NMU Fundamental

Computer
Skills
(FCS-SS)
Advanced Spreadsheet Skills

L van der Post

M Taljaard
CH Dixie
H Irvine
 Table of Content
Case: GO-Travel..................................................................................................................................................... ii
1. Workbook Data Formatting & Security ........................................................................................................ 1
A. Data Validation .......................................................................................................................................... 2
B. Custom & Pre-set Conditional Formatting ............................................................................................... 6
C. Protecting a Worksheet and a Workbook .............................................................................................. 12
2. Working with Multiple Sheets and Workbooks in Excel ............................................................................ 15
A. Renaming, Adding, Deleting and Changing the Order of Worksheets ................................................. 16
B. Entering Data across Sheets .................................................................................................................. 16
C. Entering Formulas in a Worksheet Group.............................................................................................. 18
D. Formatting and Printing a Worksheet Group ......................................................................................... 19
E. Ungrouping Worksheets .......................................................................................................................... 20
F. Consolidating Data from Multiple Worksheets ...................................................................................... 20
G. Using Data from Multiple Workbooks .................................................................................................... 22
3. Working with Excel Tables ......................................................................................................................... 26
A. Structure of a Excel List Table ................................................................................................................ 27
B. Creating a List Table................................................................................................................................ 27
C. Freezing Rows and Columns .................................................................................................................. 28
D. Using Find and Replace .......................................................................................................................... 29
E. Sorting Data ............................................................................................................................................. 29
F. Inserting, Deleting and Finding Records in a Table .............................................................................. 31
G. Adding a Total Row to a Table Range..................................................................................................... 33
H. Using Lookup Tables ............................................................................................................................... 34
I. Handling formula errors .......................................................................................................................... 38
J. Using the ISNA Function ......................................................................................................................... 39
4. Handling Multiple Conditions and Multiple Outcomes .............................................................................. 42
A. Logical Expressions ................................................................................................................................. 43
B. Using the IF Function .............................................................................................................................. 43
C. Using the AND & OR Functions ............................................................................................................... 45
D. Creating Nested IF Functions ................................................................................................................. 47
5. Working with Financial Functions ............................................................................................................. 49
A. Financial Concepts .................................................................................................................................. 50
B. Applying Financial Functions .................................................................................................................. 52
C. Working with Date and Time Functions ................................................................................................. 56
Projects ............................................................................................................................................................... 59
Scenarios ............................................................................................................................................................ 63
A. General and Logical Functions ............................................................................................................... 63
B. Financial Functions ................................................................................................................................. 90
References .......................................................................................................................................................... 99

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Case: GO-Travel

GO-Travel is a business run by an enterprising student, Zach Batyi. He is the representative on-campus for a
national travel agency. He uses his computer for record keeping, communication and to keep track of his
business opportunities. Zach is not a computer expert, and has employed you to set up all the various types of
documents he needs to run his travel agency effectively.
Zach needs spreadsheets to list the packages he sells, calculate sales, budget, determine his commission and
work out savings plans. He needs different word processing documents for marketing and sales. He needs to
keep track of his client database and select relevant information on a query. Finally, he needs to be able to link
information from various sources in single documents.

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1. Workbook Data Formatting & Security

When you first create an Excel workbook, you might assume that you will always be the only person to work with
the file, and therefore would never need some security in place. This might not always be the case.
It is useful to use the built-in features to check that data entered into the workbook satisfy certain criteria. You
can also protect the formulas in the workbook from accidental deletion or modification.

In this section you will learn to:

• Create a validation rule to define the type of data to
be entered (A)
• Check for invalid data (A)
• Create an input message to inform the user of the
type of data to enter (A)
• Create an error message to be displayed if the
wrong type of data is entered (A)
• Format cells based on a condition (B)
• Protect and unprotect worksheets so cells cannot
be accidentally edited (C)

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A. Data Validation
The Excel data validation feature can be used to make sure that the correct type of data is entered into a cell or
range of cells. This feature can assist users of a workbook to know what type of data needs to be entered by
displaying an error message if the incorrect type of data is entered or by displaying a message on input to specify
the type of data that can be entered.
To implement data validation, you create a validation rule that defines the type of data that can be entered. This
includes data types such as whole numbers, dates, time or text as well as a range of acceptable values (for
example, whole numbers between 10 and 120).

Creating a Validation Rule

1. Select the cell(s) to which you wish to apply the rule. You can apply the same rule to a range of cells by
selecting the range, or non-adjacent cells using Ctrl-Shift.
2. Select DATA tab, Data Validation button.
3. Click the Settings tab.
4. Click the Allow list arrow, then select the type of data that will be allowed.

• Any value can be entered (default)

• Only a whole number or integer can be entered. A range can be specified.
• A Decimal means any type of numeric value. A range can be specified.
• A List can be taken from a range of cells or entered into the dialog box.
• A range of acceptable date values can be specified.
• A range of acceptable time values can be specified.
• Text length gives the exact number of characters that will be accepted as the cell entry.
• Custom means that the rule will be based on an Excel logical formula.
5. Depending on the data type chosen, further options will be made available.

In this example, a date entered

in the cell must be after 6
January 2008

6. Set the options as appropriate, then select OK

Creating an Input Message

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An input message appears when a user clicks on the cell, providing information about the type of data allowed
in the cell.
1. Select DATA tab, Data Validation button.
2. Click the Input Message tab.

Make sure this checkbox is selected.

Title of the message box.

Text that appears in the message box.

3. Select the Show input message when cell is selected checkbox.

4. Enter the appropriate Title and Input message.
5. Click OK.

Creating an Error Alert Message

If a user enters the incorrect type of data in a cell that has a validation rule applied to it, an error alert message
can be displayed.
1. Select DATA tab, Data Validation button.
2. Click the Error Alert tab.

Make sure this checkbox is selected.

Stop prevents the incorrect data from

being stored.

Warning prevents the entered data

from being stored, unless you override
it.

Information accepts the data, allowing

you to cancel if you choose.

3. Select an alert style.

4. Enter the Title and text for the Error message.
5. Click OK.

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Circling Invalid Data

You can use Circle Invalid Data to find validation errors in data that has been entered into a worksheet.

1. Select DATA tab, click the arrow on the Data Validation button to view additional
options.
2. Click the Circle Invalid Data option .
3. Circles will appear around cells that contain invalid data.
4. If you enter valid data into a cell, the circle around it will disappear.
5. To hide the circles without changing the data, select the Clear Validation Circles option from the Data
Validation button drop down list.

Exercise 1.1:
 Validating Data Entry
You want to help Zach with the data entry by setting validation rules and providing messages on the cells
where he needs to enter data, namely client names, dates and hours.
1. Download and open the FCS Excel Lesson 1 data file from SMark, SeaBreezeCruises-student
number.xlsx
2. Select the Sales sheet.
3. Select the cells where the client names will be entered: A10:A15 – note: do NOT do data validation
on the heading for each range; only the data.
4. Create an input message to tell Zach to enter the client’s surname here:
• Select DATA tab, Data Validation button.
• Click the Input Message tab.
• Make sure the Show input message when cell is selected check box is checked.
• Enter the Title as Client.
• For the Input message enter the words: Enter the client initials surname
• Click OK.
• Click on any of the cells in A10:A15 and check that your Input message shows. Also check
that the message does not show when you click on A9 or A16 or anywhere in column B!
5. Now set a validation rule to make sure Zach can only enter a date into the column for dates. The
rule will also state that the date has to be after today.
• Select cells B10:B15.
• Click DATA tab, Data Validation button.
• Click the Settings tab.
• Click the Allow list arrow and select Date.
• Choose the Data option greater than.
• Enter the Start Date as 26 July 2020 (type it using the long format as given).
6. Now, with the Validation Rule dialog box still open, set up an input message for the date cells:
• Click the Input Message tab.
• Make sure the Show input message when cell is selected check box is checked.
• Enter the Title as Date.
• For the Input message enter the words: Enter the date for which the cruise is booked.
• Select OK.
• To check your validation rule, enter yesterday’s date in cell B10 and see what happens.
Change the date to tomorrow’s date and see what happens. Once you are happy that your
validation rule is working correctly, delete any checking data you typed in column B.
7. Create a validation rule for the hours column, so that Zach can only enter 1, 2 or 3 hours:

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• Select cells C10:C15.

• Click DATA tab, Data Validation button.
• Click the Settings tab.
• Click the Allow list arrow and select Whole number.
• Choose the Data option between.
• Set the Minimum to be 1.
• Set the Maximum to 3.
8. With the Validation Rule dialog box still open, set up an error alert that will not accept any numbers
other than 1, 2, or 3.
• Click the Error Alert tab.
• Choose the Style to be Stop.
• Enter the Title for the message as Hours.
• Enter the Error message text as Cruise time can only be 1, 2 or 3 hours.
• Click OK.
• Check that your validation rule is working by entering values such as 0, 2 & 5 in any of the
hours cells – only 1, 2 or 3 should be accepted. Clear your checking data once you are
satisfied.
9. Save the workbook as SeaBreezeCruises-student number.xlsx but keep it open as you will be using
it again in Exercise 1.2.

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B. Custom & Pre-set Conditional Formatting

You can display your data in different ways, depending on specific criteria. For example, you may want to be able
to identify students with low class work marks on the class list or identify the highest score achieved by a
contestant in a list of players. You can also apply a number of criteria to a list of data and specify when, which
order and which criteria need to be applied, depending on the analysis you need from your data at different
times.
To implement conditional formatting, you create a formatting rule that defines the condition(s) data must meet,
to apply specific formatting settings.
Using a Pre-Set Conditional Formatting Rule
1. Select the cell(s) to which you wish to apply the rule. You can apply the same rule to a range of cells by
selecting the range, or non-adjacent cells using Ctrl-Shift.
2. Click the Conditional Formatting button on the HOME tab – a drop-down menu list appears.

Pre-set options for setting a rule.

Customising & managing rules.

Pre-set options are a quick way of selecting a rule and the selecting how the cell content should be
displayed, for those cells that match the rule – use this table as a reference to find the type of conditional
formatting rule that you want:

Rule Set Rule Explanation: Applies formatting choice to all cells where …
Highlight Cells Rules Greater Than… the values are > the value given
Less Than… the values are < the value given
Between… the values are between the values given – includes both given values
Equal to… the values = the value given
Text that Contains… the text contains the text given – at the start, middle or end
A Date Occurring… the dates are selected, relative to the current date – e.g. yesterday,
next week, last month
Duplicate Values… the same values are also in another cell within the range
Top/Bottom Rules Top 10 items… the highest 10 items in the range are selected – you can change the
number of items
Top 10 %... the highest 10% of items in the range are selected
Bottom 10 items the lowest 10 items in the range are selected
Bottom 10 %... the lowest 10% of items in the range are selected
Above Average… the values in the range are higher than the average of the range
Below Average… the values in the range are lower than the average of the range

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Rule Set Rule Explanation: Applies formatting choice to all cells where …
Data Bars Gradient Fill a mini bar-chart is created using a gradient colour
Solid Fill a mini bar-chart is created using a solid colour
Colour Scales ~ the cells are filled with different colours, depending on their value
Icon Sets Directional
Shapes icons are added to each cell, depending on how the numbers relate
Indicators to each other
Ratings

3. Click on the type of rule set and select one of the options.
4. If necessary, add the value(s) to be used in the comparison, select the type of formatting and click OK.

Exercise 1.2:
 Use Pre-Set Conditional Formatting Rules
You want to help Zach with the data analysis by highlighting certain values to provide easy use of the
information.
10. Return to the SeaBreezeCruises-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 1.1.
11. Select the Sales sheet.
12. Open the SeaBreezeCruisesData.xlsx file (available in the FCS Data Files\05 Spreadsheets folder in
Learning Material). Copy the Client, Date and Hours data (i.e. do NOT include the headings) from
the Data file and use Paste, Value (see Paste Tip below) to paste these values into your 1-1 workbook
in cells A10:C15.
Paste Tip
When you just click on the Paste button on the HOME tab, the source formatting
is carried over to the destination cells. When you want to maintain the current
destination formatting (e.g. the Data Validation Rules that you have already set
up), you need to use one of the other Paste options. In this case, click on the
down-arrow below the Paste button and select the Values (V) option in the Paste
Values group.
If you have used the wrong option and erased all your validation rules, click on
the Undo button to return your 1-1 to its original state and re-do the Paste using
the correct option.
Check that your data validation rules are still there, before you continue.
13. Now that you have checking data in your workbook, let us fix some basic formatting issues to make
 the worksheet easier to read:
• Centre-align the Hours values in A2:A4 and C10:C15 (see Selection Tip below) – always be
careful about ONLY selecting the specific cells and NOT any adjacent cells.
• Use Format Painter to copy the date format from cell B10 to the other dates in B11:B15.
• Change the money amounts in cells B2:B4 and D10:G15 to the Currency Number format.
• Wrap the label in G9 so that the whole label can be seen, without changing the column width.
• Select columns D:G and then double-click the line between any two of these column labels –
e.g. F | G – to ensure that the columns use an efficient amount of space to display the content;
not too wide and not too narrow.

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Selection Tip
When you want to apply an action to a number of non-adjacent cells, you can use the Ctrl button
on the keyboard, to select more than one non-adjacent cell or range, before selecting the formatting
that you want to apply to all those cells: Select the first cell or range of cells using your mouse, then
hold down the Ctrl button on your keyboard and select the additional cell(s) or range(s) of cells,
using your mouse.

14. Create a conditional formatting rule to show Zach at a glance, which bookings are for more than 1
 Hour:
• Select the Hours data range – C10:C15 (note that you do NOT want to select the entire column
or include the heading in the range).
• Select HOME tab, Conditional Formatting button.
• Point to the Highlight Cells Rules option and then click on the pop-up Greater Than… option.

• Change the value to be greater than 1 and select the Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text pre-set
formatting option. Before you click OK, check the C10:C15 range to see if the rule will do what
you want, as the rule is applied to the cells as you make changes to the pop-up window’s
selections.
• You realise that the formatting you chose is not really appropriate and difficult to see, so
change the formatting selection to the Green Fill with Dark Green Text and re-check the display.
• Once you are happy with your formatting selection, click OK so that the rule is applied
permanently. If you click on Cancel at this point, the display will return to the original
formatting.
15. Set another conditional formatting rule, to highlight any bookings for Next Month, using the Date data
range and the Red Border pre-set formatting option. Use the table above to find the required pre-
set option and the process in 13 above to do the task.
16. Use the pre-set Colour Scale conditional formatting rule to display the Commission Amt data, using
the Green-Yellow-Red Colour Scale.
17. Set a conditional formatting rule of your choice on the Profit Amt data range – experiment with a few
different types – e.g. set Gradient Fill Purple Data Bars
18. Save the workbook as SeaBreezeCruises-student number.xlsx but keep it open as you will be using
it again in Exercise 1.3.

Using Formulas in a Conditional Formatting Rule

You can use a formula to create a customised conditional formatting rule, if the pre-set rules do not cover what
you want for your workbook.
1. Select the cell(s) to which you wish to apply the rule. You can apply the same rule to a range of cells by
selecting the range, or non-adjacent cells using Ctrl or Ctrl-Shift.

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2. Click the Conditional Formatting button on the HOME tab, and select the New Rule option.

Different types of formatting rules.

Selection of settings for the particular

rule.

3. Select the Rule Type.

4. Use the drop-down arrows and / or the cell-reference icons to make your selections for the detailed
settings of the rule you have selected.
5. Click OK.

Exercise 1.3:
 Create & Edit Customised Conditional Formatting Rules
You want to add some customised formatting to help Zach with the data analysis by highlighting certain
values to provide easy use of the information.
19. Return to the SeaBreezeCruises-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 1.2.
20. Select the Sales sheet.
21. Create a conditional formatting rule to show Zach at a glance, which bookings are for R500 only –
i.e. any customer who has booked for a 1-hour cruise.
• Select the Cost data range – C10:C15.
• Select HOME tab, Conditional Formatting button.
• Click on the New Rule… option.
• Click on the Format only cells that contain rule type and edit
the rule descriptions as follows:
 Use the drop-down arrow to select that you want the Cell
value to be equal to
 Type 500 in the next text-box
 Click on the Format button and select the Fill tab:
 Select the light blue colour indicated above and then
click OK
 Click OK

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22. You realise that you want to highlight the same cells, even if the cost for a 1-hour cruise changes,
so you need to edit the above rule to refer to the value in cell B2:
• Select the Cost data range – C10:C15.
• Select HOME tab, Conditional Formatting button.
• Click on the Manage Rules… option.

• Click on the Edit Rule… button, change the value 500 by clicking on the cell-reference selector,
then click on cell B2 and close the Edit Formatting Rule pop-up by clicking on the selector
again or the X. Click OK, click on Apply and then click on OK.

23. Set a New Rule… using the Total data range of F10:F15.
• Select the Use a formula to determine which cells to format Rule Type and type the following
formula in the Format values where this formula is true text box (ensure that no absolute cell
addressing used):
=50%*F10>450
• Select that the Font used in the cells where the formula is true, uses the Standard Colour
Purple. Click OK twice.
Your worksheet should look something like the following (your experimental Profit Amt data could be
formatting differently, depending what you did earlier):

24. Save the workbook as SeaBreezeCruises-student number.xlsx but keep it open as you will be using
it again in Exercise 1.4.
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Managing Conditional Formatting Rules

You can clear all the rules you have set up, edit rules and organise multiple rules that are applied to the same
cells. You can also change the display rules for pre-set conditional formatting rules.
1. Select the cell(s) to which you wish to apply the rule. You can apply the same rule to a range of cells by
selecting the range, or non-adjacent cells using Ctrl.
2. Click the Conditional Formatting button on the HOME tab, and select the Manage Rules… option or Clear
Rules … option – the latter only if you are SURE that you want to clear all the rules in the selected range(s)
of cells or entire worksheet.
3. If you have selected the Manage Rules…, select the task you want to do by clicking on the relevant button:
 Set a customised New Rule… (handled in Exercise 1.3)
 Change a rule by selecting the relevant rule in the list and then Edit Rule… (handled in Exercise 1.3)
 Clear a rule by selecting the relevant rule in the list and then Delete Rule
4. Also in Manage Rules… if you have m multiple rules set for the same cell(s) or range(s) of cells, you can
move these rules up or down in sequence of application and indicate which rule that you want to be the
final display, if the condition is met, and stop any other rules being applied.
5. Click OK when you have completed the task.

Exercise 1.4:
 Manage Formatting Rules
You want to manage some of the conditional formatting rules that you have set and set priorities of rule
application.
25. Return to the SeaBreezeCruises-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 1.3.
26. Select the Sales sheet.
27. Clear whatever rule you have applied to the Profit Amt data range:
• Select the Profit Amt data range –E10:E15.
• Select HOME tab, Conditional Formatting button.
• Point to the Clear Rules… option, then click on the Clear Rules from Selected Cells option. If
you accidently click on the option Clear All Rules from the Entire sheet and all your conditional
formatting rules disappear, just click UNDO to restore the status of the worksheet and try
again.
28. Add the pre-set Data Bars rule to the Profit Amt data range, using Gradient Fill, Purple Data Bars.
The data will display as indicated in the example at the end of Exercise 1-3.
29. Set a customised New Rule… on the same set of data, to fill the highest profit amounts in a
different colour:
• Go to the Conditional Formatting, Manage Rules… dialogue box
• Click on the New Rule… button
• Select the Format only top or bottom ranked values and edit the Rule Description settings to
Top 1 (not 10) and format the display to Fill using the Standard Colour Light Blue. Click OK.
• Select this new rule and use the down arrow (next to the Delete Rule button) to move the new
rule below the Data Bars rule and click Apply.
If you look carefully, you will see that the highest values in cells E10 and E12 have a
light blue top and bottom border – but this is not particularly clear.
• Click on the Top 1 rule and check the Stop if True box on the right and click Apply –
this means that the display for each cell will stop if the Top 1 rule is true. But you will
notice that this made no difference to the display because the Data Bars rule is done
first.
• Move the Top 1 rule up so that it is the first rule in the list and click Apply. Notice how
the cells containing the highest values in the range (E10 and E12) do not get

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overwritten with the Data Bars formatting rule, because the conditional formatting for those
cells will stop once the Top 1 rule is true.
• Click OK.
30. Save the workbook as SeaBreezeCruises-student number.xlsx, but keep it open as you will be using
it again in Exercise 1.5.

