SPREADSHEET FOR PROCESSING BUSINESS DATA

Spreadsheet is a program that organizes your data into lists and then summarize ,
compare and present your data graphically.
A spreadsheet is a table used to store various types of data. The data is arranged in
rows and columns to make it easier to store, organize, and analyze the information.

A spreadsheet application is a computer program such as Excel, Lotus 1-2-3,

OpenOffice Calc, or Google Spreadsheets. It has a number of built in features and
tools, such as functions, formulas, charts, and data analysis tools that make it easier
to work with large amounts of data.

Microsoft Excel(full name Microsoft Office Excel) is a spreadsheet-application

written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It
features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables and a macro programming language
called VBA. It has been the most widely used spreadsheet application available for
these platforms since version 5 in 1993 Excel is part of Microsoft Office Suite.
Excel cont.…

• It allows users to input data into cells included in a grid made of rows and
columns. The user can introduce functions and, referring to the cells by its
name (formed by the letter or combinations of letters that identifies the
column and the number that identifies the row), can display the result in
that cell. The result will change dynamically if the content of the included
cells changes.

• Each file produced by Excel is called a book. Each book can contain several
sheets, with different names . Each cell can contain a different piece of
information, and can be referred by its unique name.
The Excel Window
RIBBON MENU:
The commands available in the Ribbon vary, depending upon which tab is selected. The Ribbon is
arranged into groups of related commands. Here‘s a quick overview of Excel‘s tabs.

▪Home: You‘ll probably spend most of your time with the Home tab selected. This tab contains the
basic Clipboard commands, formatting commands, style commands, commands to insert and delete
rows or columns, plus an assortment of worksheet editing commands
▪Insert: Select this tab when you need to insert something in a worksheet—a table, a diagram, a
chart, a symbol, and so on.
▪Page Layout: This tab contains commands that affect the overall appearance of your worksheet,
including settings that deal with printing.
▪Formulas: Use this tab to insert a formula, name a range, access the formula auditing tools, or
control how Excel performs calculations.
▪Data: Excel‘s data-related commands are on this tab.
▪Review: This tab contains tools to check spelling, translate words, add comments, or protect
sheets.
▪View: The View tab contains commands that control various aspects of how a sheet is viewed.
Some commands on this tab are also available in the status bar.
▪Developer: This tab isn‘t visible by default. It contains commands that are useful for programmers.
To display the Developer tab, choose Office ➪Excel Options and then select Popular. Place a check
mark next to Show Developer Tab In The Ribbon.
▪Add-Ins: This tab is visible only if you‘ve loaded a workbook or add-in that customizes the menu
or toolbars. Because menus and toolbars are no longer available in Excel 2007, these customizations
appear in the Add-Ins tab.
 Active Cell
The worksheet is a grid of columns (designated by letters) and rows (designated by
numbers). The letters and numbers of the columns and rows (called labels) are displayed in
gray buttons across the top and left side of the worksheet. The intersection of a column and a
row is called a cell. Each cell on the spreadsheet has a cell address that is the column letter
and the row number example D5 is cell adress selected below. Cells can contain either text,
numbers, or mathematical formulas.

The active cell is indicated by a dark outline,

and the column letter and row number in the headers are
shaded.
 Entering Data
When you enter data, the characters appear simultaneously in the Formula Bar and cell.
The characters do not actually go into the cell until you press Enter or Tab.

When working
with cells, your
mouse pointer
becomes a plus
icon

To enter data into a cell, first click the cell in which you want to
enter your information. Then type the data in either the cell or
Formula Bar and press Enter or Tab.

Pressing Enter moves you to the next cell down, while pressing Tab
moves you to the next cell to the right.
 Resize a Column
In a cell, text can be any combination of
numbers, spaces, and non-numeric
characters.

If the entered text exceeds the column

width it will overlap the boundary into the
next column when that column is blank. If
the next column already contains data, text
that does not fit in the cell is hidden.

Clicking the cell, however, reveals its entire

contents in the Formula Bar.

To increase column width, drag the right

side of the column header with the double-
headed pointer.

To make the column width fit the contents

of its widest cell, double-click the boundary
on the right side of the column
Insert/delete a row or
column
To insert:
Select a column to the right of where you want
to insert a new one.
Or select a row beneath where you want to
insert a new one.
From the INSERT menu choose row or column.
If you want to insert more than one, select
more than one column or row.

To delete:
Select either the row or column you
wish to delete and press the del key
or choose “delete” from the EDIT
menu.
 Move or Copy Data

• Drag and drop to move selected data

You can copy and paste by selecting cells – right click to cut or copy
Select either the exact number of cells to paste into – or just the very first one
– right click to paste
 Format Your Worksheet
Formatting your spreadsheet is very similar to formatting in Word.
Many of the same commands work in both.

Remember that before you do any formatting, you must SELECT (highlight) the items to be formatted.

• To select individual cells, just click on them

• To select adjacent cells. Click and drag to include them
• To select several cells which are not adjacent, hold down the Ctrl key and click on each cell to include.

