for the feature.
C If the control displays a list of options, click the option you want.
Excel runs the command or sets the option.
Customise the Quick Access Toolbar
You can make Excel easier to use by customising the Quick Access Toolbar to include the Excel commands you use most often. You run Quick Access Toolbar buttons with a single click, so adding your favourite commands saves time. By default, the Quick Access Toolbar contains three buttons, Save, Undo and Redo, but you can add any of Excel's hundreds of commands.
Since there is only so much room for the Quick Access Toolbar in Excel's menu bar, consider moving...