C. Protecting a Worksheet and a Workbook

Once you have set up the structure of a workbook — labels, formulas and validation rules, you may wish to protect
certain cells so that a user cannot change them. For example, you may have set up a workbook so that all the
user needs to do is enter the data and the formulas will automatically perform all the calculations. You would
not want the user to change a formula by mistake, as the calculations would then be incorrect.
With workbook protection, you can prevent users from editing certain cells in a worksheet, or prevent them from
deleting certain worksheets or inserting new ones. You can also prevent users from being able to view the
formulas in the worksheet.

Protecting Cells in a Worksheet

To protect cells in a worksheet, you first set the locked property of the cells. All cells are locked by default, but
the locked property has no effect until you protect the worksheet. Therefore, if you simply protect the worksheet,
the entire sheet will be locked and you will not be able to edit any of the cells. The first step in the process is to
unlock the cells that you want to be able to edit. Then you activate the locked property for the other cells by
protecting the worksheet.
1. Select all the cells in which data can be entered, and unlock these cells:
• Select the Format button in the Cells group on the HOME tab.
• Select the Format Cells… option at the bottom of the list. Click the Protection tab

Deselect this option to unlock

the selected cells.

Select this option to prevent the

formula in the cell(s) from
appearing in the formula bar
when the cell is selected.

• Deselect the Locked check box.

• Click OK
• Deselect the cells.
2. Now protect the worksheet:
• Select Review tab, Protect Sheet button.
• Enter a Password to unprotect sheet if you wish. This is optional and can be left blank. If you choose
to set a password, you will be able to use the password to unlock cells while working on the worksheet.

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• Select all the actions that users will be allowed to do when working on the protected sheet.

Optional. Use so that only user knowing

password can unprotect the sheet.

Default options.

• Select OK.

Exercise 1.5:
 Protecting Cells in a Worksheet
You have set up the validation & conditional formatting rules for the data that Zach will need to enter into
the Sea Breeze Cruises workbook. Now, you want to protect the cells containing labels and the formulas
that calculate total cost and commission, so that he will not change them by mistake, but can still enter
data into the cells for client names, dates and hours. In this way, you can both be sure that the
calculations will be accurate.
31. Return to the SeaBreezeCruises-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 1.4
32. Unlock the cells that will have data entered:
• Select the Sales sheet.
• Select the range containing the client name, date and # hours.
• Select the Format button in the Cells group on the HOME tab.
• Select the Format Cells… option at the bottom of the list.
• Click the Protection tab.
• Deselect the Locked check box.
• Click OK
• Deselect the cells.
33. Now protect the workbook, without a password, but do NOT allow the selection of locked cells. In
this instance, you do not want to use a password, because the protected data is not confidential
and as you will not be working regularly with the workbook, you may forget the password.
• Select REVIEW tab, Protect Sheet.
• De-select the checkbox for Select Locked cells.
• Select OK.
• The workbook is now protected so that only the range A10:C15 can be edited. Because you
did not set a password, it can be unprotected by any user that knows how to do it, without
needing to worry about a password. Click on surrounding cells to check – you should not be
able to select any cells outside the range A10:C15.
34. There is an alternative method to protect a workbook and only allow certain cells to be available to
the user is as follows – BUT, make sure that you follow ALL the steps and do NOT skip a step!
Please note that there is better control of where the user can click with the Cells Unlock method
than this one.
• Select the Documentation sheet.
• Select B3:C10.
• Unlock this data range – see method in 32 above.
• Select REVIEW tab, Allow Users to Edit Ranges.

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• Click the New… button.

• In the pop-up window, do NOT change anything, (especially the name for SMark purposes) –
just click OK.

• Click the Apply button.

• Do NOT click OK – always click the Protect Sheet … button, and then in the Protect Sheet
dialogue box, for this type of protection, make sure that Select Locked Cells is checked, and
only then should you click OK.
35. Save the workbook as SeaBreezeCruises-student number.xlsx and CLOSE the file.
36. Upload your solution to the SMark project FCS Excel Lesson 1 and CHECK the feedback report, to
ensure that you completed this set of exercises 100% correctly. If not:
i. Return to the relevant concept explanations to improve your understanding
ii. Check that you have followed the relevant Exercise instruction exactly.

Disabling Worksheet Protection

You may wish to edit a protected worksheet, and would then need to unprotect it. Once you have completed
your changes, you can then turn the protection back on.
1. Select REVIEW tab, Unprotect Sheet button
2. If you chose to protect the sheet using a password, you will be prompted to enter the password, then click
OK.
3. The worksheet is now unprotected, and you can edit all cells.

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2. Working with Multiple Sheets and Workbooks in Excel

When you first create an Excel workbook, it automatically contains three worksheets. You can use one or all of
these and also add, delete and change the order of the sheets. These sheets, by default named Sheet1, Sheet2
and Sheet3, can be given names relevant to the data they contain. You can change this default setting so that
a new workbook will contain the number of sheets you prefer.
If more than one sheet contains the same data or calculations, for example, sales figures for each month are on
a different sheet, but follow the same format, you can enter data in all the monthly sheets at the same time.
It is useful to have the first sheet as a documentation sheet, which gives the names of the other sheets and a
description of what they contain. You move between the sheets by clicking the sheet tabs at the bottom of the
workbook window.
You can enter and edit data on one or more worksheets simultaneously and perform calculations using data
from more than one worksheet. Data entered once, can be extracted and referenced on different worksheets or
workbooks.
Using multiple worksheets allows you to break your data up into smaller sections, rather than have all your data
on one large, unmanageable worksheet. In one workbook, you could have a number of different worksheets,
each containing related data.

In this section you will learn to:

• Rename, add, delete and change the order of worksheets. (A)
• Enter data across sheets. (B)
• Group worksheets in a workbook so that you can edit data in or
format more than one worksheet simultaneously. (B & C, E)
• Print worksheet groups in order to print more than one worksheet at
the same time with the same print options. (D)
• Use data from multiple workbooks consolidated into one worksheet
that contains and references related data originating from different
workbooks. (F)
• Consolidate data from multiple worksheets using 3-D references so
that different worksheets can contain and reference related data. (G)
• Work with linked workbooks in order to manage and update data that
is linked from both the source and the destination workbooks. (I)

Case: Go-Travel
In this lesson, you will set up different sheets in a single workbook for Zach, as well as work with sheets from
different workbooks, to divide the GO-Travel data into related sections. This will assist Zach to minimise data
entry and standardise the formatting of the different sheets.

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FCS Spreadsheets 2 Working with Multiple Sheets & Workbooks

A. Renaming, Adding, Deleting and Changing the Order of Worksheets

The easiest way to work with the worksheets in a workbook is to right-click the sheet tab at the bottom left of the
window to open the shortcut menu.

1. Click Rename then type a new name for the sheet, and press Enter or click anywhere else in the
worksheet to complete the operation.
2. Click Delete to remove the sheet you have right-clicked.
3. Click Insert then OK to insert a new blank worksheet to the left of the sheet you have right-clicked.
4. Click Move or Copy if you wish to create a new worksheet that is a copy of the sheet you have right-clicked.

Check if you need to Copy

– leave blank if you only
need to Move

• Select the position of the new sheet, then click OK.

5. To change the order of the sheets, drag the sheet tab to the new position. A small black arrow indicates
where the sheet will be placed when you release the mouse button.

B. Entering Data across Sheets

To enter data or formulas into more than one sheet at a time, you must select all the sheets, then enter the data
into one of the sheets. All the selected sheets will be edited in the same way. This is called grouping sheets.
1. To select a group of adjacent worksheets:
• Click the sheet tab of the first worksheet you want to include in the group.
• Press and hold the Shift key.
• Click on the last sheet in the group.
• Release the Shift key.
2. To select a group of non-adjacent worksheets:
• Click the sheet tab of the first worksheet.
• Press and hold the Control key.
• Click the sheet tabs of each of the required worksheets in turn.
• Once all sheets are selected, release the Control key.

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FCS Spreadsheets 2 Working with Multiple Sheets & Workbooks

3. Sheets are shown as grouped by:

• The sheet tabs of the group are all selected.
• When you are editing a sheet that is part of a group, the title bar shows that a worksheet group is
selected by putting [Group] after the workbook name in the title bar.

Entering Data in a Worksheet Group

When you enter data or a formula into a cell of any sheet in a worksheet group, the formula will appear in the
same cell on every other sheet in the group.
1. Enter the formula or data in the relevant cell, in any one of the group of worksheets, as you would in an
ordinary, ungrouped sheet.
2. Enter all the formulas and data required in the relevant cells.
3. Fill all the formulas down or right where relevant.
4. The formulas will automatically be entered in the same cells of all the sheets in the group

Tip
In the same way that you can enter formulas and text in one sheet of a group, you can apply
formatting and print options to all sheets in a group simultaneously.
Exercise 2.1:
 Grouping Worksheets
A workbook has been begun for GO-Travel to keep track of monthly sales. Worksheets have been created
for the first three months of the year (January, February and March) containing a structure or design for
the information. Each of these worksheets will need to contain the same calculations or formulas, but
these have not yet been entered. The first step is to group the three adjacent sheets.
1. Download and open the FCS Excel Lesson 2.1 data file from SMark, GOTravelSales-student
number.xlsx
2. Click on the January sheet tab.
3. Press and hold the Shift key.
4. Click on the March sheet tab.
5. Release the Shift key. You can see that all 3 sheets are selected and Excel also adds the [Group]
indication to the title bar at the top of the window.
6. Save the workbook as GOTravelSales-student number.xlsx but keep it open as you will be using it
again in Exercise 2.2.

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FCS Spreadsheets 2 Working with Multiple Sheets & Workbooks

C. Entering Formulas in a Worksheet Group

When you enter a formula into a cell of any sheet in a worksheet group, the formula will appear in the same cell
on every other sheet in the group.
1. Enter the formula in the relevant cell, in any one of the group of worksheets, as you would in an ordinary,
ungrouped sheet.
2. Enter all the formulas required in the relevant cells.
3. Fill all the formulas down or right where relevant.
4. The formulas will automatically be entered in the same cells of all the sheets in the group.

Exercise 2.2:
 Entering Formulas in a Worksheet Group
The values or data have not yet been entered into the GO-Travel monthly sales sheets. First, the structure
or design of each sheet will be completed by entering the formulas necessary for the calculations. You
will do this by entering the formulas into the relevant cells of one of the grouped sheets. Because the
sheets are grouped, it makes no difference which of the sheets you edit, as the formulas will be entered
into all the sheets.
7. Return to the GOTravelSales-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 2.1.
8. Make sure that the three sheets (January, February and March) are still grouped.

Tip
Remember that when you edit anything on a grouped sheet, the same change will automatically be
made in the other sheets in the group. If you want to change something on only one sheet (even
entering or deleting values), first ungroup the sheets.
9. A formula needs to be entered to calculate the Total Cost for each client. The total cost will be the
 cost per person sharing (pps) multiplied by the number of people.
10. Click cell E4 and enter the formula: =C4*D4.
11. Copy the formula for the rows that have been allocated for client data: E4:E20. After copying the
formula to the rows below, the bottom border of the last cell might be gone. Just redo the border
setting, to keep your worksheet looking good.
12. The Monthly Total also needs to be calculated. This will be the sum of the total costs for all clients.
13. Click cell E22 and enter the formula: =SUM(E4:E20).
14. With the sheets still grouped, click on each of the tabs (January, February and March) in turn to see
that formulas have been entered into each sheet.
15. Save the workbook GOTravelSales-student number.xlsx but keep it open as you will be using it
again in Exercise 2.3.

Tip
When you enter formulas prior to entering the values or data with which the formulas will be
calculating, the result of the formula is usually displayed as zero (0). To see the actual formulas,
hold down the CTRL key and press the ~(tilde) key (above the Tab key). Repeat this action to
hide the formulas again.

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FCS Spreadsheets 2 Working with Multiple Sheets & Workbooks

D. Formatting and Printing a Worksheet Group

In the same way that you can enter formulas and text in one sheet of a group, you can apply formatting and print
options to all sheets in a group simultaneously.

Exercise 2.3:
 Formatting and Printing a Worksheet Group
Set up the grouped sheets in the GO-Travel workbook so they are well-presented and easy to read when
printed.
16. Return to the GOTravelSales-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 2.2.
17. Make sure that the three sheets (January, February and March) are still grouped.
18. Apply the Currency format to the Cost column (C4:C20), the Total Cost column (E4:E20) and the
Monthly Total amount (E22).
19. Apply Standard Colour: Orange shading to alternate rows from A4:E4 to A20:E20, starting in row 4.

Tip
There are a few different shortcuts for applying the same formatting to non-adjacent ranges of cells:
• Apply the formatting once, then use the FormatPainter to apply the formatting to the other
ranges.
• Apply the formatting once, then select the next range and press the Repeat key F4.
• Press the Control key then select each range until all the cells in each non-adjacent range are
selected, then apply the formatting.

20. Format the Monthly Total amount (E22) to Bold.

 21. Select PAGE LAYOUT tab to set printing options.
22. Centre the worksheets horizontally on the page (Margins button, Custom Margins, Margins tab.
Centre on page Horizontally, OK).
23. Print each worksheet name (month) at the top centre of the sheet (INSERT tab, Header/Footer
button, select SheetName on the ribbon).
24. Print your name and the current date at the bottom of each sheet (Scroll to the end of the page,
click in the leftmost section of the Footer, type your name. Then click in the rightmost section of
the footer, then click the Current Date button on the DESIGN tab under Header & Footer Tools).
25. Click in the body of the page.
26. Click the VIEW tab and select Normal to return to Normal View.
27. Click the FILE tab, and then click on the Print option. Check the Print Preview shown on the right of
the screen to check your settings. At the bottom left of the Preview window it will show the number
of pages that are selected to print (all the grouped worksheets).
28. Click on the back arrow to return to the editing window to correct your formatting (if necessary). If
all the formatting and settings are correct, you would be able to click on Print to print the grouped
worksheets (however, for the sake of this exercise, you do not need to print).
29. Save the workbook as GOTravelSales-student number.xlsx but keep it open as you will be using it
again in Exercise 2.4.

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FCS Spreadsheets 2 Working with Multiple Sheets & Workbooks

E. Ungrouping Worksheets
It is useful to group worksheets at the design stage, to enter the same formulas and apply formatting and printing
options to all the sheets simultaneously. However, each of the sheets in the group usually contains different
data or values. Once you have set up the structure and formatting of the sheets, and are ready to enter the data,
it is therefore necessary to ungroup the sheets.
Worksheets that are grouped together are identified by their tabs all being selected. To ungroup worksheets:
• Click the sheet tab of any worksheet not in the group.
• Or right-click the sheet tab of one of the sheets in the group and select Ungroup Sheets on the short-cut
menu.

F. Consolidating Data from Multiple Worksheets

Grouped worksheets usually have the same row and column layouts. This makes it possible to consolidate the
data from these worksheets into another worksheet using a 3D-reference that refers to the same cells in each
of the worksheets in the range.
The reference will specify the rows and columns of the cell range, as well as the range of worksheet names
containing the cells. The general format of this type of 3D-reference is WorksheetRange!CellRange.
For example, the formula =SUM(January:June!H15) adds the values in cell H15 on all the worksheets from
January to June. Although February, March, April and May are not named, as long as they are positioned between
January and June, they will be included in the calculation.

Entering Formulas using a 3-D Reference

1. Click the cell on the worksheet where you want to create the formula.
2. Enter the formula as normal. When you are ready to enter the range, click the sheet tab of the first
worksheet in the group, press and hold the Shift key, then click the sheet tab of the last worksheet in the
group.
3. Select the cell or range of cells to be referenced, then click the Enter button on the formula bar.

Exercise 2.4:
 Entering Formulas using a 3-D Reference
In the previous exercise, you set up the Monthly Sales worksheets for GO-Travel’s First Quarter sales:
January, February and March. In this exercise you will create a summary sheet (First Quarter) that uses
the values on each of these sheets to work out the totals for the first quarter.
30. Return to the GOTravelSales-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 2.3.
31. Insert a new worksheet after the March worksheet:
• Click on the New Sheet button.
• Name the sheet First Qtr (right-click the sheet tab, select Rename, then type the name and
press Enter).
32. Enter the heading for the sheet: First Quarter into cell A1 and format the text to bold.
33. Enter the labels for the summary data:
• In cell A3: Total Sales
• In cell A4: Monthly Average
34. Make the labels Bold and widen column A so the text fits.
Tip
Double-click the column separator to widen the column automatically to the width of the longest
text or value in the column.

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FCS Spreadsheets 2 Working with Multiple Sheets & Workbooks

35. Enter the formula for the Total Sales in cell B3:
• =SUM(
• To enter the range from the multiple worksheets, click the January sheet tab, then shift-click
the March sheet tab and click on cell E22.
• Complete the formula by clicking the Enter button on the formula bar or pressing the Enter
key. View the 3-D formula you entered in cell B3.
36. Enter the formula for the Monthly Average in cell B4:
• =AVERAGE(
• To enter the range from the multiple worksheets, click the January sheet tab, then shift-click
the March sheet tab and click on cell E22.
• Complete the formula by clicking the Enter button on the formula bar or pressing the Enter
key. View the 3-D formula you entered in cell B4.
37. Save the workbook as GOTravelSales-student number.xlsx but keep it open as you will be using it
again in Exercise 2.5

Copying Information across Multiple Worksheets

When working with grouped worksheets, in addition to the usual Copy and Paste commands, there is an Across
Worksheets option which can be used to copy formulas and formats from one worksheet to another.
1. Group the worksheet from which you wish to copy and all the worksheets to which you will copy values
and/or formats.
2. Select the range of cells you wish to copy.
3. On the HOME tab, select the Fill button from the Editing group and select Across Worksheets.
Contents to copy text,
All to copy cell contents values and formulas
and formatting only

Formats to copy
formatting without the
cell contents
4. Choose the relevant Fill option.
5. Select OK.
6. The values and/or formatting will be applied to each of the worksheets in the group, except for the column
widths. These remain the default width and you will need to adjust as necessary.

Exercise 2.5:
 Copying Information across Multiple Worksheets
Set up the monthly sales sheets for the Second Quarter (April, May and June) by copying the structure
and formatting of the first quarter’s sheets.
38. Return to the GOTravelSales-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 2.4.
39. Insert three new worksheets after the First Quarter sheet, naming them April, May and June
respectively.
40. Enter the headings in cell A1 of each sheet: April Sales, May Sales and June Sales.
41. Group the three new sheets and the January sheet:
• Click the April sheet tab, then shift-click the June sheet tab.
• Control-click the January sheet tab.

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FCS Spreadsheets 2 Working with Multiple Sheets & Workbooks

42. With all the sheets grouped, select the January sheet tab and select the range to copy: A3:E22.
43. On the HOME tab, select the Fill button from the Editing group and select Across Worksheets.
44. Choose All.
45. Select OK.
46. Adjust the column widths on the sheets April, May and June.
47. With the sheets still grouped, select the January sheet tab, select cell A1. Select the Fill button,
Select Across Worksheets, Choose Formats. Click OK. Look at each of the April, May and June
sheets to see the formatting of the heading in cell A1 that has been filled across the sheets.
48. Save the workbook as GOTravelSales-student number.xlsx and CLOSE the file.
49. Upload your solution to the SMark project FCS Excel Lesson 2.1 and CHECK the feedback report, to
ensure that you completed this set of exercises 100% correctly. If not:
i. Return to the relevant concept explanations to improve your understanding
ii. Check that you have followed the relevant Exercise instruction exactly.

