Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010

Agenda:

1. Introduction
2. Layout
3. Maneuvering in Excel
4. Modifying columns, rows, and cells
5. Formatting data
6. Formulas
7. Sorting & Filtering
8. Printing
9. Practice and Questions
 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010
Microsoft Excel 2010 Layout

Excel is a spreadsheet program that manipulates, graphs, and analyzes numeric data. Common uses for Excel
are: budgets, grade books, address lists, or simple inventories.
The Quick Access Toolbar is a customizable shortcut
menu to commonly used commands. It’s visible no
matter which tab is selected.

The formula bar allows

you to enter or edit
The Name Box tells you the data in the selected cell.
name/coordinates of the Formulas and functions
cell selected. Note how cell can also be entered.
A1 is where column A and
row 1 intersect.

A row is the line of cells from the

left to the right of the page. Rows
are numbered. A column is the vertical line of cells from the
top to the bottom of the page. Columns are
alphabetized.

The Ribbon contains the commands. It has multiple tabs that have their own groups of commands.
Some groups have an arrow at the bottom-right corner that will reveal more options once clicked.

Click on a Tab to see the ribbon change with different commands

The arrow in the bottom-corner of groups will allow you to s
Each tab will have groups

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010
Using your Mouse

If you hover your mouse over a cell you will see a White Block Cross , if you move the mouse pointer to
the edge of the cell you will see this arrow symbol , and if you move to the bottom right corner of the
cell, you will see a small black cross . Each of these icons will allow you to do something different.

This symbol is what your mouse pointer will most often be. When this symbol is available you
can select cells to enter data or change the format, or you can highlight specific columns or rows.

This arrowed cross is available when the mouse pointer is on the perimeter of cells. When this
symbol is visible you can move the information from one cell to another, by click and holding the left
mouse button and dragging to the new location. You can also move data from a range of cells.

 This bold, black cross is available when the mouse is placed in the bottom, right corner of cells.
When this symbol is visible, you can copy the information, including the formula from one cell to
another, by clicking and dragging the mouse in the direction you want to go. This is a very useful tool
and a big timesaver.

Modifying Columns, Rows, & Cells

When you first open an excel workbook, the cells, rows, and columns appear to have a set size. You can easily
modify the default sizes, as well as add and delete.

Changing Column Width

1. Position your mouse over the column border in the top column heading. Your mouse pointer
should change from a white cross , to a double arrow .
2. Click and drag the column line to the right to increase the width.
3. Release the mouse button. The column width will remain where you release.

Tip! If you see hashtags (#######) in a cell, it means the column is not wide enough to display the cell’s
content. Continue to increase the width to show the cell’s data.

AutoFit Column Width

1. Select the column(s) you would like to automatically adjust column

width to fit cell data. Select column(s) by click and dragging across
the column heading.
2. Click the Format command on the Home Tab. The Format drop-
down menu appears.
3. Select AutoFit Column Width

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010
Changing Row Height

1. Position your mouse on a row border in the first column where the rows are numbered. The white
cross will change to a double arrow.
2. Click and drag the arrow downward/upward to increase the row’s height.
3. Release the mouse and the row height will remain where the mouse was released.

Insert Rows

1. Select the row below where you want the new row to appear. Select the entire row by clicking on
the numbered row heading.
Click on the row number to select the entire row

2. Click the Insert command on the Home tab.

Click the Insert command on the Home tab to insert rows, cells, or columns

Insert Columns

1. Select the column to the right of where you want the new column to appear. For example, if you
want a new column between C and D, select column D.
2. Click the Insert command on the Home tab (same button used to insert rows).

Tip!

When inserting rows and columns, make sure you select the entire row or column by clicking on its heading
(numbers for rows & letters for columns). If you only select a cell, then only a new cell will be created.

Wrapping Text and Merging Cells

When a cell contains more text than can be displayed, you can choose to wrap the
text within the cell or merge empty cells together. Wrapping text makes the
information display on multiple lines down, and merging cells will combine cells
creating one big space for text.

