Computer Assembly and Disassembly PDF

Computer Assembly and Disassembly Introduction Computer assembly is an essential job of a computer installation technician. The technician has to work in a logical, methodical manner while handling various computer components and peripherals. The technician can improve the computer assembly skills...

Computer Assembly and Disassembly Introduction Computer assembly is an essential job of a computer installation technician. The technician has to work in a logical, methodical manner while handling various computer components and peripherals. The technician can improve the computer assembly skills with practice. Computer assembly is a process in which all the internal components required for the computer system are fitted so as to make the computer functional. There is a proper sequence of attachment of each and every component into the computer system. To establish proper connectivity, one has to use the tools. Proper handling of tools is also required by the technician. It is required that students learn the steps of installation of each component. The main component involves installing CPU, motherboard, drives, video, graphics card, sound card, modem and adapter, and connectors, and system panel connector. In this Chapter, we will understand the step by step process of assembling a computer. It also covers the need for adequate system resources to efficiently run the customer‟s hardware and software. Computer Assembly As we know, computer assembly is a systematic process. First, arrange the computer parts. The sequence for assembly and working of the computer listed below is as: Open the case. Install the power supply. Attach the components to the motherboard. Install the motherboard. Install internal drives. Connect all internal cables. Install motherboard power connections Connect external cables to the computer. Boot the computer for the first time. The first step in assembling a computer is to open the computer case There are different methods for opening cases. The computer comes with various types of cabinets. The method for opening the case is different based on the manufacturer. The next step is to install a power supply There are usually four screws that attach the power supply to the case. Power supplies have fans that can vibrate and loosen screws that are not secured. When installing a power supply, make sure that all of the screws are used and that they are properly tightened. The motherboard has to be prepared before its installation. To prepare the motherboard, you first need to install the CPU, then the heat sink on the CPU and CPU fan. After preparing the motherboard, you can install the computer case, Plastic and metal standoffs are used to mount the motherboard and to prevent it from touching the metal portions of the case. To install the motherboard, follow these steps: The hard drive is the device which stores all the data. It is 3.5 inch wide and needs to be mounted so that access to the cable connections on the back is gained. Drives that are installed in internal bays are called internal drives. A hard disk drive (HDD) is an example of an internal drive. To install HDD, follow these steps: Position the HDD so that it aligns with the 3.5 inch drive bay. Insert the HDD into the drive bay so that the screw holes in the drive line up with the screw holes in the case Secure the HDD to the case using proper screws Position the optical drive so that it aligns with the 5.25 inch drive bay. Insert the optical drive into the drive bay so that the optical drive screw holes align with the screw holes in the case Secure the optical drive to the case using the proper screws Connect the power cable coming from the SMPS to the power socket of optical drive. Connect SATA data cable from optical drive socket to the motherboard socket. Power cables are used to distribute electricity from the power supply to the motherboard and other components. Data cables transmit data between the motherboard and storage devices, such as hard drives. Step 7: Install motherboard power connections Just like other components, motherboards require power to operate. The Advanced Technology eXtended (ATX) main power connector will have either 20 or 24 pins. The power supply may also have a 4‑pin or 6‑pin auxiliary (AUX) power connector that connects to the motherboard. A 20‑pin connector will work in a motherboard with a 24‑pin socket. Follow these steps for motherboard power cable installation: system involves the complete process of establishing the proper connectivity of various parts of the computer system — input and output devices, connectivity of computer with the surge power supply. Reattach the side panels to the case. To start the computer, it is necessary to follow the correct sequence to start up. Now push the power button on the CPU to start the computer. Practically when we start our vehicle, we always check that the light or air conditioner (AC) is off. Otherwise it will consume more power compared to normal start up. Always remember that the first step is to push power button of the CPU than the monitor‟s. Because the monitor consumes more electricity when powered. Computer Disassembly Disassembly is the process of breaking down a device into separate parts. Disassembly of any device is required to determine a problem, to replace a part, or take the parts and use them in another device. A computer is also an electronic device which requires disassembly