Microsoft Excel 2007: Beginning Topics
Course Outline & Guide
1.
Microsoft Excel 2007 – Overview .................................................................................................... 1
2.
The new Office 2007 interface ........................................................................................................ 2
3.
Creating and saving workbooks ...................................................................................................... 3
4.
Visual aids ....................................................................................................................................... 4
5.
Orientation ..................................................................................................................................... 5
6.
Entering, modifying, and deleting data ........................................................................................... 5
7.
Fill data automatically .................................................................................................................... 7
8.
Cell data format .............................................................................................................................. 8
9.
Cell reference.................................................................................................................................. 9
10.
Formulas ....................................................................................................................................... 10
11.
Functions ...................................................................................................................................... 11
12.
Relative cell reference .................................................................................................................. 11
13.
Resize columns and rows .............................................................................................................. 12
14.
Formatting Text ............................................................................................................................ 13
15.
Format Painter .............................................................................................................................. 14
16.
Absolute cell reference ................................................................................................................. 14
17.
Printing basics ............................................................................................................................... 15
18.
Open floor for Q&A....................................................................................................................... 15
19.
Next week - Excel II – Intermediate Topics .................................................................................... 15
1. Microsoft Excel 2007 – Overview
a. What is it?
Excel 2007 is the latest and greatest spreadsheet application from
Microsoft. It is one of the many software programs that make up
MS Office 2007 which is available only for the Windows PC
operating system. Excel is a program which displays a table of
numbers and text in rows and columns, and used for accounting,
budgeting, financial analysis, scientific applications, and other
work with figures.
b. Previous versions:
i. Windows PC: Office 2003 – is compatible with 2007 if the updated
compatibility package is downloaded and installed
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA101686761033.aspx
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ii. Apple Mac: Office 2004 – still the latest version (2007 is not
available for the Mac) and has no compatibility with the Windows
PC 2007 version. However, if a file that is created using Excel 2007
is saved as a .xls then it could be opened using Apple Office 2004
c. It is recommended that during the installation of Office 2007 you also
uninstall your older version(s) of Office. Although you can have multiple
versions installed at the same time you will encounter problems. The
most noteworthy issue is trying to open two versions of one program. For
instance, if you open both Word 2003 and Word 2007, then restart your
computer you will find that Word will not open right away. In fact, your
computer will need to reinstall upon trying to open Word 2003 or Word
2007 taking a considerable amount of time
2. The new Office 2007 interface
a. What is this?
Known as a Graphical User Interface (GUI) it uses windows, icons,
pull-down menus, and the mouse to make using the program
easier to learn and work with
b. Title bar
i. File name, format, mode, application
c. Quick Access Toolbar
i. Save, Undo, redo, and the toolbar is completely customizable
d. The Office button
i. Similar to the Excel 2003 File menu
ii. New, Open, Save, and so on…
1. Those with arrows have additional commands you can
choose
iii. Buttons in bottom right
1. Excel Options
2. Exit Excel
e. The Excel Ribbon
i. Biggest interface change from previous versions
ii. Home, Insert, Page Layout, and so on…
iii. The Ribbon is context sensitive
1. It may change depending on what you do
iv. Each Tab has a number of groups
1. When you hover your mouse pointer over a group item
information will typically appear
v. In the bottom right of most group panels you’ll find a little
diagonal arrow
1. Hover to discover shortcut
2. Click to launch a new window for more options and
choices within that group
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vi. The Help button (circle w/ a question mark inside) is located
above and to the right of the Ribbon
1. Once selected a new Excel Help window appears
a. Help Categories
i. Select any Topic under Browse Excel Help
to find more helpful Subtopics
b. Help Search
i. Click inside the textbox, type a topic, and
click Search
2. You can also navigate and find other helpful options (like
Home and Print) on the toolbar located near the top of
the Help window
a. Click on the button shaped like a closed book to
view the Table of Contents
3. A large number of help documents are located on your
computer. However, greater detail and more topics are
available if the computer is connected to the internet.
vii. Keyboard shortcuts
1. The Alt key turns on all visible shortcuts (numbers and
letters)
2. Next, press the keyboard key with the letter or number
that represents what you want
3. Then you’ll see that the groups within that choice now
have shortcuts showing so you can choose the specific
option within
4. The Alt key turns off all visible shortcuts as well
viii. Minimize/Maximize the Ribbon
1. Right-click on any tab or tab group and select Minimize the
Ribbon
3. Creating and saving workbooks
a. What is this?
