Learning MS Excel - A Handout

®

Microsoft Office Excel 2003

Course Content
Lesson One
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Explore the Excel window
Use help and the Office Assistant
Create workbooks
Navigating through workbooks
Inserting & deleting worksheet
Enter and edit data
AutoFill Feature
Custom List
Settings to print a workbook
Customize Toolbars & Menus

Lesson Two
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Referencing
Hide & Displaying Data
Adding Comments

Lesson Three
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Formatting Data
Add Borders & Shading
Conditional Formatting
Work with styles
Merge & Split Cells

Lesson Four
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Create, modify, and print charts

Lesson Five
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Sort & Filter Data
Basic Functions
Using Lookup functions
Creating Data Forms

Lesson Six
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Inserting Clip arts in a worksheet
Autoshapes

Microsoft® Office Excel 2003: Basic

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Lesson One
Introducing Excel
Excel, as you probably know, is a spreadsheet program and is part of the Microsoft Office Suit.
There are many other spreadsheet program available, but Microsoft excel is far more popular. It is so
versatile that it performs numerical as well as non-numerical applications.
To start Excel click the start button, selecting programs and selecting Microsoft Excel

Understanding Excel Screens
Excel are often intimidated by different element that appear within Excel’s window. You will see
that Excel screen really isn’t all that difficult to understand after you learn what the various pieces do.


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Using Menus
Excel Menu bar located directly below the title bar, it is always available and ready for your
command. The Excel menu change, depending on what you are doing, for eg: if you are working with
Chart or picture the menus related to it get activated.
Click the menu name with the mouse pointer or press the <Alt> key and the letter that is
underlined in the menu name
Excel’s new personalized menus hide more advanced commands from view. To display a menu’s
hidden commands click downward pointing arrow
at the bottom of the menu or open the menu
and wait a few seconds

To Change How Menus Work: Select View ToolbarsCustomize from the menu, check or
clear either Always Show Full Menus / Show full menus after a Short Delay options, then click Close.

Fig 1.1

Using Toolbars, Hiding, Displaying and Moving Toolbars.
Excel includes convenient toolbars that provide another way of issuing commands. To learn
Excel’s Toolbars button simply click the toolbar button you want to use and leave the pointer over the
button to display a screen tip of what the button does.

In Excel 2003 the Standard and Formatting toolbars are together on the same row by default.
To stack these toolbars on separate rows select ViewsToolbarsCustomize from the menu and
check the show Standard and Formatting toolbars on two rows in the Option title.


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To View or Hide a Toolbar Select ViewToolbars from the menu and select the toolbar you
want to display or hide or right click any toolbar or menu and select the toolbar you want to display or
hide from the short cut menu.
Move a toolbar by dragging its move handle (if the tool bar is docked) or title bar (if the tool
bar is floating).

Understanding Dialog boxes
Many Excel commands display dialog boxes like Buttons, Option Buttons, check boxes,
Range selection Boxes, List Boxes drop-down Boxes and sheet tabs.

Keystroke and right mouse button shortcuts.
In Excel you can also use Keystroke shortcuts this can be done by Pressing <Ctrl> and the
letter that corresponds to the shortcut command at the same time e.g.: Ctrl+S to save the file and also
we can by clicking Right-mouse button shortcut menus can be activated Whenever you’re unsure or
curious about what you can do with an object, click it with the right mouse to display a list of
commands related to the object

Creating a new workbook
To Create a New Workbook Click the New button
FileNew from the menu or press <Ctrl+N>.

on the Standard toolbar or select

Opening a Workbook


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To open a workbook: Click the
from the menu, or press <Ctrl>+<O>

Open button on the standard toolbar, or select FileOpen

Saving a Workbook
To Save a Workbook: Click the
Save button on the Standard Toolbar or select FileSave
from the menu or press <Ctrl>+<S>. if you want to save the file with a different file name then Select
FileSave As from the menu and enter a different name for the workbook.

Moving the cell pointer
To enter or edit a value in a active cell you can use the mouse by Select the cell you want to
edit by clicking it with the mouse pointer or by using the keyboard arrow keys.
Pressing <Enter> moves the cell pointer down; <Tab> moves the cell pointer to the right, and
<Shift>+<Tab> moves the cell pointer to the left.
Use the horizontal and vertical scroll bars and buttons to view portions of the worksheet that
are located off-screen.

Vertical scroll
bars

Active Cell

Horizontal scroll
bars

Navigating a Worksheet
<Page Up> moves up one screen, <Page Down> moves down op one screen.
<Ctrl>+<Home> moves to he first cell (A1) in a worksheet.
<Ctrl>+<End> moves to the last cell with the data in a worksheet.
<F5> Opens the Go To dialog box, where you can specify a cell address to jump to.

