Wiley Master VISUALLY Excel 2010 978-0-470-57769-1 User Manual
Product codes
978-0-470-57769-1
4
What You Can Do
in Excel
M
icrosoft Excel is one of the world’s most
popular spreadsheet programs. You could
create worksheets on ledger paper and use
popular spreadsheet programs. You could
create worksheets on ledger paper and use
a calculator or draw charts on graph paper, but Excel
makes these tasks and others related to managing
makes these tasks and others related to managing
numeric information easier. You can use the program
to create worksheets, databases, and charts. Without
a doubt, you could perform the following functions
manually, but you can use Excel to make them easier.
to create worksheets, databases, and charts. Without
a doubt, you could perform the following functions
manually, but you can use Excel to make them easier.
Lay Out a Worksheet
When you sit down to develop a worksheet
with a pencil and ledger paper, you do not
always have all the information to complete the
design and layout of the worksheet. Ideas may
occur to you after you sketch the layout of your
worksheet. After you are finished jotting down
the column headings and the row headings,
you might think of another column or row
that you did not include. If you are working with
pencil and paper, restructuring the layout of a
worksheet can be tedious and time-consuming.
With Excel, you can easily insert columns and
rows as well as move information from one
location to another.
with a pencil and ledger paper, you do not
always have all the information to complete the
design and layout of the worksheet. Ideas may
occur to you after you sketch the layout of your
worksheet. After you are finished jotting down
the column headings and the row headings,
you might think of another column or row
that you did not include. If you are working with
pencil and paper, restructuring the layout of a
worksheet can be tedious and time-consuming.
With Excel, you can easily insert columns and
rows as well as move information from one
location to another.
Calculate Numbers
Think about the tasks involved in managing your
checkbook register. You subtract the amount of
each check written and add the deposits to the
running balance. You then use your bank
statement to balance your checkbook, and it is
not at all uncommon to find math errors in your
checkbook. So, you must then recalculate the
numbers in your checkbook register and jot
down the new answers. If you set up an Excel
workbook to do the same tasks, you can use
formulas that subtract checks and add deposits.
You enter the formulas only once and simply
supply the amounts of your checks and deposits,
much as you record them in your checkbook
register. When you change the numbers in the
workbook, Excel uses the formulas to recalculate
checkbook register. You subtract the amount of
each check written and add the deposits to the
running balance. You then use your bank
statement to balance your checkbook, and it is
not at all uncommon to find math errors in your
checkbook. So, you must then recalculate the
numbers in your checkbook register and jot
down the new answers. If you set up an Excel
workbook to do the same tasks, you can use
formulas that subtract checks and add deposits.
You enter the formulas only once and simply
supply the amounts of your checks and deposits,
much as you record them in your checkbook
register. When you change the numbers in the
workbook, Excel uses the formulas to recalculate
the information in your workbook and instantly
gives you the new answers — in most cases,
without the associated math errors.
gives you the new answers — in most cases,
without the associated math errors.
Organize, Sort, and Filter Lists
You can create tables to organize your data in
lists. For example, you can create inventory lists,
employee lists, customer lists, student grade lists,
and sales records. In Excel, you can add, delete,
sort, search, and display records in the list as
often as required to maintain the list. You can
sort data on the worksheet alphabetically and
numerically in ascending or descending order.
For example, you can sort sales records in
chronological order by dates. You can also use
the AutoFilter feature to quickly find information
that meets a specific criterion or to find the top
or bottom ten values in the list without sorting.
lists. For example, you can create inventory lists,
employee lists, customer lists, student grade lists,
and sales records. In Excel, you can add, delete,
sort, search, and display records in the list as
often as required to maintain the list. You can
sort data on the worksheet alphabetically and
numerically in ascending or descending order.
For example, you can sort sales records in
chronological order by dates. You can also use
the AutoFilter feature to quickly find information
that meets a specific criterion or to find the top
or bottom ten values in the list without sorting.
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