A Microsoft Office Excel workbook is a file that contains one or
more worksheets that you can use to organize various kinds of
related information. They need to be saved if you want to work
with them again
b. When opening Excel 2007 it automatically starts with a new workbook
c. To close that workbook, select Office Button > Close
d. Creating a new workbook
i. To create a new workbook, select Office Button > New
ii. In the top middle of the new window under Black and recent click
on Blank Workbook and then select the Create button in the
bottom right of the window
iii. Every new workbook will have three worksheets
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1. Located in the bottom left corner of the Excel window
2. Tabs identify: Sheet 1, Sheet 2, Sheet 3
3. You can create more or delete the ones you already have
e. Saving a workbook
i. Try to save your files when you begin to prevent the possibility of
losing your workbook later due to some random computer failure.
When you save in a specific file format options not available for
that format will not be available while you are working on the
Workbook
ii. To save a workbook (file), select Office Button > Save or Save As
1. This time, simply choose Save
2. Select My Documents as the location to save
a. This is the default location to save
b. This is the best choice to save all of your files as it is
easy to back up this folder
c. You can also make folders within the My
Documents folder for better organization
3. Give the file a name, myexcelfile
4. Excel Workbook will save as an Excel 2007 document
(.xlsx) and is not compatible with older versions unless the
compatibility package was installed on the computer that
tries to open the file
iii. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+S
1. About every 15 minutes use Ctrl+S to save your file
iv. To save as an older file format
1. Select Office Button > Save As > Excel 97-2003 Workbook
a. This will save as a .xls. It is a good idea to use this
option if you will be sharing the file.
2. In the Title bar it now shows the document is a .xls and
you are working in the Compatibility Mode
a. This means that you will not have the new Excel
2007 specific features
b. This also means your Excel 97-2003 document is
compatible with the older versions of Excel
v. Close this file, create a new Excel 2007 document and save as a
yourname.xlsx
4. Visual aids
a. What are these?
Visual aids help you with creating and editing your workbook.
They help with the layout and design in getting you precise
measurements and better ways to view your data
b. Views
i. Can be found on the Ribbon and the Status Bar (bottom right)
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1. On the Ribbon, select the View tab > in the Workbook
Views group
2. Normal
a. This should be your primary working view
b. Columns – Identified by letters
c. Rows – Identified by numbers
3. Page Layout
a. What you see is what it will look like when you
print the document
4. Page Break Preview
a. Where pages will break when the document is
printed
c. Rulers
i. You must first be in Page Layout View
1. The ruler is not visible in Normal view
ii. On the Ribbon, select the View tab > in the Show/Hide group >
click Ruler
iii. The rulers, at the left and top measure the page by inches
d. Zoom
i. Zoom Slider
1. Bottom right corner
ii. View Tab
1. Zoom
a. Zoom, 100%, and Zoom to Selection
iii. Keyboard Shortcut
1. Ctrl + [your mouse scroll]
5. Orientation
a. What is this?
Two different document layouts
b. On the Ribbon, select the Page Layout tab > in the Page Setup group >
click Orientation > Portrait or Landscape
6. Entering, modifying, and deleting data
a. What is this?
Data is simply information. It can be entered, edited, and
manipulated a number of ways in Excel 2007
b. Enter data
i. Click once (select) on cell A1 and type, Computers 101. Then tap
the Enter (return) key
c. Modify (edit) data
i. By clearing previous data first:
1. Click once on cell A1 and type, History 101
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2. The previous data, Computers 101 was erased
ii. By editing current data
1. Double click inside cell A1, with your arrow keys move
your insertion point (blinking cursor) to the beginning of
and delete 101
a. Edit text one letter at a time
i. Click just before or inside any word and tap
the Delete key on the keyboard to delete
the letter or space to the right
ii. Click just after or inside any word and tap
the Back Space key on the keyboard to
delete the letter or space to the left
2. Complete, History 202 and then tap the Enter key to
accept your change
d. Correct a mistake
i. Go backward in time, Ctrl+Z
ii. Go forward in time (after going back), Ctrl+Y
iii. Also found on the Quick Access Toolbar – Undo and Redo
e. Selecting
i. Highlight or select the text
1. Using your mouse
a. Double click inside cell A1
b. Move your mouse pointer to the beginning of the
word History and the click and drag from beginning
to end of that word
c. Double click inside the word
2. Using the keyboard
a. Hold down the shift key on your keyboard and use
your arrow key(s) left and right on the keyboard
b. Hold down Shif+Ctrl and then the arrow key(s)
left/right to select the entire word
ii. Highlight or select cell(s)
1. Using your mouse
a. Move your mouse pointer into any cell and click
once
b. Move your mouse pointer into any cell, click and
drag
2. Using the keyboard
a. Hold down Shift+ARROW keys
b. Hold down Shift+Ctrl+ARROW keys
iii. Select row(s) and Column(s)
1. With your mouse pointer, click and drag starting from the
middle of any column or row ID
iv. Select the entire Worksheet
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1. Using your mouse
a. In the top-left of the worksheet, where the column
ID’s and row ID’s intersect locate a square button
which has a diagonal arrow inside it.
