Introduction to Excel
For
DATA ANALYSTS
BY
MOHAMMED UMAER
DATA ANALYST
Excel for Data Analysts
What is Excel?
It is a spreadsheet tool developed by Microsoft. Excel organizes data in columns and rows
and allows you to do mathematical functions. It runs on Windows, macOS, Android, and
iOS.
The first version of Excel was released in 1985 and has gone through several changes over
the years. However, the main functionality mostly remains the same.
Excel is typically used for:
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Analysis
Data entry
Data management
Accounting
Budgeting
Data Analysis
Visuals and graphs
Programming
Financial modeling
And much more!
Why Use Excel?
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Most popular spreadsheet tool in the world
Easy to learn
You can do more advanced things, as you get better
Works for both Personal and Professional Use
Huge Community support
Continuously supported by Microsoft’s updates
Templates and Frameworks can be reused by yourself and others, lowering creation
costs.
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Overview
This chapter is about giving you an overview of Excel. Excel's structure is made of two
pieces, the Ribbon and the Sheet.
Have a look at the picture below. The Ribbon is marked with a red rectangle and the Sheet
is marked with a yellow rectangle:
First, let’s start with explaining the Ribbon.
The Ribbon explained
The Ribbon provides shortcuts to Excel commands. A command is an action that allows you
to make something happen. This can for example be to: insert a table, change the font size,
or to change the color of a cell.
The Ribbon may look crowded and hard to understand at first. Don't be scared, It will
become easier to navigate and use as you learn more. Most of the time we tend to use the
same functionalities over again.
The Ribbon is made up of the App launcher, Tabs, Groups, and Commands. In this section, I
explain the different parts of the Ribbon.
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App launcher
The App launcher icon has nine dots and is called the Office 365 navigation bar. It allows
you to access the different parts of the Office 365 suite, such as Word, PowerPoint, and
Outlook. App launcher can be used to switch seamlessly between Office 365 applications.
Tabs
The tab is a menu with sub-divisions sorted into groups. The tabs allow users to quickly
navigate between options of menus that display different groups of functionality.
Groups
The groups are sets of related commands. The groups are separated by the thin vertical line
break.
Commands
The commands are the buttons that you use to do actions.
Now, let's have a look at the Sheet. Soon you will be able to understand the relationship
between the Ribbon and the Sheet, and you can make things happen.
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The Sheet explained
The Sheet is a set of rows and columns. It forms the same pattern as we have in math
exercise books, the rectangle boxes formed by the pattern are called cells.
Values can be typed into cells.
Values can be both numbers and letters:
Each cell has its unique reference, which is its coordinates, this is where the columns and
rows intersect.
Let's break this up and explain by an example
Have a look at the picture below. Hello world was typed in cell C4. The reference can be
found by clicking on the relevant cell and seeing the reference in the Name Box to the left,
which tells you that the cell's reference is C4.
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Another way to find the reference is to first find the column, in this case C, then map that
towards the row, in this case 4, which gives us the reference of C4.
Note: The reference of the cell is its coordinates. For example, C4 has the coordinates of
column C and row 4. You find the cell at the intersection of the two. The letter is always the
column and the number is always the row.
Multiple Sheets
You start with one Sheet by default when you create a new workbook. You can have many
sheets in a workbook. New sheets can be added and removed. Sheets can be named to
make it easier to work with data sets.
Are you up for the challenge? Let's create two new sheets and give them useful names.
First, click the plus icon, shown in the picture below, and create two new sheets:
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Tip: You can use the hotkey Shift + F11 to create new sheets. Try it!
Second, right click with your mouse on the relevant sheet and click rename:
Third, enter useful names for the three sheets:
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In this example, we used the names Data Visualization, Data Structure, and Raw Data. This
is a typical structure when you are working with data.
Chapter Summary
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The workbook has two main components: the Ribbon and the Sheet.
The Ribbon is used to navigate and access commands.
The Sheet is made up of columns and rows, which make cells.
Each cell has its unique reference. You can add new sheets to your workbook and name
them.
 In the next chapters, you will learn more about the sheet, formulas, ranges and
functions.
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Excel Syntax
Syntax
A formula in Excel is used to do mathematical calculations. Formulas always
start with the equal sign = typed in the cell, followed by your calculation.
Note: You claim the cell by selecting it and typing the equal sign (=)
Creating formulas, step by step