Switching Between Sheets in a Workbook
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Switch to a worksheet by clicking its sheet tab at the bottom of the screen.
Right-clicking the sheet tab scroll buttons lists all the worksheets in a shortcut menu.
The sheet scroll tab buttons, located at the bottom of the screen, scroll through the worksheet
tabs in a workbook.

Inserting and Deleting Worksheets
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To Add a New Worksheet: Select Insert  Worksheet from the menu or right-click on a
sheet tab, select Insert from the shortcut menu, and select Worksheet from the Insert dialog
box.


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To Delete a Worksheet: Select Edit  Delete Sheet from the menu or right-click on the
sheet tab and select Delete from the shortcut menu.

Renaming and Moving Worksheets
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By default, worksheets are named Sheet 1, Sheet 2, Sheet 3 and so on.
To Rename a Worksheet: There are three methods:
(1) Double-click the sheet tab and enter a new name for the worksheet
(2) Right-click the sheet tab, select Rename from the shortcut menu, and enter a new
name for the worksheet.
(3) Select Format  Sheet  Rename from the menu, and enter a new name for the
worksheet.
Move a worksheet by dragging its sheet tab to the desired location.
Copy a worksheet by holding down the <Ctrl> key while dragging the worksheet’s tab to a
new location.

Working with Several Workbooks and Windows
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Click the Select All button to select all the cells in a worksheet.
Switch between open windows by selecting Window from the menu and selecting the name
of the workbook you want to view.
Select Window  Arrange All to view multiple windows at the same time.
Click a window’s Maximize button to maximize a window, and click the window’s Restore
button to return the window to its original size.
To Manually Resize a Window: Restore the window, then drag the edge of the window until
the window is the size you want.
To Move a Window: Drag the window by its title bar to the location where you want to
position the window.

Splitting and Freezing a Window
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To Split Panes: Drag either the vertical or horizontal split bar or move the cell pointer to the
cell below the row and to the right of the column you want to split and select Window 
Split from the menu.
To Freeze Panes: Split the window into panes, then select Window  Freeze Panes from
the menu.

Entering Labels in a Worksheet
Labels are used worksheet heading and (usually) text. Excel treats information beginning with
a letter as a label, and left-aligns it in the cell.

Entering values in a Worksheet and selecting a cell range
Values are the numerical information in a worksheet that are used in calculations. Excel treats
numbers, dates, and times as values and automatically right-aligns them in the cell.
• To select cell range: (Using the mouse) Click the first cell or range and drag the mouse pointer to
the last cell of the range. (Using the keyboard) Make sure the active cell is the first cell of the cell
range, then press and hold down the <Shift> key while using the arrow keys to move the mouse
pointer to the last cell of the range.


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Entering Formulas
A formula is entered into a cell. It performs a calculation and returns a result. Formulas use arithmetic
operators to work with values, text, worksheet functions, and other formulas to calculate a value in the
cell. Values and text can be located in other cells, which makes changing data easy and gives
worksheets their dynamic nature.
Every formula must start with the equal symbol (=)
• To enter a Formula:
1. Select the cell where you want to insert the formula,
2. Press = (the equal sign),
3. Enter the formula, using values, cell references, operators and
functions.
4. Press <Enter>
• To reference a cell in the formula: Type the cell reference, for example B5, or simply click
the cell you want to reference

Calculating Value Totals with AutoSum
1) Click the cell where you want to insert the total,
2) Click the
AutoSum button on the Standard toolbar,
3) Verify that the cell range selected is correct—if it isn’t the cell range you want to total,
4) Press <Enter>

Using AutoFill
1) Enter at least two values into adjacent cells,
2) Select those cells,
3) Click and drag the cell pointer’s fill hands to complete the series you select


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Creating Custom List
You may want to create a custom list. For example, your company may have several stores,
and you want the stores to be listed in a particular order. If you create a custom list, sorting puts the
items in the order that you specify in the list.
To create a custom list, select Tools -> Option -> Custom Lists dialog box. Select the NEW
LIST option and make your entries in the List Entries box. Or you can import your custom list from a
range of cells by using the Import button.

Previewing and Printing Worksheet
Excel has options that provide you with great deal of control over the printed page so that you
can make your printed report even better.
If you want to print a copy of a worksheet with no formatting, use the print button
on the
Standard toolbar, using default settings. If you have made any changes in print setting, Excel uses the
new setting.
• Open the Print Dialog box by selecting FilePrint from the menu. You can specify the
number of copies and which pages to print. You can also press <Ctrl>+<P>.
• If you have to make some setting in printout then you need to do the setting in page setup, to
select page setup File Page Setup from the menu.


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To preview a worksheet: Click the
Print Preview button on the standard toolbar, or
select FilePrint Preview from the menu

Creating Headers, Footers, and Page Numbers
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Add headers and footers to your worksheet by selecting File  Page Setup from the menu
and clicking the Header/Footer tab. Select a preset header or footer from the Header or
Footer dropdown list or create your own by clicking the Custom Header or Custom Footer
button.

