Excel workshop
Below are six examples of different types of graphs. In small groups (2-3), think of two data
sets/categories that would be the most appropriate for each graph. For example, which chart best
illustrates comparing annual salaries among employees (Bob - $32,000; Sue – $58,000; Jeremy –
12,000; Ann – $105,000). Use the space provided below to write your answers. Be prepared to share
with the class.
CMM1108 – Excel:Mac 2004 Tutorial
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Creating Excel Documents
This tutorial has been adapted for teaching purposes from Excel:mac 2004 Help Menu options.
The first part of this tutorial gives a brief overview of the navigational options available in this version of Excel.
The remainder of this tutorial will describe the basic steps for creating a simple Excel document and functions.
Before You Begin
Before you start using Excel 2004, you should become familiar with its features. The following illustration
shows a blank excel document.
CMM1108 – Excel:Mac 2004 Tutorial
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different categories of items. Each category is
represented with a particular value.
Formatting an Excel Document
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application used to
perform calculations, statistical analysis, and other
related operations.
Each piece of information (value) is in an
individual cell.
NOTE – What is a cell?
1. Creating a data list
A list can be a series of worksheet rows that
contain related data, such as an invoice
database or a set of client names and phone
numbers. A list can be used as a database, in
which rows are records and columns are fields.
The first row of the list is usually labels (or
titles) for the columns.
•
•
A cell is the intersection of a column and a row in
which you enter information. The Name Box shows
the location or name of the cell. When a cell is
highlighted, you can enter information.
NOTE – What are columns and rows?
One column runs from top to bottom and displays
one or two letters or characters for each column.
The most left category has a label of A. The second
has a label of B, and so on. The area that displays
the label of a column can be referred to as the
column header. (There are 255 of these columns in
a document and the last one is labelled IV).
Values that share the same line are called rows.
Rows run from left to right. To make it easy with the
creation of a list, Microsoft Excel provides ready
made rows and each is identified with a number.
The most top row is numbered 1. The row under it is
named 2, and so on. The grey area that displays the
number of the row can be referred to as the row
header. Microsoft Excel provides 65536 rows.
•
In a blank excel document, input the following
information into each cell:
2. SUM Function
NOTE – What are functions?
Lists usually categorise related data in rows
and similar data in columns. For example, in
column A, the names of the movies are listed.
In row 4, the details relating to ‘The Aviator’
are listed in one row:
•
1
A
Movie
2
King Kong
3
4
5
6
•
Functions are predefined formulas that perform
calculations by using specific values, called
arguments, in a particular order, or structure.
Functions can be used to perform simple or
complex calculations. For example, the SUM
function adds all the numbers in a range of cells.
Brokeback
Mountain
The
Aviator
The
Producers
Veronica
Guerin
B
Director
Peter
Jackson
Ang Lee
Martin
Scorcese
Susan
Stroman
Joel
Schumacher
i.e. =SUM(A2:A6) – this will add the numbers in that
range together A2 + A3 + A4 +A5 + A6
C
Year
D
Mins
E
Rate
2005
187
PG
2005
134
R
2004
170
PG
2005
134
PG
2003
98
R
This type of list is called a table: A table is a
two-dimensional list that contains one or
CMM1108 – Excel:Mac 2004 Tutorial

Using the above data, highlight the cell E1 and
on the standard toolbar, click the AutoSum
icon
. Excel will suggest a formula and
you can do one of the following:
• To accept the suggested formula, press
ENTER.
• To change the suggested formula, select the
range you want to total and then press ENTER.
•
In this exercise, press ENTER and accept the
suggested formula: =SUM(B1:D1). The
3
Press  + S on the keyboard for the Save as
dialogue box to appear.
formula should add cells B1, C1 and D1
together and place a total in cell E1.
•
Use this formula for the other data by copying
the formula from cell E1 and pasting it into
each row. Note that Excel automatically
changes the cell reference for each row. This
is called a relative reference.
•
An easy way to copy cells in a spreadsheet is to
drag the cursor from the cell down the page
across the cells to be copied and to use the
copy down option in the EDIT menu. The
same applies for copying across.
•
If the file is new and unnamed, a dialogue box
will appear. Simply type the file name in the
appropriate space provided, and browse to the
location in which you wish to save the file; or
create a new folder by clicking on New Folder
button.
•
Click the Save button to save the document.
5. Inserting rows and columns
•
Using the data entered earlier, we need to add a
row above Smith, so we can place titles for
each column.
•
Highlight row 1 by moving the mouse over the
1 on the row header. When the cursor turns to
a black arrow  click the mouse to highlight
the entire row.
•
Click Insert on the menu bar and then click
Rows. One row will be inserted. (The same
concept applies to inserting a column).
•
Now you can give each column a title.
NOTE – What is a relative reference?
A relative cell reference in a formula, such as A1, is
based on the relative position of the cell that
contains the formula and the cell the reference
refers to. If the position of the cell that contains the
formula changes, the reference is changed. If you
copy the formula across rows or down columns, the
reference automatically adjusts. By default, new
formulas use relative references. For example, if
you copy a relative reference in cell B2 to cell B3, it
automatically adjusts from =A1 to =A2
3. AVERAGE Function
Using the data entered earlier, we are going to
create a function to calculate the AVERAGE.
•
•
•
•
Highlight cell B4 and click the drop-down
arrow on AutoSum icon
on the standard
toolbar and select the Average function. Excel
will suggest a formula. Press ENTER to
accept the suggested formula.
Excel will calculate the average of cells B1, B2
and B3.
To reduce the number of decimal places
shown, highlight the answer and click Format
on the menu bar and select Cells. In the
dialogue box, choose Number and set the
decimal places to 2. Click OK.
Repeat this for columns C and D.
6. Sorting a list
NOTE – What is sorting?