Select a cell

Type the equal sign (=)

Select a cell or type value

Enter an arithmetic operator

Select another cell or type value

Press enter
For example, =1+1 is the formula to calculate 1+1=2
Note: The value of a cell is communicated by reference(value) for
example A1(2)
Using Formulas with Cells
You can type values into cells and use them in your formulas.
Let’s type some dummy values to get started. Double-click the cells to type
values into them. Go ahead and type:

A1(309)

A2(320)

B1(39)

B2(35)
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Compare with the picture shown below:
Note: Type values by selecting a cell, claim it by entering the equal sign (=) and
then type your value. For example =309.
Here is how to do it, step by step.
1. Select the cell C1
2. Type the equal sign (=)
3. Left click on A1, the cell that has the (309) value
4. Type the minus sign (-)
5. Left click on B2, the cell that has the (35) value
6. Hit enter
Tip: The formula can be typed directly without clicking the cells. The typed
formula would be the same as the value in C1 (=A1-B2).
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The result after hitting the enter button is C1(274)
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Another Example
Let's try one more example, this time let's make the formula =A2-B1.
Here is how to do it, step by step.
1. Select the cell C2
2. Type the equal sign (=)
3. Left click A2, the cell that has the (320) value
4. Type the minus sign (-)
5. Left click B1, the cell that has the (39) value
6. Hit the enter button
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You get the result C2(281).
Note: You can make formulas with all four arithmetic operations, such as
addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*) and division (/).
Here are some examples:
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=2+4 gives you 6
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=4-2 gives you 2
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=2*4 gives you 8

=2/4 gives you 0.5
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Excel Ranges
Ranges
Range is an important part of Excel because it allows you to work with
selections of cells.
There are four different operations for selection;
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Selecting a cell

Selecting multiple cells
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Selecting a column

