Excel Beginners 2013

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Overview

This course contains the following 13 modules on the following:

Introducing:

Excel is a spreadsheet application for organising, analysing, and presenting data.
To open Excel you select Microsoft Excel from the Programs sub-menu.
A spreadsheet contains a grid of cells arranged in columns and rows.
The Ribbon displays commonly used commands.
Excel's Help provides information and useful tips.
The shortcut menu offers editing options for a selected object.

Creating Workbooks:

To open a new blank Excel workbook you use the New button.
When you enter data, it appears in both the selected cell and the Formula Bar.
Once you confirm an entry, Excel automatically advances the cell pointer to the next cell within the range.
To select a range of cells click on the first cell, then hold down Shift and click on the last cell.
To select a range of cells that are not connected press the Ctrl key as you click on them.
You can select a column or row by clicking on the column or row headings respectively.

Formatting Data:

The Formatting toolbar contains buttons that change the appearance of the worksheet.
To change the way numbers in a worksheet are displayed use the numeric formatting buttons.
Excel automatically adjusts the height of rows to accommodate the data they contain.
You can align data in cells using the alignment buttons.
To centre data across a selected range of columns use the Merge and Centre button.
The Format Painter applies existing formats to other cells in the worksheet.

Formulas and Functions:

A formula is a cell entry that calculates data. Functions are ready made formulas that perform specialised calculations automatically.
Using the AutoSum button is the easiest way to add values.
When you copy formulas, Excel automatically changes the relative cell addresses to reflect their new location.
Instead of using cell references in formulas, you can use row and column labels. You type the row name, followed by a space, then the column name. To use this feature you first select the Accept label in formulas option.
Formulas automatically update results when values change because they refer to cell references, not the values they contain.
Excel identifies errors in formulas and helps you to correct them.

Move and Copy Data:

The Shortcut menu is an alternative way of working with Excel. It is displayed by right-clicking on the required object.
When using the Cut or Copy commands, the Windows Clipboard is used as a temporary storage area for the data.
The Collect and Paste feature, which enables you to hold up to twenty four items in the Office Clipboard, can be activated by displaying the Clipboard toolbar.
You can move data within a worksheet or between workbooks by using the drag and drop method.
To display all open workbooks on the screen, use the Arrange command on the Windows menu.

Navigating Workbooks:

To move quickly to other cells in the worksheet use the Scroll bars.
Using the Ctrl End shortcut keys moves you to the last entry in a worksheet.
Pressing the Ctrl Home keys moves you to the left-hand corner of the worksheet.
To move directly to a specified cell use the Go To command, or the Name box.
A fast method of activating Go To is by pressing the F5 key.
Excel allows you to have up to 256 worksheets stored in a file which is known as workbook.
To display a worksheet, simply click on its sheet tab.
To display the other sheet tabs use the Tab scrolling buttons.

Open and Save Workbooks:

A folder is the Parent of it's sub-folders. New folders can be created by using the New Folder button when in the desired location.
Recently opened files can be quickly accessed via the Recent Documents panel in the Backstage view.
File names can be up to 255 characters and may contain spaces.
The Save As command makes a copy of an existing workbook file in formats that other applications can use.
Closing documents after you are finished with them can reduce confusion and increase computer performance.

Page Breaks and Previewing:

Print Preview allows you to view how the worksheet appears when printed.
To see the page in greater detail you use the Zoom button.
You cannot edit the worksheet while in Preview mode.
Page Break Preview lets you adjust page breaks by dragging them.
Excel automatically scales the information to fit the printed page.
To insert manual page breaks use the Break command in the Page Setup group in the Page Layout tab.
To delete manual page breaks use the Remove Page Break command.

Page Setup Options:

The Header/Footer options are used when you require the same data printed on the top or bottom of every page in the worksheet.
You can choose from Excel's built-in headers or footers or customise your own.
The Orientation box, in the Page section, allows you to select whether you wish to print down the page (Portrait), or across the page (Landscape).
The Scaling options allow you to shrink or enlarge the data on the printed page.
The Print titles options within the Sheet section are used to repeat column and row titles on every page of the printed worksheet.
The Margins section enables you to centre the worksheet horizontally or vertically and change the blank area left around the outside of the printed page.

Printing:

When printing a section of the worksheet regularly, you can set a current print area using the Print Area/Set Print Area command.
Setting a new print area will override the previous one as you can only have one print area set at a time.
A quick way to print the active worksheet(s) is to use the Print button.
You can control how the worksheet is printed by using the Print command on the File tab.
To select another printer use the Name box.
Always preview your worksheet before printing it.

Proofing Tools:

The Spell Checker feature checks the worksheet for typing errors. It compares the words in your document against its own dictionary.
AutoComplete enables fast entry of repetitive text within one column.
You can enter your common typos for automatic correction as you work by using AutoCorrect.
Use the Find and Replace commands to locate text within a worksheet.
Be aware of the balance between searching for part of a word, and searching for the whole word.
The AutoCalculate feature offers statistical functions other than Sum.
You can produce an Average, Maximum, or Minimum value, as well as a Count of a range of selected cells.

Screen Components:

The Ribbon presents commands in groups in tabs for easy access.
Modify the Quick Access toolbar to display your most frequently used commands.
Learn to alter the view or layout for more successful editing.
Use and understand the keyboard shortcuts and Tool Tips for faster working.
Make the most of the information on the Status bar and the Taskbar.
Recognise and appreciate the different Mouse pointers.

Working with Ranges:

Naming cells allows you to refer to them by name instead of by cell reference.
You can name a cell or range of cells by using the Name Box on the Formula bar or the Ctrl F3 shortcut keys.
To move directly to a named range you can use the Go To feature or the Name Box list.
The Range Finder uses colours to identify the different components of a formula, and their corresponding cells in the worksheet.
Range Finder can be activated by clicking at the end of the entry on the Formula bar or double-clicking on the cell that contains the formula.

Objectives