Specifying a Print Area and Controlling Page Breaks
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To Select a Print Area: Select the cell range you want to print and select File  Print Area 
Set Print Area from the menu.
To Clear a Print Area: Select File  Print Area  Clear Print Area from the menu.
You can insert a manual page break by moving the cell pointer to the cell where the page
should start and selecting Insert  Page Break from the menu.
To Adjust Where the Page Breaks: Select View  Page Break Preview from the menu,
drag the Page Break Indicator line to where you want the page break to occur. Select View 
Normal from the menu when you are finished.

Adjusting Page Margins and Orientation
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To Adjust Margins: Select File  Page Setup from the menu and click the Margins tab.
Adjust the appropriate margins.

Microsoft® Office Excel 2003: Basic 10

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To Change a Page’s Orientation: Select File  Page Setup from the menu and click the
Page tab. In the Orientation section, select either the Portrait or Landscape option.

Adding Print Titles and Gridlines
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To Print or Suppress Gridlines: Select File  Page Setup from the menu and click the
sheet tab. Add or Remove the check mark in the Gridlines check box.
To print Row or Column Titles: Select File  Page Setup from the menu and click the
Sheet tab. Specify which row(s) or column (s) should appear at the top and/or left of every
page in the appropriate boxes under the Title Section.

Changing the Paper Size and Print Scale
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To Change the Print Scale: Select File  Page Setup from the menu and click the Page
tab. Enter percent number in the % Normal Size text box or enter the number of pages you
want the worksheet to fit on.
To Change the Paper Size: Select File  Page Setup from the menu and click the Page
tab. Click the Paper Size list to select the paper size.

Getting help from Office Assistant
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You can ask the Office Assistant (the cute animated character) your help questions in
conversational English. This is the easiest and most common method of getting help
Press <F1> to open the Office Assistant, type your question in normal English, and click
Search

Changing the Office Assistant and Using the What’s This? Button
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To change the Office Assistants: If necessary, select HelpShow Office Assistant from the
menu. Right=click the Office Assistant and select Choose Assistant from the shortcut menu.
Click the Next or Back buttons until you find an Office Assistant you like, and then click OK.
To hide the Office Assistant: Right-click the Office Assistant and select Hide from the
shortcut menu
To see what a Control in a Dialog Box Does: Click the Dialog box
“What is This”
button (located right next to the close button) and click the control you want more information
on with the pointer.


Closing the workbook and Exiting Excel
To Close a Workbook: Click the Workbook windows Close button or select FileClose
from the menu and to Exit Microsoft Excel: Click the Excel program Close button or select
FileExit from the menu

Lesson Two
Entering Date & Time Values and Using Auto Complete
Excel treat dates and times as special types of numeric values. Typically these values are
formatted so that they appear as date or times which are easier to understand as they appear in the
correct format. You can enter dates in cells using almost any type of date format: 1/1/99, 1-1-99,
January 1, 1999, etc.
To use Auto Complete type the first few characters of a label; Excel displays the label, if it
appears previously in the column. Press <Enter> to accept the entry or resume typing to ignore the
suggestion. To Use the Pick from List Right click the cell where you want to enter a label, select Pick
from List from the shortcut menu, and select the entry from the list

Editing, Clearing and Replacing cell Contents
To clear cell contents Select the cell or cell range and press <Delete> key also you can Entering
information into a cell replaces its previous content.
To edit a cell’s contents in formula bar Select the cell, then click the formula bar and edit the cell
content and press <Enter> when you’re finished.
To edit a cell’s content in the cell itself Double click the cell you want to edit, edit the cell content
and press <Enter> when you’re finished.

Cutting, Copying and pasting Cells:
Cut cells or cell ranges by selecting the cell or cell range and using one of four methods to cut:

1. Click the cut

button on the standard toolbar.

2. Select EditCut from the menu.
3. Press <Ctrl>+<X>.
4. Right Click and select Cut from the shortcut menu.
Select the cell where you want to paste the cut cell(s) and press <Enter>
Copy cell or cell ranges by selecting the cell or cell range and using one of four methods to cut:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Click the Copy
Button on the standard toolbar.
Select EditCopy from the menu.
Press <Ctrl>+<C>.
Right Click and select Copy from the shortcut menu.

Paste copied cells by selecting the cell where you want to paste the copied cell(s) and using
one of the four methods.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Click the Paste
Button on the standard toolbar.
Select Editpaste from the menu.
Press <Ctrl>+<V>.
Right click and select Paste from the shortcut menu.

Moving cells with Drag and Drop
Select the cell or cell range you want to Move Drag the selection by its outside boarder to
upper left cell of the area where you want to move the cells and release the mouse button.