To Wrap Text

1. Select the cells you would like to wrap text.

2. Select the Wrap Text command on the Home tab.
3. The text in the selected cells will be wrapped.

Tip! If you change your mind, click Wrap Text again to undo.

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010
Merge and Center Command

1. Select the cells you would like to merge.

2. Select the Merge & Center command on the Home tab.

3. The selected cells will be merged and the text centered.

Practice

In Cell A1 type – Player Name

In Cell B1 type – Game 1
In Cell C1 type – Game 2
In Cell D1 type – Game 3
In Cell E1 type – Total
In Cell F1 type – Average
A B C D E F
1 Player Name Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Total Average
2
3

Now complete the spreadsheet with the information below

A B C D E F
1 Player Name Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Total Average
2 John Jones 23 14 21
3 Peter Piper 18 11 15
4 Steve 21 34 31
Sharpshooter

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010
Entering a Formula

Next we will calculate the totals for each player.

Click into Cell E2 (the total for John Jones).

We are going to enter a formula to calculate the total.

Type in = B2+C2+D2 and hit ENTER. This formula will add the number that is in Cell B2 to the number
in C2, to the number in D2 and give you a total of 58.

When entering any formula in Excel you need to start with an equal sign =, then you put in the cell references
of the cells you want to add (+), subtract (-), multiply (*) or divide (/).

There is a quicker and easier way to add numbers, especially if you have a lot of columns or rows to add.

Using the AutoSum function

Place your mouse in Cell B3, get the symbol that will allow us to highlight the cells, click the left
mouse button and drag all the way across the row until you get to cell E3, and let go of the mouse. On
the top of the Home Tab to the right, you will see the Auto Sum button Σ, click on this button and it
will automatically add the cells for you.

Copying Formulas

Now it can get even easier, if you have a large number of items that you need to use the same formula
for, you don’t want to keep re-keying that same formula for every row, so we can simply copy the
formula down the rest of the rows. To do this, click on the cell that has the formula you want to copy,
go to the bottom right hand corner and get the black cross symbol , click the left mouse button and
drag down through the rest of the rows and let go of the mouse. This will copy the formula down for
the rest of the names.

Sorting & Filtering

If you are working with a large amount of data in your worksheet, sort and filter can make finding information
faster. You can customize the order of your data alphabetically, numerically, by groups, and with multiple
layers too. This class will be using the website GCFLearnFree.org’s sort and filter tutorials. Tutorials can be
found at: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/office2010/excel2010

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010
Sort
Sort allows you to change or customize the order of your data. Do you want your attendance list to be
alphabetized? Or order a column of numbers from smallest to largest? The sort command allows you to do
this and not mess up the rest of your spreadsheet too. Below are some common sort commands.

Sort Alphabetically
1. Click in a cell of the column you want to sort alphabetically. You do not have to
select your entire table nor the entire column.
2. Click on Sort & Filter in the Edit group of the Home tab. You could also click on
the Data tab for Sort & Filter options too.
3. A dropdown menu will appear after you click on Sort & Filter in the Home tab.
Select either Sort A to Z or Sort Z to A, depending on if you want to sort
Ascending or Descending.
4. The data in your spreadsheet will sort. Related information across rows will be
kept together when the sort is applied.

Sort Numerically
The steps to sort numerically are the same as sorting alphabetically show above. Click on a cell in the
column you want to sort numerically. Click on the Sort & Filter command in the Home tab, and select
either Sort A to Z, which will sort the numbers smallest to largest, or Sort Z to A which will sort
numbers largest to smallest. Again, corresponding data across rows will be kept together.

Sort by Date or Time

To sort a spreadsheet by date or time, do the same steps as sorting alphabetically as shown above.
Make sure you select a cell in the column you want to sort by date/time. This time when you select
Sort A to Z, the data will sort oldest to newest, or Sorting Z to A will make the data sort newest to
oldest.

