Lesson1: Introduction to Microsoft Excel.
1.1Introduction
Computer aided management is the use of information technology to coordinate any organization.
Management usually involves a series of mathematical calculation which can be performed extremely
faster using computer programs like MS excel, lotus 1-2-3 etc. in the course of the following lessons we
will be looking at some features of MS excel and how to use them.
MS excel is a spreadsheet application developed by Microsoft. It features calculations and graphing tools.
MS excel uses a grid of cells arranged in rows and columns. The columns are labeled using letters (A, B,
C….) while the rows are labeled using numbers (1, 2, 3….). Its main function is to perform mathematical
calculations rapidly.
Definition of key words
Spreadsheet: a spreadsheet is an interactive computer program used to organize, analyze and store data
in a table.
Cell: this is the box formed by the intersection of a column and a row. Data is typed into cells for
calculations.
Parts of Microsoft excel window
1) Quick access toolbar: it contains frequently used commands.
2) Office button: clicking the office button displays a dropdown menu containing a number of
options, such as open, save, print etc.
3) The ribbon: the ribbon is a strip that contains buttons and icons. These buttons and icons are
separated into groups. The content of the ribbon varies from tab to tab.
4) Formula bar: located above the worksheet, this area displays the content of the active cell. It is
equally used to type the formula for a given cell.
5) Name box: located next to the formula bar. It displays the cell reference or the name of the active
cell.
6) Columns letter: columns run vertically from top to bottom of the worksheet. Each column is
identified by the column letter located at the top of the column.
7) Row number: rows run horizontally from left to right. Each row is identified by the row number.
NB: rows and columns intersect to form rectangles called cells. Each cell on the worksheet is
identified by the cell reference which is a combination of the column letter and the row number
e.g. A1, E8, Z40, B5 etc.
8) Worksheet: it is a collection of all the cells.
9) Active cell: in an excel 2007 worksheet; the active cell is the cell with the black outline. Data is
always entered into the active cell.
10) Sheet tab: by default there are three worksheets in excel 2007. The sheet tabs are located at the
bottom of a worksheet, such as sheet 1, sheet 2, sheet 3 etc. switching between worksheets can be
done by clicking on the sheet tabs.
Lesson 2: starting MS excel and Data entry techniques
2.1 Starting MS Excel
MS excel is a windows application and can be launched by either of the following methods:
1. From desktop shortcut.
By simply double clicking on the MS excel desktop shortcut icon.
2. From the start menu.
Incase there is no MS shortcut icon on the desktop, we take the following steps:
i. Click on the start button.
ii. From the start menu that pops up, click on all programs at the bottom of the menu.
iii. From the menu that appears, click on the Microsoft office folder.
iv. Click on the MS Excel icon from the dropdown list.
2.2 Data entry techniques (methods)
Like any other machine, the computer needs input (data) in order to produce output (information).
Data entry refers to the various methods of inputting data into the computer. In MS excel, there exist
a variety of methods of data entry. These methods include:
I. Typing: this is the most frequently used method of data entry and it involves typing in the data
using the keyboard. e.g.
Name Class Age
Ngwa Solange ESF7 19
II. Auto-complete: if the first few characters that you type in a cell match an existing entry in that
column, Excel automatically enters the remaining characters for you. To accept the proposed
entry, press “ENTER”. To replace the automatically entered characters, continue typing. E.g.
Name Class Age
Ngwa Solange ESF-5 17
Beri Jane IH-7 19
Ngwa Stanley MEB-5 16
III. Auto-Fill: to quickly fill in several types of data series, you can select cells and drag the fill
handle. To use the fillhandle, you select the cells that you want to use as a basis for fill the
additional cells, and drag the fill handle across or down the cells that you want to fill. E.g.
January February March April May June
1 2 3 4 5 6
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
NB: The auto-fill method can also be used to copy formulae to adjacent fields.
IV. Copy and paste. We can also copy data from other tables and paste them in our work sheet.
This process involves;
Select (highlight) the tables you want to copy
Right click on the selected table.
From the dropdown menu that appears, click on copy
Now return the work sheet in which you wish to paste the table
Right click on the worksheet and click on the paste icon.
Exercise:
Enter information about 20 students in your class using this table.
No Name Age Mathematics English French Computer Physics Total
Lesson 3: cell referencing in MS excel
In excel, cells are formed by the intersection of rows and column, so the cells can be referenced using the
combination of column letter and the row number on which they find themselves.