Collecting and pasting Multiple Items
Whenever you cut or copy information in an Office program, you can place the data on both
Windows Clipboard and the Office Clipboard. When you copy information to the Office Clipboard,
you append the information to the Office Clipboard instead of replacing what is already there. With
multiple items stored on the Office Clipboard, you can paste the items either individually or as a
group.
• To use Office Clipboard Select ViewTask Pane, then use the Task Pane selector to view the
Clipboard Task Pane.


To paste the Contents from a Windows Clipboard you can paste either by clicking the Paste Tool
on the Standard Toolbar, by Choosing Edit Paste, by pressing Ctrl+V, or by right-clicking to
choose Paste from shortcut menu.

Working with Absolute and Relative Cell Reference
All formulas include references to cells or ranges. These references enable your formulas to work
with the data contained in those cells or ranges rather than simply with fixed values.
When you use a cell or range reference in a formula, you can use three types of references:
1. Relative cell references are based on their position relative to the cell that contains the
formula. The cell references change if the cell is moved to a new location eg: A1 to B1.
2. Absolute cell references are preceded by $ signs and always refer to a particular cell
references. They do not change if the cell is moved to a new location eg: $A$1.
3. Mixed cell references are either the row or column is relative, and the other is absolute eg.
$A1 or A$1.
• Press <F4> while selecting a cell range to make it an absolute, mixed or relative
reference

Using the Paste Special Command
The Paste Special command lets you specify what you want to copy, such as resulting value
of a formula without copying the formula itself or a cell’s formatting options.
To use the Paste Special command: Cut or Copy a cell or cell range select the upper left cell
of the area where you want to Paste the Copied cell(s), select Edit Paste Special from the menu,
select and option from the Paste Special Dialog box and click OK.

Inserting and Deleting Cells, Rows and Columns
The number of rows and columns in a worksheet is fixed, you can still insert and delete rows and
columns if you need to insert additional information. The operations don’t change the number of rows
and columns. Rather, inserts a new row and moves down the other rows to accommodate the new row
and the last row is removed simply from the worksheet if it is empty and does similarly for a column.
• To Delete a Row or Column:
• To insert a row or Column: Select the row or
Select the row or column headings
column headings where you need to insert the
you want to delete and either right
column or row, Right Click the selected row
click the selected row or column
or column heading and select Insert from the
heading(s) and select Delete from
shortcut menu or select the row or Column
the shortcut menu or select
headings where you want the row or column
EditDelete from the menu.
to be inserted and select InsertColumns or
• To Delete a cell range: select the
Rows from the menu.
cell range you want to delete,


either right click the selection and select
Delete from the shortcut menu or Select
EditDelete from the menu and then specify
how you want adjacent cells
shifted.

Using Undo and Redo action
After having done an activity if you want to reverse or go back to the previous action Undo
command is used and to go back Redo command is used.
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Undo: undo your mistake or last action by clicking the
Undo button on the standard
toolbar or by Selecting EditUndo from the menu or by pressing <Ctrl>+<Z>.

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Redo: Redo the Undo action by clicking
Redo Button on the standard toolbar or by
selecting EditRedo from the menu or pressing <Ctrl>+<Y>
• Multi Level Undo / Redo: Click the arrows on the Undo or redo button on the standard
toolbar to Undo or redo several actions at once
• Repeat: Repeat your last command by pressing <Ctrl>+<Y> or by selecting Edit Repeat
from the menu
You can reverse the effects of last 16 commands that you executed by selecting and once saved
you file all the action gets removed.

Checking your Spelling
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To Check for Spelling errors: Click the Spelling Button
ToolsSpelling from the menu

on the standard toolbar or select

Finding and Replacing Information
Excel has a powerful Find and Replace feature that makes it easy to locate information in a
worksheet or across multiple worksheets in a workbook.
To Find the information in a work sheet Excel allows you to select cells by their content and using
find option i.e. Select EditFind from the menu or press <Ctrl>+<F>. Enter the text you want to
search for in the Find what box, and click the Find Next button. You can click the Find next button if
there is more than once occurrence until you find the text you’re looking for.


To Replace information Select EditReplace from the menu or press <Ctrl>+<H> Enter the text
you want to search for in the Find What Box type the new text in the Replace With Box. Click the
Find Next button to find the text and Replace button to replace the text. Click Replace All to replace
every occurrence of the text in the workbook

Inserting Cell Comments
In Excel documentation that explains certain element in the worksheet can often b
helpful. One way is to add Comments to cells. This feature is useful when you need to
explain how a formula works or explain a particular value.