for such issues. For example, if a RAM gets dysfunctional in a computer, then it requires disassembling the computer to take out the dysfunctional RAM and replace it with new RAM chips. As we know, computers have standard internal components, but the way of placement may vary as per the PC tower case and different brands of computer. The best way is to refer to the manufacturer instructions manual. But in general there is a standard process of computer disassembly, which is demonstrated in this session. Just like computer assembly, the disassembly is a standard process. The process involves unplugging of all the cords and cables connecting a component to other components, then removing the part from the case or frame. Components can be attached to the case with special clips, screws, or by insertion into a holder. A small amount of force is required to remove each part of the computer system. One working PC An anti‑static wrist strap An anti‑static mat Anti‑static bags of various sizes Technician‟s toolkit A plastic cup or box to organise screws, nuts, and bolts The disassembly procedure of computer is demonstrated as below.  Unplug the power cord from the PC and from the wall socket to prevent any injuries and damage of the PC from electrostatic discharge (ESD). Unplug all the peripherals attached to the computer, such as the keyboard, mouse, monitor, headphones, and any external drives. Wear a grounding strap to discharge any static electricity. The computer comes with various types of cabinets. The methods of opening the case are different based on the manufacturer. To open the case, first remove the screws of the left side cover and slide the side cover. Pull the latch to release the side panel. Then lift the side cover out from the chassis. To remember connectivity of internal cables, take the photographs of internal circuitry. It will help to assemble back the system. Disconnect all the connectors connected to the motherboard. These include SATA power cable and data cable of HDD as well as SATA cable of optical drive. Remove the fan now. Most computers have two fans — the system fan and CPU fan. The system fan is located at the back side of the computer to blow air into the computer. The CPU fan is located on top of the CPU heat sink. The fans and its connectors are labelled with their names. To remove the system fan, first, disconnect its connector from the motherboard. Then, unscrew it from the outside of the back of the case and lift the fan out of the system. The power supply is connected to the motherboard by a 20‑pin connector and 4‑pin connector. It is also connected to hard disk drive and the optical drive. Firstly, disconnect hard disk drive and the optical drive connectors from the motherboard Remove the SATA cable connecting to the HDD and motherboard. Then unscrew the four screws securing it in place and pull out the HDD RAM allows for the transfer of information to and from the CPU. Computer runs fast with more RAM. Most computers have four RAM slots, and two RAM chips. To remove the RAM, push down on both tabs holding the RAM in place, which are located at both ends of the RAM. It will cause the module to pop up for easy removal. The modern motherboards are integrated with the audio, video and network cards. However, if your computer has the expansion card as shown in Figure 12.54, insert into the expansions slot to increase the functionality. The expansion card is screwed with a single screw on top of expansion card slot. Every part of the computer is attached to the motherboard. The CPU, RAM, and expansion cards are directly attached to the motherboard. To remove the motherboard, disconnect all the cables from the motherboard. It has seven screws holding it to the frame. Remove these screws and then lift the motherboard out of the frame. Identify every component and take its photograph. After identification of each component, put all the components back in their place and ensure that all cables and wires are connected at the right place to avoid further troubleshooting. Close the case and put the screws back in their place. Lastly, connect every external device such as the keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc., and turn on the computer to see everything is working fine after assembled. Introduction of DBMS (Database Management System) A Database Management System (DBMS) is a software system that is designed to manage and organize data in a structured manner. It allows users to create, modify, and query a database, as well as manage the security and access controls for that database. DBMS provides an environment to store and retrieve the data in coinvent and efficient manner. Key Features of DBMS  Data modeling: A DBMS provides tools for creating and modifying data models, which define the structure and relationships of the data in a database.  Data storage and retrieval: A DBMS is responsible for storing and retrieving data from the database, and can provide various methods for searching and querying the data.  Concurrency control: A DBMS provides mechanisms for controlling concurrent access to the database, to ensure that multiple users can access the data without conflicting with each other.  Data integrity and security: A DBMS provides tools for enforcing data integrity and security constraints, such as constraints on the values of data and access controls that restrict who can access the data.  