Sort in an order of your choosing

There may come a time when the alphabetical or numerical sort doesn’t fit your
circumstances. You can tell Excel the order by which you want the data sorted.
In class we will use the example of sorting by t-shirt size smallest to largest.

1. Click a cell in the column you want to sort.

2. Click on the Sort & Filter command in the Home tab.
3. Click Custom Sort… from the dropdown menu that appears.
4. Identify the column you want to sort by clicking on
the drop-down arrow in the column field. In our
example we will choose t-shirt size.

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010
Continue custom sort from previous page

5. Leave Values selected in the Sort on field.

6. Click the drop-down arrow for the Order field.
Click Custom List …
7. Select NEW LIST, and enter the order you want
the data sorted in the list entries box. After
every entry press Enter on your keyboard. In this
example we will type: Small [Enter] Medium [Enter]
Large [Enter] X-Large[Enter].
8. Click Add to save the list. The t-shirt size list will now
be in the Custom Lists field. Click OK.
9. Click OK to close the Sort dialog box and sort the
data.

Sort with multiple levels

You can sort by more than one column. In our example, we will sort by homeroom number then by last
name.

1. Click on the Sort & Filter command, and click Custom Sort.
2. Identify the first column you want to sort, in our example Homeroom #. Leave the other fields, Sort On
and Order fields, the way they are.
3. Click Add Level.
4. Identify the next item you want to sort by. In this example, choose Last Name. Leave the Sort on and
Order fields the same. Click OK.

Change the sort level priority here if you want one level to come before the other.

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010

Filter
Filter is useful when you want to narrow down your data and hide other parts. You can filter
text, dates, and numbers. You can also use more than on filter to further narrow your data. To
use the filter command, you must have a spreadsheet that has a header row.

1. Click the Sort & Filter command in the Home tab. There is also a Filter command
located under the Data tab.
2. Click on Filter.
3. Drop-down arrows will appear in every column in the header row.
4. Click the drop-down arrow in the column that you want to filter.
5. The filter menu appears.
6. Uncheck any boxes next to data that you do not want to view. Anything that
remains checked will remain visible.
7. Click OK and yoru spreadsheet will be filtered. The data not visible is hidden
temporarily. It has not been deleted.

To clear a filter
1. To undo a filter, click the drop-down arrow of the column that is filtered.
2. Choose Clear Filter From…
This will undo the filter from the one column. To clear all filtering if you
have filtered more than one column, click the Sort & Filter command from
the Home tab, and click on Filter. This will “turn off” the filter command.

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010
Printing
There are many options when printing in Excel. You can choose which parts of your spreadsheet to print and
how it fits on the page.

To print:

1. Click on the File tab, then Print. This will take you to a print pane and preview screen.

Ready to print button

Connected to multiple printers? Choose your printer here.

Choose the print range. If you only want a

highlighted section, choose “Print Selection”

Change between Portrait and Landscape Orientation

Printing on legal size paper? Change paper size here.

Spreadsheet not fitting on the page? Try changing the scale or margins.

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010

11 User-Friendly Spreadsheet
Software Solutions

SCORO

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9 MIN READ
Spreadsheet software is an essential part of every company’s toolkit, and Microsoft Excel is the most
popular of all of the spreadsheet software on the market. Thanks to its complex features and intuitive
commands, Excel is commonly accepted as the most comprehensive program for storing and arranging
information for all kinds of purposes. Most importantly for the team here at Scoro, many businesses find
Excel an indispensable tool for project planning and data analysis.

Since it was first released as part of Microsoft’s Office package, it seems like there’s no business and no
industry that could manage without Excel. But what if they could? Here, we’ll explore 11 of the best
spreadsheet software packages to help you decide for yourself whether it’s an irreplaceable tool for
analytics and data storage.

1. Scoro

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Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010
Scoro’s KPI dashboard software is like Excel on steroids. It lets you oversee every aspect of your business
across as many interactive dashboards as required, and gives you the chance to keep track of your
projects, workflow, and financial KPIs in real time. Sure, we’ll admit that our software doesn’t quite offer the
same formal Excel functionality, but if you’re looking for a new way of understanding data, we’ve got you
covered.