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To Insert a Comment: Right-Click the cell you want to attach a comment to and select Insert
Comment from the shortcut menu. Enter the comment and click anywhere outside the
comment area when you’re finished
To Edit a Comment: Right-Click the cell that contains the comment you want to edit and
select Edit Comment from the shortcut menu. Edit the comment and click outside the
comment area when you’re finished adding to the comment
To delete a Comment: Right-Click the cell that contains the comment you want to edit and
select Delete Comment from the shortcut menu

Hiding Columns, Rows, and Sheets
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To Hide a Column or Row: Right-click the column heading or the row heading. Select Hide
from the shortcut menu.
To Hide a Sheet: Select the sheet you want to hide. Select Format Sheet  Hide.
To Unhide a Sheet: Select Format  Sheet  Unhide. Select the worksheet you want to
unhide.


Lesson Three
The Formatting toolbar provides quick access to the most commonly used formatting options. Start by
selecting the cell or range; then use the appropriate tool on the Formatting toolbar. Enter some data,
select some cells, and then click the buttons to change the appearance. Note that three of these toolbar
buttons (Borders, Fill Color, and Font Color) are actually drop-down controls. Click the small arrow
on the button, and the button expands to display your choices.

Formatting fonts with the Formatting Toolbar
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Change the style of text by clicking the
Bold button,
button on the formatting toolbar
Change the font type by selecting a font from the
toolbar
Change the font size by selecting the pt.size from the

Italics button or

underline

Font list on a formatting
font size list

Formatting values
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To apply number formatting using the Formatting toolbar: select the cell or cell range
you want to format and click the appropriate number formatting button(s) on the formatting
toolbar
The number formatting button on the formatting toolbar include
currency,
percent,
comma, Increase decimal and
decrease decimal
To apply number formatting using the format cells dialog box: Select the cell or cell range
you want to format, right click the cell or cell range and select format cells from the shortcut
menu, click the number tab and specify the number formatting you want to apply.

Adjusting row height and column width
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To adjust the width of a column: There are 3 methods:
o Drag the column headers right border to the left or right
o Right click the column header, select column width from the shortcut menu and enter
the column width
o Select the column headers, select FormatColumnWidth from menu and enter the
column width


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To adjust the height of a row: There are 3 methods:
o Drag the row headers bottom border up or down
o Right click the row header(s), select row height from the shortcut menu and enter the
row height
o Select the row header(s), select FormatRowHeight from menu and enter the row
height
To automatically adjust the width of a column or row: Double click the right border of the
column or click the column heading to select the column and select
FormatColumnAutoFit from the menu

Changing Cell Alignment
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Using the formatting toolbar: select the cell or cell range and click the appropriate

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alignment button (
left,
center,
right, or
merge and center ) on the formatting
toolbar
Using the format cells dialog box: Select the cells or cell range and other either right click
the selection and select format cells from the shortcut menu or select Format Cells from the
menu. Click the alignment tab and select the desired alignment option

Adding borders
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Using the Formatting Toolbar: Select the cell or cell range you want to add a border(s) and

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to click the
border style list arrow on the formatting toolbar and select the border you
want.
Using the Format Cells Dialog box: either right click the selection and select format cells
from the shortcut menu, or select FormatCells from the menu. Click the Border tab and
select the border(s) you want to add.

Applying Colors and Patterns
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Using the formatting toolbar: Select the cell or cell range and click
Fill Color list
arrow on the formatting toolbar and select the color you want.
Using format cells dialog box: Either right click the selection and select Format Cells from
the shortcut menu, or select FormatCells from the menu. Click the Pattern tab and select the
color or pattern you want to use.

Using the Format Painter
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The format painter lets you copy the formatting of a cell or cell range formatting attributes
and apply or paste the formatting to the other cells.
To use format painter select the cells with the formatting options you want to copy, click the
format painter button on the standard toolbar and select the cell range where you want to
apply the formatting.
Double click the
format painter button to apply formatting to several locations. Click the
format painter button again when you’re finished

Using AutoFormat


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AutoFormat automatically formats your worksheets using one of sixteen preset formatting
schemes
Select FormatAutoFormat from the menu and select one of the sixteen auto format from the
list

Creating a Custom Number Format
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To create a Custom Number Format: Select the cell or cell range you want to format, select
FormatCells from the menu and click the number tab and select the Custom category. Type
a number format in the type box using the appropriate format codes.

Creating, Applying and modifying a style
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A style is a collection of formats (number, font, borders, alignment, pattern and protection).
You can define and save as a group so you can apply all of the formatting elements at once.
To create a style by example: Select a cell or cell range and apply the formatting you want
to use in the style. Once the cell or cell range is formatted, select it and select Format Style
from the menu. Enter a name for the style in the style name box.
To apply a style: Select a cell or cell range you want to format, select FormatStyle from
the menu, select the style from the style list and click OK
To modify a style: Select FormatStyle from the menu select the style you want to modify
from the style list and click modify. Modify any of the styles formatting attributes and click
OK when you’re finished. Every cell formatted using that style will be updated.

