Spreadsheet

A spreadsheet is a software application that enables a user to save, sort and manage data in an
arranged form of rows and columns.

A spreadsheet stores data in a tabular format as an electronic document. An electronic

spreadsheet is based on and is similar to the paper-based accounting worksheet.

A spreadsheet may also be called a worksheet.

A spreadsheet is primarily designed to provide a digital form of the paper-based worksheet.

Spreadsheets work through spreadsheet application software. The rows and columns within the
spreadsheet contain cells that are filled with data to create unique operations. A typical
spreadsheet program can have multiple functions such as:

 Numerous rows and columns for data and values storage

 Support for mathematical formulas and calculations
 Data sorting and analysis
 Multiple worksheets and their interlinking
 Integration and visualization of data in the form of graphs and charts

Microsoft Excel and Lotus 1-2-3 are among the most popular spreadsheet applications.

Components of a Spreadsheet

 spreadsheet - a table in which you can enter and manipulate data.

 cell - a table entry.
 row - cells aligned horizontally.
 column - cells aligned vertically.
 range - the specification for a series of cells.
 function - an operation applied to a range of cells, always beginning with an "=" sign.

The three types of data you can enter into a cell are data, labels and formulas.

Data – values, usually numbers but can be letters or a combination of both.

Labels – headings and descriptions to make the spreadsheet easier to understand.

Workbook

In Microsoft Excel, a workbook is a collection of one or more spreadsheets, also called

worksheets, in a single file.

Worksheet

A worksheet or sheet is a single page in a file created with an electronic spreadsheet program
such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. A workbook is the name given to an Excel file and
contains one or more worksheets. When you open an electronic spreadsheet program, it loads an
empty workbook file consisting of one or more blank worksheets for you to use.

Workspace

The term workspace refers to all the open workbooks and their exact screen position and window
sizes.
A workspace contains pointers to your other Excel files that you had open during your session.
When you open an Excel workspace all the other files are opened as well
Workspaces are particularly useful if you frequently work

Basic Terms in Excel

There are two basic ways to perform calculations in Excel: Formulas and Functions.

1. Formulas

In Excel, a formula is an expression that operates on values in a range of cells or a cell. For
example, =A1+A2+A3, which finds the sum of the range of values from cell A1 to cell A3.

2. Functions

Functions are predefined formulas in Excel. They eliminate laborious manual entry of formulas
while giving them human-friendly names. For example: =SUM(A1:A3). The function sums all
the values from A1 to A3.

Seven Basic Excel Formulas For Your Workflow

Since you’re now able to insert your preferred formulas and function correctly, let’s check some
fundamental Excel functions to get you started.

1. SUM
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], …)

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

2. AVERAGE
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], …)

3. COUNT
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
Like the COUNT function, COUNTA counts all cells in a given rage. However, it counts all
cells regardless of type. That is, unlike COUNT that only counts numerics, it also counts dates,
times, strings, logical values, errors, empty string, or text.

=COUNTA(value1, [value2], …)

5. IF
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 function in it.

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

6. TRIM
The TRIM function makes sure your functions do not return errors due to unruly spaces. 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 in your spreadsheet.

=TRIM(text)
Example:
TRIM(A2) – Removes empty spaces in the value in cell A2

7. MAX & MIN

The MAX and MIN functions help in finding the maximum number and the minimum number 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], …)
Microsoft Excel Window Components
Before you start using it, it’s really important to understand that what’s where in its window. So
ahead we have all the major component which you need to know before entering the world of
Microsoft Excel.

Excel basic with window components

Active Cell: A cell which is currently selected. It will be highlighted by a rectangular box and its
address will be shown in the address bar. You can activate a cell by clicking on it or by using
your arrow buttons. To edit a cell, you double-click on it or use F2 to as well.

Columns: A column is a vertical set of cells. A single worksheet contains 16384 total columns.
Every column has its own alphabet for identity, from A to XFD. You can select a column
clicking on its header.

