Spreadsheet

1. DataTypes in Excel
 Data type means the type of data which can be stored in a cell.
 Data types dictate how your information is stored, displayed, and processed, which ultimately affects the
accuracy and usefulness of your data.
 Using the correct data type ensures that your spreadsheet functions as intended and helps prevent potential
errors, such as incorrect calculations or misinterpreted data.
 Data in Excel can be stored in four different ways - Number, Date and Time, Text, Logical (boolean).
 Excel data types can help with data organization, validation, calculations, analysis, reporting,
visualization, and data integration.

2. Number Datatype
• Excel uses the number data type to store numerical data such as integers,
whole numbers, decimals, percentages, etc.
• It is used for numerical values that can be used in calculations.
• By default, numbers get aligned to the left in a cell, and text strings get
aligned to the right.
• In the picture shown above, the number 12345 is aligned to the right, which tells us that it is stored
as a number data type in the backend in Excel.
• Sometimes, numbers can be stored as text in a cell in Excel, in which case, you will see that these are
aligned to the right.
• When working with number data, keep the following points in
mind:
1. Number Formatting: You can format number data by specifying the
number of decimal places, adding currency symbols, or displaying
percentages using the "Format Cells" dialog box. This ensures that
your numerical data is consistently and accurately represented
throughout your spreadsheet.
2. Rounding: To round a number to a specific number of decimal
places, you can use the ROUND function. For example,
"=ROUND(A1, 2)" will round the value in cell A1 to two decimal
places. Be cautious when rounding numbers, as it can affect the
accuracy of your calculations.
3. Absolute and Relative References: When using number data in
formulas, you may need to use absolute or relative cell references,
depending on whether you want the formula to update when
copied to other cells. Absolute references (e.g., $A$1) remain
constant, while relative references (e.g., A1) adjust based on the
formula's position.

3. Number
datatype

4. • The number of decimal places in a
decimal number can be anything for
the General format. However, you can
see up to 10 digits of a decimal
number in a cell.
• But if the number digit crosses 11,
the number will automatically convert
to the Scientific format

6. • Note:The number of significant digits for
the Currency format is similar to the Number format,
meaning you can insert a 15-digits currency in a
cell. Any currency data that has more than 15-digits
will have zeros after the 15th digit.

8. • Date
• By default, there are two types of date formats. They
are:
1. Short Date
2. Long Date
Dates and times are stored as serial numbers, with each whole number representing a
date and each decimal fraction representing a time. This allows you to perform
calculations with date and time data, such as determining the number of days between
two dates.
• The following image shows the date 5th January 2023 in
these two formats.
• You can find more date formats from the Format
Cells dialog box. Just press Ctrl + 1 to open it and
explore those date formats to transform the date data
to your suitable format.
• dates are basically serial numbers starting
from 1 to 2958465. 1 represents the date 1st January,
1900. Similarly, 2 and 3 represent
the 2nd and 3rd days of January 1, 1900. Here is a
table that gives you an idea of how Excel stores date
from the serial numbers.
•
NUMBER DATE
1 01/01/1900
2 01/02/1900
3 01/03/1900
… …
2958465 12/31/9999

9. • Here,1.5 is converted to 12:00:00 PM. It’s
because 1 is stored as 1st January 1900 in
Excel. 0.5 is half of one which means half a day
and so it returns the time 12:00:00 PM. As a
result, 1.5 is stored as 12:00:00 PM, 1st January
1900 by Excel, but when it’s converted
to Time only, then the date part is removed. Only
the Time portion remains.

10. • The Percentage formatted data type helps users to
convert a decimal value into percentage format
without applying a formula for it.

11. • Here, for the scientific
number 2.63E+19, it is equivalent
to 2.63 multiplied by 10 raised to
the power of 19, which can be
written as 2.63 x 10^19 or 263 x
10^17. This means that the number
is 263 followed
by 17 zeros: 26,300,000,000,000,000
,000. However, it’s not the actual
value that we inserted. Because the
decimals taken by Excel are two
approximate places by default. If
you want to increase or decrease
the decimal places, click on
the Increase or Decrease
Decimals button in
the Number group. Follow the video
below to see the procedure.