We offer our users an innovative data analytics tool that lets them integrate Scoro with third-party
applications and software, enabling data to be imported into a central source of truth. While Scoro can’t
conduct a comprehensive financial analysis, it can be easily integrated with the tools you already use for
that purpose. You can also use Scoro to track KPIs via dashboards and reports which can then be
presented to your team and partners at a glance.

Try Scoro for free for 14 days. No credit card required!

2. Google Sheets

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010

Google’s Office package is probably second only to MS Office in its popularity, and may even be more
widely used by virtue of being free to use. Google Sheets is also the most easily manageable alternative to
Excel, with a layout and functionality both easy to get used to if you’re already familiar with its Microsoft
counterpart.

Pros of Google Sheets:

Cloud storage lets users of Google Sheets access their spreadsheets wherever they are in the world,
provided they have a compatible device and sturdy internet connection to hand. If you require access to
your documents on the go, this makes Sheets an invaluable resource.

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010
Google Sheets also lets you take collaboration to a new level – while your organization can often be thrown
into confusion over which version of an Excel document is the most up-to-date, Sheets can be edited by
multiple users at the same time. This not only enhances teamwork, but takes your project management
capabilities to a new level.

And just like Excel makes use of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Sheets uses Google Apps Script to
give its users additional programming opportunities based on Javascript. This lets you run scripts and
connect to APIs for expanded functionality.

Problems With Google Sheets:

Whereas Excel has extensive options for formatting data charts – including changing the axis name and
formatting data values – Google Sheets has limited formatting capabilities. Similarly, as it runs on the cloud,
Google Sheets doesn’t have the same processing capacity as Excel, which lets you analyze over 10,000
rows of data at a time. That said, Microsoft’s tool isn’t the be-all and end-all – if the amount of data exceeds
300,000 rows, it is best to use a real data analysis tool like Matlab.

3. Apache OpenOffice

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010

Another free data analysis tool, OpenOffice is becoming increasingly popular among businesses. This
program’s comprehensive range of features offer a perfect alternative to Excel, particularly for those who
need to manage smaller sets of data of under 10,000 rows. Over 100 million computers already have
OpenOffice installed, and since it runs on a user’s device, it can work perfectly without access to an internet
connection.

OpenOffice runs on Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux, so everyone can download it. What’s more, it’s one of
the few major open-source Excel alternatives, so if your company has specific needs from the program, a
quick ticket to your development team can lead to a customized version which is expertly tailored to your
business.

TIP: Implementing new software and helping employees to get used to it is sometimes a real challenge.
Learn how to improve the new software implementation process.

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010

4. LibreOffice

Derived from the original OpenOffice source code, LibreOffice can give you a sense of what can be done
with open source spreadsheet programs when you tinker under the hood a little. However, LibreOffice is
less an Excel alternative than an alternative reality version of the ever-popular spreadsheet program.

This software offers mainstay Excel features like pivot tables and text-to-columns, but it does lack extensive
formatting options. It also has a tendency to crash on occasion, making it fine for personal use, but not as
reliable for comprehensive business analysis.

5. ThinkFree

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010

Similar to the Google Drive package, ThinkFree offers free spreadsheet software called Calc, alongside
other online document formats named Write and Show. Compatible with other office programs, ThinkFree
facilitates online collaboration and provides users with 1 GB of free online storage – which is an excellent
starting point, if no match for Google Drive’s 15 GB.

6. Excel Web Application

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010

Microsoft built Web Apps for users to store their documents in the cloud and share them with other team
members or clients. Of course, this also means they have created their own rival to Google’s Sheets. The
Excel Web App works similarly, allowing unlimited sharing and co-working on a document. Instead of
sending an Excel spreadsheet via email, you can work on it via Sharepoint and collaborate even more
efficiently.