Selecting a row
Before having a look at the different operations for selection, we will introduce
the Name Box.
The Name Box
The Name Box shows you the reference of which cell or range you have
selected. It can also be used to select cells or ranges by typing their values.
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You will learn more about the Name Box later in this chapter.
Selecting a Cell
Cells are selected by clicking them with the left mouse button or by navigating
to them with the keyboard arrows.
It is easiest to use the mouse to select cells.
To select cell A1, click on it:
Selecting Multiple Cells
More than one cell can be selected by pressing and holding
down CTRL or Command and left clicking the cells. Once finished with selecting,
you can let go of CTRL or Command.
Let’s try an example: Select the cells A1, A7, C1, C7 and B4.
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Did it look like the picture below?
Selecting a Column
Columns are selected by left clicking it. This will select all cells in the sheet
related to the column.
To select column A, click on the letter A in the column bar:
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Selecting a Row
Rows are selected by left clicking it. This will select all the cells in the sheet
related to that row.
To select row 1, click on its number in the row bar:
Selecting the Entire Sheet
The entire spreadsheet can be selected by clicking the triangle in the top-left
corner of
the spreadsheet:
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Now, the whole spreadsheet is selected:
Note: You can also select the entire spreadsheet by pressing Ctrl+A for
Windows, or Cmd+A for MacOS.
Selection of Ranges
Selection of cell ranges has many use areas and it is one of the most important
concepts of Excel. Do not think too much about how it is used with values. You
will learn about this in a later chapter. For now let's focus on how to select
ranges.
There are two ways to select a range of cells
1. Name Box
2. Drag to mark a range.
The easiest way is drag and mark. Let's keep it simple and start there.
How to drag and mark a range, step-by-step:
1. Select a cell
2. Left click it and hold the mouse button down
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3. Move your mouse pointer over the range that you want selected. The
range that is marked will turn grey.
4. Let go of the mouse button when you have marked the range
Let's have a look at an example for how to mark the range A1:E10.
Note: You will learn about why the range is called A1:E10 after this example.
Select cell A1:
Press and hold A1 with the left mouse button. Move to the mouse pointer to
mark the selection range. The grey area helps us to see the covered range.
Let go of the left mouse button when you have marked the range A1:E10:
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You have successfully selected the range A1:E10.
The second way to select a range is to enter the range values in the Name Box.
The range is set by first entering the cell reference for the top left corner, then
the bottom right corner. The range is made using those two as coordinates. That
is why the cell range has the reference of two cells and the : in between.
Top left corner reference : Right bottom corner reference
The range shown in the picture has the value of A1:E10:
The best way for now is to use the drag and mark method as it is easier and
more visual.
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Excel Fill
Filling
Filling makes your life easier and is used to fill ranges with values so that you do
not have to type manual entries.
Filling can be used for:
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Copying
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Sequences
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Dates
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Functions (*)
For now, do not think of functions. We will cover that in a later chapter.
How To Fill
Filling is done by selecting a cell, clicking the fill icon and selecting the range
using drag and mark while holding the left mouse button down.
The fill icon is found in the button right corner of the cell and has the icon of a
small square. Once you hover over it your mouse pointer will change its icon to
a thin cross.
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Click the fill icon and hold down the left mouse button, drag and mark the range
that you want to cover.
In this example, cell A1 was selected and the range A1:A10 was marked.
Now that we have learned how to fill. Let's look into how to copy with the fill
function.
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Fill Copies
Filling can be used for copying. It can be used for both numbers and words.
Let's have a look at numbers first.
In this example we have typed the value A1(1):
Filling the range A1:A10 creates ten copies of 1:
The same principle goes for text.
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In this example we have typed A1(Hello World).
Filling the range A1:A10 creates ten copies of "Hello World":
Now you have learned how to fill and to use it for copying both numbers and
words. Let's have a look at sequences.
Fill Sequences
Filling can be used to create sequences. A sequence is an order or a pattern. We
can use the filling function to continue the order that has been set.
Sequences can for example be used on numbers and dates.
Let's start with learning how to count from 1 to 10.
This is different from the last example because this time we do not want to
copy, but to count from 1 to 10.
Start with typing A1(1):
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First, we will show an example which does not work, then we will do a working
one. Ready?
Let’s type the value (1) into the cell A2, which is what we have in A1. Now we
have the same values in both A1 and A2.
Let's use the fill function from A1:A10 to see what happens. Remember to mark
both values before you fill the range.
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What happened is that we got the same values as we did with copying. This is
because the fill function assumes that we want to create copies as we had two
of the same values in both the cells A1(1) and A2(1).
Change the value of A2(1) to A2(2). We now have two different values in the
cells A1(1) and A2(2). Now, fill A1:A10 again. Remember to mark both the values
(holding down shift) before you fill the range:
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Congratulations! You have now counted from 1 to 10.
The fill function understands the pattern typed in the cells and continues it for
us.
That is why it created copies when we had entered the value (1) in both cells, as
it saw no pattern. When we entered (1) and (2) in the cells it was able to
understand the pattern and that the next cell A3 should be (3).
Let's create another sequence. Type A1(2) and A2(4):
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Now, fill A1:A10:
It counts from 2 to 20 in the range A1:A10.
This is because we created an order with A1(2) and A2(4).
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Then it fills the next cells, A3(6), A4(8), A5(10) and so on. The fill function
understands the pattern and helps us continue it.
Sequence of Dates
