Contents

Contents
1 Introduction
The Spreadsheet Concept
7
8
Microsoft Excel 10
Microsoft Office 2010 11
Features of Excel 2010 12
System Requirements 13
The Office 2010 Ribbon 14
Office Starter Edition 15
Excel Starter 2010 16
Excel 2010 and Windows XP 17
Excel 2010 and Windows 7 18
Menu to Ribbon Reference 19

2 Begin with Excel

The Excel Window
21
22
Create a Workbook 24
Add Data to the Worksheet 25
Build the Worksheet 26
Fill Cells 28
Complete the Worksheet 29
Format the Text 30
Number Formats 31
Print the Worksheet 32
Insert, Copy and Paste 34
Excel Help 35
Contextual Help 36
Excel File Formats 37

3 Manage Data
Use Existing Data
39
40
Import Data 42
Navigate the Worksheet 44
Scroll with Wheel Mouse 46
Navigate with Keystrokes 47
Sort Rows 48
Find Entries 49
Filter Information 50
Remove Duplicate Entries 52
Check Spelling 53
Freeze Headers and Labels 54
Hide Columns or Rows 55
Protect a Worksheet 56
4 Formulas and Functions
Number Formats
57
58
Text Formats 60
Relative References 61
Absolute References 62
Name References 63
Operators 64
Calculation Sequence 65
Functions 66
AutoSum 68
Formula Errors 69
Add Comments 70

5 Excel Tables
Create an Excel Table
71
72
Edit Tables 74
Table Styles 75
Table Totals 76
Count Unique Entries 77
Structured References 78
Calculated Columns 79
Insert Rows 80
Custom Sort 82
Print a Table 83
Summarize a Table 84
Convert to a Range 86

6 Advanced Functions
Function Library
87
88
Logical Functions 89
Lookup/Reference Functions 90
Financial Functions 92
Date & Time Functions 94
Text Functions 96
Math & Trig Functions 98
Random Numbers 100
Other Functions: Statistical 101
Other Functions: Engineering 102
Excel Add-ins 103
Evaluate Formula 104
7 Control Excel
Audit Formulas
105
106
Protect Formulas 108
Check for Errors 109
Backup 111
AutoSave and AutoRecovery 112
Startup Switches 113
Create a Shortcut 114
Ribbon KeyTips 115
Using KeyTips 116
Minimize the Ribbon 118
Quick Access Toolbar 119
Mini Toolbar 120
Print Worksheets 121

8 Charts
Create a Chart
123
124
Default Chart Type 126
Change Chart Layout 127
Legend and Data Table 128
Change Chart Type 129
Pie Chart 130
3-D Pie Chart 132
3-D Column Chart 133
Share Data 134
Line Chart 135
Stock Chart 136
Mixed Types 137
Print Charts 138

9 Macros in Excel
Macros
139
140
Create Macros 141
Record a Macro 142
Apply the Macro 144
View the Macro 145
Macro to Make a Table 146
Edit the Macro 148
Use the Macro 149
Create Macros with VBA 150
Add Macros to the Toolbar 152
Debug Macros 154
10 Templates and Scenarios
Templates
155
156
Online Templates 158
More Excel Resources 160
What-If Analysis 162
Summary Reports 164
Goal Seek 166
Optimization 167
Project Worksheet 168
Solver 169

11 Links and Connections

Link to Workbooks
171
172
Create External References 174
Styles of Reference 176
Source Workbook Changes 177
Apply the Updates 178
Turn Off the Prompt 179
Excel in Word 180
Publish as PDF (or XPS) 182
Save on the Web 183
Access the SkyDrive Folder 185
Share Workbooks 186

Index 187
 1 Introduction

8 The Spreadsheet Concept

This chapter shows how the
10 Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet, the electronic
11 Microsoft Office 2010
counterpart of the paper
12 Features of Excel 2010
ledger, has evolved in Excel,
13 System Requirements
taking advantage of the
14 The Office 2010 Ribbon
features of the associated
15 Office Starter Edition
versions of Microsoft Office,
16 Excel Starter 2010
and the operating systems
17 Excel 2010 and Windows XP
(Windows 7, Windows
18 Excel 2010 and Windows 7
Vista, and Windows XP).
19 Menu to Ribbon Reference
Introduction

The Spreadsheet Concept

Spreadsheets, in the guise of the accountant’s ledger sheet, have
been in use for many, many years. They consisted of paper forms
with a two-dimensional grid of rows and columns, often on extra-
large paper, forming two pages of a ledger book for example (hence
the term spreadsheet). They were typically used by accountants to
prepare budget or financial statements. Each row would represent
a different item, with each column showing the value or amount
for that item over a given time period. For example, a forecast for a
Ledger sheets predate
computers and hand 30% margin and 10% growth might show:
calculators, and have
been in use for literally
hundreds of years.

