Lesson 1: What is Excel

Microsoft Office Excel 2003  Excel is a powerful spreadsheet programs that allows users to organize data, complete calculations, make decisions, graph data, develop professional reports, etc…….  Four Major Parts of Excel:  Worksheets (spreadsheets): allow users to calculate, and analyze data such as numbers and text.  Charts: Column, sphere, 3-D, etc…  Lists: Organize and store data (sort, search etc..)  Web Support: Save worksheets in HTML format so the user can view the data using a web browser.

The latest version of Excel…..  Simplifies the sharing of data within and outside of an organization  Improves statistical functions  Documents automatically fill with data  Allows two workbooks to be compared side by side.  Capability of searching information within a workbook  Excel allows a lot of Accounting software's to import and export information to excel from the software, and from the software to excel.  Pivot Tables – Excel allows users to create pivot tables that link to other software's that pull information that can be sorted, and created into reports

Customizing Excel  Language Bar: Allows you to speak commands and dictate text.  Task Pane: Small window that provides commonly used links and commands that allow you to open files, create new files, or search related topics on the Microsoft website.  Getting Started Task Pane  Toolbar: Buttons, boxes, menus that allow you to perform tasks quickly  Toolbars should be shown on two separate lines.

Excel Worksheet  Workbook  Is similar to a notebook  Each workbook contains worksheets  A new workbook contains 3 worksheets  Add’l worksheets can be added, up to 255  Worksheet  Sheet Tab – is the name of the sheet, located at the bottom of the workbook  Made-up of vertical columns and horizontal rows  Column Heading – Letter above the column  Row Heading – number located on the left side of the grid

Worksheet cont….  Cell – rectangular unit that makes up the worksheet that data can be entered in.  Each worksheet has 256 columns, 65,536 rows, for a total of 16,777,216 cells  Cell Reference – the intersection of a column and a row.  Column letter comes first then the row number. Ex A1

Worksheet cont….  Active Cell – the cell which you can start entering data.  Active Cell can be identified in three ways:  Heavy border that surrounds the cell.  The cell reference is located in the Name Box.  The Column letter is highlighted, along with the row number.  Gridlines – horizontal and vertical lines on the spreadsheet that define each cell

Worksheet Window  Worksheet is viewed through a Worksheet Window  Below and to the right of the window are scroll bars, scroll arrows, and scroll boxes that allow you to move the worksheet and view all different parts.  Tab Split Box – Increase or decrease the view of the sheet tabs.

Worksheet Window – Menu Bar  Menu Bar  Menu is a list of commands that you use to store, print, retrieve, and change data on the worksheet.  Submenu – Command with an arrow  Dimmed Command – is not black, it is grey or shaded.  Hidden Command – Medium blue shade, does not appear on the short menu

Menu Bar cont…  Short Menu – a list of the most recently used commands.  If you wait a few seconds or click the arrows at the bottom of the short menu, excel will display a full menu.  Full Menu – a list of all the commands associated with the menu

Standard Toolbar & Formatting Toolbar  Standard Toolbar – New spreadsheet, Open, Save, Permission, , Print, Print Preview, etc…  Formatting Toolbar – Font box, Font Size Box, Bold, Italic, Underline, Align, etc….  Formula Bar - displays data and formulas  Status Bar – describes the command that is selected on the menu, by the mouse.

Standard Toolbar & Formatting Toolbar cont…  Mode Indicators that tell the status of the spreadsheet.  Enter and Ready  Keyboard Indicators  CAPS (Caps Lock), NUM (Num Lock), SCRL (Scroll)  AutoCalculate – can be used in place of a calculator or formula to view the sum, average or other type totals for a group of numbers in the worksheet.

To always view a Full Menu…  Click the menu name on the menu bar and wait a few seconds.  Click the arrows at the bottom of the short menu.  Point to the arrows at the bottom of the short menu.  Double click the menu name on the menu bar.

Selecting a Cell  To select a cell place the mouse cursor in the cell that you would like to start with.  You know a cell is active or selected when a heavy border surrounds the cell and the active cell appears in the Name Box.  Entering Text – Enter directly in the cell, or in the formula box.

Selecting a Cell…  Insertion Point – blinking vertical line  Enter Box  Cancel Box  Left Aligned – text is positioned at the far left in the cell.

Select a cell, enter text…  You want to select the cell where you want to start your document, such as your heading, rows, column headings, etc.  Usually all documents start in A1, because the text can be formatted from there.