Formatting Cells with Conditional Formatting
Conditional formatting enables you to apply cell formatting selectively and automatically, based
on the contents of the cells. When you enter or change a value in the range, Excel examines the value
and evaluates the conditional formatting rules for the cell. Depending on the condition of the value
formatting is applied.
• Conditional Formatting is a format such as cell shading or font colors that excel automatically
applies to cells if a specified condition is true.
• To conditionally format a cell or cell range: Select the cell or cell range you want to format
conditionally and select Format Conditional Formatting from the menu. Enter the condition
(for example, cell value is greater than 10) click the format button and specify the formatting
you want to use if the condition is true, if you want to specify additional for the selected cells,
click the Add button, otherwise click OK


Merging Cells, Rotating Text
Excel also enables you to merge two or more cells. When you merge cells, you don’t combine the
contents of cells. Rather, you combine a group of cells that occupy the same space into a single cell.
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To merge Cells: Select the cells that you want to merge, select FormatCells from the
menu, click the Alignment tab, select the Merge cells checkbox and click OK
To Rotate Text in a cell: Select the cell or cell range, select FormatCells from the menu
and click the alignment tab. Select one of the options in the orientation section or adjust the
angle by dragging the text rotation tool


Lesson Four
Creating a Chart
A chart is essentially an object that Excel creates upon request. This object consists of one or
more data series, displayed graphically. The appearance of the data series depends on the selected
chart type. For example, if you create a line chart that uses two data series, the chart contains two
lines, each representing one data series.
The data for each series is stored in a separate row or column. Each point on the line is determined by
the value in a single cell and is represented by a marker. You can distinguish each of the lines by its
thickness, line style, color, or data markers.
• To create a chart with the ChartWizard:
(1) Select the cell range that contains the data you want to chart and click the
Chart
Wizard button on the standard toolbar or select Insert Chart from the menu.
(2) Select the Chart type and click Next.
(3) Verify (or Change) the cell range used in the Chart and click Next.
(4) Adjust the chart options by clicking the categorized tabs and selecting any options
and then click Next.
(5) Specify where you want to place the chart (as an embedded object or on a new sheet)
and click Finish.

Moving and Resizing a Chart


•
•

To resize a Chart: Click the Chart to Select it, then drag its sizing handles (located along the
edges of the Chart) until the chart is the size you want.
To move a Chart: Click and hold down the mouse button on the blank area around a chart,
drag the picture to a new location in the workbook, and then release the mouse button.

Formatting Objects in a Chart
•
•

To Select a Chart Object: Click the object or click the
Chart
Objects list arrow on the Chart toolbar and Select the Object.
To Format a Chart Object: Double-Click the object or Select the object and click the
Format Object button on the Chart Toolbar. You can also format a Chart object by rightclicking the object and selecting Format Object from the Shortcut Menu.

Changing a Chart’s Source Data
•
•
•

To Change a Chart’s Data Source: Select Chart  Source Data from the menu and click
the Data Range tab. Click in the Data Range box and select the cell range you want to base
the chart on (Click the Collapse Dialog box button if necessary).
The
Collapse Dialog button temporarily shrinks and moves the dialog box so that you
enter a cell range by selecting cells in the worksheet. When you finish, you can click the
button again or press <Enter> to display the entire dialog box.
Select non-adjacent cell ranges by pressing and holding the <Ctrl> key while you select
additional cells.

Changing a Chart Type and Working with Pie Charts
•
•
•
•

The most common types o0f charts are column, bar, line, area, pie, and scatter.
To Change the Chart Type: Click the
Chart Type list arrow on the Chart toolbar or
select Chart  Chart Type from the menu.
To chart by rows or columns: Click either the
By Columns button or the
By Rows
button on the Chart toolbar.
To Drag a Piece from a Pie Chart: Click the Chart to select it, click the piece of the chart
you want to move to select it, drag the piece away from the rest of the chart.

Adding Titles, Gridlines, and a Data Table
•
•

To Add or Remove Gridlines from a Chart: Select Chart  Chart Options from the
menu, and click the Gridlines tab. Check or uncheck the appropriate gird line Check boxes.
To Add or Change Titles to a Chart: Select Chart  Chart Options from the menu, and
click the Titles tab. Enter or modify the text in the boxes and that correspond to the desired
chart titles.


•
•

To Add or Removed a Data Table: Click the Data Table Button on the Chart tool bar.
To Add or Remove Chart Data Labels: Select Chart  Chart Options from the menu,
and click the Data Labels tab. Check or uncheck the appropriate check boxes to display or
the chart hide data labels.

Formatting a Data Series and a Chart Axis
•

•
•

A data series is a group on a chart that comes from a new row or column on a worksheet. An
axis is a line that borders one side of a chart that provides a scale of measurement or
comparison in a chart. For most charts, data values are plotted along the value (Y) axis, which
is usually vertical and categories are plotted along the category (X) axis, which is usually
horizontal.
To Add Labels to a Data Series: Double-click the data series or select the data series and
select Format  Selected Object from the menu. Click the Data Labels Tab and select the
appropriate option.
To Change the Scale of a Chart: Double click the axis, or right click the axis and select
Format Axis from the shortcut menu, or select the axis and select Format  Selected
Object from the menu. Click the Scale tab and make the changes to the scale.