Sorting is a way to arrange data based on value or
data type. You can sort data alphabetically,
numerically, or by date. Sort orders use an
ascending (1 to 9, A to Z) or descending (9 to 1, Z
to A) order.
•
Highlight cell A2 and click, hold and drag the
mouse to cell E4 (when sorting, you must
highlight all the data, or the data in each row
will be mixed up).
•
On the menu bar, select Data then Sort.
•
The dialogue box automatically suggests
sorting the surname in an ascending order.
Click OK.
4. Saving a document
It is a good idea to save any documents
immediately. It is also important to remember to
save work frequently (and make backups of saved
files) in order to avoid losing any work.
•
Click File, then Save. – OR –
Click the Save button
toolbar. – OR –
on the standard
CMM1108 – Excel:Mac 2004 Tutorial
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Formatting options are also found on the formatting
toolbar.
Activity 1.
In this activity, your task is to input the SUM
function to calculate the total across three columns
and the AVERAGE function to calculate the
average mark of the assignments.
•
Using the data inputted earlier, highlight the
first row with the titles in each column. Bold
the text, centre it and change the fill colour to
yellow.
•
Highlight the average totals in Row 5 and on
the Formatting Palette expand the Borders and
Shading menu.
23
32
•
5.
Sort the students surname into alphabetical
order.
Select
menu.
•
6.
Save the changes.
Insert a new row above the titles and type in a
main heading into cell A1 – Student Results
•
Use the mouse to highlight cells A1 to E1 and
select the Merge and Centre icon on the
1.
Open the excel file called “classlist.xls”, which
contains assignment results for an imaginary
class.
2.
In column H, calculate the total marks for
assignments 1, 2 and 3 for each student using
the SUM function.
3.
In row 13, calculate the average for each
assignment using the AVERAGE function.
4.
Two students are missing from this data.
Input the following students and their marks
by inserting rows above the average row:
Mr Phillip McMillan
Miss Shannon Smyth
14
19
17
18
TIP: For a quick way to copy and paste the formula,
highlight the cell with the SUM function and move
your mouse over the cell to the bottom-right hand
corner until the cursor changes to a black cross.
Click and hold your mouse, and drag down or
across to copy the formula into the other cells. i.e.
type of border from the drop down
formatting toolbar
. This merges the
selected cells together and centres the text.
•
Format the heading by bolding the text and
increase the font size to 12.
•
Change the fill colour to grey for the three cells
in the TOTAL column.
 Drag mouse down.
Formatting your Worksheet
1. Formatting Palette
Activity 2.
As in Word, the Formatting Palette provides easy
access to text formatting commands. To open the
formatting palette, click the Formatting Palette
icon on the standard toolbar. The Formatting
Palette has drop-down Menus. To expand a menu,
click the mouse cursor on the arrow  to reveal
further options.
In this activity, your task is to format the
worksheet.
CMM1108 – Excel:Mac 2004 Tutorial
1.
Open the excel file called “classlist.xls”.
2.
In row 1, merge and centre the title. Make the
title bold, change the font colour and increase
the font size.
3.
In row 2, centre and bold each heading.
4.
Format the SUM and AVERAGE calculations
to make them stand out.
5.
Save the changes.
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Creating graphs and charts
1. Inserting a chart
Charts are visually appealing and make it easy for
users to see comparisons, patterns, and trends in
data. For instance, rather than having to analyze
several columns of worksheet numbers, you can see
at a glance whether sales are falling or rising over
quarterly periods, or how the actual sales compare
to the projected sales.
•
Using the data formatted earlier, highlight cell
A2 to D5.
•
On the Standard Toolbar, click the Chart
Wizard
icon. The Chart Wizard dialogue
box will appear.
•
Move through the various options on the pages
Excel provides to choose the type of graph, to
insert the axis headings etc.
•
Click Next to proceed
•
Click Finish when all the options have been
made.
•
Excel will insert a chart into the worksheet.
•
Here are some examples of other charts:
2. Insert an Excel chart into a Word
document or PowerPoint presentation
•
In Microsoft Excel, click the chart you want to
copy.
•
Click the Copy
•
Switch to your Microsoft Word document or
PowerPoint presentation, and click where you
want the chart to appear.
•
On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.
•
In the As dialogue box, click Microsoft Excel
Chart Object.
•
Do one of the following:
- In Word, to use only the current content of
the document, click Paste. To use the latest
content if the original content changes, click
Paste Link. Click OK;
- In PowerPoint, click OK.
icon on the standard toolbar
Activity 3.
In this activity, your task is to create a chart from
the data.
1.
Open the excel file called “classlist.xls”.
2.
Highlight cell C2 to F12.
3.
Insert a line chart with the student Surnames
being on the X-Axis.
4.
Give the Chart, X-Axis and Y-Axis labels.
5.
Save the changes.
When you have completed the activities, click on
Sheet2 in ‘classlist.xls’ and you should have
something that looks similar to this.
CMM1108 – Excel:Mac 2004 Tutorial
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Activity 4
1. Enter the following data into a spreadsheet and
create an appropriate graph with the dataset.
Types of cars in ECU Carpark Number 1
Nissan
14
Ford
29
Toyota
31
Mazda
23
Holden
41
Hyundai
22
Mitsubishi
15
Mercedes
3
Subaru
10
2. Enter the following data into a spreadsheet and
create an appropriate graph with the dataset.
Average Monthly Temperatures (degrees C)
Month
2003
2004
2005
January
32
33
31
February
33
31
32
March
19
20
19
April
24
25
23
May
21
21
20
June
20
19
18
July
18
18
17
August
17
16
15
September
20
19
22
October
23
24
25
November
25
26
26
December
29
28
29
CMM1108 – Excel:Mac 2004 Tutorial
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