1.2: Overview of Microsoft Excel

Microsoft® Office contains a variety of tools that help people accomplish many personal and professional objectives. Microsoft Excel is perhaps the most versatile and widely used of all the Office applications. No matter which career path you choose, you will likely need to use Excel to accomplish your professional objectives, some of which may occur daily. This chapter provides an overview of the Excel application along with an orientation for accessing the commands and features of an Excel workbook.

Making Decisions with Excel

Taking a very simple view, Excel is a tool that allows you to enter quantitative data into an electronic spreadsheet to apply one or many mathematical computations. These computations ultimately convert that quantitative data into information. The information produced in Excel can be used to make decisions in both professional and personal contexts. For example, employees can use Excel to determine how much inventory to buy for a clothing retailer, how much medication to administer to a patient, or how much money to spend to stay within a budget. With respect to personal decisions, you can use Excel to determine how much money you can spend on a house, how much you can spend on car lease payments, or how much you need to save to reach your retirement goals. We will demonstrate how you can use Excel to make these decisions and many more throughout this text.

Figure 1.1 shows a completed Excel worksheet that will be constructed in this chapter. The information shown in this worksheet is top-line sales data for a hypothetical merchandise retail company. The worksheet data can help this retailer determine the number of salespeople needed for each month, how much inventory is needed to satisfy sales, and what types of products should be purchased.

Figure 1.2.1 Example of an Excel Worksheet

Starting Excel

1. Locate Excel on your computer.
2. Click Microsoft Excel to launch the application and present workbook options.
3. Click Blank Workbook.

Figure 1.2.2 Excel Program in the Start Menu

The Excel Workbook

Once Excel is started, a blank workbook will open on your screen. A workbook is an Excel file that contains one or more worksheets (sometimes referred to as spreadsheets). Excel will assign a file name to the workbook, such as Book1, as seen below and Book2, Book3, and so on, depending on how many new workbooks are opened. Figure 1.3 shows a blank workbook after starting Excel. Take some time to familiarize yourself with this screen. Your screen may be slightly different based on the version you are using.

Figure 1.2.3 Blank Workbook

Navigating Worksheets

Data are entered and managed in an Excel worksheet. The worksheet contains several rectangles called cells for entering numeric and nonnumeric data. Each cell in an Excel worksheet contains an address, which is defined by a column letter followed by a row number. For example, the cell that is currently activated in Figure 1.3 is A1. This would be referred to as cell location A1 or cell reference A1. The following steps explain how you can navigate in an Excel worksheet:

1. Place your mouse pointer over cell D5 and left click.
2. Check to make sure column letter D and row number 5 are highlighted, as shown in Figure 1.5. Note: Your highlighted column letter and row number may be different than figure shown.

Figure 1.2.4 Activating a Cell Location

3. Move the mouse pointer to cell A1.
4. Click and hold the left mouse button and drag the mouse pointer back to cell D5.
5. Release the left mouse button. You should see several cells highlighted, as shown in Figure 1.6.

This is referred to as a cell range and is documented as follows: A1:D5. Any two cell locations separated by a colon are known as a cell range. The first cell is the top left corner of the range, and the second cell is the lower right corner of the range:

Figure 1.2.5 Highlighting a Range of Cells

6. At the bottom of the screen, you will see worksheets. Depending on your version of Excel, you will see either three as displayed above or just one. If you only have one sheet, click Insert Worksheet (or the + icon) to add a worksheet. Add another worksheet so that you now have three sheets displaying here.
7. Click the Sheet1 worksheet tab at the bottom of the worksheet to return to the worksheet shown in Figure 1.6.

Keyboard Shortcuts - Basic Worksheet Navigation

• Use the arrow keys to activate cells on the worksheet.
• Hold SHIFT + arrow keys to highlight a range.
• Hold CTRL while pressing PAGE DOWN or PAGE UP to move between worksheets.

The Excel Ribbon

Excel’s features and commands are found in the Ribbon, which is the upper area of the Excel screen that contains several tabs running across the top. Each tab provides access to a different set of Excel commands. Figure 1.7 shows the commands available in the Home tab of the Ribbon.

Figure 1.2.6 Home Tab of Ribbon

The Ribbon shown in Figure 1.7 is full or maximized. The benefit of having a full Ribbon is that the commands are always visible while you are developing a worksheet. However, depending on the screen dimensions of your computer, you may find that the Ribbon takes up too much vertical space on your worksheet. If this is the case, you can minimize the Ribbon by clicking the button shown in Figure 1.7. When minimized, the Ribbon will show only the tabs and not the command buttons. When you click on a tab, the command buttons will appear until you select a command or click anywhere on your worksheet.

Table 1.1 “Command Overview for Each Tab of the Ribbon” provides an overview of the commands that are found in each tab of the Ribbon.

