Introduction to MS Excel

Introduction to MS Excel

• MS Excel is part of the MS-Office package suite.
• MS Excel is known as a spreadsheet program.
• Spreadsheets arrange data, complete calculations, represent data in graphs, and develop charts.

Worksheet Elements

• Worksheets are a grid rectangular place for performing mathematical calculations or working with data.
• MS Excel provides 3 sheets by default (Sheet 1, Sheet 2, Sheet 3).
• There are 254 worksheets in every workbook.
• Data is organized vertically in columns and horizontally in rows.
• A single worksheet contains 16,384 columns and 1,048,576 rows.
• Rows in a worksheet are labeled with numbers from 1 to 1,048,576.
• Columns are labeled with alphabets, from A to XFD.
• Cells are the basic unit in every worksheet and are used to enter and edit data.
• A cell is an intersection of rows and columns.
• Cells are identified by the rows and columns where they are located (e.g., C4 is the intersection of row 4 and column C).
• Information about a cell is termed as a cell address or cell reference.
• Cells can contain labels (text), values (numbers), and formulas.
• Gridlines are the horizontal and vertical lines used to identify each cell in a worksheet.
• Each cell has a unique address that intersects a single row and column.
• A cell is identified by the column letter first and then the row number.
• When the mouse pointer is placed in a cell within the worksheet, it is shown by a block plus sign.
• If the mouse pointer is moved outside the worksheet, it turns into a block arrow.

Formula Bar

• The Formula bar is used to enter or edit formulas.
• The Formula bar is located just below the Ribbons.
• Formulas are sets of symbols and values used to display results by performing calculations

Scroll Bars

• Scroll bars help view the portion of the worksheet displayed on the screen.
• Scroll bars, scroll arrows, and scroll boxes are located below and to the right of the worksheet window.
• Scroll bars, scroll arrows, and scroll boxes allow viewing different parts of the active worksheet.

Windows Control Buttons

• Minimize, maximize, and close buttons are on the Title bar.
• The Title bar is a horizontal blue bar at the topmost side of the window.
• The buttons present on the Title bar are known as Windows Control buttons.

File Handling

• Files in MS Excel are saved with the .xlsx file extension by default.
• Excel files can be saved with a custom name.
• Use "Save As" to save a file with a name or "Save" to save changes to a previously named file.
• "Save As" and "Save" options are found under the file tab/menu.

Data Manipulation

• Moving data reorganizes it in the worksheet, making the data disappear from the original location and appear in the new location
• Use Cut (Ctrl + X) and Paste (Ctrl + V) commands to move data.
• Copying data duplicates it in the worksheet without disturbing the original data.
• Use Copy (Ctrl + C) and Paste (Ctrl + V) commands to copy data.
• The delete option removes unwanted rows and columns from the worksheet.
• Excel moves other columns and rows to fill the space left after deletion.
• The Delete option is available under the Home tab in the Cells group.
• Delete option includes sub-options like Delete Cells, Delete Sheet Rows, Delete Sheet Columns, Delete Sheet, etc.

Worksheet Management

• MS Excel provides three worksheets by default in a workbook.
• Use Shift + F11 to insert a new sheet in an Excel workbook.
• Inserting worksheets can also be done from the Home Tab -> Insert option from the cells group -> Insert sheet.