•To select the entire worksheet

• Select a column • Select a row click upper left corner
Formatting Dialog Box
Change Number Format

One of the tabs in the format dialog box is

the FORMAT NUMBER tab.
Because Excel is all about numbers and
calculations, this section makes it easy to
use the right type of number for the job!

Remember to select the cells, columns,

rows or entire spreadsheet before you
choose the format for you numbers or
dates.
 Clearing Cells
• Cells can be cleared of just the contents or just the formatting – or both.

Choose
Edit→ Clear

•If you select a cell and press the delete key, the contents
only will be deleted.
 Fill – down, across, series
ACTIVE CELL FILL HANDLE

• In the lower right hand corner of the active cell is Excel’s “fill handle”.
• When you hold your mouse over the top of it, your cursor will turn to a crosshair.
• If you have just one cell selected, if you click and drag to fill down a column or
across a row, it will copy that number or text to each of the other cells.

• If you have two cells selected, Excel will fill in a SERIES. It will complete the
pattern. For example, if you
– Put 4 and 8 in two cells
– Select them
– Click and drag the fill handle
– Excel will continue the pattern with 12,16,20.etc.
• Excel can also auto- fill series of dates, times, days of the week, months
 Formulas
Formulas are entered in the worksheet cell and must begin with an equal sign
"=". The formula then includes the addresses of the cells whose values will be
manipulated with appropriate operands placed in between. After the formula is
typed into the cell, the calculation executes immediately and the formula itself is
visible in the formula bar. See the example below to view the formula for
calculating the sub total for a number of textbooks. The formula multiplies the
quantity and price of each textbook and adds the subtotal for each book.
 Formula Operators
There are four basic Mathematical Operators when writing a formula. These operators are used to
tell the formula what action to perform. The following table lists the operators, its symbol.

Operation Symbol Symbol Name

Addition + Plus Sign

Subtraction - Dash or hyphen
Multiplication * Asterisk
Division / Forward slash

The next table lists the order of operation for each mathematical operator. As you begin to write your
formulas, keep in mind that information in parenthesis ( ) is always performed first while everything
outside the parenthesis is performed left to right.

Operator Operation Order of Calculation

AND, OR, NOT Logic Test: AND, OR, NOT 1
+ or - Positive or Negative Value 2
^ Exponentiation 3
* or / Multiplication or Division 4
+- Addition or Subtraction 5
& Text Concatenation 6
Logic Test 7
= Equal to 7
<> Not Equal To 7
<= Less than or Equal to 7
>= Greater than or Equal to 7
 Functions
• Built-in Excel Functions can be a faster way of doing mathematical operations than
formulas.

• Example- if you wanted to add the values of cells D1 through D10, you could type the
formula "=D1+D2+D3+D4+D5+D6+D7+D8+D9+D10".

• A shorter way would be to use the SUM function and simply type "=SUM(D1:D10)".

Function Example Description

SUM =SUM(A1:A100) finds the sum of cells A1 through A100
AVERAGE =AVERAGE(B1:B10) finds the average of cells B1 through B10
MAX =MAX(C1:C100) returns the highest number from cells C1 through C100
MIN =MIN(D1:D100) returns the lowest number from cells D1 through D100
SQRT =SQRT(D10) finds the square root of the value in cell D10
TODAY =TODAY() returns the current date (leave the parentheses empty)

Example: SUM( ) function

The SUM( ) function is probably the most common function in Excel. It adds a range of numbers. To build a
SUM( ) function, begin by typing the = sign; all functions begin with the = sign. Next type the word SUM followed
by an open parenthesis. You must now tell Excel which cells to sum. Using the mouse, click and drag over the
range of cells you wish to add. A dotted outline will appear around the cells and the cell range will be displayed in
the formula bar. When you have the correct cells selected, release the mouse button, type a closing parenthesis
and press the <Enter> key.
If you do not want to use the mouse, type in the references of the cells you want to sum. For example, to add
cells B3 through B5, type =SUM(B3:B5). Excel interprets B3:B5 as the range of cells from B3 to B5.
 Excel IF Function
The IF function runs a logical test and returns one value for a TRUE result, and another
for a FALSE result. For example, to "pass" scores above 70: =IF(A1>70,"Pass","Fail").
More than one condition can be tested by nesting IF functions. The IF function can be
combined with logical functions like AND and OR to extend the logical test.
Nested IF statements

The IF function can be "nested". A "nested IF" refers to a formula where at least one IF
function is nested inside another in order to test for more conditions and return more
possible results. Each IF statement needs to be carefully "nested" inside another so
that the logic is correct.

For example, the following formula can be used to assign an grade rather than a pass /
fail result:

=IF(C6<70,"F",IF(C6<75,"D",IF(C6<85,"C",IF(C6<95,"B","A"))))

Up to 64 IF functions can be nested.

 Insert Function
Excel has hundreds of prewritten formulas which make it easy to do complex procedures with
numbers, dates, times, text, and more.

Click the Insert Function button on the formula bar.

The Insert Function dialog box opens

In the Search for a function box, type a description

of what you want to do.
 Insert Function cont.…

• Type a brief description of what you want to do in the Search for a function box. In this example, you could
type "mortgage payment" or some other keywords.

