Introduction

What is Excel?
Excel is pronounced "Eks - sel"
It is a spreadsheet program developed by Microsoft. Excel organizes data in columns and rows and allows you to
do mathematical functions. It runs on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS.
The first version was released in 1985 and has gone through several changes over the years. However, the main
functionality mostly remains the same.
Excel is typically used for:
• Analysis
• Data entry
• Data management
• Accounting
• Budgeting
• Data analysis
• Visuals and graphs
• Programming
• Financial modeling
• And much, much more!
Why Use Excel?
It is the most popular spreadsheet program in the world
It is easy to learn and to get started.
The skill ceiling is high, which means that you can do more advanced things as you become better
It can be used with both work and in everyday life, such as to create a family budget
It has a huge community support
It is continuously supported by Microsoft
Templates and frameworks can be reused by yourself and others, lowering creation costs Select
Start→Programs→Microsoft Excel commands from your menu bar.

Microsoft Excel

MSO
Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can save time and the effort of switching

from the keyboard to the mouse to execute simple commands. Print
this list of Excel keyboard shortcuts and keep it at your computer
desk for a quick reference.

Action Keystroke
Document Actions
Open a file CTRL+O
New file CTRL+N
Save As F12
Save CTRL+S
Print CTRL+P
Find CTRL+F
Replace CTRL+H
Go to F5
Cursor Movement
One cell up up arrow
One cell down down arrow
One cell right Tab
One cell left SHIFT+Tab
Top of worksheet (cell A1) CTRL+Home
End of worksheet
(last cell with data) CTRL+End
End of row Home
End of column CTRL+left arrow
Move to next worksheet CTRL+PageDown
Formulas
Apply AutoSum ALT+=
Current date CTRL+;
Current time CTRL+:
Spelling F7
Help F1
Macros ALT+F8
Selecting Cells
All cells left of current cell SHIFT+left arrow
All cells right of current cell SHIFT+right arrow
Entire column CTRL+Spacebar
Entire row SHIFT+Spacebar
Entire worksheet CTRL+A
Text Style
Bold CTRL+B
Italics CTRL+I
Underline CTRL+U
Strikethrough CTRL+5
Formatting
Edit active cell F2
 Format as currency with SHIFT+CTRL+$
2 decimal places
Format as percent with no SHIFT+CTRL+%
decimal places
CTRL+X Cut
CTRL+C Copy
CTRL+V Paste
CTRL+Z Undo
CTRL+Y Redo
Format cells dialog box CTRL+1

Selecting, Adding and Renaming Worksheets:

The worksheets in a workbook are accessible by clicking the worksheet tabs just above the status bar. By default, three
worksheets are included in each workbook. To add a sheet, select Insert→Worksheet from the menu bar. To rename the
worksheet tab, move the cursor to sheet tab, right-click on the tab with the mouse and select Rename from the shortcut
menu. Type the new name and press the ENTER key
Standard Toolbar
This toolbar is located just below the menu bar at the top of the
screen and allows you to quickly access basic Excel commands.

Fig. 12.3

1. New - Select File→New from the menu bar, or press CTRL+N,

or click the New button to create a new workbook.
2. Open - Click File→Open from the menu bar, or press
CTRL+O, or click the Open folder button to open an existing
workbook.
3. Save - The first time you save a workbook, select File→Save As
and name the file. After the file is named click File→Save, or
CTRL+S, or the Save button on the standard toolbar.
4. Print - Click the Print button to print the worksheet.
5. Print Preview - This feature will allow you to preview the
 worksheet before it prints.
6. Spell Check - Use the spell checker to correct spelling errors
on the worksheet.
7. Cut, Copy, Paste, and Format Painter - These actions will
be explained to you later in this lesson.
8. Undo and Redo - Click the backward Undo arrow to cancel
the last action you performed like entering data into a cell,
formatting a cell, entering a function, etc. Click the forward
Redo arrow to cancel the undo action.
9. Insert Hyperlink - To insert a hyperlink to a web site on the
Internet, type the text into a cell you want to be the link that can
be clicked with the mouse. Then, click the Insert Hyperlink
button and enter the web address you want the text to link to
and click OK.

Seven Basic Excel Formulas For Your Workflow

Now that you know how to insert functions, here are Excel formula examples for beginners to get started:

1. SUM (Add Values)

The SUM function is the first must-know formula in Excel. It usually aggregates values from a selection of
columns or rows from your selected range.

=SUM(number1, [number2], …)

Example:

=SUM(B2:G2) – A simple selection that sums the values of a row.

=SUM(A2:A8) – A simple selection that sums the values of a column.

=SUM(A2:A7, A9, A12:A15) – A sophisticated collection that sums values from range A2 to A7, skips A8,
adds A9, jumps A10 and A11, then finally adds from A12 to A15.

=SUM(A2:A8)/20 – Shows you can also turn your function into a formula.
2. AVERAGE (Find the Mean)
The AVERAGE function should remind you of simple averages of data, such as the average number of
shareholders in a given shareholding pool.

=AVERAGE(number1, [number2], …)

Example:

=AVERAGE(B2:B11) – Shows a simple average, also similar to (SUM(B2:B11)/10)

3. COUNT (Count Numeric Entries)
The COUNT function counts all cells in a given range that contain only numeric values.

=COUNT(value1, [value2], …)

Example:

COUNT(A:A) – Counts all values that are numerical in A column. However, you must adjust the range inside
the formula to count rows.

COUNT(A1:C1) – Now it can count rows.

4. COUNTA (Count All Entries)
Like the COUNT function, COUNTA counts all cells in a given range. However, it counts all cells regardless of
type. Unlike COUNT, which only counts numerics, it also counts dates, times, strings, logical values, errors,
empty string, or text.

=COUNTA(value1, [value2], …)

Example:

COUNTA(C2:C13) – Counts rows 2 to 13 in column C regardless of type. However, like COUNT, you can’t
use the same formula to count rows. You must make an adjustment to the selection inside the brackets – for
example, COUNTA(C2:H2) will count columns C to H
5. IF (Logical Test)
The IF function is often used when you want to sort your data according to a given logic. The best part of the
IF formula is that you can embed formulas and functions in it.

=IF(logical_test, [value_if_true], [value_if_false])

Example:

=IF(C2<D3,“TRUE”,”FALSE”) – Checks if the value at C3 is less than the value at D3. If the logic is true, let
the cell value be TRUE, otherwise, FALSE

=IF(SUM(C1:C10) > SUM(D1:D10), SUM(C1:C10), SUM(D1:D10)) – An example of a complex IF

statement. First, it sums C1 to C10 and D1 to D10, then it compares the sum. If the sum of C1 to C10 is
greater than the sum of D1 to D10, then it makes the value of a cell equal to the sum of C1 to C10.
6. TRIM (Remove Extra Spaces)
The TRIM function makes sure your functions do not return errors due to extra spaces in your data. It
ensures that all empty spaces are eliminated. Unlike other functions that can operate on a range of cells,
TRIM only operates on a single cell. Therefore, it comes with the downside of adding duplicated data to your
spreadsheet.

=TRIM(text)

Example:

TRIM(A2) – Removes empty spaces in the value in cell A2.

7. MAX & MIN (Find Extremes)
The MAX and MIN functions help find the maximum and minimum numbers in a range of values.

=MIN(number1, [number2], …)

Example:

=MIN(B2:C11) – Finds the minimum number between column B from B2 and column C from C2 to row 11
in both columns B and C.

=MAX(number1, [number2], …)

Example:

=MAX(B2:C11) – Similarly, it finds the maximum number between column B from B2 and column C from C2
to row 11 in both columns B and C.