Table 1.1 Command Overview for Each Tab of the Ribbon
Tab Name	Description of Commands
File	Also known as the Backstage view of the Excel Workbook. Contains all commands for opening, closing, saving, and creating new Excel workbooks. Includes print commands, document properties, e-mailing options, and help features. The default settings and options are also found in this tab.
Home	Contains the most frequently used Excel commands. Formatting commands are found in this tab along with commands for cutting, copying, pasting, and for inserting and deleting rows and columns.
Insert	Used to insert objects such as charts, pictures, shapes, PivotTables, Internet links, symbols, or text boxes.
Page Layout	Contains commands used to prepare a worksheet for printing. Also includes commands used to show and print the gridlines on a worksheet.
Formulas	Includes commands for adding mathematical functions to a worksheet. Also contains tools for auditing mathematical formulas.
Data	Used when working with external data sources such as Microsoft Access, text files, or the Internet. Also contains sorting commands and access to scenario tools.
Review	Includes Spelling and Track Changes features. Also contains protection features to password protect worksheets or workbooks.
View	Used to adjust the visual appearance of a workbook. Common commands include the Zoom and Page Layout view.

Keyboard Shortcuts - Minimizing or Maximizing the Ribbon

• Hold down the CTRL key and press the F1 key.
• Hold down the CTRL key and press the F1 key again to maximize the Ribbon.

Quick Access Toolbar and Right-Click Menu

The Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) is found at the upper left side of the Excel screen above the Ribbon, as shown in Figure 1.8. This area provides access to the most frequently used commands, such as Save and Undo. You can customize the QAT by adding commands you use on a regular basis. Click the down arrow on the QAT to add commands, or choose More Commands for the full list.

Figure 1.2.7 Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar

In addition to the Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar, you can also access commands by right clicking anywhere on the worksheet. Figure 1.9 shows an example of the commands available in the right-click menu.

Figure 1.2.8 Right-Click Menu

The File Tab

The File tab is also known as the Backstage view of the workbook. It contains features and commands related to the workbook that is currently open, new workbooks, or workbooks stored in other locations on your computer or network. Figure 1.10 shows the options available in the File tab or Backstage view. To leave Backstage and return to the worksheet, click the arrow in the upper-left corner.

Figure 1.2.9 File Tab or Backstage View of a Workbook

Included in the File tab are the default settings for the Excel application, accessed via Options. Figure 1.11 shows the Excel Options window, which gives you access to settings such as the default font style, font size, and the number of worksheets that appear in new workbooks.

Figure 1.2.10 Excel Options Window

Saving Workbooks (Save As)

Once you create a new workbook, you will need to change the file name and choose a location on your computer or network to save that file. The process of saving can differ across versions of Excel. The following steps explain how to save a new workbook and assign it a file name.

Saving Workbooks in Excel 2013

1. Open a blank workbook in Excel.
2. Click the File tab.
3. Click Save As (opens the Save As dialog box; see Figure 1.12).
4. Click in the File name box and remove the default name.
5. Type the file name: CH1 GMW Sales Data.
6. Choose a location (e.g., Desktop or preferred folder).
7. Click Save.
8. As you continue to work, save frequently using Ctrl+S, the Save button, or File > Save.

Figure 1.2.11 Save As Dialog Box in Excel 2013

Saving Workbooks in Excel 2016

1. Open a blank workbook in Excel.
2. Click File > Save As.
3. Click Browse to choose a location.
4. In File name, type CH1 GMW Sales Data.
5. Review settings and click Save

Figure 1.2.12 Save As Dialog in 2016

Keyboard Shortcuts - Save As

• Press F12 and use Tab/Arrow/Enter to navigate.
• Or press Alt, then F (File), then A (Save As).

Skill Refresher - Saving Workbooks (Save As)

File tab → Save As → choose location → name the file → Save.

The Status Bar

The Status Bar is located below the worksheet tabs on the Excel screen (see Figure 1.14). It displays a variety of information, such as the status of certain keys on your keyboard (e.g., CAPS LOCK), the available views for a workbook, the magnification of the screen, and mathematical functions that can be performed when data are highlighted on a worksheet. You can customize the Status Bar as follows:

1. Place the mouse pointer over any area of the Status Bar and right click to display the “Customize Status Bar” list of options (see Figure 1.14).
2. Select the Caps Lock option from the menu (see Figure 1.14).
3. Press the CAPS LOCK key on your keyboard. You will see the Caps Lock indicator on the lower right side of the Status Bar
4. Press the CAPS LOCK on your keyboard again. The indicator on the Status Bar goes away.

Figure 1.2.13 Customizing the Status Bar

Excel Help

The Help feature provides extensive information about the Excel application. Although some of this information may be stored on your computer, the Help window will automatically connect to the Internet, if you have a live connection, to provide you with resources that can answer most of your questions. You can open the Excel Help window by clicking the question mark in the upper right area of the screen or ribbon. With newer versions of Excel, use the query box to enter your question and select from helpful option links or select the question mark from the dropdown list to launch Excel Help windows.

Figure 1.2.14 Excel Help Window

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