This document provides an overview of an Excel basics course. The course objectives are to analyze data, manage large amounts of data, perform calculations, format worksheets, create basic charts, and customize Excel. The course makes assumptions that students are just starting with Excel and wants to learn how to improve aspects of their lives with spreadsheets. It provides tips for getting the most from the class, such as asking questions and taking notes. The document then covers various Excel topics at a basic level, including cells, formatting, functions, sorting, filtering, and charting.

1. Excel Basics for Everyday Use
By Kevin McLogan
kevinmclogan@yahoo.com
bigkkm@twitter.com
facebook.com/kmclogan
linkedin.com/in/kevinmclogan

2. Course Objectives:
After you complete this course to will be able to:
• Analyze data to solve problems
• Manage and make sense of large amounts of data
• Perform and understand calculations and determine
which functions are appropriate for the task at hand.
• Format the contents of a worksheet
• Create a basic Chart
• Customize your individual Excel experience to make you
even more productive and awesome than you are now!
Create spreadsheets that amaze your friends and
strike fear into the hearts of your enemies
2

3. For this class, I am making the
following assumptions
• That you are just getting started with Excel
• That you are eager to learn about Excel
• That there are things in your life that can be improved
through spreadsheets
• That you will walk out of here with a better
understanding of Excel and be able to use it in
meaningful ways when you leave the class, no matter
what your current skill level is
• That you will practice the skills you have learned here
3

4. In order for us to make this an outstanding
experience
• Ask questions if you are not clear on a concept
• If you have a problem with a file, let us know so
that you can reload it.
• I will talk really fast if you let me-slow me down if
I get ahead of you.
• If you need help, please let us know-if you can
help, please do.
• This is a hands-on lesson, so you will learn by
doing-you might want to take some notes.
4

5. Different versions
• There are four versions that you could be using
• Excel 2003
• Excel 2007
• Excel 2010
• Excel 2013, or Excel 365
5

6. 2003
6

7. And it’s all about being productive!
What kinds of things are you going to do with
Excel?
Utilize your toolbar, design of spreadsheets and
formats to make Excel a tool with which you
can solve problems, analyze your data, and
communicate better.
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8. Why on a Computer?
Change the Car Payment
Change the Utilities
8

9. Basic Spreadsheet
Paper Ledger
Car loan $500
Utilities $300
Total Payments $800
9

10. 10

11. Active Cell
• The active cell is recognized by its black outline.
Data is always entered into the active cell.
Different cells can be made active by clicking on
them with the mouse or by using the arrow
keys on the keyboard.
11

12. File Tab
• The File tab is new to Excel 2010 - Sort of. It is a
replacement for the Office Button in Excel 2007 which was
a replacement for the file menu in earlier versions of Excel.
• Like the old file menu, the File tab options are mostly
related to file management such as opening new or existing
worksheet files, saving, printing, and a new feature - saving
and sending Excel files in PDF format.
12

13. Formula Bar
• Located above the worksheet, this area
displays the contents of the active cell. It can
also be used for entering or editing data and
formulas.
13

14. Name Box
• Located next to the formula bar, the Name
Box displays the cell reference or the name of
the active cell.
14

15. What is a Row?
• Rows run horizontally in a
worksheet
• They are identified by a number
in the row header.
• Together a column letter and a
row number create a cell
reference.
• Each cell in the worksheet can be
identified by this combination of
letters and numbers such as
A1, F456, or AA34.
15

16. What is a Column?
Columns run vertically on a worksheet and
each one is identified by a letter in the
column header.
16

17. Sheet Tabs
• By default there are three worksheets in Excel 2003 . Newer
versions (thankfully!) abandon that convention.
• The tab at the bottom of a worksheet tells you the name of
the worksheet - such as Sheet1, Sheet2 etc.
• Switching between worksheets can be done by clicking on
the tab of the sheet you wish to access.
• Renaming a worksheet or changing the tab color can make it
easier to keep track of data in large spreadsheet files.
17

18. Ribbon
• The Ribbon is the strip of buttons and icons located
above the work area. The Ribbon is organized into a
series of tabs - such as File, Home, and Formulas. Each
tab contains a number of related features and options.
First introduced in Excel 2007, the Ribbon replaced the
menus and toolbars found in Excel 2003 and earlier
versions.
18

19. Quick Access Toolbar
• This customizable toolbar allows you to add
frequently used commands. Click on the down
arrow at the end of the toolbar to display the
toolbar's options.
• In later versions it appears below the ribbon
19

20. Let’s get started
In order for you to get the most out of
Excel, let’s begin with a couple of concepts
that will serve all of you well.
20