b. Click once on the button to select the entire
worksheet
2. Using the keyboard
a. Keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+A
3. Click and drag in the margin to the left throughout the
area you wish to select
v. Select non-contiguous areas
1. Hold down Ctrl while using the mouse to select the data.
f. Helpful toolbars
i. The mini toolbar
1. This appears when you type, select, and then hover over
or right-click inside the selected text
2. Move your mouse into the mini toolbar to select your
option
3. Once you move your pointer into the Ribbon you lose your
mini toolbar option
4. You can click back into the document to get rid of the mini
toolbar
g. Continue to input data into Sheet 1 of yourname.xlsx
i. In cell A3 type:
1. Name
2. Tap the Tab key
ii. In cell B3 type:
1. Quiz 1 (Don’t press tab or enter for this example)
7. Fill data automatically
a. What is this?
For fast data entry, you can have Excel automatically repeat data
or you can fill data in a series or pattern automatically
b. Fill Handle
i. The Fill Handle replicates or continues data in a series of
numbers, number and text combinations, dates, or time periods,
based on a pattern that you establish
ii. Use the Fill Handle
1. Make sure cell B3 is still selected
2. Move your mouse pointer to the bottom right corner of
the selected cell
a. Notice how the pointer changes from a larger
white cross or plus to a thinner black cross or plus
b. The black plus is called the Fill Handle
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c. It’s also different than the black cross that is made
up of arrows – that one is used to move data
3. Click and drag to the right and move your mouse pointer
to cell F3 or until you see Quiz 5 appear, then let go of the
mouse pointer
4. You should now see Quiz 1, Quiz 2, Quiz 3, Quiz 4, and
Quiz 5
c. Continue entering data into Sheet 1 of yourname.xlsx
i. Edit Quiz 5
1. Change it to Quiz Avg.
2. Tap the Tab key
ii. In cell G3 type:
1. Exam
2. Tap the Tab key
iii. In cell H3 type:
1. Final Grade
iv. Starting in cell A4 type out the students names and “Averages”,
when finished with each tap the Enter (return) key:
1. Kristine
2. John
3. Sierra
4. Tiffany
5. Averages
8. Cell data format
a. What is this?
By applying different formats, you can change the appearance of
data without changing the raw data. A data format does not affect
the actual cell value that Excel uses to perform calculations and so
on. The actual value is displayed in the formula bar.
b. Format Cells for numbers
i. To format any cell you must select the cell or cell range first
ii. Select the cell range from B4 to H8
1. Using your mouse
a. Move your mouse pointer inside cell B4, click and
drag to cell H8
b. Or, click once on cell B4, let go, then hold down
your Shift key on your keyboard, and finally (still
holding down on the Shift key) click inside cell H8
2. Using your keyboard
a. Select cell B4, then hold down your Shift key on
your keyboard, and finally (still holding down on
the Shift key) use your arrow keys to move to the
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right and down and in the process select the cells
from B4 to H8
iii. Format the cells
1. With your mouse
a. Move your mouse pointer inside the selected cells
and right-click your mouse
b. From the menu select Format Cells...
2. Or, on the Ribbon, select the Home tab > in the Cells
group > click Format > Format Cells...
iv. Format Cells window
1. There are a number of tabs at the top and selecting any
one will give you a variety of choices to change the look
and feel of the cells you are formatting
2. Select the Number tab
a. Under Category:
i. Here you will find ways to create a common
look and feel for your data
ii. Select Number
iii. Change Decimal Places: to 0
iv. Select the OK button in the bottom right
c. Continue inputting data into Sheet 1 of yourname.xlsx
i. Enter students scores along with the Tab key and the Enter
(return) key: Begin in cell B4
1. Kristine - Quiz 1-4
a. 98, (Tab) 93, (Tab) 96 (Tab), 91 (Enter)
2. John - Quiz 1-4
a. 88, 95, 76, 82
3. Sierra - Quiz 1-4
a. 72, 78, 88, 62
4. Tiffany - Quiz 1-4
a. 2, 12, 18, 7
9. Cell reference
a. What is this?