G. Using Data from Multiple Workbooks

It sometimes happens that you need to include data from an existing workbook into a new workbook. For
example, closing balances at the end of the year (in one workbook) need to be the opening balances of the next
year’s calculations (in the second workbook). You can reference data in this way by creating a link between the
workbooks.
When two workbooks are linked together, the one containing the original information is called the source and
the other workbook is called the destination. Because the workbooks are linked, if the data changes in the
source workbook, it will automatically be updated in the destination workbook.
A link is created by using an external reference that takes the following form: [WorkbookName]Sheet
Reference!CellRange.
The WorkbookName should include the full file specification (file name, file extension and the path) if it is in a
different folder.
There will always be only one link between workbooks, even if you extract (or reference) more than one cell, or
range of cells in the destination workbook.

Entering Formulas using an External Reference

1. Open both workbooks and in each, select the worksheets you will be using.
2. Click the cell on the worksheet in the workbook where you want to create the new formula (destination).
3. Enter the formula as normal. When you are ready to enter the range or cell reference, switch to the sheet
in the workbook containing the data (source).
4. Select the relevant cell or range of cells, then click the Enter button on the formula bar, or press the Enter
key to complete the formula.

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FCS Spreadsheets 2 Working with Multiple Sheets & Workbooks

Managing Multiple Workbooks

The Window menu has a number of commands available to arrange the workbook windows to make it easier
when you are working with more than one workbook.
1. Select the VIEW tab, then click on Arrange All in the Window group.

2. Select the Arrange option you want to use: Tiled, Horizontal, Vertical or Cascade
3. Make sure the Windows of active workbook option is NOT checked. This is to arrange multiple windows
within a single workbook (for example if you have split a workbook window).
4. Click OK
5. If you wish to undo the arrangement, simply Maximise each window.
6.

Exercise 2.6:
 Entering Formulas using an External Reference
Set up a workbook that summarises GO-Travel’s monthly income and expenses.
Zach’s monthly income is 12% commission on all sales. His expenses include his phone account, his
email and internet and stationery. He also pays 29% tax on his income. Zach has started setting up a
workbook called Income.xlsx
1. Download and open the FCS Excel Lesson 2.2 data file from SMark, Income-student number.xlsx
2. Zach has already created the documentation sheet and inserted the labels and data for the First
Quarter worksheet as shown below:

3. To calculate each month’s commission, you will need to reference the total sales for each month.
You will find this in GOTravelSalesData.xlsx in the FCS Data Files\05 Spreadsheets folder. Open
this workbook.
4. Arrange the two workbooks so they are tiled on your screen: select View tab, Arrange All, Tiled, OK.
5. Enter the formulas to calculate January’s commission in cell B8:
• =B3*
• Then switch to the January worksheet in the GOTravelSalesData.xlsx workbook.
• Click on the Monthly Total, E22.
• Enter to complete the formula.

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FCS Spreadsheets 2 Working with Multiple Sheets & Workbooks

6. In the same way, enter the formulas for the February and March commission:
• Cell C8 : =B3*’[GOTravelSalesData.xlsx]’February!E22
• Cell D8 : =B3*’[GOTravelSalesData.xlsx]’March!E22
7. Enter the formulas for the other calculations as follows, using the appropriate cell references in
each formula:
• B14: =commission*tax percentage(absolute reference)
• B15: =sum(all expenses)
• B17: =commission-total expenses
• Now fill these formulas to the right to columns C and D.
• E8, E11 and E17: =sum(amounts for each month)
• Fill the formula in E11 to E12:E14.
8. Save the workbook as: Income-student number.xlsx and CLOSE the file.
9. Upload your solution to the SMark project FCS Excel Lesson 2.2 and CHECK the feedback report, to
ensure that you completed this set of exercises 100% correctly. If not:
i. Return to the relevant concept explanations to improve your understanding
ii. Check that you have followed the relevant Exercise instruction exactly.

Working with Linked Workbooks

By default, Automatic Updating of linked information is disabled in Excel 2016.
1. If you open a file with links while the source document is open, the links will be updated.
2. If you open a file with links while the source file is not open, a Security Warning appears below the ribbon,
warning that automatic updating of links is disabled. Clicking the Enable Content button in this area will
allow you to accept the updates if the link is to a source you trust.
3. If you need to update values in a linked workbook, be sure to make the updates in the source workbook.

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FCS Spreadsheets 2 Working with Multiple Sheets & Workbooks

Managing a List of Links

It is possible to find out what links a workbook contains without viewing the contents of every cell. You can also
manually update and manage links in this way.
1. Select the DATA tab, in the Connections group, select Edit Links.
2. The Edit Links dialog box shows the links in the current workbook. (Remember that a link is between two
workbooks, and even if there is more than one reference to cells (extracting data) in the workbooks, the
link will only be listed once.)
Manually update links

Link to different workbook

Open source workbook of

selected link

Unlink workbook. Places

current value into
destination cell

Check if Excel can access

and update the linked
workbook

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

3. Working with Excel Tables

A table in Excel is a range of data in a worksheet structured into rows and columns, and identified as a table.
Data in an Excel table can be:
• Sorted alphabetically or numerically;
• Filtered to show only the data that matches certain criteria; and
• Rows can be added for totals.
You would use the Excel tables feature to manage (store, edit, sort) and analyse (summarize and compare)
related data.

As a user, you should be able to:

• Structure data in an Excel table so that each row forms a record and each
column is a field. (A)
• Create a table range in a worksheet to manage and analyse related data. (B)
• Freeze rows and columns in a worksheet containing a large data set in order
to view headings while scrolling through data. (C)
• Use Find and Replace to search for specific text or values and replace with
other text or values. (D)
• Sort data in a worksheet in ascending or descending order, alphabetically or
numerically. (E)
• Insert, delete and find records in a table in order to edit and update data (F)
• Add a total row to the table, and edit the functions used in the total row. (G)
• Use lookup tables to look up a value in a data table and find related
information. (H)
• Use the IFERROR function to trap and handle errors in a formula. (I)
• Use the ISNA function to display a message when there is an error in a
function. (J)

Case: Go-Travel
In the worksheet shown below, Zach has entered information relating to different travel packages that are
available. This is the type of information that can be managed well using Excel tables. In this lesson, you will
create a table from this data and organize the data records it contains.

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

A. Structure of a Excel List Table

A table is a set of related data that is stored in columns and rows. The data in the table can be managed and
analysed independently of data outside the table.
Each column is a field, containing a specific type of data. The different fields (or columns) in a table are all
related in some way. In the GO-Travel table, the fields all contain different details about the holiday packages
offered by the company.
Each row is a record, with data for each field or column relating to that particular person, place or thing (in the
GO-Travel example, each record contains the details relating to one holiday package).
The top row of the table should contain all the field names. Every field name should be a unique label, identifying
the data that will be listed in each record. This row is sometimes referred to as the header row.
It is good idea to format the header row in a way that distinguishes it from the other rows in the table.
The table should be separated from any other data in the worksheet by at least one blank row or column.
There should also be no entirely blank rows or columns within the table, or Excel might assume that the blank
row or column indicates the end of the table.
It is advisable to plan the structure of the table in advance by thinking about the type of information the table
will contain and how you intend using it.

B. Creating a List Table

Once you define a range as a table, the area is automatically formatted with a table style which you can then
change using the DESIGN tab under Table Tools on the ribbon. You are also given access to features that allow
you to manage the data within the table.
1. Once you have decided on the structure of your table, and chosen appropriate field names, enter the field
names and records (rows of data) into your worksheet.
2. Select any cell within the table data.
3. Select the INSERT tab, and then click the Table button.
4. Check that the correct range reference is displayed in the dialog box, and adjust if necessary.
5. Make sure the checkbox specifying that the table has headers is selected.
6. Select OK to create the table.
7. Click anywhere within the table to see the elements that identify the table. Also notice the TABLE TOOLS
contextual tab that has been added to the Ribbon with a DESIGN tab below it.

• The table has also had a table style (based on your current Theme) applied to the area.
• Each field name shows an AutoFilter arrow next to the name in the header row (refer to Filtering
Tables later in this section). These allow you to quickly sort or filter the list data.

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

8. To change a table back to a normal range of worksheet cells:

• Click any cell in the table range.
• Select the DESIGN tab under Table Tools. In the Tools group, select Convert to Range and click Yes.
• The data remains in the worksheet as it was, but is no longer defined as a table.

Exercise 3.1:
 Creating a Table Range
Zach, of Go-Travel, has entered information into a worksheet relating to different travel packages that
are available. This information needs to be created as a table range.
1. Download and open the FCS Excel Lesson 3.1 data file from SMark, GoTravel-student number.xlsx
2. Click any cell within the range A3:H28.
3. Select the INSERT tab, and then click the Table button - Check that the correct range
$A$3:$H$28 is displayed in the dialog box, and adjust if necessary.
4. Make sure the checkbox specifying that the table has headers is selected.
5. Select OK to create the table range.
6. Save the workbook as GoTravel-student number.xlsx but keep it open as you will be using it again
in Exercise 3.2.

C. Freezing Rows and Columns

When a table range is too big to fit on your screen, either horizontally or vertically, you may want to select the top
row(s) and left hand column(s) to remain visible while you scroll around the list. This is known as freezing the
rows or columns.
1. Select the cell below and to the right of the row(s) or column(s) you want to freeze.
2. Select the VIEW tab, in the Window group, select Freeze Panes and the select Freeze Panes again.
3. A solid line will appear below the row(s) and to the right of the column(s) you have frozen.
4. As you scroll down, the row(s) above the line will remain visible, and as you scroll to the right, the column(s)
to the left of the line will remain visible.
5. Note that if you only wish to freeze rows, select the cell in Column A below the row(s) you wish to freeze; and
to freeze column(s) only, select the cell in Row 1 to the right of the column(s) you wish to freeze.
6. Freeze Panes is a toggle option, so once you have frozen rows or columns, the option on the menu changes
to become Unfreeze Panes. To unfreeze the row(s) or column(s), select the View tab, in the Window group,
select Freeze Panes and the select Unfreeze Panes again

Exercise 3.2:
 Freezing Rows and Columns
Freeze the first column and the header row of the list range in the GO-Travel worksheet.
7. Return to the GOTravel-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 3.1.
8. Click in cell B4.
9. Select the VIEW tab, Freeze Panes tool, click Freeze Panes.
10. Scroll down and right to see how labels remain in place and the rest of the data scrolls.
11. Save the workbook as GOTravel-student number.xlsx but keep it open as you will be using it
again in Exercise 3.3.

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

D. Using Find and Replace

Excel’s Find and Replace command allows you to find every occurrence of text or a value (Find) and replace it
with a different string of text or value (Replace).
1. Select the range in which you wish to find and replace data. If you do not, Excel will search through the
entire worksheet.
2. Select HOME tab, in the Editing group, select Find & Select and then select Replace.
3. In the Find what box, type the text or value you wish to find.

4. Type the new text or value in the Replace with box.

5. Select Find Next to find the first occurrence of the text or value you have entered.
6. Excel will highlight the text or value, and you can select Replace to replace it with the new text or value you
have entered.
7. Excel will automatically continue to the next occurrence of the text once you have selected Replace.
8. If you wish to leave a particular occurrence unchanged, select Find Next to move on to the next occurrence.
9. If you wish to, you can Replace All occurrences without checking each one.
10. Click Close when you are finished.

Exercise 3.3:
 Using Find and Replace
The travel company BEA which operates some of the tours offered by GO-Travel has changed their name
to BEA Inc. Use Find and Replace to update the information in the GO-Travel worksheet.
12. Return to the GOTravel-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 3.2.
13. Select the Company data (column B).
14. On the HOME tab, Editing group, select Find & Select, then click Replace.
15. In the Find what box, type BEA.
16. Type BEA Inc in the Replace with box.
17. Select Replace All.
[NOTE: If you did not select the Company data first, all occurrences of the letters bea in the entire
worksheet will be replaced.)
18. Click OK, then click Close.
19. Save the workbook as GOTravel-student number.xlsx but keep it open as you will be using it again in
Exercise 3.4.

E. Sorting Data
To rearrange the records in a table, you can sort them:
• based on the data in one or more fields (columns) in the table;
• alphabetically or numerically; and
• in ascending (A-Z, smallest to largest) or descending (Z-A, largest to smallest) order.

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

Using the AutoFilter Sort Options

1. Click the AutoFilter arrow for the column you wish to sort.
2. At the top of the AutoFilter list and select the order you require: Sort A-Z (Ascending order), Sort Z-A
(Descending order) or Sort by Colour.

3. The records will be sorted according to the column you have selected.

Sorting Using More Than One Sort Field

Sometimes a field contains more than one of the same values. You may wish to sort according to one field as
the primary sort field, and then another field as a secondary sort field.
1. Select any cell within the table.
2. Select DATA tab, Sort.

3. Select the primary sort field (most important) from the Sort by drop-down list, whether you want to sort
by Values, colours or icons and whether you want Ascending or Descending order.
4. Click the Add Level button to add a secondary sort level.
5. Select a secondary sort field in the Then by list.
6. You can continue to add levels until you have defined your sort as thoroughly as you wish.
7. Select OK once you are ready to sort the records in the table.

Exercise 3.4:
 Sorting Data
Sort the GO-Travel worksheet so that the available packages are grouped together by package duration,
that is, all the 2 night tours together, then the 3 night tours, and so on.
20. Return to the GOTravel-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 3.3.
21. Click the AutoFilter arrow for the Duration column.
22. Select the order you require: Sort A-Z. The data is sorted based on the information in the Duration
column.
23. In order to have the information sorted on more than one column: by Destination, then by the
Company offering the package, then by Package Name, all in ascending alphabetical order (A-Z), do
the following:

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

24. Select any cell within the table.

25. Select DATA tab, Sort.
26. Select Destination from the Sort by drop-down list, and Ascending order.
27. Click Add Level to add a secondary sort field.
28. Select Company in the first Then by list, and Ascending order.
29. Click Add Level to add a third level.
30. Select Package Name from the second Then by list, and Ascending order.
31. Select OK.
32. Save the workbook as GOTravel-student number.xlsx but keep it open as you will be using it again
in Exercise 3.5.

F. Inserting, Deleting and Finding Records in a Table

Adding a Record using Insert Row
1. Select the first cell in the blank row immediately after your last record.
2. Enter the required text in the first column, then press Tab or use the mouse to go to the next column.
Excel adds the row to the table automatically.
3. Enter the required data in the different columns.

Using Data Forms to Manage Records in a Table Range

A data form is a dialog box which displays all the fields of a table range. It shows one record at a time, and can
be used as an alternative method to add, find, edit and delete records. The form button is not made
automatically available in Excel and needs to be added to the Quick Access Toolbar if you want to use this feature.
Adding the Form button to the Quick Access Toolbar
1. Click the arrow next to the Quick Access Toolbar, and then click More Commands.
2. In the Choose commands from box, click All Commands.
3. In the list box, select the Form button , and then click Add.
4. Click OK.
Using the Form
1. Select any cell in the table, and then click the Form button in the Quick Access Toolbar.
2. Select New to show a new blank record in which you can enter new data.
• Type in the data, using Tab or the mouse to move to the next field.
3. Use the scroll bar to move between the records.
4. Select Delete to remove the currently displayed record from the table range.
5. To search for a specific record, select Criteria.
• Enter the text or value (or part of it) in the relevant field or fields.
• Select Find Next to show the next record that matches the criteria you have entered.
• If there is more than one record that matches the criteria, select Find Next repeatedly until you find
the required record.
• Find Prev searches backwards through the list of records.
6. To edit a record, display it, then edit the text or value in the relevant field.
7. Once you have completed your editing, select Close to update the records in the table range.

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

Exercise 3.5:
 Inserting, Deleting and Finding records in a table
Make the following changes to packages that GO-Travel has available.
33. Return to the GOTravel-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 3.4.
34. Add a record at the end of the table range, using the Insert Row method:
• Click in cell A29.
• Enter the code: peum
• Go to cell B29 and enter the Company: SA-Bus
• In cell C29 enter the Package Name: PE-Umtata
• In cell D29 enter the Destination: Bus Route
• In cell E29 enter the Mode: Luxury Bus
• In cell F29 enter the Duration: day
• In cell G29 enter the Cost: R170
• In cell H29 enter the Period: Jan-Dec
35. Press Enter or click in any other cell to complete entry of the new record.
36. Add the Form button on the Quick Access Toolbar.
37. Add a new record using the Data Form:
• Select any cell in the table range.
• Click Form on the Quick Access Toolbar.
• Select New to show a new blank record in which you can enter new data.
• Type in the record data as shown below, using Tab or the mouse to move to the next field:
Code: mep Mode: Drive
Company: AfriTour Duration: 2 nights
Package Name: Mid-week Escape – Plett Cost (pps): R1265
Destination: Plettenberg Bay Period: May-Sept
38. Close the form.
39. The Imperial River Cruise offered by BEA Inc is no longer available and must be deleted from the list:
• Open the form.
• Use the scroll bar to move between the records until the Imperial River Cruise offered by BEA
Inc is displayed.
• Select Delete to remove it from the table range.
• Click OK.
40. Find the information on all the packages to Victoria Falls offered by TransIT:
• The form will still be open.
• Select Criteria.
• Enter TransIT as the Company and Victoria Falls as the Destination.
• Select Find Next to show the first package that meets these criteria.
• Select Find Next repeatedly until there are no more records that match these criteria.
• In this case, you should find two records.
41. Select Close to exit from the Data Form.
42. Save the workbook as GOTravel-student number.xlsx but keep it open as you will be using it again in
Exercise 3.6.

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

G. Adding a Total Row to a Table Range

An Excel table can be set to display totals as the last row of the table.

Adding a Total line to a Table Range

1. Select any cell in the table, and then select the Design Tab (Table Tools).
2. In the Table Style Options Group, select to include the Total Row.
3. Your table now has a last row: displaying the word Total in the first column, and a space below each
column where a function can be added (and applied to that column).
4. Click in any of the available cells, and choose an appropriate function for that column – NEVER type a
formula in the Total Row, if a function already exists to do the task.

Exercise 3.6:
 Adding and Editing a Total Row to a Table
Make the following changes to packages that GO-Travel has available.
43. Return to the GOTravel-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 3.5.
44. Select the option to include a total row to your table.
45. Choose to apply the SUM function to the Cost (pps) column, and the COUNT function to the Package
Name column.
46. Add a Filter to show only items that use airline transportation only (Fly).
47. Click the AutoFilter arrow for the Mode column.
• Deselect the Select All option.
• Select the option that is Fly only.
• Select OK.
48. Save the workbook as GOTravel-student number.xlsx and CLOSE the file.
49. Upload your solution to the SMark project FCS Excel Lesson 3.1 and CHECK the feedback report, to
ensure that you completed this set of exercises 100% correctly. If not:
i. Return to the relevant concept explanations to improve your understanding
ii. Check that you have followed the relevant Exercise instruction exactly.

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

H. Using Lookup Tables

A lookup table is data organized in a table in such a way that you can look up a value in the first column, then
check across that row to retrieve a related value.
The data in GO-Travel’s Packages worksheet (Figure 2.1) is an example of a lookup table.

Figure 3.3-1 The list of PACKAGES available to GO-Travel’s clients.