Backup and recovery: A DBMS provides mechanisms for backing up and recovering the data in the event of a system failure.  DBMS can be classified into two types: Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) and Non-Relational Database Management System (NoSQL or Non-SQL)  RDBMS: Data is organized in the form of tables and each table has a set of rows and columns. The data are related to each other through primary and foreign keys.  NoSQL: Data is organized in the form of key-value pairs, documents, graphs, or column-based. These are designed to handle large-scale, high-performance scenarios. A database is a collection of interrelated data which helps in the efficient retrieval, insertion, and deletion of data from the database and organizes the data in the form of tables, views, schemas, reports, etc. For Example, a university database organizes the data about students, faculty, admin staff, etc. which helps in the efficient retrieval, insertion, and deletion of data from it. DBMS allows users the following tasks: o Data Definition: It is used for creation, modification, and removal of definition that defines the organization of data in the database. o Data Updation: It is used for the insertion, modification, and deletion of the actual data in the database. o Data Retrieval: It is used to retrieve the data from the database which can be used by applications for various purposes. o User Administration: It is used for registering and monitoring users, maintain data integrity, enforcing data security, dealing with concurrency control, monitoring performance and recovering information corrupted by unexpected failure. Characteristics of DBMS o It uses a digital repository established on a server to store and manage the information. o It can provide a clear and logical view of the process that manipulates data. o DBMS contains automatic backup and recovery procedures. o It contains ACID properties which maintain data in a healthy state in case of failure.  o It can reduce the complex relationship between data. o It is used to support manipulation and processing of data. o It is used to provide security of data. o It can view the database from different viewpoints according to the requirements of the user. Advantages of DBMS o Controls database redundancy: It can control data redundancy because it stores all the data in one single database file and that recorded data is placed in the database. o Data sharing: In DBMS, the authorized users of an organization can share the data among multiple users. o Easily Maintenance: It can be easily maintainable due to the centralized nature of the database system. o Reduce time: It reduces development time and maintenance need. o Backup: It provides backup and recovery subsystems which create automatic backup of data from hardware and software failures and restores the data if required. o multiple user interface: It provides different types of user interfaces like graphical user interfaces, application program interfaces Disadvantages of DBMS o Cost of Hardware and Software: It requires a high speed of data processor and large memory size to run DBMS software. o Size: It occupies a large space of disks and large memory to run them efficiently. o Complexity: Database system creates additional complexity and requirements. o Higher impact of failure: Failure is highly impacted the database because in most of the organization, all the data stored in a single database and if the database is damaged due to electric failure or database corruption then the data may be lost forever. Applications of DBMS:  Enterprise Information: Sales, accounting, human resources, Manufacturing, online retailers.  Banking and Finance Sector: Banks maintaining the customer details, accounts, loans, banking transactions, credit card transactions. Finance: Storing the information about sales and holdings, purchasing of financial stocks and bonds.  University: Maintaining the information about student course enrolled information, student grades, staff roles.  Airlines: Reservations and schedules.  Telecommunications: Prepaid, postpaid bills maintance. Paradigm Shift from File System to DBMS File System manages data using files on a hard disk. Users are allowed to create, delete, and update the files according to their requirements. Let us consider the example of file- based University Management System. Data of students is available to their respective Departments, Academics Section, Result Section, Accounts Section, Hostel Office, etc. Some of the data is common for all sections like Roll No, Name, Father Name, Address, and Phone number of students but some data is available to a particular section only like Hostel allotment number which is a part of the hostel office. Let us discuss the issues with this system:  Redundancy of data: Data is said to be redundant if the same data is copied at many places. If a student wants to change their Phone number, he or she has to get it updated in various sections. Similarly, old records must be deleted from all sections representing that student.  Inconsistency of Data: Data is said to be inconsistent if multiple copies of the same data do not match each other. If the Phone number is different in Accounts Section and Academics Section, it will be inconsistent. Inconsistency may be because of typing errors or not updating all copies of the same data.  Difficult Data Access: A user should know the exact location of the file to access data, so the process is very cumbersome and tedious. If the user wants to search the student hostel allotment number of a student from 10000 unsorted students‟ records, how difficult it can be.  