13. Date and Time Data
• Date and time data is used to represent dates, times, or both in your spreadsheet. Dates
and times are stored as serial numbers, with each whole number representing a date and
each decimal fraction representing a time. This allows you to perform calculations with date
and time data, such as determining the number of days between two dates. Here are some
tips for working with date and time data:
1. Date and Time Formatting: Properly formatting your date and time data ensures that it's
easy to read and understand. You can use the "Format Cells" dialog box to select from
various date and time formats, such as short date, long date, or custom formats. Be sure to
choose a format that's appropriate for your region and audience.
2. Entering Dates and Times: When entering dates and times, it's important to use a consistent
format that your spreadsheet software recognizes. Most spreadsheet applications will
automatically format your date and time entries based on your system's regional settings.
However, you can also enter dates using functions such as TODAY() and NOW(), which
automatically insert the current date and time, respectively.
3. Calculating with Dates and Times: To perform calculations with date and time data, you can
use various functions, such as DATEDIF() to find the difference between two dates, or DATE()
and TIME() to create a specific date or time. Keep in mind that when calculating with dates
and times, you may need to convert the resulting serial numbers back into a readable
format using the "Format Cells" dialog box.

14. Boolean Data
• Boolean data, also known as "logical values," represents true or false
conditions and is often used in logical functions and conditional
formatting. In most spreadsheet software, TRUE is represented by
the number 1, while FALSE is represented by the number 0. When
working with Boolean data, remember the following:
1.Logical Functions: You can use logical functions, such as IF(), AND(),
OR(), and NOT(), to perform calculations or make decisions based on
certain conditions. For example, "=IF(A1 > B1, "Greater", "Not
greater")" will return "Greater" if the value in cell A1 is greater than
the value in cell B1, and "Not greater" otherwise.
2.Conditional Formatting: Boolean data is often used in conditional
formatting to apply specific formatting to cells based on their
content. For example, you can use a formula like "=A1 > B1" to
highlight cells in column A that contain values greater than their
corresponding cells in column B.

15. • These functions return TRUE or FALSE based on the operations
• AND: We use this if we want to find out whether the data
meets multiple conditions. Say, we have different values in
two cells. The condition is: one should be greater than zero
while the other should be less than 1. We can find out whether
both of these logics are true or false by the AND function.
• OR: This function compares values or statements in the Excel
sheet that satisfies a condition. If none of the data meets
your criteria, Excel returns a False value.
• XOR: The XOR function is used when only one of your data’s
arguments can be labeled as True or False.
• NOT: You can use it when you want to filter arguments that
don’t match your conditions. Arguments in the data that
fulfill your conditions are marked False, while those that do
not are marked True by this function.

16. • Here you can see that alphabets, words, sentences,
symbols etc. are in Text format. If you store dates
or times following other conventions that are not
familiar with Excel, they will be stored
as Texts too. Notice that the date in the image has
dots as separators, which is not compatible for
calculations by Excel. So this date and the time in
cell C10 are stored as Texts.
• Text data, also known as "strings" or "labels," consists of
alphanumeric characters and is typically used for descriptive
information, such as names, addresses, or labels for columns and
rows. Here's what you need to know about working with text data
in spreadsheets:
1. Text Alignment: By default, most spreadsheet software aligns text
data to the left within a cell. This helps distinguish text data from
numerical data, which is usually aligned to the right.
2. Text Formatting: You can format text data by changing the font,
size, style, and color using the formatting toolbar or the "Format
Cells" dialog box. Proper text formatting can improve readability
and make your spreadsheet look more professional.
3. Concatenation: To combine two or more text strings in a single
cell, you can use the concatenation operator (&) or the
CONCATENATE function. For example, if you have a person's first
name in cell A1 and their last name in cell B1, you can use the
formula "=A1 & ' ' & B1" or "=CONCATENATE(A1, ' ', B1)" to
display their full name in cell C1.

17. • Here we added 5 and A which is not a compatible calculation. So Excel returns an error.
The numeric value for the error data type is 16.
• The following description shows some error data that commonly occur in calculations.
• #VALUE!: In Excel, the #VALUE! error often arises when a calculation has one or more
cells with the incorrect data type or an incompatible operation. For example,
attempting to calculate the sum of a range of cells where one cell has alphabetical
characters can result in a #VALUE! result.
• #REF!: If you remove or paste things in a cell or range of cells where you previously
input a formula, an invalid cell reference error value may result. To resolve this
problem, undo your earlier action and enter your new data into a cell or cell range
that does not contain a formula.
• #N/A: Excel returns this error value when there is no value available for the function
to calculate. This error implies that a formula is unable to locate the value of
interest.
• #NUM!: If you enter an invalid formula or function, a #NUM! value may show. It may also
occur if the total produced by a formula or function is too large for Excel to display
in a cell.
• #NAME?: If you have a value inside a formula without quotations or with a missing
beginning or end quote, you may see this value. It may also happen if there is an error
in the formula.
• #DIV/0: This error value may appear if you attempt to divide an integer by zero. Excel
utilizes #DIV/0 to signify when you can try a new equation because the result is an
undefined integer.
• #NULL!: When you insert an erroneous range reference in a formula, Excel displays
the #NULL! error. This error indicates that the formula range you specified is invalid.