Updated 4-2-2013
Excel Tips & Tricks Quick Reference Guide
Function
Translation
How
Freeze Panes
Makes the column headers stay in place so that
when you scroll down in the worksheet, you can
still see them.
Insert Columns
or Rows
Columns or rows can be inserted wherever they
are needed in Excel.
Highlight the row just under the row that will be
“frozen.” Click on View; click on the Freeze Panes
menu, then click Freeze Panes.
Columns: Highlight the column to the right of where
you’d like to insert the column, right click for menu,
select Insert.
Rows: Highlight the row below where you’d like to
insert a row, right click for menu, select Insert.
Filters
Sheets
Click & Drag
Highlighting
Cells
Menus at the top of the columns which allow you
to easily sort by the data contained in that
column.
The little tabs on the bottom of the Excel screen;
can be moved, copied, renamed, etc.
When using formulas, this is a big time saving tip!
Highlight a cell (or multiple) to copy information
or a formula to neighboring cells.
This is a type of Conditional Formatting that
basically says “If this, then that.”
Note: Repeat the same steps to add more
conditional formatting; repeating these steps will
not undo previously set conditions.
Create drop down menu options for areas with a
limited number of responses/entries. This can
help with accuracy in data entry.
For example, I’d like to create a menu for a
column called “Medium” which will list the
mediums through which I might consult with
someone: in person, phone, and e-mail.
Dropdown
Menus
In the Menus worksheet, I’ll create:
Medium
in person
phone
e-mail
To name the list, highlight the in person,
phone, and e-mail cells and name then
“Medium” in the Name Bar.
Finding
Functions
Paste Values
& Symbol
Where to find what functions are available in
Excel, with brief descriptions.
When using functions, the values will appear in
the cell but you’ll still see the function in the
formula bar. Likewise, if you copy and paste, the
function will be pasted rather than the data. This
is how you can paste the actual data points.
Combine cells in a function
Click on Data, then click on Filter.
Right click on the tab you’d like to edit and you’ll be
given several options.
Highlight cell(s), click on the little box in the bottom
right corner of the highlighted area and drag left,
right, up or down.
In the Home tab, click on the Conditional Formatting
menu, select Highlight Cells Rules, select the type of
condition you’d like to use. To undo any formatting,
click on the Conditional Formatting menu, select
Clear Rules, then click to clear either just the selected
cells or the whole sheet.
Create a new sheet to use only for menus; in the
menus sheet, list menu options. I like to use a
separate column for each menu. For clarity, use a
column header that will let the user know where the
menu is used (ex: data spreadsheet column header).
Highlight all of the menu options
(NOT including the header), click
In the Name Bar, and name the list.
Return to the sheet where the menu will be inserted;
click on a cell in the area where a menu will be added.
Click on Data, then click the Data Validation menu;
select Data Validation…
In the Allow menu, select List. In the Source area, use
the = sign and type the name of the corresponding
menu. Click Ok, a dropdown menu should appear in
the cell. Click & drag the cell down to use the menu in
the whole column.
Click on the
button located above the column
headers, to the left of the formula bar
Highlight cells that contain formulas and values, Copy.
Go to the area where you’d like to paste the data &
click in the appropriate cell. In the Home tab, click on
the Paste menu in the upper left corner. Select the
first Paste Values option.
=B2&C2 would combine the information in those two
cells, in that order.
Student Affairs Assessment Council Excel Workshop with Maureen Cochran at Oregon State University
Updated 4-2-2013
Functions, continued
Count
Counts how many responses are in a given area.
Count Blank
Counts how many blank cells are in a given area.
Count if
Counts how many of a specific response are in a
given area
Sum
Min & Max
Mean, Median
& Standard
Deviation
Rand-Between
Adds up the values in selected cells.
Allows you to see, at a glance, what the highest
and lowest values for any given set of responses.
This can be helpful for catching typos as well.
Mean: average
Median: middle number
SD: a lower number means that the data is
clustered around the mean; a higher number
means the responses are more diverse.
Generates a random set of numbers within a
specified range.
This is really helpful for recoding variables.
“If” formula
For example, a question has a 6-point likert scale
from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (6).
The data was entered or downloaded in the text
format rather than numeric; if we wanted to work
with the data in numeric form we could use this
formula to rename all of the “Strongly Disagree”
responses to “1,” all of the “Strongly Agree”
responses to “6,” and everything in between. An
“=if” formula will need to be written for each of
the 6 responses, using “&” to join the functions.
=countif(highlight area or manually type in cell
names)
=countblank(highlight area or manually type in cell
names)
=countif(highlight area or manually type in cell names,
“specific response”)
Example: “=countif(C2:C42, “agree”) will total how
many times “agree” appears in cells C2-C42
=sum(highlight area or manually type in cell names)
=min(highlight area or manually type in cell names)
=max(highlight area or manually type in cell names)
=average(highlight area or manually type in cell
names)
=median(highlight area or manually type in cell
names)
=stdev(highlight area or manually type in cell names)
=randbetween(#,#)
Example: “=randbetween(1,6)” will generate random
numbers from 1 to 6.
=if(highlight cell=current value,”value if true”,”value if
false”)&if(highlight cell=current value,”value if
true”,”value if false”)&if…
Example (this goes all in 1 cell, no spaces):
=if(C2=1,”Strongly Disagree”,” ”)
&if(C2=2,”Disagree”,” ”)
&if(C2=3,”Somewhat Disagree”,” ”)
&if(C2= 4,”Somewhat Agree”,” ”)
&if(C2=5,”Agree”,” ”)
&if(C2=6,”Strongly Agree”,” ”)
Place common data point in the far left column in
each spreadsheet that will be combined. In the
master spreadsheet, into which all of the data will be
pulled, create column headers for the various data
points that will be pulled into the master sheet; be
consistent with language.
vlookup
Very useful when combining multiple data sets
with a common data point; for example, student
ID number.
This is the formula used in Excel…
=vlookup(lookup_value,table_array,col_index
_num,[range_lookup])
Listing the steps from here would be lengthy and
probably very confusing. This is be easier to
understand with a demonstration. Ann Emery of the
Innovation Network* has a set of great brief tutorials
on how to use the vlookup function:
http://emeryevaluation.com/excel/importing
*Ann Emery of the Innovation Network is an evaluator in Washington D.C. who provides consulting and training to foundations and nonprofits.
Many of the above Excel functions and some additional functions are available as video tutorials here: http://emeryevaluation/excel
Student Affairs Assessment Council Excel Workshop with Maureen Cochran at Oregon State University