Unauthorized Access: File Systems may lead to unauthorized access to data. If a student gets access to a file having his marks, he can change it in an unauthorized way.  No Concurrent Access: The access of the same data by multiple users at the same time is known as concurrency. The file system does not allow concurrency as data can be accessed by only one user at a time.  No Backup and Recovery: The file system does not incorporate any backup and recovery of data if a file is lost or corrupted. Several Types of DBMS  Relational DBMS (RDBMS): An RDBMS stores data in tables with rows and columns, and uses SQL (Structured Query Language) to manipulate the data.  Object-Oriented DBMS (OODBMS): An OODBMS stores data as objects, which can be manipulated using object-oriented programming languages.  NoSQL DBMS: A NoSQL DBMS stores data in non-relational data structures, such as key-value pairs, document-based models, or graph models.  MS Access – Overview Microsoft Access is a Database Management System (DBMS) from Microsoft that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface and software- development tools. It is a member of the Microsoft Office suite of applications, included in the professional and higher editions.  Microsoft Access is just one part of Microsoft‟s overall data management product strategy.  It stores data in its own format based on the Access Jet Database Engine.  Like relational databases, Microsoft Access also allows you to link related information easily. For example, customer and order data. However, Access 2013 also complements other database products because it has several powerful connectivity features.  It can also import or link directly to data stored in other applications and databases.  As its name implies, Access can work directly with data from other sources, including many popular PC database programs, with many SQL (Structured Query Language) databases on the desktop, on servers, on minicomputers, or on mainframes, and with data stored on Internet or intranet web servers.  Access can also understand and use a wide variety of other data formats, including many other database file structures.  You can export data to and import data from word processing files, spreadsheets, or database files directly.  Access can work with most popular databases that support the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) standard, including SQL Server, Oracle, and DB2.  Software developers can use Microsoft Access to develop application software. Microsoft Access stores information which is called a database. To use MS Access, you will need to follow these four steps: Database Creation - Create your Microsoft Access database and specify what kind of data you will be storing. Data Input - After your database is created, the data of every business day can be entered into the Access database. Query - This is a fancy term to basically describe the process of retrieving information from the database. Report (optional) - Information from the database is organized in a nice presentation that can be printed in an Access Report. Data Definition  Let us now understand what Data Definition is:  In document or a spreadsheet, you generally have complete freedom to define the contents of the document or each cell in the spreadsheet.  In a document, you can include paragraphs of text, a table, a chart, or multiple columns of data displayed with multiple fonts.  In spreadsheet, you can have text data at the top to define a column header for printing or display, and you might have various numeric formats within the same column, depending on the function of the row.  An RDBMS allows you to define the kind of data you have and how the data should be stored.  You can also usually define rules that the RDBMS can use to ensure the integrity of your data.  For example, a validation rule might ensure that the user can‟t accidentally store alphabetic characters in a field that should contain a number. Data Control Spreadsheets and word processing documents are great for solving single-user problems, but they are difficult to use when more than one person needs to share the data.  When you need to share your information with others, RDBMS gives you the flexibility to allow multiple users to read or update your data.  An RDBMS that is designed to allow data sharing also provides features to ensure that no two people can change the same data at the same time.  The best systems also allow you to group changes (which is also known as transaction) so that either all the changes or none of the changes appear in your data.  You might also want to be sure that no one else can view any part of the order until you have entered all of it.   Because you can share your Access data with other users, you might need to set some restrictions on what various users are allowed to see or update. MS Access — Objects MS Access uses “objects" to help the user list and organize information, as well as prepare specially designed reports. When you create a database, Access offers you Tables, Queries, Forms, Reports, Macros, and Modules. Databases in Access are composed of many objects but the following are the major objects: 1. Tables 2. Queries 3. Forms 4. Reports Together, these objects allow you to enter, store, analyze, and compile your data. Here is a summary of the major objects in an Access database; Table Table is an object that is used to define and store data. When you create a new table, Access asks you to define fields which is also known as column headings  Each field must have a unique name, and data type.  