21. What is a Cell?
21

22. All about cells
What is a cell, you may ask?
A CELL is defined as the space where a specified row and column intersect. Each CELL is
assigned a name according to its COLUMN letter and ROW number.
• How to identify the elements of a cell (Format, Values, Formulas, Links)
• How to change the format of cells
• How to use the Format Cells dialogue box
• How to change the dimensions of the cell
• How to enter formulas and modify them
• How to enter dates and times
• How to enter text
• How to add comments
• How to enter numeric values
• How each of types of data entered have their own traits
22

23. Elements of a cell
• Value:
• The number or text that is the result of the actions forced
upon the cell
• Formula:
• Entries that have an equation that calculates the value to
display. We DO NOT type in the numbers we are looking
for; we type in the equation. This equation will be updated
upon the change or entry of any data that is referenced in
the equation.,
• Format:
• Controlled by user to make the cell look presentable
23

24. What can we enter in a cell?
In a spreadsheet there are three basic types of
data that can be entered.
• labels - (text with no numerical value)
• constants - (just a number -- constant value)
• formulas* - (a mathematical equation used to
calculate)
24

25. Types of Data
Data types Examples Descriptions
LABEL Names or Wages or Days Any thing that is just text
CONSTANT 5 or 3.45 or –2.9 Any number
FORMULA = 5+3 or 4-2*9 Math equation
25

26. Labels in Excel
26

27. Constants in Excel
27

28. Value
• The result of a formula or a manual entry into
a cell.
• It can be a number of any kind including
dates, fractions, percentages, etc, or a word or
other text including phone numbers.
• A picture or other graphic does not exist
inside a cell.
28

29. Formulas in Excel
• Formulas OR Functions MUST BEGIN with an equal sign
(=).
29

30. Formulas in Excel
30

31. Basic Formulas in Excel
• Equation in B4
• = B1 * B2
• = 23 * 5.36
31

32. Change in Formulas
Hours have been changed to 34
- Wage is the same
- Total pay would now be = 34 * 5.36
- But would still be = B1 * B2
32

33. Change in Formulas
First Equation
Changed Equation
33

34. Basic Math Functions
A B
1 5 3
2 7 4
3 8 6
Operations Symbol Constant Data Referenced Data Answer
Multiplication * =5*6 = A1* B3 30
Division / =8/4 = A3 / B2 2
Addition + =4+7 = B2 + A2 11
Subtraction - =8-3 = A3 - B1 5
34

35. Methods of Selecting Cells
• Type in the cell
• Click on the cell
35

36. Methods of Selecting Cells
A B
1 5 3
2 7 4
3 8 6
To select Type in Click on
A1 A1 click on A1
A 1, A 2, A 3 A1: A3 click on A1, with button down drag
to A3
A1, B 1 A1: B1 click on A1, with button down drag
to B1
A 1, B 3 A1, B3 click on A1, type in comma, click
on B3
A 1, A 2, B 1, B 3 A1: B2 click on A1, with button down,
36 drag to B2

37. Sorting
• The standard
configuration on the
toolbar is unsuitable!
• Change it or use the
menu item:
• Data=>Sort
Open Big Sort file for the exercise.
37

38. Sort Dialogue box
38

39. Filters
• Another Concept is that of filters
• There are two kinds of filters we will use today
• Auto Filter: creates a drop-down menu with
choices
• Advanced Filter: Helps to identify unique items in
a long list.
Open AutoFilter Names file and we will work on
some examples
39

40. Naming ranges
Why is this important:
• Names make your formulas more understandable
and easier to use, especially for others.
• A descriptive name is easier to remember than a
range of cells
• Makes it easier to move around in the spreadsheet.
• Easy to verify-the names appear in the name box.
40

41. Define Name Box
41

42. Checking your work
• Tracing errors: when you get a message like:
• ####, #DIV/0!, #REF!, #NULL!1, #VALUE!,
#NAME?, #NUM!, #N/A
Something went wrong!
Open the Fix and trace errors file
42

43. •##### column is too narrow to display the value, or you might
have used a negative number for a date or time.
•#DIV/0! You attempted to divide by zero. What were you
thinking?
•#NAME? Excel does not recognize the text in the cell. A name or
function have been misspelled or used a name that does not exist.
Text in not marked properly.
•#NUM! The formula contains an invalid numeric value or a
number that is too large or too small for Excel to handle.
•#REF! The formula uses an invalid cell reference.
•#VALUE! The wrong type of argument is used in the formula.
43

44. Tracing Precedents and dependants
44

45. Drop-down menus in cells
•You can limit the options for
data entry with a drop-down
menu in each cell.
•This keeps the entries
consistent and limits errors due
to spelling, or other
inconsistencies.
•Let’s try it!
45

46. Formatting
If your spreadsheet looks good, so do you!
46

47. Number Formatting
Open the Format
Numbers File
47

48. Alignment of the cells
48

49. Font adjustments
49

50. Borders
50

51. Patterns
51

52. Auto Format
52

53. Conditional Formatting
Open Conditional Formatting file.
If a cell’s value results in a certain condition, the format
can be changed according to your preference.
53