The fill function can also be used to fill dates.
Note: The date format depends on your regional language settings.
For example 14.03.2023 vs. 3/14/2023.
Test it by typing A1(29.07.2021):
And fill the range A1:A10:
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The fill function has filled 10 days from A1(29.07.2021) to A10(07.08.2021).
Note that it switched from July to August in cell A4. It knows the calendar and
will count real dates.
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Combining Words and Letters
Words and letters can also be combined.
Type A1(Hello 1) and A2(Hello 2):
Next, fill A1:A10 to see what happens:
The result is that it counts from A1(Hello 1) to A10(Hello 10). Only the numbers
have changed.
It recognised the pattern of the numbers and continued it for us. Words and
numbers can be combined, as long as you use a recognizable pattern for the
numbers.
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Excel Double Click to Fill
Double Click to Fill
The fill function can be double clicked to complete formulas in a range:
Note: For the double click to work it has to see a recognizable pattern.
For example: by using headers, or with the formulas in the columns or rows next
to the data.
Double Click to Fill Example
Let's use the Double click fill function to calculate the AttackB2:B20 +
Defense C2:C20 for the Pokemons in the range D2:D20.
1. Select D2
2. Type =
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3. Select B2
4. Type +
5. Select C2
6. Hit enter
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7. Double click the fill function
Way to go! The function understands the pattern and completes the calculation
for D2:D20. Note that it stops when there is no more data to calculate, at
row 20.
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A Non-Working Example
Delete values in the range D1:D20
Enter the formula "=B2+C2" in E2
Note: There is no header for Columns D and E. There are blank cells in between.
Double click the fill function.
Waiting...
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The fill function is just loading without filling the rows. It is not understanding
the pattern.
Give it more clues.
Add a header to see what happens. Enter "Atk+def" in E1
Double click the fill function.
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Loading... Still nothing...
One more header. Enter "Random" in D1
Double click the fill function.
Is the gap closed?
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There we go! The function recognised the pattern and filled in the formulas for
each row.
Adding headers helped the function to understand the relationship between the
data.
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Excel
For
DATA ANALYSTS
Day-4
BY
MOHAMMED UMAER
DATA ANALYST
Excel for Data Analysts
Excel Move Cells
Moving Cells
There are two ways to move cells: Drag and drop or by copy and paste.
Drag and Drop
Let's start by typing or copying some values that we can work with:
Next, start by marking the area A1:B4:
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You can drag and drop the range by pressing and holding the left mouse button
on the border. The mouse cursor will change to the move symbol when you
hover over the border.
Drag and drop it when you see the symbol.
Move the range to B2:C5 as shown in the picture:
Great! Now you have created more space, so that we have room for more data.
Note: It is important to give context to the data, making the spreadsheet easy to
understand. This can be done by adding text which explains the data.
Let's go ahead and give the data more context. Type or copy the following
values:
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Yes, that is right, we are looking at Pokémon’s! Giving context to the data is
always helpful.
Next, let’s see how we can move data by using cut and paste.
Cut and Paste
Ranges can be moved by cutting and pasting values from one place to another.
Tip: You can cut using the hotkey CTRL+X and paste by CTRL+V. This saves you
time.
Mark the range A1:C5
Right-click the marked area, and click on the "Cut" command, which has scissors
as its icon:
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Cutting makes the range white-grey with dotted borders. This indicates that the
range is cutted and ready for pasting.
Right click the paste destination B6 and left click the paste icon.
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You have successfully cut and pasted the range from A1:C5 to B6:D10.
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Copy and paste
Copy and paste works in the same way as cut and paste. The difference is that it
does not remove the original cells.
Let's copy the cells back from B6:D10 to A1:C5.
Tip: You can copy using the hotkey CTRL+C and paste by CTRL+V. This saves you
time. Try it!
Mark the range B6:D10.
Right-click the marked area, and click on the "Copy" command which has two
papers as its icon.
Copying gives the range a dotted green border. This indicates that the range is
copied and ready for pasting.
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Right click the paste destination A1 and left click the paste icon:
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The difference between cutting and copying, is that cutting removes the
originals, while copying leaves the originals.
Next, let's delete the original data and keep the data in the A1:C5 range.
Delete Data
Select the original cells and remove them by pressing the "Delete" button on
the keyboard:
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Excel Add Cells
Adding New Columns
Columns can be added and deleted. You access the menu by right-clicking the
column letter. New columns are added to the same place you clicked.
Let's try to create a new column B.
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Right click on the column and select "Insert Columns":
And a new column is created:
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Next, we need to get some Pokemon trainers in there. Type or copy the
following data in the new column B:
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Adding New Rows
Rows can also be added and deleted. You access the menu by right clicking the
row number. New rows are added to the same place you clicked.
Let's try to create a new row 4.
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We forgot to add Iva's Pokemon, Marowak. Let’s add his data to the new row 4,
by typing or copying the following values:
Excellent job!
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Excel Delete Cells
Delete Cells
Cells can be deleted by selecting them, and pressing the delete button.
Note: The delete function will not delete the formatting of the cell, just the
value inside of it.
Let's have a look at three examples.
Example 1
Pressing the delete button:
Example 2
Pressing the delete button:
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Example 3
With formatting:
Pressing the delete button:
Note that it only deletes the value in the cells, and not the formatting (the
color).
Note: You will learn more about formatting, and how to style cells in a later
posts.
Excel Undo and Redo.
Undo
The Undo function lets you reverse an action.
Undo is helpful if you regret an action and want to go back to how it was before.
Examples of use

