1. Fluency with Information Technology
7th Edition
Chapter 14
Advanced Spreadsheets for Planning

2. Learning Objectives
1.1 State the two basic design criteria for creating effective spreadsheets 1.2 Explain how conditional formatting of spreadsheet entries applies an interpretation to spreadsheet information 1.3 Explain conditional formulas, and their components and behavior 1.4 Explain the importance of symbolic naming of spreadsheet cells 1.5 Perform “what if” analysis with a spreadsheet 1.6 Use AutoFiltering and advanced filtering to customize spreadsheet lists

3. 1.1 Designing a Spreadsheet
To be effective, a spreadsheet must be well designed, informative, and flexible
Two basic principles for setting up effective spreadsheets:
Focus on form: Make the form logical, the layout clean, and the entries clear and easy to use
Explain everything: It should be possible to know what every cell means

4. Focus on Form
Arrange the data logically – for left-to-right readers (like English), this generally means:
Descriptive information should be on the top and left sides
Summary information should be on the bottom and right sides
Use clear and legible fonts
Colors should be used in moderation (not distracting)
Separate sheet for each table can make working with multiple tables more manageable
Hiding information that isn’t needed in the current context can be helpful

5. Explain Everything
Include meaningful column headings and identifying information about the rows
Cells and ranges are assigned symbolic names so the content becomes meaningful
For summary information cells, choose modifiers like total and largest
For computations, include comments to explain assumptions made when creating the formulas

6. Trip Planning
Scenario: Two friends wonder if it’s possible to drive to the Arctic Circle from Chicago.
The trip to Fort McPherson is 3,512miles from home and they have learned it will take 67 hours of driving time
The given driving time is continuous, which they do not plan to do
They decide to use a spreadsheet to figure out how long it will take and how much it will cost

7. Trip Information: Distances and Times
Trip Segment
Distance
Travel time
Chicago, IL to Carrington, ND
778 miles
12 hours, 2 minutes
Carrington, ND to Battleford, SK
620 miles
11 hours, 6 minutes
Battleford, SK to Fort St. John, BC
648 miles
11 hours, 26 minutes
Fort St. John, BC to Watson Lake, YK
555 miles
11 hours, 17 minutes
Watson Lake, YK to Dawson, YK
601 miles
11 hours, 55 minutes
Round-trip from Watson, TK to Arctic Circle
484 miles
14 hours

8. Trip Assumptions
Additional friends will be included to calculate offset costs
The friends are interested in how much the total trip will cost
Part of the trip is through the United States, where gas is priced by the gallon in US dollars
Part of the trip is through Canada, where petrol is priced by the liter in Canadian dollars

9. Figure 14.2 Initial Spreadsheet
Initial spreadsheet for the Arctic Circle road trip.

10. Trip Spreadsheet: Applying the Rules
Focus on form:
The spreadsheet has a title listing the authors and stating the completion date
Columns are assigned clear headings
The heading row is filled with a soft color that separates it from the content
A clear, sans serif font presents the data left-or right- justified in the cells
Explain everything:
Comments are used: cells with comments have a red triangle in the cell’s upper right corner
Hovering the cursor over the cell displays the comment

11. 1.2 Conditional Formatting: Cell Value Is
A form lets users specify one or more conditions
If the program finds that these conditions apply to the cell, it formats the entry in the manner specified
Users specify the condition by picking one of a set of relationships and filling in the limits
Example: For the Time Estimate column, conditional formatting makes entries bold if they are above the average travel time

12. Figure 14.3 Conditional Formatting: Cell Values
Arctic Circle road trip spreadsheet with conditional formatting for "long days."

13. Conditional Formatting: Formula Is
Allows for comparison with a cell other than the one being formatted
Example: Also bold the Segment value when the trip segment time is above average
=IF(B2>AVERAGE(B$2:B$7),TRUE, FALSE)

14. 1.3 Conditional Formulas: Figuring the Amount Paid
Make the computation of a cell contingent on the outcome of a condition
Example: calculating cost = price * distance/mpg
Two choices:
express fuel price as a gallon price instead of a liter price
express mileage as miles per liter (mpl)
Either way, the US and Canada cases have to handled slightly differently
=IF(LEFT(D2,2)=“US”, E2*C2/22, E2*C2/5.8

15. Figure 14.5 Conditional Formatting: Adding Amount Paid
Arctic Circle road trip spreadsheet with the Amount Paid column added. Notice that the Time Estimate column has been hidden, and that a comment noting the assumption of 22 mpg has been added to the Amount Paid heading.