Any changes to the basic figures would mean that all the values
would have to be recalculated and transcribed to another ledger
sheet to show the effect, e.g. for a 20% margin and 60% growth:
8

To make another change, to show 10% margin and 200% growth,

for example, would involve a completely new set of calculations.
And, each time, there would be the possibility of a calculation or
transcription error creeping in.
The first spreadsheet
application was With the advent of the personal computer, a new approach
VisiCorp’s VisiCalc (visible became possible. Applications were developed to simulate the
calculator). Numerous operation of the financial ledger sheet, but the boxes (known as
competitive programs
cells) that formed the rows and columns could store text, numbers,
appeared, but market
leadership was taken first or a calculation formula based on the contents of other cells. The
by Lotus 123, and now spreadsheet looked the same, since it was the results that were
by Microsoft Excel. displayed, rather than the formulas themselves. However, when
the contents of a cell were changed in the spreadsheet, all the cells
whose values depended on that changed cell were automatically
recalculated.
...cont’d

This new approach allowed a vast improvement in productivity

for various activities, such as forecasting. In the example shown
above, you’d set up the initial spreadsheet using formulas, rather
than calculating the individual cell values. Your spreadsheet might
contain a set of values and formulas, for example:

The = sign signals to

Excel that what follows
is a formula and must be
calculated.

However, what will be displayed in the cells are the actual values
that the formulas compute, based on the contents of other cells:

9
When you want to see the effect of changes, different values for
margin and growth, for example, you change just those items and
instantly see the effect, as the values calculated by the formulas are
adjusted and redisplayed.
The capabilities of the spreadsheet applications have evolved, and Sets of predefined
the use of spreadsheets has extended far beyond the original use functions were
for financial planning and reporting. They can now handle any added, plus support
activity that involves arrays of values interrelated by formulas, for writing small
programs, or macros,
grading examination scores, interpreting experimental data, or
to manipulate the data.
keeping track of assets and inventories for example. In fact, the Further developments
newest spreadsheet applications seem to support just about any incorporated graphs,
requirement you can imagine. images, and audio.
Introduction

Microsoft Excel
VisiCalc and Lotus 123 were MS-DOS programs, subject to its
command-line interface, but Microsoft Excel was developed for
Windows. It was the first spreadsheet program to allow users
to control the visual aspects of the spreadsheet (fonts, character
attributes, and cell appearance). It introduced intelligent cell
recomputation, where only cells dependent on the cell being
modified are updated (previous spreadsheet programs recomputed
everything all the time, or waited for a specific Recalc command).
Later versions of Excel were shipped as part of the bundled
Microsoft Office suite of applications, which included programs
like Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint.
Versions of Excel for Microsoft Windows and Office include:
Microsoft Multiplan, the
predecessor of Excel, was
an MS-DOS program. 1987 Excel 2.0 Windows
There were also Apple
Mac versions of Excel, 1990 Excel 3.0 Windows
starting with Excel 1.0. 1992 Excel 4.0 Windows
1993 Excel 5.0 Windows
10

1995 Excel 95 (v7.0) Office 95

1997 Excel 97 (v8.0) Office 97
1999 Excel 2000 (v9.0) Office 2000
2001 Excel 2002 (v10) Office XP
2003 Excel 2003 (v11) Office 2003
2007 Excel 2007 (v12) Office 2007
Originally, the program 2010 Excel 2010 (v14) Office 2010
was referred to by the full
name, Microsoft Excel, The newer versions of Excel provide many enhancements to the
since the name Excel user interface, and incorporate connections with Microsoft Office
belonged to a financial and other applications. The basis of the program, however, remains
software program.
the same. It still consists of a large array of cells, organized into
However, Microsoft now
owns that trademark, rows and columns, and containing data values or formulas with
so this distinction is no relative or absolute references to other cells. This means that many
longer necessary. of the techniques and recommendations included in this book
will be applicable to whichever version of Excel you may be using,
or even if you are using a spreadsheet from another family of
products, though, of course, the specifics of the instructions may
need to be adjusted.
Microsoft Office 2010
Microsoft Office 2010 is the latest version of Microsoft Office,
and it is available in a variety of editions, including:

• Office 2010 Home and Student You may sometimes see

• Office 2010 Home and Business this product referred
to as Office 14, this is
• Office 2010 Standard the internal numbering

• Office 2010 Professional

system used by the
Microsoft development

• Office 2010 Professional Academic teams.

