Excel: Formulas, Functions, and Other Useful Features

EXCEL
F O R M U L A S , F U N C T I O N S , A N D O T H E R U S E F U L F E AT U R E S
OVERVIEW
• Excel is a spreadsheet, a grid made from columns and rows. It

is a software program that can make number manipulation
easy and somewhat painless.
• The nice thing about using a computer and spreadsheet is that

you can experiment with numbers without having to RE-DO
all the calculations.
BASICS OF A SPREADSHEET
• Spreadsheets are made up of

• Columns
• Rows
• and their intersections are called cells
WHAT IS A COLUMN ?
• In a spreadsheet the • COLUMN labeled D is

COLUMN is defined as highlighted.
the vertical space that is
going up and down the
window. Letters are
used to designate each
COLUMN'S location.
WHAT IS A ROW?
• In a spreadsheet the • ROW labeled 4 is

ROW is defined as the highlighted.
horizontal space that is
going across the
window. Numbers are
used to designate each
ROW'S location.
WHAT IS A CELL ?
• A CELL is the space • In the above diagram

where a row and column the CELL labeled C2 is
intersect. Each CELL is highlighted.
assigned a name
according to its
COLUMN letter and
ROW number.
TYPES OF DATA
• In each cell there may be the following data types:

• Labels -- (text with no numerical value)
• Number data (constant values)
• Formulas (mathematical equation used to calculate)
Data Types Examples Descriptions

Name or Wage or anything that is just
LABEL
Days text
CONSTANT 5 or 3.75 or -7.4 any number
FORMULA =5+3 or = 8*5+3 math equation
LABELS
• Labels are text entries
• Labels help identify what we are talking about
• Labels do not have a value associated with them
• Sometimes called ‘headers’
CONSTANTS
• Constants are FIXED

number data
• Constants may refer to
dollars, percentages, or
number of items (in this
case number of hours
worked within a certain
pay period).
FORMULAS
• Formulas are math equations

that CALCULATE a value to be
displayed.
• DO NOT type in the numbers;
type in the equation.
• It is BEST to Reference as much
data as possible as opposed to
typing data into equations. That
way when OTHER information
changes, we DO-NOT have to
change the equations or type in
information again.
BASIC FORMULAS &
FUNCTIONS
EXCEL 2010
BASIC MATH FUNCTIONS
• Math functions built into them. Of the most basic operations

are the standard multiply, divide, add and subtract.
SUM FUNCTION
Definition: Tips:
• Probably the most popular • Blank cells will return a
function in any spreadsheet value of zero to be added to
is the SUM function. The the total.
Sum function takes all of • Text cells can not be added
the values in each of the to a number and will
specified cells and totals produce an error.
their values.
• The syntax is: =SUM(first
value, second value, etc)
SUM FUNCTION
AVERAGE FUNCTION
• The average function

finds the average of the
specified data.
(Simplifies adding all of
the indicated cells
together and dividing by
the total number of
cells.)
MAX & MIN FUNCTIONS
• The Max function will return the largest

(max) value in the selected range of cells.
The Min function will display the
smallest value in a selected set of cells.
COUNT FUNCTION
• The Count function will return the number of entries (actually

counts each cell that contains NUMBER DATA) in the selected
range of cells.
• Remember: cell that are blank or contain text will not be counted.
IF FUNCTION
Definition: Tips:
• The IF function will check • Until you are used to
the logical condition of a writing them, test them out
statement and return one on multiple cells.
value if true and a different • There are multiple ways to
value if false. write an IF statement to get
• The syntax is: the same result
=IF (condition, value-if-
true, value-if-false)
IF FUNCTION
• IF Functions are like

programing - they provide
multiple answers based on
certain conditions.
DATA TOOLS
EXCEL 2010
CONCATENATE FUNCTION
• Concatenate function -
join several strings into
one text string
Syntax:
• Note: The concatenate
=A1&A2
function does not
automatically leave a
blank space between
words or other data.
TEXT TO COLUMNS
• Text to Columns – delineate via special characters or fixed

width
REMOVING DUPLICATE VALUES
• Removing duplicate values – check for and delete specific

cells with duplicate values
USEFUL FEATURES
EXCEL 2010
INSTANTLY REVEAL FORMULAS AND GENERAL
NUMBER FORMAT OF ALL CELLS
• Show all formulas and the general number

format of cells
• Saves you time because you don’t have to
move the cell pointer to check each formula
one-by-one.
KEYBOARD SHORT CUT TO
INSTANTLY REVEAL FORMULAS
• To do this, just press the