If one knew the code of a package, one would look it up in the first column, then move across the table to find
out the information for each category (Company, Package Name, Destination and so on) of that package.
The code we wanted to look up is the lookup value. The first column in the table usually contains the compare
values, or the whole range of values, that can be looked up. That is, we match the lookup value against the
compare values until we find the same value, then move across the table to find the information related to the
particular lookup value.
Excel has lookup functions that can be used to retrieve values from a lookup table.
The most commonly used lookup function is VLOOKUP. It has the general format:
VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, range_lookup)
• The lookup_value is the value you want to look up in the table.
• The table_array is the cell range for the rows and columns that make up the entire lookup table, for
example A4:H28 using the table in Figure 3.1.
• The col_index_num is the column number of the value you want to retrieve. For example, in Figure 2-1,
if you were using a package code to look up the destination, which is the fourth column in the table, the
col_index_num would be 4.
• The range-lookup can be either TRUE or FALSE. If you are searching for a value within a range of values,
it is TRUE. If you are searching for an exact match, it is FALSE.
For example, in Figure 3-1, using the code as a compare value, you would use the range_lookup FALSE as it
would need to be exactly the right code.
If you were to lookup a commission percentage in the rate table shown in Figure 3.2, you would be looking for a
value that fell within the range of values, so the range_lookup would be TRUE.
If you leave out this last parameter, the system automatically assumes it to be TRUE (that is, the default).
Therefore, when you are not looking up an exact value, this parameter can be omitted – BUT, much safer to

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

always add this 4th parameter to ensure that you are clearly being specific about the type of search that you
want Excel to do. When looking up an exact value, it must be included, and would be FALSE.

Total Sales Commission Percentage

R0 – R10,000 10%
R10,001 – R25,000 12%
R25,001 – or more 15%
Figure 3-2 Commission rates as an Excel Lookup table

Setting Up a Lookup Table

A lookup table needs to be in a specific format for the lookup function to work. The different categories of data
should each be in a separate column, with the first column being the category that will contain the compare
values (the range of values containing the lookup value).
A lookup table that will be used for an approximate match (finding a value in a range of values), as in Figure 3.2,
must be set up so that the compare values (first column) are in ascending order. In addition, each value should
be the lowest value in the range.
The rate table in Figure 3.2 would be set up in a worksheet as shown in Figure 3.3.
R 0.00 10%
R 10,001.00 12%
R 25,001.00 15%
Figure 3-3 Commission rates as an Excel Lookup table

Exercise 3.7:
 Using a Lookup Table (Exact Match)
When you first set up the monthly sales sheets, you entered formulas to calculate the total cost for each
client, based on the per person cost and the number of people booking. The sheets used the package
code to identify the booking. Now you will automate the entry of the destination and the per person cost
by using lookup functions. The lookup functions will find the destination and cost of a package from the
Packages sheet, when the code is entered into the monthly sales sheets.
1. Download and open the FCS Excel Lesson 3.2a data file from SMark, GOTravelLookup7-student
number.xlsx
2. The lookup table you will use is the list range defined on the Packages sheet.
• The Code column will be the compare values (first) column of the table.
• The Cost (pps) column will be the value you want to retrieve. It is the seventh column in the
table, so the col_index_num will be 7.
• The lookup value will be the code that is going to be entered for each client on the various
monthly sheets.
3. Start by setting up the formulas for January. Select the January sheet tab.
4. Enter the lookup formula in the first row of the Cost column: D4.
• =VLOOKUP(B4,
• Then switch to the Packages tab and select the list range A4:H28, tap F4 on your keyboard to
add absolute cell addressing to the list range, then type a comma ,
The formula should now look like this – either check the Formula Bar or use Ctrl+~ to switch
between Formula View and Image View:
=VLOOKUP(B4,Packages!$A$4:$H$28,

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

5. Do NOT click on the January sheet at this point, just continue completing the formula in the
Formula Bar, even if the Package sheet is still selected. Complete the formula by adding the
column index number that you want returned 7, and the range lookup value for the exact match
False, close the ) and then press Enter:
=VLOOKUP(B4,Packages!$A$4:$H$28,7,FALSE)
6. Fill the formula down: D4:D20. Select to fill without formatting.

An alternative method to do this is to Copy D4, select D5:D20 and then use
Paste Formulas (F), rather than the regular fill down, in order to maintain the
original row formatting of those cells.
The cells in the rows without data will show #N/A.
7. Now copy the formula to the other monthly sheets:
• Select the January-March sheets so they are grouped.
• Select the January sheet tab, then select the range D4: D20.

• Select Home tab, Fill button , Across Worksheets.

• Click the All option, then OK.
8. With the three monthly worksheets still grouped:
• Select the January sheet tab, then click on cell C4.
• Use the same method used above, to populate the Destination cells in C4:C20, using the
VLOOKUP function. The lookup value, table array and range value will be the same; only the
column index changes to 4 to reference the Destination column on the Packages sheet.
• Use the same Fill Down method used above to populate the cells C5:C20 with the same formula
entered in C4.
• Check that February and March sheets, to ensure that this formula has been automatically
repeated on the other two sheets – if you accidently lost your grouping, use the same method
described above to populate the other two sheets.
9. Save the workbook as GOTravelLookup7-student number.xlsx and CLOSE the file.
10. Upload your solution to the SMark project FCS Excel Lesson 3.2a and CHECK the feedback report,
to ensure that you completed this set of exercises 100% correctly. If not:
i. Return to the relevant concept explanations to improve your understanding
ii. Check that you have followed the relevant Exercise instruction exactly.

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

Exercise 3.8:
 Using a Lookup Table (Approximate Match)
Zach’s commission structure has been changed. Instead of a flat rate of 12% on all sales, his parent
company have decided to offer a new rate structure as incentive for their agents to achieve higher sales.
If Zach’s total monthly sales are up to R10,000, he will receive a commission of 10%. For monthly sales
between R10,000 and R25,000, his commission will be 12%, and for a total monthly sales over R25,000
it will be 15% (as shown in Figure 3-3 above).
He has asked you to set up a new income workbook that will calculate his monthly income and expenses
based on the new commission structure.
The old income workbook has been edited to allow for space to include the new commission rate table.
You have to set up the table and enter the lookup formulas to show the commission percentage for each
month.
1. Download and open the FCS Excel Lesson 3.3 data file from SMark, NewIncome-student
number.xlsx – if you get the following message when you open the file, click Continue

2. Select the First Quarter sheet tab.

3. In the range A2:B4 enter the data for the table (as shown in Figure 3.3 – pay attention to the
lookup values used in the first column, related to the story above).
4. The Total Sales amounts for each month have been referenced from GO-Travel Sales Data.xlsx
(used in Lesson 2) and are shown in cells B10:D10.
5. The formulas to calculate the commission for each month have already been entered into cells
B12:D12 (=total sales*commission %).
6. You need to use a lookup function to find the commission percentage for each month, as it
depends on the value of the total sales for the month.
7. To look up the commission percentage for January, enter the following into cell B11:
=VLOOKUP(B10,$A$2:$B$4,2,TRUE)
8. Because the table_array has been entered as an absolute reference, you can fill the formula across
to cells C11:D11 to look up the commission percentage for February and March.
9. Save the workbook as NewIncome-student number.xlsx and CLOSE the file.
10. Upload your solution to the SMark project FCS Excel Lesson 3.3 and CHECK the feedback report, to
ensure that you completed this set of exercises 100% correctly. If not:
iii. Return to the relevant concept explanations to improve your understanding
iv. Check that you have followed the relevant Exercise instruction exactly.

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

I. Handling formula errors

Excel formulas can result in errors – e.g. when you are using the VLOOKUP function to search for a value in a
table, the value might not exist in the table. In this case the error message #N/A are displayed as the result of
the function.
One function that can be used to trap and handle errors is the IFERROR function. It has the general format:
IFERROR(value, value_if_error)
• The value is the formula you want to apply (e.g. the VLOOKUP function)
• The value_if_error is the value to return if the formula evaluates to an error. The following error types are
evaluated: #N/A, #VALUE!, #REF!, #DIV/0!, #NUM!, #NAME?, or #NULL!..

Choosing a suitable value

The value_if_error argument can be used to display:
• A more suitable error message (e.g. check data entry)
• A default value to use (e.g. 0 or blank)
The IFERROR function is helpful when you want to choose between displaying the result of a formula or another
value (number or text) if the formula results in an error.

Exercise 3.9:
 Trapping and handling errors
The monthly sales sheets are automated to determine the destination by using a lookup function – but
for incorrect entries (or empty entries) the #N/A error message is displayed. Instead of displaying the
error message, a value of 0 or nothing (“”) can be displayed. In this exercise, you will use IFERROR to
display nothing if the Code is not found.
11. Download and open the FCS Excel Lesson 3.2b data file from SMark, GOTravelLookup-student
number.xlsx
12. Group the January, February and March sheets, if they are no longer grouped.
13. Click on C4, then click in the formula bar, and to edit the formula to trap any errors that may occur
with the VLOOKUP, to display nothing if the Code in B4 is not found:
=IFERROR(VLOOKUP(B4,Packages!$A$4:$H$28,4,FALSE),””)
Note that there is no space between the quotes as a space character has a digital value and would
not be nothing!
14. Press Enter.
15. Use the same method you used in Exercise 3.7 to fill the formula down for C5:C20 while
maintaining the formatting in the cells. You should no longer see #N/A in cells C11:C20.
16. Check that the formula has been corrected and filled down on all the monthly sales sheets.
17. Save the workbook as GOTravelLookup-student number.xlsx but keep it open as you will be using it
again in Exercise 3.10.
Note: Do NOT apply the same error handling technique to D4:D20 or F4:F20 as a different technique
will be used in Exercise 3.10.

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J. Using the ISNA Function

The ISNA logical function is an alternative way to handle errors and can be used in a different way to the IFERROR
function. A logical function, like the AND & OR functions you will learn more about in Lesson 4 – the result of a
logical function is not a calculation result, but either TRUE or FALSE – when used, you are asking EXCEL if the
result of a formula IS a #N/A error or not.
The syntax of the ISNA function is:
ISNA(value)
• returns True if value=#N/A
• otherwise returns False.
The ISNA function is usually used with an IF function to do one thing if it is a #N/A error (i.e. True) and a different
thing if it is not (i.e. False) – the ISNA function is a way of asking the question in the first parameter of the IF
function. The syntax of this combination of functions would be:
=IF(ISNA(cell address or calculation), value_1, value_2)
• cell address would be a cell that may contain an error – e.g. from the use of a VLOOKUP function
• calculation would be a formula that has the potential of providing a #N/A result
In the example shown, the ISNA function is used to handle possible errors with the VLOOKUP in column C. In
this case, you want the Check column to indicate whether there is a problem with that row of data or not. So, if
the vlookup in column C results in a #N/A error, the words Check Code will be displayed in column D. Nothing
will be displayed in column D if the vlookup in column C is resolved and returns a valid result.

You could also use a combination of IF, ISNA and VLOOKUP functions.
At the start of each semester, the lecturers have to regularly check the registration lists on ITS, to find out who
is legitimately in their classes, in order to maintain the class record and communicate with their students. In the
example below, note the two examples of error handling used:
1. In the class record, the IFERROR function is used to get the students; details from the ITS list – e.g. the
surname, etc. If the student number is not found on the ITS list, the student appears as Not Registered
on the class list.

2. In the ITS list, the ISNA function is used in combination with an IF and VLOOKUP function to display one
message if a student is newly registered or nothing if the student exists in the class record.
The syntax of this combination of functions would be: =IF(ISNA(VLOOKUP( )), value_1, value_2) where
all the relevant arguments for the VLOOKUP function are in their correct positions. For simplicity it was
left out in the example above.

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

Exercise 3.10: Using the ISNA Function


Previously you set up monthly sales sheets’ Return to the Cost (pps) using VLOOKUP. You are going
to set up a message to alert Zach if the package code is not found.
18. Return to the GOTravelLookup-student number.xlsx, saved at the end of Exercise 3.9.
19. Make sure that the three monthly sheets are still grouped and then select the January sheet tab.
By ensuring that the January, February and March sheets are grouped, the following changes
can be made on all three sheets at once.
20. Insert a new column after the existing column D (a new, blank column E).
21. In cell E3, type the word Check.
22. In cell E4, enter the following function which can be used to display the message Check Code,
whenever a #N/A error message can be found as a result of the VLOOKUP function in cell C4:
=IF(ISNA(D4),"Check Code","")
23. Fill the formula down to E5:E20 while maintaining the original formatting (see Exercise 3.7 for
available methods).
24. The rows that shows #N/A in column D, should now be showing your error message (Check
Code) in column E.
25. Check that the changes has been made to the other sheets as well. (If your sheets were not
grouped, it is possible to use the Fill, Across Worksheets command – available on the HOME tab
– but you will first have to create a new column D on the other sheets.)
26. In order to handle the errors in G4:G20, you need to think about WHICH error-handling
technique would be most appropriate.

Tip:
Ask yourself the following question: Do you want the result to be:
a) The result of a calculation or nothing (i.e. 0 or “”), OR
b) Something different to the calculation if true and another value if false?
If your answer is a) then the most efficient method to use is IFERROR, but if your answer is b)
then you must use the ISNA method, combined with IF.
27. In G4:G20, edit the formula to handle possible errors in the calculation. Display a zero if the
 calculation results in an error.
• Make sure that your monthly sheets are still grouped and select the January sheet.
• Edit the formula in G4 to include the more effective error-handling technique.
• Fill down this formula to G5:G20 while maintaining the existing formatting.
• Check that formula has been updated on the other two sheets.
28. Save the workbook as GOTravelLookup-student number.xlsx and CLOSE the file.
29. Upload your solution to the SMark project FCS Excel Lesson 3.2b and CHECK the feedback
report, to ensure that you completed this set of exercises 100% correctly. If not:
i. Return to the relevant concept explanations to improve your understanding
ii. Check that you have followed the relevant Exercise instruction exactly.

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FCS Spreadsheets 3. Working with Excel tables

Choosing between the IFERROR and IF(ISNA() ) functions

The IFERROR can be used to trap different types of errors BUT only offers a choice between the result of the
formula, or a value.
The ISNA function can ONLY be used to trap the #N/A error and is usually used in combination with the IF
function. It can be used in one of the following ways:
• To display an error message or value (a choice of two messages/values) in a different cell – not where
the #N/A occurs.
• To display the result of the function or an error message (or value) in the same cell as where the #N/A
occurs – note that this example, while possible using the IF and ISNA combination, the more efficient
method for this option, is the IFERROR option.
See Tip in Exercise 3.10.

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 Handling Multiple Conditions and Multiple Outcomes

4. Handling Multiple Conditions and Multiple Outcomes

There are instances where the value in a cell will depend on certain conditions. For example, a salesperson’s
commission rate may vary for different products; a student may pass or fail a course depending on marks
achieved for different sections of a course; a taxpayer’s tax rate differs according to the total taxable income
amount.
In Excel workbooks, logical functions are used in this decision making process. A logical function contains logical
expressions, or conditions. The conditions have logical operators to compare values. A condition can be
evaluated as either true or false. The action or result that occurs will depend on whether the condition is true or
false.
Logical functions are therefore used so that different results can be shown in cells, depending on the values in
other cells. For example, a formula can be set up to show whether or not a student has passed a course, without
knowing in advance what the student’s mark is. The formula will state that if the mark is 50% or more, the result
is a pass, otherwise it is a fail. Once the student’s mark is entered into the worksheet, the worksheet will
automatically show either pass or fail, depending on the actual mark.
In this section you will learn how to construct logical expressions (or conditions) and how to use them in logical
functions to assist decision making processes.

In this section you will learn to:

• Construct an expression using logical operators that can be
evaluated as true or false to use with logical functions. (A)
• Use the IF function to determine the action depending on
the result of a given condition. (B)
• Use the AND and OR functions to create conditions that can
evaluate more than one expression. (C)
• Create nested IF functions to take action depending on the
results of more than one condition. (D)

Case: Go-Travel
In this lesson, you will use logical functions in Zach’s worksheets to highlight different packages (those he should
focus on selling and those he should consider a low priority), as well as help him work out how much money he
can save each month.

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 Handling Multiple Conditions and Multiple Outcomes

A. Logical Expressions
Logical expressions, or conditions, are used in a decision making process.
For example, in your module guide, there is a section where the conditions you have to satisfy in order to pass
the module are given. At the end of the semester, your record is checked against these conditions. If you satisfy
the conditions (true) you will receive a pass for the course, otherwise (false) you will not. In other words, the
conditions are used to help the module coordinator make decisions.
When used in a worksheet, a condition must always contain at least one of the relational (or logical) operators
shown below.

Operator Meaning
> Greater than
< Less than
>= Greater than or equal to
<= Less than or equal to
= Equal to
<> Not equal to
These operators are used in logical expressions or conditions where the result is always either true or false. For
example, 16>12 is true, while 100<=95 is false. The table below shows some examples of how a condition can
relate to values in a spreadsheet. Text values that are part of logical expressions must be enclosed in double
quotes.

Conditional Situation Logical Result

Expression
Test whether a salary is greater than R 10,000. Salary B2>10000 True
amount is in cell B2.
B2 contains the value R 11,351
Test whether student passes (50% or more). The F17>=50 False
student’s mark is in cell F17.
F17 contains the value 48.
Test whether code is for a given product. W34X. D4=”W34X” False
Product code is in cell D4.
D4 contains value M34Z.

B. Using the IF Function

The IF function allows you to evaluate a given condition, resulting in one action if the condition is true, and
another action if the condition is false.
The syntax of the IF function is:
IF(logical_test, value_if_true, value_if_false)
1. logical_test is the condition
2. value_if_true and value_if_false may be numbers, text, cell references, formulas or functions.
The figures below show how GO-Travel has used an IF function in the Money Maker column (column I) to highlight
the packages that cost more than R5000 as the ones Zach should try to sell. The function compares the cost
per person (column G) with R5000, and if it is greater (true) shows the words “try to sell”, otherwise (false) it
leaves the cell blank.

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 Handling Multiple Conditions and Multiple Outcomes

Exercise 4.1:
 Using the IF Function
Zach decides that he will save some money every month, but the amount will depend on how much
income he has earned. If his nett income is up to R1000, he will put R50 into his savings account. If it
is more than R1000, he will save R250. You have already set up a workbook for him to keep track of his
income and expenses. Add a section that will calculate his savings for each month.
1. Download and open the FCS Excel Lesson 4.1 data file from SMark, Savings-student number.xlsx
2. Click in cell B26.
3. Click the Insert Function button.
4. From the Select a function box, select IF.
5. Click OK.
6. Enter the parameters for the function as follows:
• Logical_test: B24<=$B$7
• Value_if_true: $B$8
• Value_if_false: $B$9
7. Click OK to enter the function.
8. The formula in cell B26 should be – result 250:
=IF(B24<=$B$7,$B$8,$B$9)
9. Copy the formula into the range C26:D26.
10. Add the savings amount for each month in the total column:
• Click in cell E26.
• Enter the sum function using either the sum tool or typing the formula: =SUM(B26:D26)
11. Format the range B26:E26 as currency.
12. Save the workbook as Savings-student number.xlsx and CLOSE the file.
13. Upload your solution to the SMark project FCS Excel Lesson 4.1 and CHECK the feedback report, to
ensure that you completed this set of exercises 100% correctly. If not:
i. Return to the relevant concept explanations to improve your understanding
ii. Check that you have followed the relevant Exercise instruction exactly.
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 Handling Multiple Conditions and Multiple Outcomes

C. Using the AND & OR Functions

The logical expressions we have explored so far compare two items of data by means of a relational operator.
These are called simple conditions. Sometimes, decisions are based on more than one condition. The conditions
are then combined to form a complex condition. The AND and OR functions are used to combine simple
conditions, thus creating a complex condition.
When conditions are combined using the AND function, the result will only be true if the results of all of the
conditions are true.
When conditions are combined using the OR function, the result will be true if the result of at least one of the
conditions is true.
The syntax of the AND function is
AND(logical1, [logical2, logical3, …])
• logical1 is the first condition
• logical2, logical3 and so on are the subsequent conditions
• all conditions must be true for the result of the AND condition to be true.
The figures below show a worksheet similar to that in the previous example, but in this case GO-Travel have
changed the condition to show packages that Zach should view as low priority at this time, and not focus his
attention on. These packages have a cost per person of less than R5000 (column G) and are offered during the
period May to September (column H).