Tables contain fields or columns that store different kinds of data, such as a name or an address, and records or rows that collect all the information about a particular instance of the subject, such as all the information about a customer or employee etc.  You can define a primary key, one or more fields that have a unique value for each record, and one or more indexes on each table to help retrieve your data more quickly. Query An object that provides a custom view of data from one or more tables. Queries are a way of searching for and compiling data from one or more tables.  Running a query is like asking a detailed question of your database.  When you build a query in Access, you are defining specific search conditions to find exactly the data you want.  In Access, you can use the graphical query by example facility or you can write Structured Query Language (SQL) statements to create your queries.  You can define queries to Select, Update, Insert, or Delete data. Form Form is an object in a desktop database designed primarily for data input or display or for control of application execution. You use forms to customize the presentation of data that your application extracts from queries or tables.  Forms are used for entering, modifying, and viewing records.  The reason forms are used so often is that they are an easy way to guide people toward entering data correctly.  When you enter information into a form in Access, the data goes exactly where the database designer wants it to go in one or more related tables. Report Report is an object in desktop databases designed for formatting, calculating, printing, and summarizing selected data.  You can view a report on your screen before you print it.  If forms are for input purposes, then reports are for output.  Anything you plan to print deserves a report, whether it is a list of names and addresses, a financial summary for a period, or a set of mailing labels.  Reports are useful because they allow you to present components of your database in an easy- to-read format.  You can even customize a report's appearance to make it visually appealing.  Access offers you the ability to create a report from any table or query. MS Access — Data Types Every field in a table has properties and these properties define the field's characteristics and behavior. The most important property for a field is its data type. A field's data type determines what kind of data it can store. MS Access supports different types of data, each with a specific purpose.  The data type determines the kind of the values that users can store in any given field.  Each field can store data consisting of only a single data type. Here are some of the most common data types you will find used in a typical Microsoft Access database. Type of Data Description Size Text or combinations of text and numbers, including numbers Up to 255 characters. Short Text that do not require calculating (e.g. phone numbers). Lengthy text or combinations of text and numbers. Up to 63, 999 characters. Long Text 1, 2, 4, or 8 bytes (16 Numeric data used in mathematical calculations. Number bytes if set to Replication ID). Date and time values for the years 100 through 9999. Date/Time 8 bytes. Currency values and numeric data used in mathematical Currency calculations involving data with one to four decimal places. 8 bytes. A unique sequential (incremented by 1) number or random 4 bytes (16 bytes if set to number assigned by Microsoft Access whenever a new record AutoNumber Replication ID). is added to a table. Yes and No values and fields that contain only one of two MS Access Yes/No values (Yes/No, True/False, or On/Off). 1 bit. MS Access – Adding Data An Access database is not a file in the same sense as a Microsoft Office Word document or a Microsoft Office PowerPoint are. Instead, an Access database is a collection of objects like tables, forms, reports, queries etc. that must work together for a database to function properly. We have now created two tables with all of the fields and field properties necessary in our database. To view, change, insert, or delete data in a table within Access, you can use the table‟s Datasheet View.  A datasheet is a simple way to look at your data in rows and columns without any special formatting.  Whenever you create a new web table, Access automatically creates two views that you can start using immediately for data entry.  A table open in Datasheet View resembles an Excel worksheet, and you can type or paste data into one or more fields.   You do not need to explicitly save your data. Access commits your changes to the table when you move the cursor to a new field in the same row, or when you move the cursor to another row.  