Undo deleting a formula

Undo adding a column

Undo removing a row
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Note: You cannot Undo things that you do in the File Menu, such as deleting a
sheet, saving a spreadsheet or changing the options. The thumb rule is that you
can Undo things you do in your sheet.
There are two ways to access the Undo command.
1) Pressing the Undo button in the Ribbon:
2) Using the keyboard shortcut CTRL + Z / Command + Z
Let's have a look at an example:
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Note: It is recommended to practice using the keyboard shortcut. It saves you
time!
Redo
The Redo function has the opposite effect as Undo, it reverses the Undo action.
Redo is helpful if you regret using Undo.
Note: The Redo command is only available if you have used Undo.
There are two ways to access the Redo command.
1) Pressing the Redo button in the Ribbon:
2) Using the keyboard shortcut CTRL + Y / Command + Y
Tip: Practice for yourself to get familiar with Undo and Redo.
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Excel
For
DATA ANALYSTS
Day-5
BY
MOHAMMED UMAER
DATA ANALYST
Excel for Data Analysts
Excel Formulas
Formulas
A formula in Excel is used to do mathematical calculations. Formulas always
start with the equal sign (=) typed in the cell, followed by your calculation.
Formulas can be used for calculations such as:

=1+1

=2*2

=4/2=2
It can also be used to calculate values using cells as input.
Let's have a look at an example.
Type or copy the following values:
Now we want to do a calculation with those values.
Step by step:
1. Select C1 and type (=)
2. Right click A1
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3. Type (+)
4. Right click A2
5. Press enter
You got it! You have successfully calculated A1(2) + A2(4) = C1(6).
Note: Using cells to make calculations is an important part of Excel and you will
use this alot as you learn.
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Let’s change from addition to multiplication, by replacing the (+) with a (*). It
should now be =A1*A2, press enter to see what happens.
You got C1(8).
Excel is great in this way. It allows you to add values to cells and make you do
calculations on them.
Now, try to change the multiplication (*) to subtraction (-) and dividing (/).
Delete all values in the sheet after you have tried the different combinations.
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Let's add new data for the next example, where we will help the Pokemon
trainers to count their Pokeballs.
Type or copy the following values:
The data explained:

Column A: Pokemon Trainers

Row 1: Types of Pokeballs

Range B2:D4: Amount of Pokeballs, Great balls and Ultra balls
Note: It is important to practice reading data to understand its context. In this
example you should focus on the trainers and their Pokeballs, which have three
different types: Pokeball, Great ball and Ultra ball.
Let's help Iva to count her Pokeballs. You find Iva in A2(Iva). The values in row 2
B2(2), C2(3), D2(1) belong to her.
Count the Pokeballs, step by step:
1. Select cell E2 and type (=)
2. Right click B2
3. Type (+)
4. Right click C2
5. Type (+)
6. Right click D2
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7. Hit enter
Did you get the value E2(6)? Good job! You have helped Iva to count her
Pokeballs.
Now, let's help Liam and Adora with counting theirs.
Do you remember the fill function that we learned about earlier? It can be used
to continue calculations sidewards, downwards and upwards. Let's try it!
Let’s use the fill function to continue the formula, step by step:
1. Select E2
2. Fill E2:E4
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That is cool, right? The fill function continued the calculation that you used for
Iva and was able to understand that you wanted to count the cells in the next
rows as well.
Now we have counted the Pokeballs for all three; Iva(6), Liam(12) and
Adora(15).
Let's see how many Pokeballs Iva, Liam and Adora have in total.
The total is called SUM in Excel.
There are two ways to calculate the SUM.

Adding cells

SUM function
Excel has many pre-made functions available for you to use. The SUM function
is one of the most used ones. You will learn more about functions in a later
chapter.
Let's try both approaches.
Note: You can navigate to the cells with your keyboard arrows instead of right
clicking them. Try it!
Sum by adding cells, step by step:
1. Select cell E5, and type =
2. Left click E2
3. Type (+)
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4. Left click E3
5. Type (+)
6. Left click E4
7. Hit enter
The result is E5(33).
Let's try the SUM function.
Remember to delete the values that you currently have in E5.
SUM function, step by step:
1. Type E5(=)
2. Write SUM
3. Double click SUM in the menu
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4. Mark the range E2:E4
5. Hit enter
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Great job! You have successfully calculated the SUM using the SUM function.
Iva, Liam and Adora have 33 Pokeballs in total.
Let's change a value to see what happens. Type B2(7):
The value in cell B2 was changed from 2 to 7. Notice that the formulas are doing
calculations when we change the value in the cells, and the SUM is updated
from 33 to 38. It allows us to change values that are used by the formulas, and
the calculations remain.
Chapter Summary
Values used in formulas can be typed directly and by using cells. The formula
updates the result if you change the value of cells, which is used in the formula.
The fill function can be used to continue your formulas upwards, downwards
and sidewards. Excel has pre-built functions, such as SUM.
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Relative and Absolute References
Excel Relative References
Cells in Excel have unique references, which is its location.
References are used in formulas to do calculations, and the fill function can be
used to continue formulas sidewards, downwards and upwards.
Excel has two types of references:
1. Relative references
2. Absolute references
Absolute reference is a choice we make. It is a command which tells Excel to
lock a reference.
The dollar sign ($) is used to make references absolute.
Example of relative reference: A1
Example of absolute reference: $A$1
Relative reference
References are relative by default and are without dollar sign ($).
The relative reference makes the cells reference-free. It gives the fill function
freedom to continue the order without restrictions.
Let's have a look at a relative reference example, helping the Pokemon trainers
to count their Pokeballs (B2:B7) and Great balls (C2:C7).
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The result is: D2(5):
Next, fill the range D2:D7:
The references being relative allows the fill function to continue the formula for
rows downwards.
Have a look at the formulas in D2:D7. Notice that it calculates the next row as
you fill.
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A Non-Working Example
Let's try an example that will not work.
Fill D2:G2, filling to the right instead of downwards. Resulting in strange
numbers:
Have a look at the formulas.
It assumes that we are calculating sidewards and not downwards.
The numbers that we want to calculate need to be in the same direction as we
fill.
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Excel Absolute References
Absolute References
Absolute reference is when a reference has the dollar sign ($).
It locks a reference in the formula.
Add $ to the formula to use absolute references.
The dollar sign has three different states:

Absolute for column and row. The reference is absolutely locked.
Example =$A$1

Absolute for the column. The reference is locked to that column. The row
remains relative.
Example =$A1

Absolute for the row. The reference is locked to that row. The column
remains relative.
Example =A$1
Let's have a look at an example of helping the Pokemon trainers to calculate
prices for Pokeballs
Type or copy the following data:
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Data explained

There are 6 trainers: Iva, Liam, Adora, Jenny, Iben and Kasper.