The syntax of the OR function is

OR(logical1, [logical2, logical3, …])
• logical1 is the first condition
• logical2, logical3 and so on are the subsequent conditions
• the OR condition will be true as long as one of the conditions is true.

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 Handling Multiple Conditions and Multiple Outcomes

The example below is similar to the one for the AND function (above), but this time the condition has been
changed so that Zach can focus on selling two completely different types of packages (column I): those where
the cost per person (column G) is over R5000 or all the packages offered by SA-Bus (in the company column,
column B).

Exercise 4.2:
 Using AND & OR functions
Zach’s parent company decide to offer all their agents an incentive to increase sales in January. Clients
whose package has a total cost over R8000 or those whose package is for more than 4 people will
receive a discount of 5%. The agent (that is, Zach for GO-Travel) will receive a bonus of R2000 if their
monthly total (excluding discount) is over R20 000 and they have sold 10 or more packages.
You need to update GO-Travel’s January sales worksheet to include this information.
1. Download and open the FCS Excel Lesson 4.2 data file from SMark, GOTravelJanuarySales-student
number.xlsx
2. Create a formula to determine whether or not a client receives the 5% discount. The result should
be either 5% or 0% – expected result for all cells except F13 is 0% and F13 is 5%
• Click in cell F10.
• Enter the formula: =IF(OR(E10>$B$2,D10>$B$3),$B$4,0)
• Ensure that the cell is formatted as percentage.
• Copy the formula in cell F10 to the range F11:F26. Click on the down arrow below Paste in
order to see the different Past Options. Select to Paste only the formulas (second option
under Paste) - this leaves your formatting intact.
3. Calculate the total cost including discount for each client – expected G13 result R31984:
• Click in cell G10.
• Enter the formula: =E10-(E10*F10).
• Copy the formula to the range G11:G26. Paste only the formulas.

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 Handling Multiple Conditions and Multiple Outcomes

4. Enter the formula to calculate how many packages Zach has sold (this will be done by counting the
number of package codes that have been entered):
• Click in cell E30.
• Enter the formula: =COUNTA(B10:B26). Make sure the result is an ordinary number, not
currency - expected result is 7.
5. Calculate whether or not Zach receives a bonus:
• Click in cell E31.
• Enter the formula: =IF(AND(E28>B7,E30>=B6),B5,0) – no absolute cell addressing as this
formula is not being copied anywhere – expected result R2000.
6. Save the workbook as GOTravelJanuarySales-student number.xlsx and CLOSE the file.
7. Upload your solution to the SMark project FCS Excel Lesson 4.2 and CHECK the feedback report, to
ensure that you completed this set of exercises 100% correctly. If not:
i. Return to the relevant concept explanations to improve your understanding
ii. Check that you have followed the relevant Exercise instruction exactly.

D. Creating Nested IF Functions

A nested function is when the parameters of one function are replaced by another function rather than a value.
For example, =ROUND(AVERAGE(D2:D8),2). In this example, the AVERAGE function is nested within the ROUND
function.
A nested IF function can be used when you need to take action depending on the results of more than one
condition. For example, Zach decides he would like to save a bit more money each month than he originally
decided. He decides that if his nett income is R1000 or less, he will save R100; if it is up to R2800, he will save
R250, and for anything over that he will save R400 each month.

The nested IF function can be in the place of any of the last two arguments of the first IF function. (In the place
of the value_if_true or value_if_false arguments).

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 Handling Multiple Conditions and Multiple Outcomes

Exercise 4.3:
 Creating a Nested IF Function
Zach earns a vacation of his choice if he has sold a certain number of packages within a specific quarter–
5 days if he has sold at least 20 packages, but he gets 15 days if the least number of people booked is
50 or the total sales value exceeds R100,000.
Use a nested IF function to help him figure out if he has earned a vacation and if so, how long his vacation
will be.
1. Download and open the FCS Excel Lesson 4.3 data file from SMark, GoTravelFirstQuarterSales-
student number.xlsx
2. Select the First Qtr sheet tab.
3. Calculate the total number of packages and the total number of people booked from January to
March:
• Click in cell B13.
• Enter the formula: =COUNTA(January:March!B4:B20) – remember to use group 3-D
referencing (see Lesson 2, Page 20 – Entering Formulas using a 3-D Reference)
• Click in cell B14.
• Enter the formula: =SUM(January:March!E4:E20)
4. Calculate the number of vacation days Zach has earned in this quarter:
• Click in cell B15.
• Enter the formula: =IF(OR(B14>=B4,B10>B5),B7,IF(B13>=B3,B6,0)).

Tip
When you use a nested IF function, always start either with the highest condition or the lowest
condition, otherwise your condition may be true for more than 1 situation. For example, if you had
entered the packages-condition before the people/sales-condition, you may very easily have done
Zach out of 10 vacation days!

5. Save the workbook as GoTravelFirstQuarterSales-student number.xlsx and CLOSE the file.

6. Upload your solution to the SMark project FCS Excel Lesson 4.3 and CHECK the feedback report, to
ensure that you completed this set of exercises 100% correctly. If not:
i. Return to the relevant concept explanations to improve your understanding
ii. Check that you have followed the relevant Exercise instruction exactly.
You can nest up to 7 levels of functions should it be necessary, but this would make your expression very
complicated and, quite probably, unnecessarily clumsy. When do you use a nested IF and when do you use a
VLOOKUP? As a rule of thumb, if you have up to 3 conditions of a similar nature or a set of different types of
conditions, use a nested IF function; otherwise, use VLOOKUP.

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 Handling Multiple Conditions and Multiple Outcomes

5. Working with Financial Functions

Financial functions are calculations related to the value or worth of money and how it changes over time. These
functions are used to calculate amounts related to loans and investments, and involve compound interest.
Consider a study loan you might have—the amount you will eventually repay after a number of years (future value)
is quite different to the amount you originally borrowed (present value)! This is due to compound interest being
added to the balance at periodic intervals.
In this section you will learn how to use financial functions in calculations relating to loans and investments, as
well as some date and time functions, as these calculations usually occur over specific periods of time.

As a user, you should be able to:

• Know the concepts RATE, PER, NPER, PMT, FV and PV
relating to financial functions and how each is used in a
formula. (A)
• Use the functions FV, PV, NPER, PMT, PPMT, and IPMT to
determine amounts relating to loans or investments. (B)
• Use the functions TODAY, DATE, DAY, MONTH, YEAR,
DATEDIF and EDATE to calculate duration, number of
days, years, etc and to work out specific dates in relation
to financial calculations. (C)

Case: Go-Travel
In this lesson, Zach decides to take out loans to set up the GO-Travel office and buy a car, while investing a
merit bursary and his monthly savings. You will use financial and date functions to calculate his repayments and
earnings.

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 Working with Financial Functions

A. Financial Concepts
Figure 5-1 explains the different financial concepts that are used in financial calculations. Figure 5-2 shows how
to calculate some of these amounts.

Depending on the information available, you can do your calculations with the help of formulas or Excel functions.

Concept Explanation
Lump Sum A once-off amount. This can be a once-off deposit at the start of an
investment, or the amount borrowed in a loan application.
Present Value (PV) / The initial amount. For a loan, this is the amount borrowed. For an
Principal Amount investment, this is the initial amount deposited.
Payment (PMT) A recurring amount. Equal sized deposits made at the start or end of
every interest period. Used to reduce debt (loan) or increase the final
amount (investment).
Nominal Interest Rate The interest rate applicable for the whole year—stated as a percentage
per annum (per year).
Effective Interest Rate The interest rate as a percentage for one interest period—the interest
(RATE) rate per annum converted to apply to each interest period per annum.
Interest Periods per The number of times per year that interest is calculated. Payment is
Annum usually made at the start or end of each interest period and interest in
calculated and added to the balance of the investment/loan.
Duration and Number The total duration of the investment/loan. Duration is usually given in
of Investment Periods years, while the number of investment periods is the total number of
(NPER) times interest will be calculated in the lifetime of the investment/loan.
NPER must correspond to the correct number of interest periods per
annum.
Future Value (FV) The final amount. For a loan, this will be zero (0), as the entire amount
borrowed, plus interest will have been paid back. For an investment, this
will be the initial amount, plus any additional payments made and the
interest earned.
Interest Amount The difference between the future value and the present value.
Loan Amortization, When a loan is paid back, every payment made can be divided into two
Repayment of Principal portions. A portion of the payment is made against the principal amount,
and Interest Portion while the rest is paid against the interest amount due. The process of
determining the size of these portions is called a loan amortization.

Figure 5-1 Concepts Relating to Loans and Investments

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 Working with Financial Functions

Concept Formulas
Effective Rate (RATE) = Nominal Interest Rate / Interest Periods per Annum
Interest Periods per Usually stated corresponding to the number of times per year interest is
Annum calculated. For calculation purposes, this needs to be indicated as a
number corresponding to the number of interest calculations per year.
Examples:
• Monthly = 12 (12 interest calculations per annum)
• Quarterly = 4 (every 3 months, or 4 interest calculations per
annum)
• Half yearly or bi-annually = 2 (every 6 months, or 2 interest
calculations per annum)
• Yearly = 1 (1 interest calculation per annum)
Number of Months per Frequently necessary in NPER or PMT calculations.
Interest Period
= 12 / Interest periods per annum
Examples:
• Monthly: 12 / 12 = 1 (1 month)
• Quarterly: 12 / 4 = 3 (3 months in a quarter)
• Half yearly: 12 / 6 = 2 (2 months in half a year)
• Yearly: 12 / 1 = 12 (12 months in a year)
Duration and Number There are three ways of calculating this value, depending on the
of Investment Periods information you have:
(NPER)
1. = Duration (in years) * Interest periods per annum
2. = Difference between Start Date and End Date (in months) / Number
of months per interest period
Payment (PMT) PMT must be given in terms of the stated interest periods per annum. If it
is not, a calculation is necessary before it can be used in other
calculations.
Example:
• Earn R200 per month, but interest is calculated quarterly:
= R200 * 3 (months per quarter)
i.e. R600 every quarter
Interest Amount = FV – PV

Figure 5-2 Standard Formulas for Calculating Financial Values

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 Working with Financial Functions

Financial functions can be used to determine any of these financial concepts or values. Figure 5-3 shows the
syntax of various financial functions, while Figure 5-4 explains the arguments used in the functions.

Function Syntax
Future Value (FV) =FV(RATE, NPER, PMT, PV)
Present Value (PV) =PV(RATE, NPER, PMT, FV)
Number of Interest Periods (NPER) =NPER(RATE, PMT, PV, FV)
Payment (PMT) =PMT(RATE, NPER, PV, FV)
Portion of Payment towards Principal =PPMT(RATE, PER, NPER, PV, FV)
(PPMT)
Portion of Payment as Interest (IPMT) =IPMT(RATE, PER, NPER, PV, FV)

Figure 5-3 Syntax of Financial Functions

Parameter Explanation
RATE Interest rate per period (effective rate, not the nominal rate).
PER Specifies a period and must be in the range 1 to NPER.
NPER Total number of payment periods over the lifetime of the
investment/loan.
PMT Size (amount) of the payment made each period.
FV Future value—cash balance after last payment.
PV Present value—the total amount that a series of future payments are
worth now.

Figure 5-4 Financial Function Arguments

B. Applying Financial Functions

The best way to understand how financial functions work is to look at them in the light of practical examples.
The following scenarios use financial functions to work out various values.

Scenario: Merit Bursary

Zach Batyi received a merit bursary for R10,000. He earns an income from his business as representative for a
travel agency, GO-Travel, so does not need the money for expenses. He has decided to put his bursary into a
savings account that provides a nominal interest rate of 20% p.a., compounded quarterly (every 3 months) on
the condition that the money is invested for a two year period. How much would he receive at the end of this
period?

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 Working with Financial Functions

Analysis Checklist
Most financial scenarios make use of the same set of values, so it can be useful to use the following checklist
to identify the values you know and what you will need to calculate.
1. Nominal Interest Rate 20%
2. Number of Interest Periods p.a. 4 (quarterly)
3. Rate (Effective Interest Rate) = nominal rate / number of interest periods p.a.
=20% / 4
4. Months per Investment Period =months in year / number of interest periods p.a
=12 / 4
5. Duration of Investment (years) 2
6. Number of Interest Periods = duration in years * number of interest periods p.a.
=2*4
7. Payment 0 (he does not plan on making additional deposits)
8. Present Value 10,000
9. Future Value ?

Scenario Timeline
It may be helpful to you to construct a timeline to get an overview of the problem. Use the timeline to list the
parameters that you will need for the financial functions. These include PV, FV, RATE, PMT and NPER. Figure 5-
5 shows a timeline for the Merit Bursary scenario.

PMT = 0
RATE = 20%/4
PV = R10000 FV = ?

NPER = 2 years * 4 quarters per year

Figure 5-5 Timeline for Merit Bursary Scenario

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 Working with Financial Functions

Worksheet Design
When you design the worksheet, write down the checklist labels, and the known values. Then complete the
required calculations and functions, using cell references. Figure 5-6 shows the completed design for the Merit
Bursary scenario. (You may wish to try it yourself before looking at the solution.)

Figure 5-6 Worksheet Design for Merit Bursary Scenario

Positive and Negative Parameters

Note that in Figure 5-6, the reference to the Present Value (B13) is negative (-R10,000). This is because all
parameters in financial functions which represent money being paid out must be negative (-); and all parameters
representing money being received must be positive (+).
To remember this, think of the money in your wallet or purse.
When you put money into your wallet (received), you are adding (+) to the money already there.

When you take money out of your wallet (paid out) to pay for something, you are subtracting (-) this money from
the amount already there.

When calculating values relating to loans and investments, money paid to the
bank is no longer in your “wallet”, so it must be negative in your calculations.
The money you will receive from the bank is reflected as positive.

Complete checklist
When having to complete a financial scenario, first write down the checklist
labels. If the scenario does not supply all the details required by the checklist, it
can be left empty to start with. While completing the scenario, some of the
details will be calculated, while others might not be applicable for the specific
scenario.
When coming across items that needs new labels – add them to the bottom of
the existing checklist.
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 Working with Financial Functions

Exercise 5.1:
 Using Financial Functions to Work Out Loan Repayments
Zach’s business is doing very well and he decides it is time to set up a proper office. He wants to leave
his savings untouched, and decides to take out a loan of R5000 to purchase the equipment he requires.
His bank can offer him a loan at an interest rate of 10.5% per annum, payable over 3 years.
Help him work out what his monthly repayments will be.
1. Download and open the FCS Excel Lesson 5.1 data file from SMark, Loan-student number.xlsx
2. The workbook contains the labels (as given in the checklist) for the different values that are
required for the calculation. Some of these values are already given in the scenario, and others
will need to be calculated.
3. Begin by entering the values you already know:
• Nominal Interest Rate: In B2 enter 10.5%.
• Number of Interest Periods p.a.: Zach will be making monthly repayments, so this will be
12, which you must enter in B7.
• Duration of Investment: In B10 enter 3. Do not type years.
• Present Value: This is the amount that Zach receives from the bank when he takes out
the loan R5000 Enter this value In B13.
• Future Value: Once the loan has been paid back, the value will be 0. Enter this amount in
B15.
4. The Effective Rate is the nominal interest rate divided by the number of interest periods per
annum. Enter a formula in B3 to calculate this:
=B2/B7.
5. The Months per Period is always the number of months in a year (12) divided by the number of
investment periods in the year, so enter the formula that will calculate this value in B8:
=12/B7.
6. The Total Number of Periods is the number of interest periods from the start of the loan until all
the money is paid back and can be calculated by multiplying the number of periods per annum by
the duration of the investment in years. Enter the formula in B11:
=B7*B10.
7. You have now calculated all the values that you need to be able to use the PMT financial function
to calculate Zach’s payment per period (which in this case is the same as a monthly payment, but
note that his is not always so). In B14 enter the formula:
=PMT(B3,B11,B13,B15).
Note that the value in B13 should not get a negative sign in front, as Zach is receiving the
money (it is a loan), and not making an initial pay-out.
8. Save the workbook as Loan-student number.xlsx and CLOSE the file.
9. Upload your solution to the SMark project FCS Excel Lesson 5.1 and CHECK the feedback report,
to ensure that you completed this set of exercises 100% correctly. If not:
i. Return to the relevant concept explanations to improve your understanding
ii. Check that you have followed the relevant Exercise instruction exactly.

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 Working with Financial Functions

C. Working with Date and Time Functions

Dates and times in Excel are stored as sequential numbers, called serial values. By default, 1 January 1900 is
serial number 1, 2 January 1900 is 2, and so on. 1 January 2008 is 39448 because is it 39,448 days after
1 January 1900. Times are stored as decimal fractions, because time is considered to be a portion of a day.
Because dates and times are treated as values, rather than text, they can be added, subtracted and used in
other calculations. If you wish to view the serial value of a date or time that you have entered into a worksheet,
change the format of the cell to General format.
When working with financial functions, if the duration of an investment/loan is not full years, then the start and
end dates can be used to calculate the number of interest periods (NPER).
Figure 5-7 describes some of the Date and Time functions available in Excel.
Function Description
=TODAY() Returns the current date.
On 3 December 2014 that is the date that will be shown in the cell; if the
worksheet is opened on 10 January 2015, that is the date that will be
shown.
=DATE(year, month, day) Converts the date given by the argument into a serial number, that is, the
number of days since 1 January 1900.
=DAY(date) Extracts a day of a month (number) from a date.
For example, if the date was the serial value representing 16 September
2014, the result would be 16.
=MONTH(date) Extracts a month number from a date. For example, if the date was the
serial value representing 4 July 2014, the result would be 7 (July is the 7th
month).
=YEAR(date) Extracts a year (YYYY) from a date.
For example, if the date was the serial value representing 6 October 2014,
the result would be 2014.
=EDATE(start_date, months) Calculates the date a specified number of months from the start date.
Months can be negative to calculate a date before the start date. This does
not work if you don’t know the exact number of months.
Figure 5-7 Date and Time Functions

Examples of Calculations Using Date Functions

1. Adding years/months/days to a given date:
• Adding a number of years: =YEAR(start_date) + nr years
• Adding a number of months: =MONTH(start_date) + nr months
• Adding a number of days: = DAY(start_date) + nr days.
For example, to work out the year 15 years after 3 May 2014:
• Enter the date in a cell, say B4.
• Now do the calculation in the cell where you want the result:
=YEAR(B4) + 15
• The result will be 2029.
2. Adding years/months/days to a given date to get the complete date:
For example, to work out the date 3 years from 10 August 2014:
• Enter the known date in a cell, say B5.