By default, the fields in an Access database are set to accept a specific type of data, such as text or numbers. You must enter the type of data that the field is set to accept. If you don't, Access displays an error message: Introduction to PowerPoint Microsoft PowerPoint is essentially a graphics presentation software application that comes in the same package of software as MS Access, MS Excel, MS Word, and MS Paint, issued by Microsoft Office. It is a software that helps the user in formulating and arranging their data and information in the form of slides, which enhances the clarity and communication of the subject, along with adding a visual aspect to the data which makes it more appealing and presentable. Thus, it can be used for presenting business ideas and plans, and visually presenting the data also makes learning with the data a lot easier, thus can be used by teachers in schools for making learning fun and uncomplicated. Meaning of PowerPoint PowerPoint is a software that is designed to make graphical presentations in the form of individual pages also known as slides. Features of PowerPoint Some of the features available in Microsoft PowerPoint are stated below.  Customising Colour Schemes  Adding Animations  Creating and Adding tables  Adding images  Adding and Managing Hyperlinks  Creating Custom Shows  Creating and Importing Charts  Easy exporting to MS Word Uses of PowerPoint Uses of PowerPoint in Education: Since PowerPoint offers the feature of adding images and animations, learning by visualisation makes the learning experience more fun and simplified, and researchers state that visual information is retained for a longer amount of time thus it makes the whole process more beneficial. Uses of PowerPoint in Business: Business is mainly about creating a well-laid out roadmap and planning for the project at hand and then executing it. With PowerPoint we can assure a more organised output with a solid structure. Uses of PowerPoint for Government and Citizen Services: PowerPoint is also a good option, from other software bundled within MS Office, for storing records and since it's also printable, it provides easy access to the records for government and citizen services to the seekers. Features of MS PowerPoint There are multiple features that are available in MS PowerPoint which can customise and optimise a presentation. The same have been discussed below.  Slide Layout Multiple options and layouts are available based on which a presentation can be created. This option is available under the “Home” section and one can select from the multiple layout options provided.  Insert – Clipart, Video, Audio, etc. Under the “Insert” category, multiple options are available where one can choose what feature they want to insert in their presentation. This may include images, audio, video, header, footer, symbols, shapes, etc.  Slide Design MS PowerPoint has various themes using which background colour and designs or textures can be added to a slide. This makes the presentation more colourful and attracts the attention of the people looking at it. This feature can be added using the “Design” category mentioned on the homepage of MS PowerPoint. Although there are existing design templates available, in case someone wants to add some new texture or colour, the option to customise the design is also available. Apart from this, slide designs can also be downloaded online.   Animations During the slide show, the slides appear on the screen one after the other. In case, one wants to add some animations to the way in which a slide presents itself, they can refer to the “Animations” category. How to Create a Custom Slide Show in PowerPoint? PowerPoint presentations are an already elusive and captivating media of information delivery and content sharing, be it a personal entertainment need or a high end professional requirement, PowerPoint presentations can do it all! Responding to the day to day IT upgrades of modern times, the aforesaid MS Office utility program has introduced its custom slideshow feature, which you can work upon to expand your creative skills in graphic design. Custom slideshows are a convenient means of abstracting a required set of contents from a rather detailed slideshow presentation to address the needs of a specific audience, instead of distracting them with showcasing the entire content, most of which turns irrelevant to their exclusive requirements. Talking about the knowhow to work with the feature, the following section encompasses a comprehensive understanding of the custom slide show creation process with the finest details: Step 1: Launch the PowerPoint Tool Start the custom slide show PowerPoint creation process with launching the PowerPoint tool in any of your preferred devices. It would be better to work on a desktop or a PC. Proceed to open the presentation that you wish to create a custom slideshow from. Step 2: Custom Slide Show Option In the welcome interface of PowerPoint, navigate to the ribbon at the top and hit the „Slide Show' tab, followed by clicking on the „Custom Slide Show' button from the „Options Panel' that appears. As you tap the aforesaid button, a dropdown menu follows next, from where you need to choose the „Custom Shows…' option. Step 3: Custom Shows Dialog Box The completion of Step 2 brings up the „Custom Shows' dialog box, with a blank area at the left, indicating the absence of any custom slide show as yet. To create one, navigate to and click on the „New' button at the right side within the dialog box. Step 4: Define Custom Show Dialog Box As you tap the „New' button, the „Define Custom Shows' dialog box pops up with a display of the following fields and buttons:  Slide Show Name Box Use this field to assign a name to your custom slideshow. In case you don't add a name of your choice, PowerPoint will assign the name „Custom Show 1' to your custom presentation. Slides in Presentation Below the „Slide Show Name' box, appears a