Ctrl key and the tilde key
at the same time. The tilde
is the squiggly line that is
directly above the tab key
in the upper left corner of
your keyboard. To change
your worksheet back to the
normal view, just press the
Ctrl and tilde keys again.
COMPARING 2 OR MORE EXCEL SPREADSHEETS
SIMULTANEOUSLY
• You can open two instances of

Excel INSTEAD of multiple files
on top of each other in the same
Excel application.
• To do this, simply open Excel by
double clicking the icon on your
desktop and open the first Excel
file you want to use. Minimize
this window and move it to the
right screen. Then go back to the
desktop, double click the Excel
icon once more, another separate
Excel window will open.
SORTING
• Arranging data so it’s easy to analyze
• You can sort the data alphabetically, from highest to lowest, or
by a number of additional criteria (such as cell color)
FILTERS
• The Filter is a quick and easy way to find and work with a
subset of data in a range of cells.
TABLES
• To make managing and analyzing a group of related data

easier, you can turn a range of cells into a Microsoft Office
Excel table (previously known as an Excel list). A table
typically contains related data in a series of worksheet rows
and columns that have been formatted as a table. By using the
table features, you can then manage the data in the table rows
and columns independently from the data in other rows and
columns on the worksheet.
ELEMENTS OF AN EXCEL TABLE
• Header row By default, a table has a header row. Every

table column has filtering enabled in the header row so that
you can filter or sort your table data quickly.
• Banded rows By default, alternate shading or banding has

been applied to the rows in a table to better distinguish the
data.
• Total row You can add a

total row to your table that
provides access to
summary functions (such
as the AVERAGE,
COUNT, or SUM
function). A drop-down
list appears in each total
row cell so that you can
quickly calculate the totals
that you want.
CREATING A TABLE
FREEZE HEADERS
• To freeze a row in your worksheet, highlight the row where

you wish all rows before the highlighted row to be frozen or
locked, go to Window>Freeze Panes and you will see a line
appear across your worksheet. Everything above the line is
frozen and will remain in view when you scroll down your
worksheet.
SET PRINT AREA
NARROW MARGINS
SHRINK TO FIT
PIVOT TABLE
• A Pivot table lets your arrange, sort, and filter a set of data on
the fly so you can analyze it from different perspectives with
minimum effort.
• Start with a data list with a few columns
• Make sure each of the rows have a value of each one of the columns
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
• Email EdTech@wilmu.edu to set up a one-on-one training

session with an instructional technologist.
EXCEL CELL REFERENCES WORTH REMEMBERING
• In Excel formulas, you can refer to other

cells either relatively or absolutely.
When you copy and paste a formula in
Excel, how you create the references
within the formula tells Excel what to Example Comment
change in the formula it pastes. The =A1 Complete relative reference
=$A1 The column is absolute; the row is relative
formula can either change the references
=A$1 The column is relative; the row is absolute
relative to the cell where you're pasting =$A$1 Complete absolute reference
it (relative reference), or it can always
refer to a specific cell. You can also mix
relative and absolute references so that,
when you move or copy a formula, the
row changes but the column does not, or
vice versa.
• Preceding the row and/or column
designators with a dollar sign ($)
specifies an absolute reference in Excel.

Excel: Formulas, Functions, and Other Useful Features

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Excel: Formulas, Functions, and Other Useful Features

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Excel: Formulas, Functions, and Other Useful Features

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

EXCEL

• Excel is a spreadsheet, a grid made from columns and rows. It

• The nice thing about using a computer and spreadsheet is that

• Spreadsheets are made up of

• In a spreadsheet the • COLUMN labeled D is

• In a spreadsheet the • ROW labeled 4 is

• A CELL is the space • In the above diagram

• In each cell there may be the following data types:

Data Types Examples Descriptions

• Constants are FIXED

• Formulas are math equations

• Math functions built into them. Of the most basic operations

• The average function

• The Max function will return the largest

• The Count function will return the number of entries (actually

• IF Functions are like

• Text to Columns – delineate via special characters or fixed

• Removing duplicate values – check for and delete specific

• Show all formulas and the general number

• To do this, just press the

• You can open two instances of

• To make managing and analyzing a group of related data

• Header row By default, a table has a header row. Every

• Banded rows By default, alternate shading or banding has

• Total row You can add a

• To freeze a row in your worksheet, highlight the row where

• Email EdTech@wilmu.edu to set up a one-on-one training

• In Excel formulas, you can refer to other

You might also like