Rows: A row is a horizontal set of cells. A single worksheet contains 1048576 total rows. Every
row has its own number for identity, starting from 1 to 1048576. You can select a row clicking
on the row number marked on the left side of the window.

Fill Handle: It’s a small dot present on the lower right corner of the active cell. It helps you to
fill numeric values, text series, insert ranges, insert serial numbers, etc.

Address Bar: It shows the address of the active cell. If you have selected more than one cell,
then it will show the address of the first cell in the range.
Formula Bar: The formula bar is an input bar, below the ribbon. It shows the content of the
active cell and you can also use it to enter a formula in a cell.

Title Bar: The title bar will show the name of your workbook, followed by the application name
(“Microsoft Excel”).
File Menu: The file menu is a simple menu like all other applications. It contains options like
(Save, Save As, Open, New, Print, Excel Options, Share, etc).

Quick Access Toolbar: A toolbar to quickly access the options which you frequently use. You
can add your favorite options by adding new options to quick access toolbar.

Ribbon Tab: Starting from the Microsoft Excel 2007, all the options menus are replaced with
the ribbons. Ribbon tabs are the bunch of specific option group which further contains the
option.

Worksheet Tab: This tab shows all the worksheets which are present in the workbook. By
default you will see, three worksheets in your new workbook with the name of Sheet1, Sheet2,
Sheet3 respectively.
Status Bar: It is a thin bar at the bottom of the Excel window. It will give you an instant help
once you start working in Excel.

Cell reference

Cell reference is the like referring to other cells to a cell to use its values or its properties.
Types of Cell Reference in Excel

1. Relative cell references: It does not contain dollar signs in a row or column, e.g.,
A2. Relative cell reference type in excel changes when a formula is copied or dragged to
another cell; in Excel, cell referencing is relative by default; it is the most commonly used
cell reference in the formula.
2. Absolute cell references: Absolute Cell Reference contains dollar signs attached to each
letter or number in a reference, e.g., $B$4, Here if we mention a dollar sign before the
column and row identifiers, it makes absolute or locks both the column and the row, i.e.,
where Cell reference remains constant even if it copied or dragged to another cell.
3. Mixed cell references in Excel: It contains dollar signs attached to either the letter or the
number in a reference. E.g., $B2 or B$4. It is a combination of relative and absolute
references.
Sorting Data

After data has been entered into an Excel worksheet, and even after it has been organized
into a table, it can still be manipulated and reorganized. One of the easiest options is to
sort the data in a particular order. For example, you can sort the data alphabetically.

Filtering Data

After entering data in Excel, it is also possible to filter, or hide some parts of the data,
based on user-indicated categories. When using the Filter option, no data is lost; it is just
hidden from view.

values

Entering data into a spreadsheet is just like typing in a word processing program, but you
have to first click the cell in which you want the data to be placed before typing the data.
The numbers, which can later be used in formulas, are called values.

Labels

All words describing the values (numbers) are called labels. Notice also that the labels
(composed of letters) are all left justified and the values (composed of numbers) are all
right justified in their cells.

Types of charts

Different scenarios require different types of charts.

he following table shows some of the most commonly used charts and when you should
consider using them.

1. Pie Chart: When you want to quantify items and show them as percentages.

Visualizing data using charts in Excel

2. Bar Chart : When you want to compare values across a few categories. The values
run horizontally
 3. Column chart: When you want to compare values across a few categories. The
values run vertically

4. Line chart : When you want to visualize trends over a period of time i.e. months,
days, years, etc.
5. Combo Chart: When you want to highlight different types of information

The importance of charts

 Allows you to visualize data graphically

 It's easier to analyze trends and patterns in the charts
 Easy to interpret compared to data in cells

Common errors in excel

1. #VALUE!

Excel displays the #VALUE! error when it finds spaces, characters, or text in a formula where it
is expecting a number.

Excel requires formulas to contain numbers only and won't respond to formulas associated with
numbers, so it will show you an error is if you've included anything else.