list of slides in the chosen presentation which you can use to create the custom slide show. To add slides to the same, click on the respective slide names. Add Button The „Add' button in the middle of the „Define Custom Show' dialog box is used to include selected slides from the main list explained above to the „Slides in Custom Show' list at the right. The „Add' button however, remains disabled until you make a selection from the main slides list to include within the custom slides list. Take note that you can choose to repeat the slides within the custom list. Remove Button You can use this button to select and delete specific slides from the „Slides in Custom Show' list. The button however, remains disabled till you make a slide selection to be removed. Slides in Custom Show This is a list of slides that you have selected from the main slides list to include in the custom slideshow. Re-Order Buttons These are „Up' and „Down' arrows at the right side of the „Define Custom Show' dialog box, which are active only if the „Slides in Custom Show' list has more than one slide to its credit. In such a case, you can use these arrows to change the sequence of appearance of the slides within the custom presentation. Step 5: Back to Custom Shows Dialog Box When you have finished making all the required entries in the aforesaid fields, click on „OK' to create your custom slideshow, which is visible in the „Custom Shows' dialog box. You can preview the just created custom presentation by selecting the slideshow in the „Custom Shows' list, followed by clicking on the „Show' button at the bottom right of the dialog box.  Excel table You might be under the impression that the data in your worksheet is already in a table simply because it's organized in rows and columns. However, the data in a tabular format is not a true "table" unless you've specifically made it such. Excel table is a special object that works as a whole and allows you to manage the table's contents independently from the rest of the worksheet data. The most obvious difference is that the table is styled. However, an Excel table is far more than a range of formatted data with headings. There are many powerful features inside:  Excel tables are dynamic by nature, meaning they expand and contract automatically as you add or remove rows and columns.  Integrated sort and filter options; visual filtering with slicers.  Easy formatting with inbuilt table styles.  Column headings remain visible while scrolling.  Quick totals allow you to sum and count data as well as find average, min or max value in a click.  Calculated columns allow you to compute an entire column by entering a formula in one cell.  Easy-to-read formulas due to a special syntax that uses table and column names rather than cell references.  Dynamic charts adjust automatically as you add or remove data in a table. How to create a table in Excel With the source data organized in rows and columns, carry out the below steps to covert a range of cells into a table: 1. Select any cell within your data set. 2. On the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click the Table button or press the Ctrl + T shortcut. 3. The Create Table dialog box appears with all the data selected for you automatically; you can adjust the range if needed. If you want the first row of data to become the table headers, make sure the My table has headers box is selected. 4. Click OK. How to make a table with a selected style The previous example showed the fastest way to create a table in Excel, but it always uses the default style. To draw a table with the style of your choosing, perform these steps: 1. Select any cell in your data set. 2. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click Format as Table. 3. In the gallery, click on the style you want to use. 4. In the Create Table dialog box, adjust the range if necessary, check the My table has headers box, and click OK. How to name a table in Excel Every time you make a table in Excel, it automatically gets a default name such asTable1, Table2, etc. When you deal with multiple tables, changing the default names to something more meaningful and descriptive can make your work a lot easier. To rename a table, just do the following: 1. Select any cell in the table. 2. On the Table Design tab, in the Properties group, select the existing name in the Table Name box, and overwrite it with a new one. How to use tables in Excel Excel tables have many awesome features that simply calculating, manipulating and updating data in your worksheets. Most of these features are intuitive and straightforward. Below you will find a quick overview of the most important ones. How to filter a table in Excel All tables get the auto-filter capabilities by default. To filter the table's data, this is what you need to do: 1. Click the drop-down arrow in the column header. 2. Uncheck the boxes next to the data you want to filter out. Or uncheck the Select All box to deselect all the data, and then check the boxes next to the data you want to show. 3. Optionally, you can use the Filter by Color and Text Filters options where appropriate. 4. Click OK. If you don't need the auto-filter feature, you can remove the arrows by unchecking the Filter Button box on the Design tab, in the Table Style Options group. Or you can toggle the filter buttons on and off with the Ctrl + Shift + L shortcut. Additionally, you can create a visual filter for your table by adding a slicer. For this, click Insert Slicer on the Table Design tab, in the Tools group.  