7. Numbers for Mac

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010

Of course, while Google and Microsoft ran the table, there was no way that Apple could leave its customers
out to dry, which might explain the creation of Numbers, a spreadsheet program for Mac users. One of the
most interesting features of Numbers is its layout – rather than creating an endless grid when you start a
new document, users are given a plain sheet. This gives you the freedom to choose fonts, style cell borders,
and move everything around the canvas as you see fit. The result? A clear sheet with charts that are a
pleasure to look at.

Numbers may just be the best spreadsheet software for visualizing information and creating impactful
presentations from small amounts of data. If you’re not so visually minded, the program also offers pre-built
templates and over 250 functions to support comprehensive analysis. Compatible with iPhones and iPads
as well as Mac, you can access your Apple Numbers sheets wherever you are, and edit them in
collaboration with other team members. And for those clients of yours who are firm PC fans, your Numbers
sheets can even be saved as Excel files. Safe to say that Apple really has thought of everything.

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010

8. Zoho Sheet

Another example of cloud-based spreadsheet software, Zoho Sheet empowers your productivity and
enables working in an Excel-like environment. Users can create new spreadsheets or edit documents
written in any of the other most popular spreadsheet applications. It offers functionality that legacy Excel
users are familiar with, and lets you conveniently switch between .xlsx, .xls, .csv, and .ods formats without
any problems.

However, despite its plethora of features, many people find themselves graduating from Zoho Sheet once
their work becomes too demanding for its functionality to handle. Fortunately, even beyond this list, there
are plenty of other Zoho alternatives to explore to suit all business requirements and price points.

9. SPREAD32

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010
SPREAD32 is another piece of free spreadsheets software that includes over 300 mathematics and
trigonometry functions, as well as reference, logic, engineering and financial categories. It’s also versatile
enough to work with all of the most common spreadsheet files like XLS, CSV, and PXL. When analyzing or
organizing small amounts of data, this free spreadsheet program lets users filter data, inserting charts, and
implement up to three unique conditional formatting settings.

That being said, if you have to compile a comprehensive data analysis, SPREAD32 shouldn’t be your go-to
tool, as it doesn’t support working with a huge amount of data. What’s more, it doesn’t support cloud
storage, so you may need to look for other spreadsheet software if you need to collaborate closely with
others on projects.

10. Gnumeric
Gnumeric is a simple open-source spreadsheet application that has all the basic Excel features, making it
another fine tool for less complicated data analysis. It can open documents created with Excel, Lotus 1-2-3,
OpenOffice, and others, and its open source code allows you to make custom extensions to the app as you
see fit.

One strange detail it’s worth noting about Gnumeric is that its menus and dialogue boxes open under the
main interface. For those more used to the layout of traditional spreadsheet software, this will probably take
some getting used to.

11. BIRT Spreadsheet

Formerly known as Actuate e.Spreadsheet, this downloadable application is a powerful companion when
you need to automate and centralize your spreadsheet production, maintenance, archiving, and security.
The BIRT bundle also includes Free BIRT Spreadsheet Designer – an easy-to-use report writer for creating
authentic Excel files and reports that retain formulas, formatting, live charts and data connections.

And unlike many of the other spreadsheet software packages we’ve discussed, BIRT Spreadsheet offers
many features to facilitate thorough data analysis. These include live formulas, pivot tables, hyperlinks to
navigate to other documents, and data-driven layouts, among many others.

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 Introduction to Microsoft Excel 2010

So, while Excel has many more features than the majority of its free and paid alternatives – especially for
analysis – it’s not necessarily the gold standard. It may be a great tool for some, particularly when large
quantities of data need to be processed, but there are plenty of other spreadsheet software solutions that
can do the job just as well. If you need to analyze your company’s budget and income, it might be more
effective to use specific accounting software. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a clear overview of your client
base, a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool lets you arrange and analyze data even faster
than Excel.

However, many businesses may be better served by a business tool which has been specifically designed
to store and process business data, and present information in easy-to-understand performance
dashboards. Scoro’s functionality offers all of this and more, so why not see if our software

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