• Office 2010 Professional Plus

All these editions include Microsoft Excel, and
the application is also available as a separate,
stand-alone product. In either case, Excel 2010
incorporates the Office result-oriented user
interface, with the Ribbon, File tab, BackStage,
Galleries, and Live Preview, etc.
Excel 2010 also uses the Microsoft Office file format, OpenXML,

11
as the default file format. This is based on XML and uses ZIP
compression, so the files will be up to 75% smaller than those in
the older Microsoft Office file formats.
Other shared Office features include the Document Theme,
which defines colors, fonts, and graphic effects for a spreadsheet
or other Office document, and collaboration services for sharing
spreadsheets and documents with other users.

• Office 2010 Starter Edition

Some computers may be supplied with a limited Office 2010 The Office Starter edition
edition, which includes starter editions of Word and Excel. replaces the Microsoft
These exclude functions, such as macros, add-ins, full screen view, Works office product,
customizable ribbon, and quick access toolbar. which is no longer being

•
marketed.
Office Web Apps
Microsoft offers a free, web-based version of Office, this includes
online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
These web apps feature user interfaces similar to the full desktop
products, and allow you to share documents with users who may
not have Office 2010 on their systems.
Introduction

Features of Excel 2010

In addition to the features Microsoft Office 2010 shares with the
other Office applications, Microsoft Excel has its own, exclusive
features. These include:

l
A spreadsheet in Excel
contains multiple sheets, 1 Worksheets can have up to 1,048,576 rows and 16,384
each of which is known columns, rather than the previous limits of 65,536 by 256
as a Worksheet. The set
of worksheets in an Excel
file forms a Workbook.

l 2 Color Scales, Icon Sets, and Data Bars apply conditional

formatting, based on the values of cells in a group

l 3
12

Page Layout view allows you to create and update

spreadsheets as they will appear when printed

l 4 The charting engine includes 3D rendering, transparencies

and shadows, and will highlight trends in the data

l 5 Sparklines - tiny charts that fit in a single cell - help to

visually summarize trends in your data (see page 178)
System Requirements
To install and run Excel 2010, your computer should match or
better the minimum hardware and operating system requirements
for Office 2010. If you are upgrading to Office 2010, from Office
2007, the hardware should already meet the requirements, though These are minimum
you may need to upgrade your operating system. For an upgrade requirements. You may
need other components
from Office 2003, you will need to check that both hardware and
(e.g. a sound card and
operating system meet the minimum specifications for Office speakers to handle audio
2010, this includes: clips) for some of the
features in Excel
Operating system Windows XP SP3 (32-bit), Windows
Vista SP2 or Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit)
Processor speed 500 MHz or higher
Memory 256 MB or higher
Devices DVD drive
Hard disk 3.52 GB available space for installation Office 2010 is available
in a 32-bit version, which
Monitor 1024x768 resolution or higher runs on 32-bit and 64-
bit operating systems.

13
Internet connection Broadband connection recommended for
There is a 64-bit version
download and product activation of Office, but Microsoft
recommends using the
32-bit version except in
exceptional cases, for
very large spreadsheets
for example.

Your computer must

also meet the hardware
requirements for your
chosen operating
system. These may
Additional Software Requirements exceed the minimum
If you have another computer still running an older version of specifications for Office
Office, and you need to work with Excel files that are in the 2010, especially with
Office 2010 format, you might download the Microsoft Office advanced systems, such
Compatibility Pack, from www.microsoft.com/downloads. This as Windows 7 and Aero.
will allow older versions of Excel to read the new file format.
Introduction

The Office 2010 Ribbon

The menus and toolbars that were used in previous versions of
Excel used a top-down approach, which made it difficult to find
the appropriate tools. These have now been replaced by the Ribbon.
With this, commands are organized in logical groups, under
command tabs. These include the Home, Insert, Page Layout,
The other Office 2010
programs, such as Formulas, Data, and Review tabs, and they follow the order in
Access, PowerPoint, which tasks are normally performed. When you click any of these
Word, and Outlook, also tabs, the corresponding commands are displayed in the Ribbon.
use the Ribbon, which
displays tabs appropriate
to each application.