54. Charting for better effect
Open the Chart Examples file
• Charts and graphs are important because they
bring visualization to data.
• This is an important key to gaining
understanding from your message.
54

55. OTHER STUFF THAT ISN’T AS EASY TO
CATEGORIZE
• Tabs at the bottom.
• Name one “History”-I dare ya!
• Freezing panes
• Looking at more than one workbook at a time
• Links to other workbooks
55

56. Inserting fancy stuff into your spreadsheet
• Hyperlinks
Open the more resources file to see how this is inserted.
56

57. More stuff to add
• Pictures
• Clip Art
• Diagrams
• Organizational charts
57

58. Stuff that is a little quirky in Excel
• Printing: it takes some adjustments: Copy the entire sheet by
•page breaks, page break views clicking the corner piece
•Always start from scratch in Page on the top left. This way
Setup you can get all the
formats and row heights
and column widths.
58

59. Other miscellany
Be careful of linking inadvertently
to other file that may not be
present.
Newer version of Excel may
generate files with .xlsx file
extension
59

60. Customize your Excel Experience
We are going to start out by making Excel work
for you-not the other way around!
60

61. Customize your Toolbar
This is the Standard toolbar-but you’re not
standard, so why should your toolbar be?
This is what my toolbar looks like-and so can
yours!
61

62. This is a way to
customize your
toolbar with every
command on the
menu plus a few
others.
By putting the
commands you
use most often on
your toolbar you
will be more
productive
Right click the toolbar at any place, and you will get
this dialogue box. 62

63. Formula/Function
This is where the heavy lifting is done.
• Formulas contain five elements:
• Operators (Symbols like +, -, /, *)
• References: named cells or ranges, in the current
worksheet or another worksheet, or even another
workbook.
• Values: numbers or lists of numbers (sometimes named)
• Functions and their arguments: include SUM, AVERAGE,
VLOOKUP and their arguments
• Parentheses: Control the order in which the work gets
done.
63

64. Formula Lesson
Open the worksheet titled “formula lesson”
• What is the total sales number for January?
• How much did each sales Associate sell in January?
• How do I know that I added up all of the sales figures?
• What day of the month had the most sales?
• The least sales?
• In order to make it worthwhile for me to keep a sales person
working, they need to generate $6500 in sales per quarter-
these sales are evaluated at the end of the quarter. Keep this
in mind as we move forward.
• Work through each month of the first quarter and then we
will total it up in the last sheet.
64

65. Insert a function
65

66. How to make functions work for you
• Use function box or create your own using
operators (+, -, /, *)
• Start with “=” sign
• Edit formula in cell or in the formula bar
• Copy a formula-if it refers to another cell, then
it will move its reference point (we noticed
that in our last example)
Let's create some of our own formulas!
66

67. Popular functions
• SUM
• AVERAGE
• IF
• COUNT
• COUNTNUMS
• MAX &MIN
• CONCATENATE AND MID
• SUMIF
• VLOOKUP
• RANK
• COUNTIF &COUNTA
Open Sum file 67

68. =SUM
68

69. =AVERAGE
69

70. =COUNT
70

71. =COUNTA
71

72. =MAX &MIN
72

73. Text Functions
• =MID: takes part of a text string apart
• =CONCATENATE: puts several strings of text
into one text string
73

74. =SUMIF
74

75. PROPER
• This is pretty cool! (But it doesn’t work on me)
75

76. =IF
• This can be the most complicated of all
functions!
• It is definitely the most abused!
• Think about it as “IF condition A occurs, this is
the result, IF not, then this is the result.”
• There can be multiple conditions, but that’s
where we can run into trouble.
76

77. MORE IF
77

78. =RANK (or, how much do you like me?)
78

79. DATE FUNCTIONS
• =NOW and =TODAY return the current time
and date (the difference is that NOW includes
the time)
• REMEMBER: all dates are stored as a number.
Today is 40,206 (standard date system) and
38745 in 1904 date system.
• The standard system is based on days from
1900, but counted it as a leap year.
• Always use the 1904 system if adding or
subtracting dates!
79

80. SUBTOTAL FUNCTION
Returns a subtotal in a list or database. It is
generally easier to create a list with subtotals
using the Subtotals command (Data menu).
Once the subtotal list is created, you can
modify it by editing the SUBTOTAL function.
1 AVERAGE 6 PRODUCT
2 COUNT 7 STDEV
3 COUNTA 8 STDEVP
4 MAX 9 SUM
5 MIN 10 VAR
11 VARP
80

81. I leave you with this:
SAVE YOUR WORK!
Thank you for participating, happy
spread sheeting!
81