A cell reference refers to a cell or a range of cells on a worksheet
and tells Excel where to look for the values or data that you want
to use in a formula. With cell references, you can use data that is
contained in different parts of a worksheet in one formula, or you
can use the value from one cell in several formulas
i. When to use a cell reference
1. Avoid using the values that appear in a cell to perform a
calculation use a cell reference
a. Example:
i. To calculate Kristine’s Quiz Avg. do not use:
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1. 98, 93, 96, and 91
ii. Use the cell references:
1. B4, C4, D4, and E4
2. When data values change in a cell
a. The cell reference will use the new value, not the
old
3. For work flow
a. To have data flow from one sheet or from one file
to another
4. For charts and graphs and many other more advanced
applications in Excel
10. Formulas
a. What are these?
Formulas typically refer to data that appear in a cell to run a basic
or complex calculation. It is best to create and edit your formulas
in the Formula Bar
b. Create a formula to calculate the Quiz Avg.
i. Select cell F4
ii. Click inside the Formula Bar
iii. Type:
1. =B
a. A drop down menu will appear. This is a function
window giving you functions beginning with the
letter B. Functions will be covered shortly
2. =B4+C4+D4+E4
a. Notice how different color box’s appears matching
the cell reference you input into your formula
3. =(B4+C4+D4+E4)/4
a. Simple mathematics will come into play as this
time we need to put parenthesis ( )’s around the
cell references to sum into one number before
dividing by four (the number of quizzes)
4. Tap the Enter (return) key
a. Always use this key when you are finished working
within the Formula Bar
iv. The result
1. Click on cell F4
2. In the foreground (the cell) you will see 95, and this is
what would print
3. In the background (the Formula Bar) you will see the
formula and this does not print
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11. Functions
a. What are these?
Prewritten formulas that take a value or values, perform an
operation, and return a value. Use functions to simplify and
shorten formulas on a worksheet, especially those that perform
lengthy or complex calculations. It is best to create and edit your
functions in the Formula Bar
b. Create a function to calculate the Quiz Avg.
i. Select cell F4 and delete the current contents
ii. On the Formula Bar, locate and click on the fx (Insert Function)
button
iii. In the new window
1. You can search for a function by typing a brief description
of what you want to do and then click Go
2. Or, select a function Category
a. Select Statistical
3. Then, choose which function you want to use and click OK
a. Select AVERAGE
iv. In the new window: Function Arguments
1. To the right of Number 1: you should see B4:E4
a. This means you will average the contents of the
cells B4 through E4
2. Click the OK button in the bottom right
v. You new function, =AVERAGE(B4:E4) appears in the Formula Bar
c. Use the Fill Handle to use the same function to calculate the other
student’s quiz averages
i. Select the cell that has the function
ii. Move your mouse pointer to the bottom right of the cell, with the
Fill Handle click and drag down from F4 to F8
d. Excel will display an error when you divide by 0 (zero) or empty cells
i. Error message: #DIV/0!
e. One the Ribbon
i. On the Ribbon, select the Formulas tab > in the Function Library
group
1. Function shortcuts and functions listed by group
12. Relative cell reference
a. What is this?
In a formula, the address of a cell based on the relative position of
the cell that contains the formula and the cell referred to. If you
copy the formula, the reference automatically adjusts
b. The current cell references used to calculate our students average is a
relative cell reference
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i. Using the Fill Handle replicates the function and uses a relative
cell references so as to use the next student’s scores to calculate
their average
1. =AVERAGE(B4:E4), =AVERAGE(B5:E5), and so on…
c. Class challenge
i. Try to calculate the average for each quiz from cells B8 to E8
ii. Have them follow the same process using the Average function
and the Fill Handle
d. Show how formulas using cell references will adjust the result when data
changes
i. Change Kristine’s Quiz 1 score from a 98 to a 0
ii. The following changes
1. Her Quiz Avg. in cell E4
2. The Average score for Quiz 1 in cell B8
iii. Now change it back to a 98
e. Continue inputting data into Sheet 1 of yourname.xlsx
i. Enter the Exam scores for each student
1. For cell G4 input, 97
2. For cell G5 input, 82
3. For cell G6 input, 80
4. For cell G7 input, 44
ii. Demonstrate how to use the Fill Handle to calculate the Exam
average
1. Select, click, and drag cell F8 to G8
13. Resize columns and rows
a. What is?