• Click Go.

• Tips You can also select a function category in the Or select a category box. This action will display a list of
related functions, which you can then browse through.

• If you'd like help on how to enter the arguments, you could type the function name in the Search for a
function box and click OK.
 Autofilling Functions
Autofill can also be used to copy functions. In the example below, column A and column B each
contain lists of numbers and column C contains the sums of columns A and B for each row. The
function in cell C2 would be "=SUM(A2:B2)". This function can then be copied to the remaining
cells of column C by activating cell C2 and dragging the handle down to fill in the remaining cells.
The autofill feature will automatically update the row numbers as shown below if the cells are
reference relatively
 Cell Reference
• There are two basic types of cell references in Excel: relative and
absolute. The difference between absolute and relative cell references
becomes apparent when you copy formulas from one cell to another.
When you copy a formula containing relative references, the references
are adjusted to reflect the new location. Absolute references always
refer to the same cell, regardless of where the formula is copied.
Relative references are the default.
• To create an absolute reference, type $ before each part of the cell
address.
 Relative / Absolute

Relative Absolute
This shows the formulas used to
create the order form below.

We used the fill handle which

usually gives us the relative
reference.

For the sales tax calculation

we needed to use the absolute
reference in cell C9

To toggle between seeing the formulas and

seeing the results, hold down the Ctrl key
and press the tilde ~
 Merge cells
A shortcut to merge cells and center data is the icon on the formatting toolbar.

Select the cells you want to merge and click the icon on the toolbar
 SORTING & FILTERING
Filter
Adding a filter allows you to better analyze your data. When data is filtered, only rows
that meet the filter criteria will display and other rows will be hidden. With filtered data,
you can then copy, format, print, etc., your data, without having to sort or move it first.
To use a filter,

Go to the Home ribbon, click the arrow below the Sort & Filtering icon in the Editing
group and choose Filter.
OR

• Go to the Data ribbon, and then click Filter in the Sort & Filter group.

You will notice that all of your column headings now have an arrow next to the heading
name. Click on the arrow next to the heading with which you want to filter, and you
will see a list of all the unique values in that column. Check the box next to the criteria
you wish to match and click OK. Click on the arrow next to another heading to further
filter the data.

To clear the filter, choose one of these options:

• Click on the Filter icon next to the heading and choose Clear Filter from “Name of
Heading”.
• Go to the Data ribbon and click the Clear icon in the Sort & Filter group.
• Go to the Home ribbon, click the arrow below the Sort & Filter icon in the Editing
group and choose Clear.
Sorting

Click the arrow below the Sort & Filtering icon in the Editing group of the Home ribbon
and choose the Sort A to Z / Z to A icons in the Sort & Filter group of the Data ribbon.
In Excel 2013, these are labeled Sort Smallest to Largest and vice versa.

For a more complex sort, go to the Home ribbon, click the arrow below the Sort & Filter
icon in the Editing group and choose Custom Sort. This takes you to the same Sort dialog
box you get with the Sort icon in the Sort & Filter group of the Data ribbon.
 Sorting cont…

1. Under Column, choose the first column that you would like to sort. If you want to sort
multiple columns, click the Add Level button.

2. Under Sort On, choose how you would like to sort. Note that Excel can sort by cell or font
color in addition to values.

3. Under Order, choose A to Z (ascending), Z to A (descending), or Custom List.

4. Click OK to perform the sort.

 Charts
A chart is a graphic representation of data. Charts are often used to make large quantities of data
more easily understandable, and recognizable on first view. Charts represent data in different ways
depending on the type of data that is presented.
 Charts

Select all the cells containing the data you want to chart.

Select Charts on the Standard insert toolbar.

 Charts cont….

The Chart Wizard will present a selection of chart types, each of which includes
several subtypes. If none of these options suits your needs, you can click the
Custom Types tab to access a list of specialized chart types.
Chart tools will present options that govern which elements are included in your
chart. For instance, you can click the Titles tab and enter a title for the chart and
for the chart axes.

Chart tools will present a screen verifying the range of data you want to include
in your chart. You can change the range if necessary— just click in your
worksheet and drag to select the appropriate cells.
Activity

Question
You are self-employed person. You also have employed 30 people who help you with day
to day activities of your business. Among others, your business purchase and sale
products of different categories.
You use Ms Excel to prepare payroll for your staff, purchases you make, and sales you
make.
Required;
1. Use Ms Excel application to prepare a payroll system for a month. The payroll should
have basic particulars of your employees, their basic pays, additions like overtime and all
necessary deductions according to the Laws
2. Use Ms Excel application to prepare a document containing a list of electronic items (at
least 30) your company purchased. You should show item name, its price (before
discount), amount of discount (in percentages), price after discount, quantity of items (for
some items quantity should be more than one), total price for each item category as well
as total price for all purchases.
3. Draw a diagrammatic representation of your data

Note;
Use cell addresses when writing formulas
Price (Cost) entries should be formatted to two decimal places
The end