Annotating a Chart
•
•
•

To view the Drawing Toolbar: Click the
Drawing button on the Standard toolbar
or select View  Toolbars  Drawing from the menu.
To Draw and Object: Click the object you want to draw on the drawing toolbar such as a
line or circle, and drag the crosshair pointer to draw the object.
Resize a drawing object by selecting it and dragging its sizing handles.

Working with 3-D Charts
•

To Rotate a 3-D Chart: Select the chart and select Chart  3-D View from the menu.
Make the rotation and perspective changes in the 3-D View dialog by clicking the appropriate
controls and click OK.


Selecting and Saving a Custom Chart
•

A Custom Chart contains formatting and options you specify, such as a legend gridlines, data
labels, and formatting options. You can save custom charts, so you can create new charts
based on a custom chart’s formatting and options.

•

To create a Custom Chart: Either create or open a chart that is formatted and customized
the way you want. Select the chart, select Chart  Chart Type from the menu, and click the
Custom tab. Click the User-defined option and click Add to create a custom chart based on
the current chart. Enter a name and description for the custom chart and click OK.

Using Fill Effects
•

To Add Fill Effects: Double-click the chart object or select the object and click the
Format button on the Chart toolbar. Click the Patterns’ tab and click the Fill Effects button.
Select one of the four tabs, select a fill effect, and click OK.


Lesson Five
Sorting and Filtering Data
A sort is a method of viewing data that arranges all the data into a speciﬁc order. Data can
be sorted in either ascending order or descending order, based on numeric or alphabetic
information. Data can be sorted on a single criterion or multiple criteria.
You may have data in your worksheet that you would like to rearrange and display in a
different sequence. To do this, you can sort the data. After you enter data in your worksheet, you
may want to view the data in a different way. When you sort data, you can create different views
of the same data without altering its original format.

To perform a single-level sort:
Select a cell in the column to sort by.
On the Standard toolbar, click the Sort Ascending button or the Sort Descending
button.
To perform a multiple-level sort:
1.
2.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Select a cell within a list.
Choose Data→Sort.
Click the Sort By drop-down arrow and select the ﬁrst sort criterion.
Select the appropriate sort order.
Click the Then By drop-down arrow and select the second sort criterion.


6.
7.
8.
9.

Click the second Then By drop-down arrow and select the third sort criterion.
Click OK.

A filter is a method of viewing data that shows only the data that meets a criterion. Data can
be filtered on a single criterion or multiple criteria using numeric and alphabetic information. Dropdown arrows for each column heading indicate the list is ready to be filtered. When data does not
meet the filter criteria, the entire row is hidden. A filter can rearrange the data in the worksheet or
copy the information to another location in the worksheet. Filtered data is restored to its original
format by removing the filter.
You have a large amount of data sorted into lists in your worksheet. You now
want to see only the data in those lists that meets a specific criterion. You can do this by filtering
lists.
Looking through all the data lists in your workbook to find a specific data item takes time.
It might seem like a lot of effort just to find the particular data item. When you filter your data lists
based on the criteria you choose, you can quickly pinpoint exactly the data you are looking for.
To filter a data list using AutoFilter:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Select any cell in the list you want to filter.
Choose Data→Filter→AutoFilter.
From one of the drop-down lists, select an entry as your filter criteria.
Continue selecting entries from the drop-down lists to find the specific data you need.

To filter data using a custom AutoFilter:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Select any cell in the list you want to filter.
Choose Data→Filter→AutoFilter.
Click one of the drop-down arrows in a column you want to create a custom filter for
and select (Custom).
Enter the filter criteria.
Click OK.


Basic Functions
You’ve generated new data from existing data by applying basic formulas to your
worksheets. You now need to perform more sophisticated calculations either in a single
worksheet or across multiple worksheets.

Function Name
AVERAGE
AVERAGEA

COUNT

COUNTA
COUNTBLANK
COUNTIF
MAX

Description

Syntax

Returns the average (arithmetic
mean) of the arguments.
Calculates the average of the
values in the list of arguments.
In addition to numbers, text and
logical values are included in the
calculation.
Counts the number of cells that
contain numbers and also
numbers within the list of
arguments.
Counts the number of cells that
are not empty and the values
within the list of arguments.
Counts empty cells in a specified
range of cells.
Counts the number of cells
within a range that meet the
given criteria.
Returns the largest value in a set

AVERAGE(number1,number2,
….)
AVERAGEA(number1,number2,
….)

COUNT(value1,value2,...)