The Ribbon may also include contextual command tabs, which

14

The File tab displays appear when you perform a specific task. For example, if you select
the BackStage view, some data and then click the Column button in Charts, the chart
which provides general tool tabs, Design, Layout, and Format, will be displayed.
document file functions,
plus Help and the Excel
Options (see page 18).

You can minimize the Ribbon, to make more room available on

the screen. You’ll still be able to access the commands on the
Ribbon by redisplaying the Ribbon as a temporary overlay, or by
using shortcut keys (see page 118).
Office Starter Edition
If your computer has Office Starter edition preinstalled, you must
select the version of Office to install before you can run Excel.

l 1 Select Start, and then click

Microsoft Office 2010

You can choose to

activate an existing
license for Office 2010,
go online to purchase
a copy, or use Office
Starter 2010.

15
l 2 To install Office Starter 2010, click the Use button

l 3 The Office Starter 2010 contents are listed, and you are
given another opportunity to purchase Office. Click the
Open button to confirm you want Office Starter
Introduction

Excel Starter 2010

l 1 Select Start, All Programs, Microsoft Office Starter, and

then choose Microsoft Excel Starter 2010

The Microsoft Office

2010 entry is still on the
Start menu, but it shows
that Office Starter is now
installed, and it offers
the other two entries,
Activate and Purchase.

l
16

2 Excel Starter 2010 opens, ready for you to create and edit
spreadsheets, as with any version of Excel

The right hand section

of the Excel window
displays a series of
advertising messages.
Initially, these are all
Microsoft Office related,
but 3rd party adverts
may appear in the future.
Excel Starter uses the Ribbon interface, but it has fewer functions
than the full Excel 2010, as shown by the reduced number of tabs
Excel 2010 and Windows XP
If you have Office 2010 on your system (or if you purchase it
from Office Starter), you can start the full Excel 2010.
When your system is running under Windows XP:

l 1 Click the Start button, click

All Programs, and then click
Microsoft Office
Windows XP does not
offer the Start Menu
Search box provided

l 2 Click Microsoft Excel 2010

This starts up the full version of Excel 2010, with the same
in Windows Vista
and Windows 7 (see
page 18), so you must
navigate through the
interface and functions that you find in Excel 2010 running under Start menu.
Windows Vista or Windows 7 (as used for the examples and
illustrations in this book).

17
Right-click the Excel
2010 entry and select
Pin to Start menu, you’ll
now be able to select
Excel 2010 from the top
of the Start menu in
future.

The only significant areas of difference are in the file management

aspects, since Windows XP uses My Documents rather than the
Document folder in Windows Vista, or the Documents Library in
Windows 7.
The Excel functions and procedures are the same, whichever
operating system you are using.
Introduction

Excel 2010 and Windows 7

With Excel installed under Windows 7, you will use the new style
Start menu to begin running Excel 2010.

Under Windows Vista

or Windows 7, you can
select Start, type the
l 1 Click the Start button
and move the mouse
pointer over the All
program name Excel,
Programs entry
and select the program

l
entry, listed at the top of
the Start menu. 2 When the program
list appears, click
Microsoft Office,
and select Microsoft
Office Excel 2010

l 3 Excel 2010 starts

ready for you to create
or edit spreadsheets
18

The Excel window will

exhibit transparency
effects, if your Windows
7 (or Windows Vista)
system is Aero-enabled.

l 4 Right-click the icon

on the taskbar and select Pin this program to taskbar, to
provide a quick launch for Excel, under Windows 7
Menu to Ribbon Reference

l
1 At office.microsoft.com, click Get help finding commands

If you are used to a

previous release of Excel,
you’ll be able to locate
the equivalent command
in Excel 2010, using the
Excel menu to ribbon
reference guide.

l
2 Select the link for Office 2010 Interactive Guides

19
l
3 Scroll down to Get a printable list, and select Get the
Office 2010 menu-to-ribbon reference workbooks

The file is in the form of

l
4 Select the Excel Menu to ribbon, and
click the Download button to transfer
the file to your computer
an Excel 2010 template.
Introduction

...cont’d

l 5 Save the template to your hard drive

There are more than

forty worksheets in the
Command Reference.
To list them, right-click
the Worksheet scroll bar.
Click More Sheets, if the
menu or toolbar you
l 6 The template will open in an Excel window

want isn’t shown.

20

There is a worksheet for each of the menu and toolbar names

from Excel 2003. For example, the Insert Menu worksheet lists
the commands now located on various Excel 2010 tabs.

To search for a specific

command, click the
Home tab, and then
click Find & Select, and
Find, then type in the
command name you
wish to locate.