Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2000
Excel allows you to organize data, complete calculations, make decisions, graph data, and develop professionallooking reports.
The Excel window that displays when the program is first started appears below. The default workbook
contains three sheets that contain rows and columns made up of cells. The active cell is the cell that is ready to
receive data or a command. When you change the active cell, the name box located on the left side of the
formula bar shows the new cell reference. The cell reference identifies the location of the active cell in the
worksheet by the column and row. As shown the default Excel window contains the Menu bar, Standard
toolbar, Formatting toolbar, Formula bar, and the Status bar. Except for the Formula bar, the use and functions
of the bars are similar to those in other Office 97 programs.
Formula Bar
Column
Chart Wizard Button
Title Bar
Menu Bar
Standard
Toolbar
Formatting
Toolbar
Name Box
Rows
Status Bar
Windows Task
Bar
Worksheet Tabs
Scroll Bars
The workbook window displays a limited portion of the worksheet. It is possible to view other portions of the
worksheet by scrolling to the desired location. There are 256 columns and 65,536 rows in a worksheet. You
can change the active cell by clicking on another cell, selecting the Go To command on the Edit menu or by
pressing F5.
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Entering Data in the Worksheet
The first character entered determines the status of a cell. When an alphabetical character or one of the
following symbols ‘ ~ ! # % % & * ( ) _ \ [ ] { } ; : | “ ` < > , ? is entered as the first character in a cell, the cell
contains a label. A label is generally text data.
By default, each cell is approximately nine (9) characters wide; however, it is possible to view an entered label
that is longer than the cell width if the cell to the right is blank. Excel supports up to 32,000 characters in a cell
entry. As you enter a label into a cell, it appears in the cell and on the formula bar. The formula bar displays
the entry and three buttons, (Cancel, Enter, Edit Formula), as shown below:
Entry Line
Name Box
Cancel
Enter
Edit Formula
A label or value is entered in a cell after you do one of the following:
• Press the Enter key, or
• Press an arrow key, or
• Click another cell, or
• Click the Enter box ✔ on the formula bar.
The contents in a label will automatically align to the left of the cell, making it a left-justified entry.
When a number or one of the following symbols + - . = $ is entered as the first character in a cell, the cell
contains a value. Excel will accept up to eleven numbers in a cell by automatically widening the cell. If a
value is longer than eleven characters, Excel displays the number in scientific notation or number signs
(######) appear in the cell. In these cases the column width must be reset.
A numeric label is a number that will not be used in calculation. Examples of numeric labels are social
security numbers or identification numbers. To indicate that such numbers are to be treated as labels (text) and
not values, it is necessary to begin the entry with an apostrophe(‘) which is called a label prefix. The label
prefix is not displayed on the worksheet but is shown on the formula bar.
Making Simple Corrections
Before data is entered, the Backspace key may be used to correct an error. To delete the entire entry, press the
Escape key or click the Cancel box on the formula bar. If you see an error later, select the cell and retype the
entry.
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Entering the Worksheet Title
Click cell A1 to select it, type Computer Discount Daily Sales and press Enter.
Entering Column Titles
Click cell B2, type Computers
Press the right arrow key to select C2, type Monitors
Repeat above to title the next three columns Printers, Software, and Total
Entering Row Titles
Click cell A3, type Mail Order
Press the down arrow key to select A4 and type Telephone
Repeat above to title the next two rows Web and Total
Use the following table to add numbers to the worksheet:
Mail Order
Telephone
Web
Computers
32721.59
33329.53
39398.30
Monitors
14012.47
15371.75
19015.41
Printers
17103.45
24823.87
31925.49
Software
19364.32
23987.33
35752.30
Making Calculations
A function is a built-in formula that performs a special calculation automatically. For example, the SUM
function can be used with a range of cells to add all values in the range specified. Functions appear in formulas
in the following order: first the function name (in either uppercase or lowercase) followed by an open
parenthesis, then the number, cell, or range of cells to be affected; followed by a closed parenthesis. A function
may be used by itself, or it may be combined with other functions. The data the functions require you to supply
are called arguments. For example, in =MAX (A1: A5) the range of cells (A1: A5) is the argument. You can
type or insert functions into formulas. If you are typing a function and you wish to start the formula with a
function, first type an equal sign (=).
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Column Totals, Calculating a Sum
Click cell B6 as the cell that represents the total of the “Computer” column
From the Insert menu, choose function, then all sum
A help box opens, allowing you to verify the range
Choose OK
Alternately,
Click cell B6, then
Type in =sum(B3:B5) or =B3+B4+B5
Or choose the AutoSum key (sigma), check the range, and hit Enter
Calculate the sums for Monitors, Printers, and Software
In the lower right hand corner of cell B6 (when it is selected and contains a formula), notice the small
black square. This is called the Fill Handle.