COUNTA(value1,value2,...)
COUNTBLANK(range)
COUNTIF(range, criteria)
MAX (number1, number2, …)

MIN

of values.
Returns the smallest number in a
set of values.

MIN (number1, number2, …)

Calculate with Lookup functions.
You have calculated data across worksheets and now you need to use that data in a formula.
You can do this by calculating with Lookup function. When you use Lookup function, you can be
sure that you are always retrieving the most accurate data directly from the source. Excel provides
three basic Lookup functions: LOOKUP, VLOOKUP, and HLOOKUP.

The LOOKUP function
The LOOKUP function looks in a one-row or one-column range (lookup_vector) for a value
(lookup_value) and returns a value from the same position in a second one-row or one-column
range(result_vector).
The LOOKUP function has the following syntax:
LOOKUP (lookup_value, lookup_vector, result_vector)

The VLOOKUP function
The VLOOKUP function lookup the value in the first column of the lookup table and returns
the corresponding value in a specified table column. The lookup table is arranged vertically.
The VLOOKUP function has the following syntax:
VLOOKUP (lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, range_lookup)

The HLOOKUP function
The HLOOKUP function works just like the VLOOKUP function except that the lookup table
is arranged horizontally instead of vertically. The HLOOKUP function lookup the value in the first
row of the lookup returns the corresponding value in a specified table row.
The HLOOKUP function has the following syntax:
HLOOKUP (lookup_value, table_array, row_index_num, range_lookup)

Creating Data Forms
Definition:
Data Form is a dialog box that displays one complete record at a time. You can use data
forms to add, change, locate and delete records.
Excel can generate a built-in data –form for your range. The data form displays all of your
column labels in a single dialog box, with a blank space beside each label for you to fill in
data for the column. You can enter new data, find rows based on cell contents, update
existing data, and delete rows from the range.
To use a data entry form, you must arrange your data so that Excel can recognize it as a list.
Start by entering headings for the columns in the first row of your data entry range. Select

any cell in the table and choose DataForm. Excel then displays a dialog box similar to the
one shown in figure 3-3.You can use Tab to move between the text boxes and supply
information. When you complete the data form, click the New button. Excel enters the data
into a row in the worksheet and clears the dialog box for the next row of data.

Figure 3-2: Excel’s built-in data form can
simplify many data-entry tasks.

Other uses for the Data Form
dialog box
The dialog box contains a number of additional buttons, which are described as follows:
•
•

Delete: Deletes the displayed record.
Restore: Restores any information that you edited. You must click this button before
you click on the New button.

•

Find Prev: Displays the previous record in the list. If you entered a criterion, this
button displays the previous record that matches the criterion.

•

Find Next: Displays the next record in the list. If you entered a criterion, this button
displays the next record that matches the criterion.

•

Criteria: Clears the fields and lets you enter a criterion upon which to search for
records.

•

Close: close the dialog box (and enters the data that you were entering, if any).


Lesson Six

Clip arts in a worksheet
Clip Art:
This command, found on the Insert menu, opens a task pane where you can
search for clips. Although this task pane resembles the Office Basic File Search task pane,
you use it to find media clips, not documents. You can search for media files based on
descriptive keywords, file name, file format, and clip collections.

Insert a clip
1. Find the media clip (clip: A single media file, including art, sound, animation, or
movies.) you want to insert.
1. On the Insert menu, point to Picture, and then click Clip Art.
2. In the Clip Art task pane (task pane: A window within an Office application
that provides commonly used commands. Its location and small size allow you
to use these commands while still working on your files.), in the Search for
box, type a word or phrase that describes the clip (clip: A single media file,
including art, sound, animation, or movies.) you want or type in all or some of
the file name of the clip.
3. To narrow your search, do one or both of the following:

To limit search results to a specific collection of clips, in the Search in
box, click the arrow and select the collections you want to search.
 To limit search results to a specific type of media file, in the Results
should be box, click the arrow and select the check box next to the
types of clips you want to find.
4. Click Go.
2. In the Results box, click the clip to insert it.


Autoshapes in a worksheet
AutoShapes:
A group of ready-made shapes that includes basic shapes, such as rectangles and circles, plus
a variety of lines and connectors, block arrows, flowchart symbols, stars and banners, and
callouts.)
Following is the steps for inserting an autoshape
1. On the Drawing , click AutoShapes , point to a category, and then click the shape you want.
2. Click the place in the presentation where you want to insert the AutoShape.

Add multiple shapes

1. On the Drawing toolbar, click AutoShapes , point to a category, point to the dotted line, and
then drag to make the menu float.
2. Double-click the AutoShape you want to insert multiple times, and then click the presentation
in as many places as you want to insert the AutoShape.
Tip:To add a circle or a square, click Oval or Rectangle on the Drawing toolbar .To insert multiple
shapes in a presentation, double-click the oval or rectangle.




Learning MS Excel - A Handout

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