How to sort a table in Excel To sort a table by a specific column, just click the drop-down arrow in the heading cell, and pick the required sorting option: Excel table formulas For calculating the table data, Excel uses a special formula syntax called structured references. Compared to regular formulas, they have a number of advantages:  Easy-to-create. Simply select the table's data when making a formula, and Excel will build a structured reference for you automatically.  Easy-to-read. Structured references refer to the table parts by name, which makes formulas easier to understand.  Auto-filled. To perform the same calculation in each row, enter a formula in any single cell, and it will be immediately copied throughout the column.  Changed automatically. When you modify a formula anywhere in a column, the other formulas in the same column will change accordingly.  Updated automatically. Every time the table is resized or the columns renamed, structured references update dynamically. The screenshot below shows an example of a structured reference that sums data in each row: Sum table columns Another great feature of an Excel table is the ability to summarize data without formulas. This option is called Total Row. To sum a table's data, this is what you need to do: 1. Select any cell in the table. 2. On the Design tab, in the Table Style Options group, put a tick mark in the Total Row box. The Total row is inserted at the bottom of the table and shows the total in the last column: To sum data in other columns, click in the Total cell, then click the drop-down arrow and choose the SUM function. To calculate data in a different way, e.g. count or average, select the corresponding function. Whatever operation you choose, Excel would use the SUBTOTAL function that calculates data only in visible rows: Tip. To toggle the Total Row on and off, use the Ctrl + Shift + T shortcut. How to extend a table in Excel When you type anything in an adjacent cell, an Excel table expands automatically to include the new data. Combined with structured references, this creates a dynamic range for your formulas without any effort from your side. If you don't mean the new data to be part of the table, press Ctrl + Z. This will undo the table expansion but keep the data that you typed. You can also extend a table manually by dragging a little handle at the bottom-right corner. You can also add and remove columns and rows by using the Resize Table command. Here's how: 1. Click anywhere in your table. 2. On the Design tab, in the Properties group, click Resize Table. 3. When the dialog box appears, select the range to be included in the table. 4. Click OK. Excel table styles Tables are very easily formatted due to a predefined gallery of styles. Additionally, you can create a custom style with your own formatting. How to change table style When you insert a table in Excel, the default style is automatically applied to it. To change a table style, do the following: 1. Select any cell in the table. 2. On the Design tab, in the Table Styles group, click on the style you want to apply. To see all the styles, click the More button in the down-right corner.  Tips:  To create your own style, please follow these guidelines: How to make a custom table style.  To change the default table style, right-click the desired style and choose Set as Default. Any new table that you create in the same workbook will now be formatted with the new the default table style. Apply a table style and remove existing formatting When you format a table with any predefined style, Excel preserves the formatting you already have. To remove any existing formatting, right-click the style and choose Apply and Clear formatting: Manage banded rows and columns To add or remove banded rows and columns as well as apply special formatting for the first or last column, simply tick or untick the corresponding checkbox on the Design tab in the Table Style Options group: For more information, please see How to alternate row / column colors in Excel. How to remove table formatting If you'd like to have all the functionality of an Excel table but do not want any formatting such as banded rows, table borders and the like, you can remove formatting in this way: 1. Select any cell within your table. 2. On the Design tab, in the Table Styles group, click the More button in the bottom-right corner, and then click Clear underneath the table style templates. Or pick the first style under Light, which is called None. Note. This method only removes the inbuilt table formatting, your custom formatting is preserved. To remove absolutely all formatting in a table, go to the Home tab > Formats group, and click Clear > Clear formats. For more information, see How to remove table formatting in Excel. How to remove table in Excel Removing a table is as easy as inserting it. To convert a table back to a range, just do the following: 1. Right-click any cell in your table, and then click Table> Convert to Range. Or click the Convert to Range button on the Design tab, in the Tools group. 2. In the dialog box that appear, click Yes. This will remove the table but retain all the data and formatting. To keep only the data, remove table formatting before converting your table to a range. This is how you create, edit and remove a table in Excel. I thank you for reading and hope to see you on our blog next week!