Click and drag the fill handle to the right, ending after the software column. Using your arrow keys,
notice the formulas for totals in all the columns.
Row Totals, Determining Multiple Totals
By clicking and dragging, select cells F3 through F6 (F3:F6
Click the AutoSum key
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Formatting the Worksheet
Worksheets are formatted to highlight certain entries, to make the worksheet easier to read and understand, and
to look more professional. All worksheets are set for a standard column width (default setting). This number
represents the number of characters displayed in a cell using the standard font.
It is sometimes desirable to change (widen or narrow) the column widths so text or values can fit or have a
better appearance. A quick way to set the column to AutoFit is to double-click the right edge of the column
heading. You can set a specific column width us using the Format, Column, Width commands to enter a
number that represent the number of characters to be displayed.
When you enter long labels, the text flows into the next column if the cell to the right is empty. If the next cell
is not empty, text that exceeds the column width is covered by the data in the cell to the right. Unlike label text,
numeric values do not flow into the next column once you have entered the limit of the cell. If you wish to
shrink text to fit in a cell, Excel will automatically adjust the point size to fit the column width. You can set the
Shrink to fit option on the Alignment tab by selecting the Format, Cells commands.
Bolding a Cell
Click cell A1 to select the cell containing the title
Click the Bold Button on the toolbar
Increasing the Font Size
Click cell A1 to select the cell containing the title
Click the font size box, and choose 16
Merging Cells, Centering One Cell’s Contents Across Columns
Select cells A1:F1 by clicking and dragging
Click the Merge and Center Button
Alternately, by right clicking or from the Format menu, choose Cells, and make a number of format choices in
one place (including vertical text)
Formatting the Body of the Worksheet
Click and Drag to select the range A2:F6
On the Format menu, select AutoFormat
Choose Accounting 2 and click OK (or hit the Enter key)
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Adding a Chart to the Worksheet
Charts are a way of presenting and comparing data in a graphic format. You can create embedded charts or
chart sheets. You create an embedded chart, the chart exists as an object in the worksheet alongside the data.
When you create a chart sheet, the chart exists on a separate sheet in the workbook.
To create a chart, you must first select the data to plot. Here are some guidelines for selecting data to chart:
• The selection should be rectangular.
• The selection should not contain blank columns or rows.
• A non-adjacent selection is used to plot data separated by other data or blank columns or rows.
• You can hide columns you do not wish to plot.
• The blank cell in the upper-left corner of a selection tells Excel that the data below and to the right of
the blank cell contains labels for the values to plot.
• The selection determines the orientation (in columns or rows) of the data series. However,
orientation may be changed as desired.
Chart Elements
The parts of a column chart are labeled below.
Chart Title
Computer Discount Daily Sales
Software
Printers
Monitors
Category
Labels
Plot Area
Computers
$40,000.00
$30,000.00
$20,000.00
$10,000.00
$0.00
Mail Order
Telephone
Legend
Web
For charts which uses axes (all except pie charts):
• The y-axis typically represents the vertical scale. The scale values are entered automatically, based
on the values being charted.
• The x-axis is the horizontal scale and typically represents the data series categories.
Create Charts
The basic steps to creating a chart are: (1) Select the worksheet data to chart, (2) Click the Chart Wizard Button
on the standard tool bar, (3) Follow the ChartWizard prompts.
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Select the range to be charted (A2:E5). Omit Worksheet Titles and Totals for most charts. Click the Chart
Wizard Button. Choose Chart type: Column Chart sub-type: Clustered column with 3-D effect. Click Next
and continue to follow steps illustrated below.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Finished Product
Mail Order
Telephone
Software
Printers
Monitors
Web
Computers
120000.00
100000.00
80000.00
60000.00
40000.00
20000.00
0.00
Total
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Moving the Chart
To select the chart, point to an
open area on the chart so that
the screen label, Chart Area,
is displayed. Click and drag
the chart so that the upper lefthand corner is aligned with the
upper left-hand corner of cell
A8.
Resizing the Chart
Select the chart. Holding
down the Alt Key on the
keyboard, click and drag
the lower right hand sizing
handle to the bottom right
of cell F19. Holding down
the Alt Key makes the chart
“snap to the gridlines of the
worksheet.
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Printing a Worksheet
The workbook, the selected worksheet(s), or the selected range of data may be printed using the Print
command. When the Print command is accessed, Excel allows you to select various print options. One way
you can preview the print output is by selecting the Preview button in the Print dialog box, or by selecting
Print Preview from the File menu.
Print Dialog Box
Excel uses the default page size (usually 8 ½” x 11”) of the installed printer. The page size settings can be
accessed by selecting the Page tab from the Page Setup option found on the File menu.
The top and bottom default page margins are set at 1” and the right and left default page margins are set at
0.75”. The margin page setting can be accessed by selecting the Margins tab from the Page Setup option on the
File men.
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