16. Calculating Cost in One Currency
Essential to know the expenditures in one currency
A Canadian dollar is worth $0.948 in U.S dollars
Multiply Canadian dollar values by that number to get US dollars, otherwise leave the value alone
=IF(LEFT(D2,2)="CA", F2*0.948, F2)

17. 1.4 Naming: Symbolic Reference
Defining names
It can be helpful when designing a spreadsheet to give names to components of the sheets
A name is a word or phrase assigned to a cell or range of cells
Once the name has been assigned, it can be used wherever cell references would be used

18. Defining and Applying Names
Using names reduces the chance of messing up range specifications
Errors are minimized when columns and rows are added/deleted
Choose Insert > Name > Define ... and enter a name
The software assigns the name to that range
Choose Insert > Name > Apply to allow use of that name
Examples:
fuelPrice for the Fuel Price column
amtPaid for the Amount Paid column

19. 1.5 "What If" Analysis
Because spreadsheets recalculate everything when a number is changed, they are ideal for speculating on the consequences of change
Do this directly by changing values, then changing them back
You might save the sheet, make changes, and exit without saving
Spreadsheets have better support than these methods for what-if analysis

20. "What If" Analysis: Scenarios
A scenario is a tool which can create a named alternative to a spreadsheet based on different inputs
A scenario is an aid to understanding changes in plans
Example: Changes in gas mileage
We create new scenarios using the Add Scenario window, which we can name and archive to run again

21. "What If" Analysis: Scenario Summary
At the bottom of the Scenario Manager window, there is a Summary. . . Button
When clicked, a dialog box appears asking what cell we consider the "bottom line" of the computation
In other words, if the scenario came to pass, what value are we most interested in
If the prediction the software offers is correct, click OK, and you are presented with the Scenario Summary

22. Figure 14.9 The Scenario Summary
The Scenario Summary sheet showing the result of the Tune-Up scenario.

23. Road Trip Spreadsheet: Example Scenarios
The spreadsheet can compute the changed cost of each choice:
Having the car tuned up to improve gas mileage
Taking along extra passengers to share the expenses
Lodging in hotels or hostels versus camping

24. Analyzing Data Using Filtering
Use of the Filtering tool allows access to subsets of information held in a spreadsheet
Filtering selects only certain rows from a list
It applies only to spreadsheet tables that have column headings
Filtering lets users create a customized version of a spreadsheet list that is limited to the rows meeting some criterion

25. 1.6 Using Filters: AutoFilter
To use the AutoFilter tool:
Select any cell in the list
Choose Data > Filter > AutoFilter
The result is a redrawn spreadsheet list with triangle menu buttons by each column heading
The menu buttons give you options for filtering the list based on data in that column:
sorting rows
displaying rows containing a limited number of values
displaying only those rows matching a specific value in the column

26. Advanced Filtering
The filtering dialog for a column allows various criteria to filter the rows
The dialog can also apply multiple criteria combined with AND or OR

27. Figure 14.14 Advanced Filtering: Distances Over 175 Miles
Steps for filtering to keep gas stops for distances over 175 miles: Clicking on the Mi column's auto-filter followed by (a) hovering over "Numerical Filters", (b) hovering over "Greater than…", and (c) filling out the dialog box for the cut-off, to get (d) the result.

28. Summary
Two basic principles underlie the design of effective spreadsheets: (1) focus on form and (2) explain everything
Conditional formatting can apply an interpretation to the data in a spreadsheet so that it is easier to perceive
Conditional formulas using the IF( ) function allow complex, case-specific data definition and analysis
Naming allows the parts of a spreadsheet to be referenced in a convenient and less error-prone way
“What if” analysis is a powerful application of spreadsheets allowing alternatives to be assessed
Filtering can customize spreadsheet data to particular cases