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 Working with Financial Functions

• Now do the calculation:

=DATE (YEAR(B5) + 3, MONTH(B5), DAY(B5))
• This breaks the initial date up into the 3 components, adds the 3 years to the year component, and
then puts it back together again to form a complete date.
3. Adding to or subtracting months from a given date:
For example, to work out the date 3 months after 10 August 2014:
• Enter the date (10 August 2014) in a cell, say B7.
• Do the calculation:
=EDATE(B7, 3)
• The result will be: 10 November 2014.
You can also work out the date 3 months before 10 August 2014:
• Enter the date (10 August 2014) in a cell, say B7.
• Do the calculation:
=EDATE(B7, -3)
• The result will be: 10 May 2014

Exercise 5.2:
 Using Financial and Date Functions to calculate Payments and Final Values
Zach’s cousin buys a new car and offers to sell Zach his old car for R12,500. Zach can take out a car
loan for this amount, payable over 4 years at a nominal interest rate of 10.5% with monthly repayments.
If he took out the loan today, calculate how much he would need to pay back each month, and what the
date would be when he would finish paying off the loan.
1. Download and open the FCS Excel Lesson 5.2 data file from SMark, CarLoan-student number.xlsx
2. The workbook contains the labels for the different values that are required for the calculation.
Some of these values are already given in the scenario, and others will need to be calculated.
3. Begin by entering the values you already know:
• Nominal Interest Rate: In B2 enter 10.5%.
• Number of Interest Periods p.a. Zach will be making monthly repayments, so this will be 12,
which you must enter in B7.
• Duration of Investment: In B10 enter 4.
• Present Value: This is the amount that Zach receives from the bank when he takes out the
loan R12500 Enter this value In B13.
• Future Value: Once the loan has been paid back, the value will be 0. Enter this amount in
B15.
4. The effective rate is the nominal interest rate divided by the number of interest periods per annum.
Enter a formula in B3 to calculate this:
=B2/B7.
5. The months per period is always the number of months in a year (12) divided by the number of
investment periods in the year, so enter the formula that will calculate this value in B8:
=12/B7.
6. The start date will be today’s date. Enter a formula in B5 so that the calculation will be relevant for
whatever day the workbook is accessed:
=TODAY()

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 Working with Financial Functions

7. The total number of periods is the number of interest periods from the start of the loan until all the
money is paid back and can be calculated by multiplying the number of periods per annum by the
duration of the investment in years. Enter the formula in B11:
=B7*B10.
8. You have now calculated all the values that you need to be able to use the PMT financial function to
calculate Zach’s monthly payment. In B14 enter the formula:
=PMT(B3,B11,B13,B15).
Note that the value in B13 should not get a negative sign in front, as Zach is receiving the money
(it is a loan), and not making an initial pay-out.
9. Since (in this scenario), the total number of periods = duration in months, you can calculate the
date when the loan will be paid back by adding the total number of periods to the start date. In B6
enter the formula:
=EDATE(B5,B11) and format the result as the Short Date number format (should show Date).
Note: if the loan was paid back on (for example) a quarterly basis, you would have to convert the
total number of periods (which would be an answer in quarters) to months (using cell B9), and
then use B9 in the EDATE calculation.
10. If the end date in cell B6 is displayed as a number, and not as a date, change the formatting of the
cell to the mm/dd/yyyy date format.
11. Save the workbook as CarLoan-student number.xlsx and CLOSE the file.
12. Upload your solution to the SMark project FCS Excel Lesson 5.2 and CHECK the feedback report, to
ensure that you completed this set of exercises 100% correctly. If not:
i. Return to the relevant concept explanations to improve your understanding
ii. Check that you have followed the relevant Exercise instruction exactly.

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 Projects

Projects

Check your module’s weekly Application Guides to find out which Projects you are required to do.
Project 1. Temps
1. Download and open the FCS Excel Project 1 data file from SMark:
Temps-studentnumber.xlsx
Only change the filename if you have downloaded more than once; there should be no version number –
e.g. (1) – in the filename; otherwise do not change the filename.
2. On the Documentation sheet, enter the date in cell B3, your surname & initials in cell B5 and your
student number in cell C5. All remaining tasks are on the Hours sheet.
3. You need to put data validation in place for the entry of the Level – this needs to be done for all data in
the column and ONLY the data:
• The rule: only a whole numbers between 1 and 10 may be entered.
• The input message:
 Title: Level
 Message: Enter a value between 1 and 10
• If the data entered is invalid, the following Stop style message should appear:
 Title: Level Error
 Message: Invalid enter a value between 1 and 10
4. Set a conditional formatting rule for the data range of the Level column (D3:D8) so that entries greater
than 3 appear in Red Text (use one of the available pre-set options).
5. Set a conditional formatting rule for the data range of the Review Cycle column (E3:E8) to apply Solid
Fill, Green Data Bar (use one of the available pre-set options).
6. Ensure that users will only be able to enter data in range D3:E8 – no other cells should be able to be
Selected or accept data. Note:
• Do NOT set any passwords if asked to do so – leave them blank
• Do NOT use the Allow users to edit ranges method for this task.
7. Save the final version of your file. Before closing the file in MS Excel, check in File Explorer that your file
shows the current date & time – if not, return to MS Excel and SAVE your final document as instructed.
Only when you have checked this date & time and are satisfied, CLOSE the file to ensure that you upload
the latest edited version.
8. Return to the SMARK system. Upload the Temps-studentnumber.xlsx solution file, for online checking (if
necessary, remove any version number in the filename).

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 Projects

Project 2. Stock
1. Download and open the FCS Excel Project 2 data file from SMark:
Stock-studentnumber.xlsx
Only change the filename if you have downloaded more than once; there should be no version number –
e.g. (1) – in the filename; otherwise do not change the filename.
2. On the Documentation sheet, enter the date in cell B3, your surname & initials in cell B5 and your
student number in cell C5.
3. Convert the data (A1:E28) in the Details sheet to a spreadsheet list-table.
4. Freeze the first row and column.
5. In the type column, use one action to replace all the entries Lily with Daylily.
6. Add the following entry to the list-table:

7. Find the record for code CR0003, and change the quantity in stock to 9.
8. Sort the list-table in ascending order of Type (make use of the list table options to do this).
9. Filter the list-table to only show the Roses (make use of the list-table options to do this).
10. Add a total row to your list-table. Choose to apply the SUM function to the Quantity in Stock column, and
the COUNT function to the Type column (do not remove the filter from the previous step).
11. Save the final version of your file. Before closing the file in MS Excel, check in File Explorer that your file
shows the current date & time – if not, return to MS Excel and SAVE your final document as instructed.
Only when you have checked this date & time and are satisfied, CLOSE the file to ensure that you upload
the latest edited version.
12. Return to the SMARK system. Upload the Stock-studentnumber.xlsx solution file for online checking (if
necessary, remove any version number in the filename).

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 Projects

Project 3. Branch Sales

1. Download and open the FCS Excel Project 3 data file from SMark:
BranchSales-studentnumber.xlsx
Only change the filename if you have downloaded more than once; there should be no version number
– e.g. (1) – in the filename; otherwise do not change the filename.
2. On the Documentation sheet, enter the date in cell B3, your surname & initials in cell B5 and your
student number in cell C5.
3. Group the branch sheets (Pretoria, Johannesburg and Vereeniging) and complete the sheets by entering
a formula to calculate the values in the Total amount column – i.e. you enter the formula in C2 and fill
down for the remaining items, to C11.
• Do NOT change the order of the data in the prices worksheet and ensure that your formula can be
copied down to the rows below.
• Use a VLOOKUP function to do this – that way it will always work, regardless of the order of the items
in this sheet.
4. Keeping the branch sheets grouped, format the sheets appropriately, namely boldface headings,
display all monetary amounts (C2:C11 and B14) as currency with 2 decimal places (use the pre-set
currency format) and ensure that columns are wide enough.
5. Ungroup the sheets. In the Report sheet, consolidate the information from the previous 3 sheets to
indicate the total number of each type of plant sold (over the three branches) – remember to use fill
down to B11, once you have entered the formula for the first item in B2.
6. Save the final version of your file. Before closing the file in MS Excel, check in File Explorer that your
file shows the current date & time – if not, return to MS Excel and SAVE your final document as
instructed.
Only when you have checked this date & time and are satisfied, CLOSE the file to ensure that you
upload the latest edited version.
7. Return to the SMARK system. Upload the BranchSales-studentnumber.xlsx solution file, for online
checking (if necessary, remove any version number in the filename).

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 Projects

Project 4. Branch Bonus

1. Download and open the FCS Excel Project 4 data file from SMark:
BranchBonus-studentnumber.xlsx
Only change the filename if you have downloaded more than once; there should be no version number
– e.g. (1) – in the filename; otherwise do not change the filename.
2. On the Documentation sheet, enter the date in cell B3, your surname & initials in cell B5 and your
student number in cell C5.
3. Use the following bonus calculation information to create the data for the empty table at the top of the
Details sheet. (Enter the values in the correct format to be used in a lookup function.) Format the values
in the second column as percentages, displaying no decimal places.
Total quantity sold Bonus to employees
Less than 501 0%
501 - 1000 5%
1001 - 2000 10 %
More than 2000 20 %

4. Complete the Total Quantity column from the Details sheet by referencing the necessary cells from the
BranchSales workbook (get the total for each branch). Note that you should have a copy of the
BranchSales workbook from when you were working on Project 3. You should have it saved amongst
your files.
5. Determine the Bonus% for each branch.
6. Format all relevant values as percentages, displaying no decimal places.
7. Save the final version of your file. Before closing the file in MS Excel, check in File Explorer that your
file shows the current date & time – if not, return to MS Excel and SAVE your final document as
instructed.
Only when you have checked this date & time and are satisfied, CLOSE the file to ensure that you
upload the latest edited version.
8. Return to the SMARK system. Upload the BranchBonus-studentnumber.xlsx file, for online checking (if
necessary, remove any version number in the filename).

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 General & Logical Scenarios

Scenarios

Note: If number of instances not mentioned, assume 5.

A. General and Logical Functions

Scenario 0. Aunt Zita’s Blankets (L01)
Aunt Zitha sells woven blankets at a little shop on the border of Lesotho and South Africa. She sells each blanket
for R500 and only South Africans have to pay an additional 15% VAT. She also decides to offer a 12% discount
for the next few months, to promote sales. She is having trouble working out how much to actually charge her
customers, so you agree to set up a workbook for her on her laptop to use in the shop.
You need to record the passport (or ID) number and nationality of each customer, along with the number of
blankets bought. You need to calculate the amount before discount, the amount including discount, the VAT
amount (only South Africans) and the final amount due (to the nearest R10).
Aunt Zitha also needs a report showing the nationality and amount due for each customer; the total sales
amount, the average quantity bought (whole blankets only), the number of customers paying VAT and the total
amount due from all the non-South African customers.
Make provision for 5 customers

Scenario 1. Soccer Scarves (W01)

In celebration of the Soccer World Cup, Sportsman’s Warehouse is having a promotion on soccer scarves.
Scarves are bought at R100.00 each and Sportsman’s Warehouse sells them at a 50% Mark-up. However if a
supporter buys a Bafana Bafana scarf, they qualify for a discount of 10%. As a further attempt to increase sales,
each customer buying at least 15 scarves receives a gift of a Free Beanie.
For each customer, the store wishes to keep track of the following information:
• Name
• Scarves bought
• Number of scarves bought
• Total due before discount
• Discount amount
• Total due after discount (to the nearest 10 cents)
• Whether the customer receives a Free Beanie or No Gift
The manager also requires a report that contains for each customer the name and the total before discount.
You should also show the total amount due from all customers, the total number of clients who bought scarves
from the store, the number of clients who bought Kaizer Chiefs scarves, the total due from Bafana Bafana
scarves, the largest total before discount, the average discount given to customers (as whole Rand only) and the
total cost of all scarves sold.
Make provision for 6 customers.

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 General & Logical Scenarios

Scenario 2. Holiday Accommodation (T02)

A manager of a block of flats used for holiday accommodation needs a spreadsheet to help him organise his
finances.
People book beforehand for any specified number of days. Depending on the time of year the booking is made
for, one of two prices will be charged. In season prices are R850.00 per day, while out of season prices are
R500.00 per day.
To encourage people to stay for longer, a discount of 10% is given to all bookings of at least 5 days.
For each booking you need to record the following information:
• Name
• Number of days
• In Season (this will be indicated with a YES or NO)
You need to determine the applicable price per day, the amount due before discount, the discount amount and
the total amount due (to the nearest rand).
The manager needs a report that contains the name and total amount due for each booking. You should also
calculate the total amount due by all bookings, the longest stay, the average number of days booked as well as
the number of bookings made so far. You also need to determine the number of bookings made for In Season
time, as well as the total amount due by bookings for more than 7 days. Make provision for 6 bookings.

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 General & Logical Scenarios

Scenario 3. Roseland Nursery

The owner of Roseland Nursery would like a spreadsheet to be designed to speed up invoicing a client as soon
as an order is received.
His catalogue provides the following information on his roses for sale: the catalogue number, name of the rose,
colour as well a cost per rose.
Catalogue Number Name Colour Price per rose
C01 INGRID BERGMAN Pink R15.00
C34 LISA MINELLI Red R20.00
C22 PEACH DREAM Pink R18.00
C53 ANTIQUE SILK White R30.00
He gives various discounts depending on the number of roses ordered.
Number ordered Discount %
More than 5 but less than 10 10%
More than 9 but less than 20 15%
More than 19 but less than 50 20%
More than 49 but less than 100 25%
An invoice is made out to one person at a time but since it is a cash transaction the person’s name needs not
be recorded.
As a special promotion for pink or white flowering roses, he decided to give one rose extra if a customer buys
more than 10 roses of the same type. E.g. a person ordering 12 INGRID BERGMAN roses will receive 1 extra
INGRID BERGMAN rose free of charge.
As soon as a rose’s catalogue number and the number of roses needed, is entered, the following must be
determined for that rose: Name of the rose, the flower colour, cost (excluding discount), discount amount, cost
including discount. The number of extra roses (as a result of the special promotion) and the subsequent total
number of a specific rose to be supplied should also be calculated.
The final invoice (report) must contain the following for each of the different rose varieties ordered.
• Rose catalogue number
• Name of the rose
• Final cost
The report should also display the Total order amount for all roses ordered.
Make provision for up to four different rose types per invoice.

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 General & Logical Scenarios

Scenario 4. Jo’s House of Furniture (L04)

Jo’s House of Furniture has been a small family business for many years and has grown into a very profitable
business. Jo recognizes that she owes a lot of this to the quality of her merchandise but also to the ability of her
employees (sales staff, administration, and repair crews). It is Christmas and Jo had decided she wants to award
a bonus.
Jo is considering two possible bonus strategies.
Bonus A: If a person has a sales job and has been with the company for at least 3 years the bonus will be R1000.
Al others will receive a bonus of R500.
Bonus B: The previous bonus strategy does not make provision to reward devoted people that had been with the
firm for many years neither make it provision for sales people doing an excellent job. This bonus strategy must
provision for the following conditions:
• Employed over 5 years and in any position – the bonus is R1000
• A sales person with over 5 years and sales over R150,000 – bonus is R1500
• Employed over 3 years and in any position – bonus is R500
• All others – bonus is R100
For each employee the following information is available:
• Name
• Position Code (Repairs – R, Sales – S, Administration – A, Delivery D)
• Amount of Sales (Only applicable to Sales people)
• Years employed)
Make provision for 6 employees.

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 General & Logical Scenarios

Scenario 5. Madiba’s (W02)

The owner of Madiba’s has a couple of clients to whom he supplies cool drinks and sends them an account via
SMS at the end of each month. He decided to give different discounts to these clients to promote sales.
Customer Code Client Name Tel No Discount %
X01 Hemsley, A.P. 0832618892 15%
X02 Ismail, J.R. 0722097623 11%
X03 Gxotiwe, M.U. 0830456723 9%
X04 Glover, K.P. 0824561234 16%
X05 Siwisa, T.Q. 0837834512 12%
He sells his cool drinks at various prices depending on the amount being ordered.
Quantity Price Cool drinks per unit
More than 250 R2.50
More than 100 but less than 251 R3.20
More than 50 but less than 101 R3.70
1 up to 50 R3.84
The following information is recorded:
Customer Code of the client as well as the quantity of cool drinks ordered.
He asked you to design a spreadsheet to allow him to obtain the following information the moment the client’s
customer code and the quantity of cool drinks are recorded.
• The client’s telephone number,
• Amount of cool drinks ordered, excluding discount
• Discount percentage
• Discount amount
• Amount due of ordered cool drinks including discount, to the nearest Rand
Make provision for 6 clients.

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 General & Logical Scenarios

Scenario 6. Caring Heart Animal Hospital (L07)

The Caring Heart Animal Hospital in Summerstrand requires a worksheet to maintain the records of the payment
of accounts. The costs for the various treatments are as follows: Sterilization R990; Broken leg R395; Stitches
R245, Inoculation R150.50 and Deworming R68.75.
Some treatments require local or general anaesthetic. Local anaesthetic costs R120. In the case of general
anaesthetic, the weight of the animal influences the quantity, and therefore the cost of the anaesthetic:
Weight Cost
25 kg or more 195.00
15 kg or more but less than 25 kg 175.00
10 kg or more but less than 15 kg 160.00
3 kg or more but less than 10 kg 140.00
Less than 3 kg 125.00
Whenever an animal is treated, the following details are entered by the receptionist:
• Surname of owner;
• Name of animal;
• Weight of animal;
• Treatment performed on animal (when an invalid treatment is entered, and the cost of the treatment
cannot be determined, your worksheet should not display the #N/A error message, but display a zero
instead);
• Whether anaesthetic is needed, as either local, general or none; and
• Type of payment, being either cash, cheque, credit card, or transfer.
If the payment is received in cash or by electronic transfer, a discount of 10% is given. A discount of 8% is given
for cheque payments.
For each animal treated, the worksheet must automatically show the cost of the treatment, the cost of the
anaesthetic, the discount percentage applicable to the payment, the discount amount as well as the total due.
The worksheet should also indicate the number of animals that had to undergo general anaesthetic and the total
amount due as well as the total cost of all inoculations.
Make provision for 5 patients.

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 General & Logical Scenarios

Scenario 7. Golf Club

A local Golf Club has two types of members: Charter Members and Full Members. The Golf Club has launched a
fund raising drive. Each member of the golf club is allocated a number of books of raffle tickets, with each book
containing 10 tickets. When books are allocated to a member, the member’s name, the type of membership (F
for Full and C for Charter), the number of books allocated, and the date the books were taken, are recorded.
As soon as a member returns the books the following are recorded: the date on which the books were returned
(if no books are returned, “not returned” is entered), as well as the total number of tickets sold.
The total amount due by the member must be calculated. If the date on which the books were returned is after
the draw date, or the books are still outstanding, then an amount due of 0 is applicable, otherwise the cost of
each ticket, which is R2, must be taken into account when determining the amount due. The draw date of the
competition is 30 October 2014. This date must also be recorded on the worksheet.
A member receives bonus raffle tickets free of charge depending on the number of tickets sold. The number of
bonus tickets due to a member is determined from the following table:
Tickets Sold Bonus Tickets
more than 149 25
100 - 149 20
70 - 99 15
35 - 69 8
20 - 34 5
0 - 19 0
If a member sells more than 149 tickets and sold them within 3 weeks they win a bonus prize of R50.
The Committee would also like to know the following:
• Total number of books taken
• Total number of tickets in draw
• Total amount the Club will deposit
• The number of members not returning the books
• The income generated for the club from tickets sold by Charter members
Make provision for 5 members.

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 General & Logical Scenarios

Scenario 8. Speeding fines

The Umkumkani Traffic Department would like to have an automated system to check certain information when
a person commits an offence of exceeding the 60 kilometres per hour speed limit.
The following “Black List” with information on registration numbers of stolen vehicles and/or whether the owner
has a record of unpaid fines, is kept electronically:
Vehicle Registration number Reported as Stolen Outstanding fines (in Rand)
UM1579 No R600.00
UM4567 No R6000.00
UM1001 Yes R300.00
UM9823 Yes R5000.00
UM4000 No R800.00
On exceeding the speed limit the applicable fine is calculated according to the following scale.
Fine per kilometre
Exceeding the 60 km/hour speed limit with:
over the speed limit
50 Km/hour or more R70.00
20 Km/hour and more but less than 50 Km/Hour R30.00
10 Km/hour and more but less than 20 Km/Hour R20.00
1 Km/Hour and more but less than 10 Km/hour R10.00
The moment a motorist exceeds the speeding limit, the motorist is stopped and the following information is
recorded: the vehicle’s registration number, the recorded speed and whether the person is in possession of a
driver’s license (yes or no).
The following must then automatically be determined:
• Whether the vehicle is stolen or not
• Speeding fine
• Outstanding fines
• A message to indicate the action to be taken: If the vehicle is stolen, Arrest must be indicated. If the
driver is not in possession of a driver’s license and the outstanding fines are R5000 or more, Summons
must be indicated, otherwise nothing.
In order to simplify the problem, assume that only people on the “Black List” (see above) will commit speeding
offences. However, it is possible that a person on the Black List may commit more than one speeding offence
per day.
At the end of the day the Traffic Department also requires to know the total amount in speeding fines for all the
people stopped without a driver’s license.
Make provision for 6 vehicles recorded, exceeding the speed limit.