2. #NAME?

This is a slightly more complex Excel error. Here's a summary of why this might appear in a cell
you're working in:

The #NAME? error message appears if Excel can't understand the name of the formula you're
trying to run, or if Excel can't compute one or more values entered in the formula itself. To
resolve this error, check the formula's spelling, or use the Formula Builder to have Excel build
the function for you.

No, Excel isn't looking for your name in this case. The error, #NAME?, appears in a cell when
Excel can't read certain elements of a formula you're trying to run.

You might also have spelled the formula correctly, but don't have enough information entered in
the formula's individual entries. Check out how this error might look below -- as you can see, the
table array entry is incomplete. It needs an actual spreadsheet name to know where to look up
our desired value.
3. #####

When you see ##### displayed in your cell, it can look a little scary. The good news is that this
simply means the column isn't wide enough to display the value you've inputted. And that's any
easy fix.

3. #DIV/0!

When you see #DIV/0!, you are asking Excel to divide a formula by zero or an empty cell. In the
same way that this task wouldn't work if you were doing division by hand, or on a calculator, it
won't work in Excel either.

4. #REF!

This one can sometimes be a little tricky to figure out, but Excel usually displays #REF! when a
formula references a cell that is not valid. Here's a summary of where this error typically comes
from:

What is the #REF error in Excel?

The #REF! error in Excel appears if you're running a formula that is referring to a cell that
doesn't exist. If you delete a cell, column, or row in your spreadsheet, and build a formula
including a cell name that has been deleted, Excel will return the #REF! error in the cell holding
the formula.

5. #NULL!

#NULL! errors occur when you specify an intersection of two areas that don't actually intersect,
or when an incorrect range operator is used.

 Range operator (semi colon): Defines a references to a range of cells.

 Union operator (comma): Combines two references into a single reference.
 Intersection operator (space): Returns a reference to the intersection of two ranges.

↓6. #N/A

When you see #N/A, this typically means that the numbers you are referring to in your formula
cannot be found.
You may have accidentally deleted a number or row that's being used in your formula, or are
referring to a sheet that was deleted or not saved.

7. #NUM!

If your formula contains numeric values that aren't valid, you'll see an #NUM! error appear in
Excel. Often times this happens when you enter a numeric value that's different than the other
arguments used in your formula.

For example, when you're entering an Excel formula, make sure you don't include values like
$1,000 in currency format. Instead, enter 1000 and then format the cell with currency and
commas after the formula is calculated.

Pivot Tables

Pivot Tables allow us to create a powerful view with data summarized in a grid, both in
horizontal and vertical columns (also known as Matrix Views or Cross Tabs). Multi-level pivots
can be created by specifying multiple Fields to the column, row and data axis.

A pivot chart is the visual representation of a pivot table in Excel. Pivot charts and pivot
tables are connected with each other. Below you can find a two-dimensional pivot table.

How to create pivot table?

 Click any single cell inside the data set.

 On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click PivotTable.
 A dialog box appears. Excel automatically selects the data for you. The default location
for a new pivot table is New Worksheet.
 Click OK
Shortcut key for pivot table
Use the ribbon command keyboard shortcut Alt + N + V to quickly create a pivot table.
 Number format

A number format is a special code to control how a value is displayed in Excel.For example, the
table below shows 7 different number formats applied to the same date, January 1, 2019:

Input Code Result

1-Jan-2019 yyyy 2019

1-Jan-2019 yy 19

Characters that display natively

Some characters appear normally in a number format, while others require special handling. The
following characters can be be used without any special handling:

Character Comment

$ Dollar

+- Plus, minus

() Parentheses

{} Curly braces

<> Less than, greater than

= Equal

: Colon

^ Caret

' Apostrophe

/ Forward slash

! Exclamation point

& Ampersand
~ Tilde

Space character

Escaping characters

Some characters won't work correctly in a custom number format without being escaped. For
example, the asterisk (*), hash (#), and percent (%) characters can't be used directly in a custom
number format – they won't appear in the result. The escape character in custom number formats
is the backslash (\). By placing the backslash before the character, you can use them in custom
number formats:

Value Code Result

100 \#0 #100

100 \*0 *100

100 \%0 %100

Placeholders

Certain characters have special meaning in custom number format codes. The following
characters are key building blocks:

Character Purpose

0 Display insignificant zeros

# Display significant digits

? Display aligned decimals

. Decimal point

, Thousands separator

* Repeat digit

_ Add space

@ Placeholder for text

Zoom size in excel

By default, everything on screen is displayed at 100% in MS Excel. You can change the zoom
percentage from 10% (tiny) to 400% (huge). Zooming doesn’t change the font size, so it has no
effect on the printed output.

Shortcut keys in excel

Shortcut Description
Tab Move to the next cell, to the right of the
currently selected cell.
Ctrl+A Select all contents of a worksheet.
Ctrl+B Bold all cells in the highlighted section.
Ctrl+C Copy all cells in the highlighted section.
Ctrl+D Fill down. Fills the cell beneath with the
contents of the selected cell. To fill more
than one cell, select the source cell and
press Ctrl+Shift+Down to select multiple
cells. Then press Ctrl+D to fill them with
the contents of the original cell.
Ctrl+F Search current sheet.
Ctrl+G Go to a certain area.
Ctrl+H Find and replace.
Ctrl+I Puts italics on all cells in the highlighted
section.
Ctrl+K Inserts a hyperlink.
Ctrl+N Creates a new workbook.
Ctrl+O Opens a workbook.
Ctrl+P Print the current sheet.
Ctrl+R Fill right. Fills the cell to the right with the
contents of the selected cell. To fill more
than one cell, select the source cell and
press Ctrl+Shift+Right to select multiple
cells. Then press Ctrl+R to fill them with
the contents of the original cell.
Ctrl+S Saves the open worksheet.
Ctrl+U Underlines all cells in the highlighted
section.
Ctrl+V Pastes everything copied onto the clipboard.
Ctrl+W Closes the current workbook.
Ctrl+X Cuts all cells in the highlighted section.
Ctrl+Y Repeats the last entry.
Ctrl+Z Undo the last action.
Ctrl+1 Changes the format of the selected cells.
Ctrl+2 Bolds all cells in the highlighted section.
Ctrl+3 Puts italics all cells in the highlighted
section.
Ctrl+4 Underlines all cells in highlighted section.
Ctrl+5 Puts a strikethrough all cells in the
highlighted section.
Ctrl+6 Shows or hides objects.
Ctrl+7 Shows or hides the toolbar.
Ctrl+8 Toggles the outline symbols.
Ctrl+9 Hides rows.
Ctrl+0 Hides columns.
Ctrl+Shift+: Enters the current time.
Ctrl+; Enters the current date.
Ctrl+` Changes between displaying cell values or
formulas in the worksheet.
Ctrl+' Copies a formula from the cell above.
Ctrl+Shift+" Copies value from cell above.
Ctrl+- Deletes the selected column or row.
Ctrl+Shift+= Inserts a new column or row.
Ctrl+Shift+~ Switches between showing Excel formulas
or their values in cells.
Ctrl+Shift+@ Applies time formatting.
Ctrl+Shift+! Applies comma formatting.
Ctrl+Shift+$ Applies currency formatting.
Ctrl+Shift+# Applies date formatting.
Ctrl+Shift+% Applies percentage formatting.
Ctrl+Shift+^ Applies exponential formatting.
Ctrl+Shift+* Selects the current region around the active
cell.
Ctrl+Shift+& Places border around selected cells.
Ctrl+Shift+_ Removes a border.
Ctrl++ Insert.
Ctrl+- Delete.
Ctrl+Shift+( Unhide rows.
Ctrl+Shift+) Unhide columns.
Ctrl+/ Selects the array containing the active cell.
Ctrl+\ Selects the cells that have a static value or
don’t match the formula in the active cell.
Ctrl+[ Selects all cells referenced by formulas in