Sometimes data is too large not allowing you to view it, or so
small that it would be best to resize the space. To provide the
amount of space you need for your data simply resize the
columns and rows
b. Resizing columns and rows
i. This is done the same way for both columns and rows
ii. Resize a column
1. Resize to exact measurement
a. Move your mouse pointer in between column
letter ID’s H and I until you see you pointer turn
into two black arrows pointing left and right
b. Click and drag left of right to resize
2. Resize to fit the contents of one column
a. Move your mouse pointer in between column
letter ID’s G and H until you see you pointer turn
into two black arrows pointing left and right
b. Double click
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3. Resize to fit the column contents of the entire worksheet
a. Move your mouse pointer to a button where the
column and row ID’s intersect (toward the top left
of your worksheet)
b. Click once to select the entire worksheet
4. On the Ribbon, select the Home tab > in the Cells group >
click Format > AutoFit Column Width
a. All columns will adjust to fit the contents
14. Formatting Text
a. What is this?
Formatted text has control codes indicating the fonts, bold or
italic type, margins, indents, columns, tabs, headers and footers,
and other attributes
b. Merge & Center
i. Select cells A1 through H1
ii. On the Ribbon, select the Home tab > in the Alignment group >
click Merge & Center
1. All selected cells are now merged and the data in the first
cell is centered
2. To unmerge the cells simply follow the same process
c. Resize text
i. Select, History 101
1. On the Ribbon, select the Home tab > in the Font group >
A
click
or A
2. On the Ribbon, select the Home tab > in the Font group >
click on the down arrow to open a menu of different sizes,
then hover over some of the sizes and watch how the text
in the document changes
ii. This process works if you select any letter, number, word,
sentence, cell, or cell range in your worksheet
d. Basic style changes
i. On the Ribbon, select the Home tab > in the Font group > Hover
over:
1. B for Bold
2. I for italics
3. U for Underline
a. There is also a dropdown menu for more underline
options
e. Background color
i. Select the cells from B3 to E3
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1. On the Ribbon, select the Home tab > in the Font group >
click Fill Color (down arrow for dropdown menu)
a. Choose Orange, Accent 6
15. Format Painter
a. What is it?
This tool gives you the ability to sample a format somewhere in
your document and then apply it somewhere else
b. Format a cell using the Format Painter
i. Select any cell from B3 to E3
1. On the Ribbon, select the Home tab > in the Clipboard
group > click Format Painter
2. Select cell G3
3. The formatting of the cell has changed and the Format
Painter will be inactive until you select it again
4. Note: if you double-click the Format Painter button in the
Ribbon then you can keep that tool active and apply the
formatting to multiple areas within you document
16. Absolute cell reference
a. What is it?
In a formula, the exact address of a cell, regardless of the position
of the cell that contains the formula
b. Create two absolute values for reference
i. Continue inputting data into Sheet 1 of yourname.xlsx
1. In cell A10 type, Quiz Weight
2. In cell A11 type, Exam Weight
3. Merge cells A10 & B10
4. Merge cells A11 & B11
5. Format cells C10 & C11 using category Percentage with
decimals: 0
6. In cell C10 type, 40
7. In cell C11 type, 60
c. Create a formula using an absolute cell reference
i. Select cell H4
ii. Click inside the Formula Bar
iii. Type:
1. =F4*C10+G4*C11
2. Tap the Enter (return) key
iv. Use the Fill Handle to carry the formula from
1. Select cell H4
2. Click and drag using the Fill Handle from cell H4 to H8
3. Notice how the results do not match their previous grades
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4. Explain again how a relative cell reference works
v. Use the $ to make the reference absolute
1. Select cell H4
2. Click inside the formula bar
3. Change the formula to
a. =F4*$C$10+G4*$C$11
b. Tap the Enter (return) key
4. Use the Fill Handle to carry the formula from
a. Select cell H4
b. Click and drag using the Fill Handle from cell H4 to
H8
5. Notice how the results do match their previous grades
17. Printing basics
a. What is this?
Printing is simply that, printing all or part of your spreadsheet on a
hard copy like letter sized paper
b. Always save your workbook first, Ctrl+S
c. Select, Office Button > Print > Print Preview
d. Click on the page to Zoom in or out
e. Review the Ribbon as it has many options in Print Preview
f. If you were satisfied with the way it would print then you would select
Print or if you wanted to continue to edit the worksheet then you would
select the Close Print Preview button
18. Open floor for Q&A
19. Next week - Excel II – Intermediate Topics
a. Fonts, Quick Access, Headers and Footers, more Functions, Grouping,
Macros, Buttons, Vlookup, and much more!
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