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 General & Logical Scenarios

Scenario 9. Motor corporation

A motor corporation decided that in order to obtain a bigger share of the market, they would promote vehicle
sales to companies.
Companies may buy vehicles at fleet discount prices. The following different types of vehicles are available:
Vehicle Standard price Discount percentage
Light delivery R 190 000.00 12%
Delivery R 280 000.00 15%
Small passenger R 130 000.00 8%
Passenger R 180 000.00 6%
Luxury passenger R 250 000.00 10%
The motor corporation currently has many blue cars in stock, and to encourage sales of these vehicles, they offer
an additional discount of 8% to all blue cars ordered for delivery before 30 September 2016.
For every company ordering vehicles, a separate invoice will be prepared. It is possible that a company could
have more than one type of vehicle on a specific order (invoice).
When the type of vehicle, date, colour and quantity of that type (and colour), is entered, the invoice should
determine the following:
• An error message indicating whether an incorrect type of vehicle was entered (NOTE: Do not use data
validation for this)
• Standard price per type
• Fleet discount percentage
• Additional discount percentage (if applicable)
• Discount amount
• Total amount due
As an additional incentive, a bonus amount is paid back to the company in terms of a social function for the
employees of the company. The money available for the social function is determined by the total quantity of
passenger or luxury passenger cars bought.
Number of passenger and luxury passenger cars Amount for function
More than 30 R 40 000.00
More than 20, but less than 31 R 25 000.00
More than 10, but less than 21 R 10 000.00
More than 5, but less than 11 R 8 000.00
As a summary of information available to the manager, determine the number of passenger and luxury passenger
cars ordered, as well as the amount due to the company for the social function.
Make provision for 6 different entries per invoice.

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 General & Logical Scenarios

Scenario 10. NMU Triathlon Relay (W04)

Organisers of the NMU Triathlon Relay require a spreadsheet to keep track of athletes participating in the race.
Athletes participate in groups of three, each participant completing one leg of the race (i.e. running, swimming,
or cycling). Upon completion of a leg an athlete earns points based on the time it took to complete the leg. Only
points (not times) are recorded on the worksheet. Quicker times imply a higher point earned.
Upon registration individual athletes participating in the triathlon get assigned a specific rating. Different records
exist for different levels of ratings. The records of each rating level for the swimming and cycling legs are listed
in this table:
Records (Points)
Rating Levels
Swimming Cycling
10 and higher 1856 1930
7–9 2198 2203
4–6 2234 2235
1–3 2636 2785
Athletes breaking a record in swimming or cycling receive a cash bonus of R10 000. Participants in the running
leg do not qualify for this cash bonus. The following table stores athletes’ number, names, and the leg they
participate in.
Number Name Leg
977 Bruce Fordyce Running
2530 Terence Parkin Swimming
856 Iggie du Preez Cycling
2102 Josiah Thugwane Running
2658 Mister Bean Swimming
1963 Gerrie Beneke Cycling
As soon as an athlete finishes a leg, the data capturer will record their number, rating and points scored on the
worksheet. The worksheet should automatically determine the following for each athlete:
 The name of the athlete.
 The leg they participate in (between running, cycling or swimming).
Note: If an invalid distance is entered, display Unknown in the Athlete Name and Leg columns
Tip: Even if you are not using the whole table-range in your calculations, make sure that you specify the whole
table in your vlookup table ranges – good practice!
 The existing record for their particular rating and leg. Display the message “---” (Tip: 3 x -) for athletes
participating in the running leg.
 The applicable bonus (if athletes qualify this would be R10 000, otherwise a zero should be displayed).
 Display a comment Unknown Athlete in the Comment column if an invalid number is entered, otherwise
nothing should be displayed – check the table lookup for an error and NOT the result of i above.
The organisers also require a report listing the names of the athletes as well as their points scored. It should
also determine the total amount of bonuses paid out to all swimmers as well as the number of participants with
a rating of less than 7.
Allow for 6 athletes to be entered into the worksheet.

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 General & Logical Scenarios

Scenario 11. Whale cruises

A local entrepreneur has decided to take people out on cruises on his boat when the whales are in the bay.
Depending on the number of people booking a cruise, the price per person would vary according to the following
information:
Group size Price per person
10 or more people R100
7 or more people, less than 10 R120
3 or more people, less than 7 R150
Less than 3 people Not enough – no cruise
Since he can plan better if he knows about the cruises in advance, he promotes early booking by giving a discount
for the number of weeks booked in advance. He does not, however, accept any bookings of more than 4 weeks
in advance.
Weeks booked in advance Discount percent
0 0
1 5%
2 8%
3 10%
4 15%
As an additional promotion, he decided to give a free picnic basket to all booking of 4 or more weeks in advance
where the final amount due is more than R400.
For every booking, he needs to record the name of the customer, the number of people as well as the number
of weeks in advance the booking is made. The worksheet should determine the following: amount before
discount (if the group size is less than 3 people, display the words “too few”, *** otherwise calculate the relevant
amount), discount amount as well as the final amount due. In addition he needs to know whether he should
supply a picnic basket. If the number of weeks entered is not valid, the worksheet should display a message
indicating “Invalid booking” (use a function for this).
As a report he would like to see the name of the customer and the final amount due (for each customer). He
would also like to know the total number of picnic baskets to be provided, as well as the total amount due by
people booking 4 weeks in advance.
Make provision for 6 groups.

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 General & Logical Scenarios

Scenario 12. Wild card program

The South African Parks board initiated a loyalty program to ensure that visitors would often come back to the
parks. This program is called the Wild Card program. Instead of paying a daily conservation fee at the entrance
gate, the wild card allows you free entry to the parks. The basic price of the wild card is determined by the
following information:
Country Price per family member per year
South Africa R80
SADC R100
Other R150
The actual price of the card for South Africans depends on whether the visitor buys the card to visit only regional
parks, or all the national parks.
Access Actual price
Regional 80 % of basic price
National 120 % of basic price
To promote sales of the wild cards, discount is given to visitors buying long term cards, according to the following:
No of years Discount percent
10 of more years 30%
5 or more years, less than 10 20%
2 of more years, less than 5 10%
1 year only (this is also the minimum) 5%
The worksheet should record the following details: name of cardholder, country, access, number of family
members and number of years.
The following should be calculated:
• Basic price (price for family for the required number of years)
• Actual price (based on whether regional or national access is required)
• Discount amount
• Total amount
• Message if an incorrect country was entered (use a function to do this).
As a report display the name and final fee for each card holder. Also calculate the number of cards sold to
visitors from SADC countries, as well as the total discount given to cardholders accessing all the national parks.
Make provision for 5 families.

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 General & Logical Scenarios

Scenario 13. Music store sales (L02 & L03)

A local music store requires a workbook to record sales and produce invoices to customers. The stock (CD’s and
DVD’s) are categorised as follows:
Item category Price per item
Local CD R90
Local DVD R150
International CD R120
International DVD R180
The store is currently giving discount to customers buying more than 3 items per category. The discount must
be calculated according to the following:
Quantity Discount %
At least 10 items of the same category 12%
At least 6 items, but less than 10 8%
At least 3 items, but less than 6 5%
Less than 3 items No discount
As a special promotion, the store manager has decided to give away a R180 voucher to customers buying at
least 5 items (of any category), amounting to at least R800. Customers buying 6 items or more, who do not
qualify for the R180 voucher, gets a voucher for R100. Nobody else receives vouchers.
For every customer, a new worksheet is completed and invoice created. For every sale to a customer the
worksheet should record the item category as well as the quantity for that category. The following should be
calculated for each category:
• Amount before discount (if the Item category entered is not recognised, a zero should be displayed)
• Discount amount
• Total due
As a report, the invoice should display the item category and total due for each category, as well as the total
amount due by the customer. It should also show the total quantity of items bought, as well as the voucher (if
applicable) due to the customer. Lastly the total amount made from sales of local DVD’s should be calculated.
Make provision for 4 categories.

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Scenario 14. Flash discs

Unbelievable Connection is going blue! Their PE branch requires a spreadsheet to facilitate their flash disc sale.
The goods catalogue contains the following information:
Code Make Capacity Colour Price
S500 Sony 4 GB Blue R199.00
L1000 Lexar 8 GB Silver R250.00
L2000 Lexar 16 GB Blue R300.00
S1000 Sony 8 GB Purple R280.00
S2000 Sony 16 GB Blue R320.00
V500 Verbatim 4 GB Green R150.00
Items out of stock but advertised as items on the sale are V1000, V2000 and L500. If a customer purchases
any of these items, the total amount column should reflect that this item is “Out of Stock”.
The manager has decided to give a 10% discount to customers purchasing more than 4 flash discs and 25% if
more than 10 flash discs are bought.
As a special promotion a further R200.00 discount will be given when purchasing a blue Sony flash disc and
spending more than R1500.00.
The spreadsheet makes provision for the client’s surname, flash disc code and quantity. From the latter two
items, the following items are calculated:
 Make of the flash disc
 Colour
 Amount due (before discount)
 Discount amount
 Special discount
 Final amount (after discount)
Make provision for 6 clients.

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Scenario 15. Lifestyle Marathon (W03)

The organizing committee of the Lifestyle Marathon has commissioned you to set up a spreadsheet for their
annual running event. The table below contains the different races and their respective entrance fees.
Distance (km) Entrance Fee
5 R 10.00
10 R 25.00
21 R 40.00
42 R 45.00
As a fundraising event, each runner should also obtain a sponsor. The sponsor should indicate an amount per
kilometre. When the runner pays his/her entry fees, he/she should also pay in the amount collected from the
sponsor (as this is a fundraising event, the sponsor amount does not lessen the amount due, but increases the
amount payable to the organization committee).
Furthermore runners are classified according to their age.
Group Ages
Kiddies Younger than 5
Youngsters 5 -10
Teenagers 11 – 24
Adults 25 – 45
Veterans Older than 45
Your spreadsheet should allow the data-capturer to enter the following items:
 Runner’s surname
 Proposed Distance to be completed
 Runner’s sponsorship per km
 Age of runner
All runners who are not participating in the 5 km event should obtain water as refreshment.
For each runner the following should be calculated based on the above information:
 Entrance Fee.
 Total amount from sponsorship and entrance fee.
 The category of participation according to their respective age.
 A message indicating whether the runner should receive water.
Make provision for 5 runners.

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Scenario 15 Lifestyle Marathon Version 2 (W04)

The organizing committee of the Lifestyle Marathon has commissioned you to set up a spreadsheet for their
annual running event. The table below contains the different races and their respective entrance fees.
Distance (km) Entrance Fee
5 R 10.00
10 R 25.00
21 R 40.00
42 R 45.00
As a fundraising event, each runner should also obtain a sponsor. The sponsor should indicate an amount per
kilometre. When the runner pays his/her entry fees, he/she should also pay in the amount collected from the
sponsor (as this is a fundraising event, the sponsor amount does not lessen the amount due, but increases the
amount payable to the organization committee).
Furthermore runners are classified according to their age.
Group Ages
Kiddies Younger than 5
Youngsters 5 -10
Teenagers 11 – 24
Adults 25 – 45
Veterans Older than 45
The organizers of the event have decided to give a gift pack to all runners participating in the 21 km or 42 km
events who are Teenagers or Adults.
Your spreadsheet should allow the data-capturer to enter the following items:
 Runner’s surname
 Proposed Distance to be completed
 Runner’s sponsorship per km
 Age of runner
 Display a message indicating whether a Gift Pack is due, otherwise nothing should be displayed
All runners who are not participating in the 5 km event should obtain water as refreshment.
For each runner the following should be calculated based on the above information:
 Entrance Fee.
 Total amount from sponsorship and entrance fee.
 The category of participation according to their respective age.
 A message indicating whether the runner should receive water.
Make provision for 5 runners.

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Scenario 16. Wendy Houses

Jack and Jill is a company that manufactures Wendy houses. Wendy houses are manufactured either with a
wooden or a steel roof. The company requires a spreadsheet to facilitate the smooth operation of their annual
sale. The table below contains all the required info to calculate the final price.
Price
Code Length Width Wood Steel
W1515 1.5 1.5 R 2,200.00 R 1,550.00
W2020 2 2 R 2,700.00 R 2,070.00
W2028 2 2.8 R 3,510.00 R 2,870.00
W2040 2 4 R 4,290.00 R 3,220.00
W2828 2.8 2.8 R 4,520.00 R 3,570.00
W2840 2.8 4 R 5,030.00 R 4,140.00
W2860 2.8 6 R 8,210.00 R 6,340.00
W2880 2.8 8 R 9,850.00 R 6,850.00
A client ordering a Wendy house should indicate the following detail:
 Surname,
 Code of Wendy house,
 Type of Roof (S for Steel or W for Wood),
 Number of windows required and
 Number of doors required.
Doors are sold at R 220.00 per door while the price per window is R 150.00.
The spreadsheet should then calculate the following:
 Basic amount for the house (excluding windows and doors)
 Price before discount (including windows and doors)
 Discount amount
 Final amount due.
A discount of 5% is given on the amount due if a person has purchased a wooden roof type Wendy code W2828.
The same discount is given if a person has purchased a 3 window house. [Note: A person purchasing a wooden
roof W2828 with 3 windows (both conditions) would only receive 5% and not 10% discount.]

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Scenario 17. IT Support

A local company gives IT support to customers. This could be in the way of fixing settings on their computers, or
giving training. Training could also involve software manuals. Payment due by customers is based on a number
of things. Firstly customers need to pay an hourly rate for the time of the technician. This is determined according
to the following table:
Hourly rate – Hourly rate –
Time spent
technician A technician B
Up to an hour R100.00 R80.00
1 hour or more, but less than 3 hours R120.00 R100.00
3 hours and more R150.00 R120.00
Secondly, customers may choose to buy software manuals, which are charged at R200.00 per manual.
Currently a special discount is available: all customers buying more than 3 manuals with at least 10 hours of
technician time required, receives 10 % discount. Customers buying at least 2 manuals receives 5% discount.
(Note that the discount does not stack – that is – it cannot become 15%.)
For each transaction, the company keeps record of the customer’s name, technician code, number of hours and
number of manuals required.
The following need to be determined: hourly rate, amount due (technician), amount due (manuals), amount
before discount, discount amount as well as final amount due (rounded to two decimal places). You should also
have a comment – either Valid or Invalid entry – depending on whether a valid technician code was entered.
A report should show the customer’s name and the final amount due. It should also show the number of clients
using technician B and the total amount due from all customers buying at least 3 manuals.
Make provision for 6 customers.

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Scenario 18. Gymnasium membership

A local gymnasium has different types of membership available for members. Three membership terms exist,
namely: Six months, Twelve months or Twenty-four months. The amount due for the membership is based on
the number of family members as well as the term.
Number of family members Cost per person
At least 5 members R500.00
At least 3 members, but less than 5 R600.00
1 or 2 R750.00
The table above is used to determine the basic cost. This cost however, can change depending on the specific
term selected.
Membership term Cost multiplier
Six months 1
Twelve months 2
Twenty-four months 0.8
To determine the actual amount due, the basic cost is multiplied by the cost multiplier.
Currently a special discount is available: all twenty-four months membership terms for 4 members, receive 15 %
discount. Families of more than 5 members receive 5% discount.
For each transaction, the gymnasium keeps record of the family name, membership term and number of family
members.
The following need to be determined: basic rate, cost multiplier, amount due before discount, discount amount
as well as final amount due (to the nearest rand). You should also have a comment – either Invalid term or Valid,
depending on whether valid membership term has been entered.
A report should show the family’s name and the final amount due. It should also show the number of families
and the total amount due from all customers with twenty-four month membership.

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Scenario 19. Fisheries

A local fishery at the harbour has asked you to set up a spreadsheet for them which can be used to create
invoices for customers. One workbook will function as an invoice for a single customer.
A number of different types of seafood can be bought at the fishery, based on the following prices:
Type of seafood Price per kg
Calamari R 35.00
Kingklip R 45.00
Red Roman R 23.50
Hake R 19.00
Prawns R 80.00
Sardines R 15.00
To promote sales the fishery currently offers the following discounts.
Amount before discount Discount percentage
Below 100 No discount
At least 100, less than 200 5%
At least 200, less than 300 10%
300 or more 15%
As an additional promotion some customers can receive either a shopping bag or a cool box. To receive a
shopping bag, customers must buy at least 5kg of Red Roman. Customers buying Prawns or Calamari will receive
a cool box.
For each customer, you should record the following: type of seafood as well as weight. You should determine
the price per kg, the amount due per type as well as a message indicating whether the seafood type was entered
correctly. You should also determine whether a promotional item is due.
As this is an invoice, you should also calculate total amount before discount, the discount amount as well as the
total amount due after discount.
Make provision for 6 items on the invoice.

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Scenario 20. Phones

A local wholesaler dealing in various brands of phones has asked you to prepare a spreadsheet which can be
used to create invoices for her customers. A workbook will be used as an invoice for a single customer.
A number of different types of phones can be bought from the shop at the following prices:
Type of phone Price per phone
Nokia 9210 R2520
Samsung A800 R1450
Sony J70 R1320
SonyEricssonZ700 R1920
Sagem M-X5 R1200
Motorola C330 R1380

The merchant is offering the following volume discounts in order to promote sales:
Number of phones Discount %
30 or more 15%
At least 20 and less than 30 10%
At least 10 and less than 20 5%
Below 10 No Discount
As an additional promotion, some customers can receive either a diary or a CD player. To receive a diary the
customer must buy at least 5 SonyJ70 phones. Customers buying at least 12 Nokia 9210 or SonyEricssonZ700
phones will receive a CD player.
For the customer, you should record the following: type of phone as well as quantity. You should determine the
price per phone, the amount due per type as well as message indicating whether the phone type was entered
correctly. You should also determine which promotional item is due (if applicable).
As this is an invoice, you should also calculate the total amount before the discount, the discount amount as well
as the total amount due after discount. Make provision for 6 items on the invoice.

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Scenario 21. Adventure activities

You need to create a worksheet that can be used by a company organizing adventure activities. A number of
people can book as a group, but depending on the adventure the group size will be limited. People can book for
an adventure well in advance, stating on which date they want to take their adventure activity.
They currently have the following activities available:
Type Cost per person Max group size
Cage diving 200 3
Sand boarding 80 10
Kite surfing 100 10
Surfing 90 8
Sea kayaking 150 4
At the moment a discount is applicable for groups of the following sizes:
Group size Discount
6 or more people 20%
3 or more people 10%
Less than 3 people 0%
A promotional voucher is given to all bookings for the sea kayaking adventure that has been made at least 30
days before the date of the adventure.
For every booking made, you need to record the following information: name (of person making the booking),
group size, booking date, adventure date and adventure type. You need to determine the following: cost per
person, whether the group size is within the limit, amount due before discount, discount amount, amount after
discount as well as whether a promotional voucher is due.
As a report, display the name, amount after discount and whether a voucher is due. You should also determine
how many vouchers are due.
Make provision for 6 bookings.

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Scenario 22. Suit hire

A company that rents out suits would like you to set up a Spreadsheet for them which can be used to determine
amounts due by customers (we assume that every customer only rents one type of item at a time).
They hire out the following items:
Item Rate
Full Tuxedo R 400.00
Waistcoat R 250.00
Jacket R 300.00
Tie R 70.00
They give a special discount to customers based on the number of days the items had been hired in advance:
Days Discount
30 days or more 35 %
At least 25 to 29 15 %
At least 11 to 24 10 %
At least 1 to 10 5%
As a special promotion the shop has decided to give a Wedding Hamper to all who spend more than R 500 on
the rental of tuxedos. Additionally they give Champagne to all who hire jackets or Waistcoats.
They need to capture the following customer information name, item, quantity and the number of days.
The following need to be determined: the amount before discount, the discount amount, the final amount. To
help with the data capturing process, also include a message INVALID if the item was not correctly entered,
otherwise nothing should be displayed. The promotional item due (if applicable) should also be determined.
You need to make provision for 6 customers.