the highlighted section.
Ctrl+] Selects cells that contain formulas that
reference the active cell.
Ctrl+Shift+{ Selects all cells directly or indirectly
referenced by formulas in the highlighted
section.
Ctrl+Shift+} Selects cells which contain formulas that
directly or indirectly reference the active
cell.
Ctrl+Shift+| (pipe) Selects the cells within a column that don’t
match the formula or static value in the
active cell.
Ctrl+Enter Fills the selected cells with the current entry.
Ctrl+Spacebar Selects the entire column.
Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar Selects the entire worksheet.
Ctrl+Home Move to cell A1.
Ctrl+End Move to last cell on worksheet.
Ctrl+Tab Move between Two or more open Excel
files.
Ctrl+Shift+Tab Activates the previous workbook.
Ctrl+Shift+A Inserts argument names into a formula.
Ctrl+Shift+F Opens the drop-down menu for fonts.
Ctrl+Shift+O Selects all of the cells that contain
comments.
Ctrl+Shift+P Opens the drop-down menu for point size.
Shift+Insert Pastes what is stored on the clipboard.
Shift+Page Up In a single column, highlights all cells above
that are selected.
Shift+Page Down In a single column, highlights all cells above
that are selected.
Shift+Home Highlights all text to the left of the cursor.
Shift+End Highlights all text to the right of the cursor.
Shift+Up Arrow Extends the highlighted area up one cell.
Shift+Down Arrow Extends the highlighted area down one cell.
Shift+Left Arrow Extends the highlighted area left one
character.
Shift +Right Arrow Extends the highlighted area right one
character.
Alt+Tab Cycles through applications.
Alt+Spacebar Opens the system menu.
Alt+Backspace Undo.
Alt+Enter While typing text in a cell, pressing
Alt+Enter moves to the next line, allowing
for multiple lines of text in one cell.
Alt+= Creates a formula to sum all of the above
cells.
Alt+' Allows formatting on a dialog box.
F1 Opens the help menu.
F2 Edits the selected cell.
F3 After a name is created, F3 will paste names.
F4 Repeats last action. For example, if you
changed the color of text in another cell,
pressing F4 will change the text in cell to the
same color.
F5 Goes to a specific cell. For example, C6.
F6 Move to the next pane.
F7 Spell check selected text or document.
F8 Enters Extend Mode.
F9 Recalculates every workbook.
F10 Activates the menu bar.
F11 Creates a chart from selected data.
F12 Save As option.
Shift+F1 Opens the "What's This?" window.
Shift+F2 Allows the user to edit a cell comment.
Shift+F3 Opens the Excel formula window.
Shift+F5 Brings up a search box.
Shift+F6 Move to previous pane.
Shift+F8 Add to selection.
Shift+F9 Performs calculate function on active sheet.
Ctrl+F3 Open Excel Name Manager.
Ctrl+F4 Closes current Window.
Ctrl+F5 Restores window size.
Ctrl+F6 Next workbook.
Ctrl+Shift+F6 Previous workbook.
Ctrl+F7 Moves the window.
Ctrl+F8 Resizes the window.
Ctrl+F9 Minimize current window.
Ctrl+F10 Maximize currently selected window.
Ctrl+F11 Inserts a macro sheet.
Ctrl+F12 Opens a file.
Ctrl+Shift+F3 Creates names by using those of either row
or column labels.
Ctrl+Shift+F6 Moves to the previous worksheet window.
Ctrl+Shift+F12 Prints the current worksheet.
Alt+F1 Inserts a chart.
Alt+F2 Save As option.
Alt+F4 Exits Excel.
Alt+F8 Opens the macro dialog box.
Alt+F11 Opens the Visual Basic editor.
Alt+Shift+F1 Creates a new worksheet.
Alt+Shift+F2 Saves the current worksheet.