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Scenario 23. Pizza Hut

The Pizza Hut restaurant has asked you to design a spreadsheet for them, which will help to track the sales for
their pizzas.
Pizza Name Price (Large) Price (Small)
Mexican 23 15
Vegetarian 30 21
Hot Chilli 25 17
Meat Mix 32 24
A 5% discount is given to customers buying at least 2 Mexican or Hot chilli pizzas.
To promote sales, items are given to customers depending on the number of pizzas bought:
Quantity Promotion
More than 9 Free pizza
More than 5 2 Litre Coke
More than 2 Litre Coke
2 or less No item
For the customer record the following details are recorded: Pizza name, Size (Large or Small) and quantity. The
following should be determined amount due before discount, discount amount, final amount and promotional
item. You should determine if the pizza name was typed correctly or not, if not display a message stating invalid
name.
You need to make provision for 6 customers.

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Scenario 24. Movie House

A classic movie house requires a workbook to record ticket sales and produce reports on well watched movies.
The following movie categories (genres) are available:
Genre Price per person
Sci-Fi R 25
Fiction R 30
Drama R 27
Comedy R 32
A discount is given to groups watching a specific movie:
Group Size Discount
20 and more 10%
15 or more but less than 20 8%
10 or more, but less than 15 5%
Up to 10 2%
As promotion an extra ticket is given to a group that has more than 20 people watching the Fiction genre, while
popcorn is given to groups watching either Drama or Comedy.
The following details need to be captured: Movie name, Number of people, and the Movie Genre. The workbook
should calculate the following: Amount before discount, Discount amount, and Final Amount. A message (Invalid)
should be displayed if the movie genre captured does not exist. The promotional item due (if applicable) should
also be determined.
You need to make provision for 6 customers.

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Scenario 25. Vintage records

Your local music store has asked you to compile a Spreadsheet for them that will be used to capture record
sales. The music is classified and priced according to genre:
Genre Price per record
House R 150
Classic Music R 230
Reggae R 110
Rock R 120
The collectable records are more expensive the older they are, and an extra charge is included
Record Age Charge per record
16 and more R 7.00
11 – 15 R 5.00
6-10 R 3.00
0-5 R 2.00
A free CD is given to customers buying Reggae records where the final amount is over R 200, while a cd rack is
given to customers who purchase either Rock or Classic genre.
Whenever a collectable record is bought the following details need to be recorded: Customer name, genre, record
age and quantity. The following must be calculated: amount for the genre, age charge and final amount.
On the calculation for the amount for genre, your formula must check if the genre does exist, if not a message
“Genre incorrect” must be displayed. The promotional item due (if applicable) should also be determined.
You need to make provision for 6 customers.

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Scenario 26. Courier Services

A local courier company has decided to improve its service between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth and has asked
you to help by doing a workbook for them. These are the services they do
Service Price
Speed R220
Door to Door R300
Over the Counter R150
The company charges extra based on the weight of the package, and they charge according to the following table
Weight Charge per Kg
1–5 R 1.00
6–9 R 1.25
10 - 20 R 2.00
More than 20 R 3.00
A 5% discount is given to all customers using door to door service for parcels weighing over 10 kg.
As a promotion they give a free pen to customers using Speed or Over the Counter Services.
The following information needs to be captured: Customer Name, Cell Number, Package Weight, and Service
Type. The following must be determined: Service Amount, Weight Charge (per kilo), Discount, and the Final Price
On the Service Amount, the service must be checked if its valid first before a price can be displayed (display
“Invalid service” if the service entered is not correct). The promotional item due (if applicable) should also be
determined.
You need to make provision for 6 customers.

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B. Financial Functions
Scenario 27. Investments
10 Years ago your father invested R1000 at 20% interest per annum into a savings account, calculated
monthly at the Stay Rich Bank (Investment One).
Today he decides to make another investment at First Country Bank, providing 22% interest per
annum, calculated monthly. He will pay R200 monthly into this account (Investment Two).
He would like to know:
• For how many periods must he deposit R200 monthly in order for Investment Two to be worth
R10000? I.e. determine the number of months for this investment to reach at least R10000.
• What would the total amount of the investments be at the end of the number of periods calculated
for Investment Two?

Scenario 28. Inheritance

Some time ago your father invested R10000.00 at 20% interest per annum, compounded monthly
(Investment A). He made a certain payment into the investment each month. Today (after 50
investment periods) the investment is worth R45000.00.
Today, you heard that you have inherited R20000.00 from your grandfather. You have decided to
invest your inheritance money at 24% interest per annum, compounded quarterly (Investment B). Your
father decided today that he would transfer Investment A into your name, on the condition that you take
responsibility for the future monthly payments.
You have a part-time job and can save R500.00 per month. From that, you will make a monthly
payment into your father’s original investment (Investment A) and pay the rest of the money into your
new investment (Investment B). You want to keep both investments until your Investment B is worth
R40000.00.
You must determine:
• The monthly payment your father has been making
• How many investment periods will be needed for your inheritance to reach the value of
R40000.00
• On what date will investment B reach the value of R40000.00
• How many monthly payments will have been made into investment A by the time Investment B
reaches the value of R40000
• The value of your father’s original investment (Investment A) at the time Investment B reaches
R40000.00

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Scenario 29. Buying a computer (L05)

You can get a powerful laptop computer at R12 500. You only want to buy it when you have saved
enough money to pay for it in cash.
On the 2nd of January 2014 you invested a R1675 at 12.25% compound interest, calculated quarterly
into Investment 1.
On the 2nd of September 2016 (after 32 months) you decided to withdraw Investment 1 and immediately
re-invest at 18% nominal interest, compounded monthly into Investment 2. You are also paying R100
per month into Investment 2.
You want to keep investment 2 until you have enough money to buy the computer.
You want to determine:
• The date on which you will be able to buy the computer

Scenario 30. Loan towards speeding fine

On 25 April 2019 you were caught by a camera driving 85 km per hour in a 60 km per hour zone. A
notice of the offence was issued on 11 May 2019, which stated that a fine of R750 is payable under
the new demerit system.
You do not have the money and will have to borrow it from a microlender who charges a nominal
interest rate at 25% per annum, compounded weekly. You have a part-time job and are able to pay
R50 per week to settle your debt.
Furthermore, there exists a rule which states that the fine is not payable if the notice of the offence was
issued more than four weeks after the offence was committed.
You need to determine and display the following in a spreadsheet:
• The number of weeks it would take you to settle the loan assuming you have to pay.
• The number of weeks elapsed since the day of the offence till the day that the notice was issued.
• If the notice was issued four weeks after committing the offence, display the message: No fine
payable: otherwise display the actual total amount of all the payments to settle the loan.

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Scenario 31. Investments and holiday money

Two years ago Randal received R2000 for his birthday. He decided to invest this money for two years
at a nominal rate of 15% per annum, compounded monthly. He also decided to deposit a fixed monthly
payment into this investment (Investment 1) in order to triple the initial amount of R2000 during the
duration of the Investment.
He is about to finish high school and wants to go on a trip to Cape Town before he starts studying. To
finance the trip he will terminate Investment 1, use a portion of this investment for the holiday and
reinvest the remaining money into a second investment (Investment 2).
Investment 2 will start on 26 October 2019 and by 1 May 2022 when he hopes to graduate, he would
like to have a balance of R13 000 in this account (giving a total or 30 months). Interest in Investment
2 is calculated quarterly at a yearly interest rate of 22%. He will continue making payments into
Investment 2, but will do so every three months. Each month he will set aside the same amount of
money deposited into Investment 1, until the time when the quarterly payment for Investment 2 is due.
To help him make the right decisions you need to determine the following:
• What would his monthly payments be into Investment 1?
• What would his quarterly payments be into Investment 2?
• What initial amount must he invest into Investment 2 to have R13 000 in the month of his
expected graduation (i.e. 1 May 2022)?
• How much money can he take from Investment 1 after two years to finance his holiday?

Scenario 32. Holiday (L05 & W06)

Some time ago you took out a loan of R10 000 (Loan A), at a nominal interest rate of 20% compounded
two monthly, to buy a second hand motor vehicle. Since you bought the motor vehicle you had a part-
time job as waiter for twenty days per month and set aside R15 per day towards the bi-monthly (every
second month) payment of the loan.
Today the loan was paid off and you got an offer of R9 000 for your vehicle and decided to sell it. Due
to academic commitments you decided to resign from your part-time job as waiter.
You plan to go on an overseas holiday next year and you budget to spend R12 000 on that holiday.
You decided to immediately make a lump sum investment of a portion of the sales price of the vehicle
(Investment B), at a nominal interest rate of 25% compounded monthly in order to make provision for
you holiday budget (you will keep the investment for 18 months) and keep the rest of the sales price
as cash spending when needed.
• On what date did you take out the loan to buy the second hand vehicle?
• What portion of your motor vehicle’s sales price will you have as cash to spend after you invested
the necessary portion of the sales price of the motor vehicle (Investment B)?

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Scenario 33. Five year loan

On 1 January 2015 you took out a loan of R5000.00. Interest is calculated quarterly at a nominal interest rate
of 19% p.a.. Interest is compounded at the end of each quarter. You signed a contract to pay off the loan in five
years. Calculate the quarterly payment you need to make to settle the loan in five years.
You also need to determine the balance of the loan today as well as the portion of the payment that goes towards
interest.

Scenario 34. Buying a house

On 1 May 2005 your parents bought a house worth R450 000. They had a deposit of R100 000, but required a
20-year loan for the rest. Interest on the loan is given as 22% per annum, compounded at the end of each
month. What is the monthly payment due if they want to settle the loan in 20 years?
Today they received an offer of R600 000 for the property. Determine the following:
• The total amount in payments they have made since 1 May 2005 till the last payment before today (a total
of 160 months).
• The total profit or loss you would make if you sold the property for R600 000.
• The current balance of the loan.
• The interest portion of the most recent payment made.
• The principal portion of the most recent payment made.
Scenario 35. Comparing investments
Today you want to start an investment that will be paid out after a duration of 23 months. On this day the
investment should be worth R6 000. Interest on the investment is quoted at 6% per annum, compounded at
the end of each quarter. You have the option to either invest a lump sum today, or to start the investment without
a deposit, but to make regular payments each quarter. Determine the following:
• The lump sum required in Option A to reach R6 000.
• The quarterly payment required for Option B to reach R6 000.
• The total payments made for Option B over the total number of periods for this investment.
• The profit made for both options.
• Display the name of the option (either Option A or Option B) that will result in the highest profit (use a
function to do this).

Scenario 36. Buying a second hand motorbike

You would like to buy a second hand motorbike for R15500.00 today, but before you sign the contract you must
make some decisions.
You can finance it through a financial institution for 15% interest. Interest is compounded monthly. You have 3
options which you would like to compare:
Option 1:
 You can choose the longest payback period, which is 5 years.
 Calculate the payment you would have to make on a monthly basis.
Option 2:
 You can take a big portion of your earnings from your part-time job to pay the loan off as soon as
possible. You earn R 700.00 per month, but would have to keep R150.00 back for petrol.
 Determine how long it would take you to pay off the loan. Round this number to the bigger integer, as
that would give a more accurate answer (e.g. if the number is 25.3 or even 25.8, it would be rounded
to 26).
 Determine the date when the loan would be paid off.
Option 3:
 If you keep the same number of periods as in option 2, but give a deposit of R2000.00; how much
would you have to pay per month?

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Scenario 37. Re-investing money

Some time ago your father started an investment for you. He deposited an amount, and were given 12% interest
per annum, compounded quarterly. You are supposed to graduate at the end of 2020 (allowing for a duration
of 68 months). He expects the investment to be worth R10 000.00 by then.
Your farther wants you to take the money from this investment, and re-invest this amount in one of two options.
Option 1:
Re-invest for a 5 year period. You will have to make a monthly payment of R250.00 per month. Do you
calculations on an estimated nominal rate of 10.5%.
Option 2:
Re-invest for an unknown period of time. You will still have to make a monthly payment of R250.00, at a nominal
of 10.5%, but leave the investment until it grows to R40 000.00
Calculate the following:
 The number of interest periods for the first investment. Round this number to the bigger integer, as
that would give a more accurate answer (e.g. if the number is 25.3 or even 25.8, it would be rounded
to 26).
 The initial amount your father invested.
 The estimated amount you would earn as a result of the second investment (Option 1).
 The number of periods you would have to invest your money for (Option 2).

Scenario 38. Lottery (W05)

Three years ago you were one of the lucky ones to win R 250 000.00 on the national lottery. You immediately
invested the money at a nominal rate of 8.5%. Interest was compounded monthly. You end the investment
today.
 How much money do you have as a result of the initial investment?
You are planning to take all the money, and invest it again at another financial institution, offering 9.8% per year
(compounded quarterly), starting today.
Determine the following
o If you would like to have R 500 000.00, what period should you invest your money for?
o The date when the new investment would have reached R 500 000.00.

Scenario 39. Buying a surround sound system (W05)

You would like to buy a new surround sound system for R8900.00 today, but before you sign the contract you
must make some decisions.
You can finance it through a financial institution for 17.5% interest. Interest is compounded monthly. You have
3 options which you would like to compare:
Option A:
 You can take a big portion of your earnings from your part-time job to pay the loan off as soon as
possible. You earn R 600.00 per month, but would have to keep R200.00 back for other expenses.
 Determine how long it would take you to pay off the loan. Round this number to the bigger integer
(whole number), as that would give a more accurate answer (e.g. if the number is 25.3 or even 25.8, it
would be rounded to 26).
 Determine the date when the loan would be paid off.
Option B:
 If you keep the same number of periods as in Option A, but give a deposit of R2000.00; how much
would you have to pay per month?
Option C:
 You can choose a 3 year payback period.
 Calculate the payment you would have to make on a monthly basis.

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Scenario 40. Video Shop

You and your father decided to buy a Video Shop. You took out a loan on 1 December 2017 to pay for the Video
Shop which cost R250 000. This was paid with a deposit of R100 000. Interest on the loan is given as 23% per
annum, compounded at the end of each month. You would like to know your payments for a 10 year loan and a
20 year loan.
Determine the following for the 10 and 20 year loan:
• Your monthly repayments.
• The end date of the loan.
• The total amount paid at the end of the loan.
• The interest portion of the last loan payment.
Scenario 41. Savings towards boat cruise
You and a friend decide that you want to take a boat cruise on the Mediterranean, costing R 13 500. In order to
have enough money for the cruise, you decide to invest money at your local bank. The bank offers you an interest
rate of 17.5% compounded every two months.
In order to save enough money, you want to compare the following three options:
Option 1:
You earn a monthly salary of R2500 from your part-time job. You can use a fifth of this as payment. If you start
to invest on the 15th of January 2019, on which date will you have saved enough money to be able to pay for the
cruise?
Option 2:
Your parents have given you R3500 towards the cruise, which you invest. You decide to make a monthly payment
of R500 into this investment. How many full interest periods will it require for you to be able to go on the cruise
if you make the investment on the 15th of January 2019?
Option 3:
Instead of making a monthly payment of R500 into investment two, you decide to sign a fixed contract whereby
you invest the money for 10 interest periods. What would your additional monthly payment have to be in order
to save enough money in this period of time?

Scenario 42. Bed and Breakfast

You decided to invest in a Bed and Breakfast. You took out a loan on 1 August 2019 to pay for the Bed and
Breakfast which cost R850 000. This was paid with a deposit of R250 000. Interest on the loan is given as 13%
per annum, compounded at the end of each month. You would like to compare your payments for a 10 year loan
(Option 1) and a 15 year loan (Option 2).
Determine the following for Option 1 and Option 2:
• Your monthly repayments.
• The end date of the loan.
• The total amount paid at the end of the loan.
• The interest portion of the last loan payment.

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Scenario 43. Buying a car (W06)

You would like to buy a car of R75 000. You have managed to save a deposit of R30 000. The rest you will have
to loan from ABC Bank. There are two options you would like to compare in order to decide the way forward. You
would like to start the loan today.
Option 1:
Given that you make a fixed payment of R1500 on a monthly basis:
• Option 1 will charge 15% interest p.a., compounded monthly.
• How many full interest periods will you need in order to pay back the loan amount?
• On what date will you have paid back the loan?
• Determine the interest portion of the payment halfway through the duration of the loan.
Option 2
If you decide to pay back the loan over a period of 5 years:
• Option 2 will charge 15.5% interest p.a., compounded every 2nd month.
• Determine the monthly payment you would have to make.
• Determine the principle portion of the payment halfway through the duration of the loan.
For both options – determine the interest portion of the payment halfway through the duration of the loan.

Scenario 44. Tuck shop

Today you would like to buy yourself a tuck-shop of R70 000.00 while you are still here at varsity, but before you
sign the contract you must make some decisions. You have R10 000 available to give as a deposit.
Option 1:
You can finance it through a banking institution for 15% interest per annum. Interest is compounded quarterly:

You have an amount of R 6500 available per month, and you have decided to use half of this to pay off the loan
(as payment is only due every quarter, you will save up every month).
• Determine how long it would take you to pay off the loan?
• Determine the date when the loan would be paid off.
Option 2:
You can also finance it at 13 % interest per annum, compounded monthly.
• What would your monthly payment be for the same period as option 1?

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Scenario 45. Investing lottery winnings

Today you are told you have just won R 130 000 on the lottery and you want to invest it, but before you sign the
contract you want to compare some options available to you. For both options you will have R200 available on
a monthly basis to add into your investment.
Option 1:
You could invest it through a banking institution for 14% interest per annum. Interest is compounded monthly.
• Determine how long it would take your investment to grow to R200 000.
• Determine the date when the investment would reach R200 000.
Option 2:
You can also invest it at 15.5% interest per annum, compounded quarterly, but then you must invest for 4 years.
• What would your future value be?

Scenario 46. Buying a second hand vehicle (L06)

You have found the perfect second hand vehicle to buy. It will cost you R 70 000, but you have a deposit of R
10 000 saved up. Two different financial institutions will finance the loan, with the following specifications:
Option 1:
You could borrow the money today at 14% per annum, compounded monthly. You have R1200 available per
month to pay the loan.
• Determine how long it would take to pay off the loan.
• Determine the date when the loan would be paid off.
• Determine the interest portion of the first payment.
Option 2:
You can also borrow it at 13.5% interest per annum, compounded monthly, but then you must use a term of 5
years.
• What would payment be per month?

Scenario 47. Starting a shuttle service

Today you would like to borrow some money to buy yourself a car of R120 000 to run a shuttle service, but before
you sign the contract you must make some decisions. You have R25 000 available to give as a deposit.
Option 1:
You can finance it through a banking institution for 15% interest per annum. Interest is compounded monthly.
You want to have the loan paid off after 28 months.
• What would your monthly payment be?
Option 2:
You can also finance it at 13.5 % interest per annum, compounded quarterly.
• How many periods would have to pay off the loan if you are able to save R 2 500 every month and use
this money as the quarterly payment.
• Determine the date when the loan will be paid off.

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Scenario 48. Comparing Savings plans

You would like to start an investment today. You would like to have R 35 000 available by the end of 2021. You
have 2 options available to compare:
Option 1:
You can invest at a banking institution for 9% interest per annum. Interest is compounded monthly. You have
R 300 available monthly to pay into the investment.
• How much money should you pay into the investment initially, if the investment will have a duration of 40
months?
Option 2:
You can also finance it at 10.5 % interest per annum, compounded quarterly.
• If you have R 5 000 to start the investment, how much should you pay into the investment for every
investment period? (Assuming the same duration of 40 months)

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 References

References

Microsoft Office 2007 Online Help

Microsoft Office 2010 Online Help
Microsoft Office 2013 Online Help
Microsoft Office 2016 Online Help

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