They have different amount of Pokeballs each in their shop cart

The price per Pokeball is 2 coins
Help them to calculate the prices for the Pokeballs.
The price's reference is B11, we do not want the fill function to change this, so
we lock it.
The reference is absolutely locked by using the formula $B$11.
How to do it, step by step:
1. Type C2(=)
2. Select B11
3. Type ($) before the B and 11 ($B$11)
4. Type (*)
5. Select B2
6. Hit enter
7. Auto fill C2:C7
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Congratulations! You successfully calculated the prices for the Pokeballs using
an absolute reference.
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Excel
For
DATA ANALYSTS
Day-6
BY
MOHAMMED UMAER
DATA ANALYST
Excel for Data Analysts
Excel Functions
Functions
Excel has many pre-made formulas, called functions.
Functions are typed by = and the functions name.
For example =SUM
Once you have typed the function name you need to apply it to a range.
For example =SUM(A1:A5)
The range is always inside of parentheses.
Let’s see some of the most important functions used by Data Analysts.
Excel SUM Function
SUM Function
The SUM function is a premade function in Excel, which adds numbers in a
range.
It is typed =SUM
Note: The =SUM function adds cells in a range, both negative and positive.
How to use the =SUM function:
1. Select a cell
2. Type =SUM
3. Double-click the SUM command
4. Select a range
5. Hit enter
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Let's see some examples!
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You have successfully calculated the sum of the stats using the =SUM function.
The Pokemon's stats have a total sum of 3092.
Let's change one of the values in the range, to see what happens. Type D7(350):
Rattata total stats was changed from (D7)253 to (D7)350.
The SUM function updated the total sum from D12(3092) to D12(3189).
It updates the SUM when values inside of the range are changed.
Lets change Rattata stats to a negative number to see what happens. Type D7(350):
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The SUM is updated to D12(2489). Adding a negative number subtracts that
value from the range.
The =SUM function adds both positive and negative numbers.
Excel SUMIF Function
SUMIF Function
The SUMIF function is a premade function in Excel, which calculates the sum of
values in a range based on a true or false condition.
It is typed =SUMIF:
=SUMIF(range, criteria, [sum_range])
The condition is referred to as criteria, which can check things like:

If a number is greater than another number >

If a number is smaller than another number <

If a number or text is equal to something =
The [sum_range] is the range where the function calculates the sum.
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Note: The [sum_range] is optional.
If not specified, the function calculates the sum of the same range as the
condition.
Note: The different parts of the function are separated by a symbol, like a
comma, or semicolon ;
Example SUMIF function
Find the sum of Total stats for Grass-type Pokemon:
The condition is that the type is "Grass".
Example SUMIF function, step by step:
1. Select the cell F3
2. Type =SUMIF
3. Double-click the SUMIF command
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4. Specify the range for the conditionB2:B10 (the Type 1 values)
5. Type ,
6. Specify the criteria (the cell E3, which has the value "Grass")
7. Type ,
8. Specify the range for the sum C2:C10 (the Total values)
9. Type ,
10.
Hit enter
The function now sums the Total stats for Grass type Pokemon.
The function can be repeated for the other Pokemon types to compare them:
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Note: You can use the filling function for the other rows, but make sure to
use absolute references for the ranges.
Now, we can see the sum of total stats for the different types of Pokemon:
Excel SUMIFS Function
SUMIFS Function
The SUMIFS function is a premade function in Excel, which calculates the sum of
a range based on one or more true or false conditions.
It is typed =SUMIFS:
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=SUMIFS(sum_range, criteria_range1, criteria1, [criteria_range2, criteria2] ...)
The conditions are referred to as criteria1, criteria2, and so on, which can check
things like:

If a number is greater than another number >

If a number is smaller than another number <

If a number or text is equal to something =
The criteria_range1, criteria_range2, and so on, are the ranges where the
function checks for the conditions.
The [sum_range] is the range where the function calculates the sum.
Note: The different parts of the function are separated by a symbol, like a
comma, or semicolon ;
Example SUMIFS function
Find the sum of total stats for Water-type 1st Generation Pokemon:
The conditions are that the type is "Water" and Generation is 1.
Note: The full dataset continues after row 14, all the way down to row 759.
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Example SUMIFS function, step by step:
1. Select the cell H3
2. Type =SUMIFS
3. Double-click the SUMIFS command
4. Specify the range for the sum C2:C759 (the Total values)
5. Type ,
6. Specify the range for the first conditionB2:B759 (the Type 1 values)
7. Type ,
8. Specify the criteria (the cell F3, which has the value "Water")
9. Type ,
10.
Specify the range for the second conditionD2:D759 (the Generation
values)
11.
Type ,
12.
Specify the criteria (the cell G3, which has the value "1")
13.
Hit enter
Note: You can add more conditions by repeating steps 9-12 before hitting enter.
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The function now calculates the sum of total stats for the 1st Generation Water
type Pokemon.
The function can be repeated for the following Generations to compare them:
Note: You can use the filling function for the other rows, but make sure to
use absolute references for the ranges.
Now, we can see the sum of total stats of Water type Pokemon between
generations:
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Excel MAX Function
MAX Function
The MAX function is a premade function in Excel, which finds the highest
number in a range.
It is typed =MAX
The function ignores cells with text. It will only work for cells with numbers.
Note: There is another function called MIN, which finds the lowest value in a
range, the opposite of MAX.
How to use the =MAX function:
1. Select a cell (G5)
2. Type =MAX
3. Double-click the MAX command
4. Select a range (D2:D21)
5. Hit enter
Let's have a look at an example!
Find the Pokemon which has the highest total stats in the range D2:D21:
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The function has successfully found the highest value, 525. Cloyster has the
highest Total stats of the Pokemons in the range D2:D21.
Let's add text to a cell in the range D2:21 to see what happens. Type Alakazam
to D8.
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The function ignores the text typed in the range. 510 is returned as the new
highest value, since the old one was replaced with text. Poliwrath is now the
Pokemon with the highest Total stats in the range D2:D21.
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Excel AVERAGE Function
AVERAGE Function
The AVERAGE function is a premade function in Excel, which calculates the
average (arithmetic mean).
It is typed =AVERAGE
It adds the range and divides it by the number of observations.
Example:
The average of (2, 3, 4) is 3.
3 observations (2, 3 and 4)
The sum of the observations (2 + 3 + 4 = 9)
(9 / 3 = 3)
The average is 3
Note: There are multiple types of mean values. The most common type of mean
is the arithmetic mean.
Note: The AVERAGE function ignores cells with text.
Let's have a look at an example where we help the Pokemon trainers to
calculate the average of Pokeballs per trainer.
How to use the =AVERAGE function, step by step:
1. Select a cell (F2)
2. Type =AVERAGE
3. Double click the AVERAGE command
4. Select a range (B2:E2)
5. Hit enter
6. Next, Fill F2:F7
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You have successfully calculated the average using the AVERAGE function.
Another Example
Example using cells with text:
The function ignores cells with text and completes the calculation.
Excel COUNT Function
COUNT Function
The COUNT function is a premade function in Excel, which counts cells with
numbers in a range.
It is typed =COUNT
Note: The COUNT function only counts cells with numbers, not cells with
letters. The COUNTA function is better used if the cells have letters.
How to use the =COUNT function:
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1. Select a cell
2. Type =COUNT
3. Double-click the COUNT command
4. Select a range
5. Hit enter
Let's see some examples!
Apply the =COUNT function to range D2:D21. Counting the cells of Pokemon
Total stats, which is numbers only:
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COUNT function, step by step:
1. Select D23
2. Type =COUNT
3. Double click COUNT in the menu
4. Select range D2:D21
5. Hit enter
Note: The =COUNT function only counts cells with numbers in a range.
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That's it! The =COUNT function successfully counted 20 cells with numbers.
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A Non-Working Example
Now, let us try an example that will not work.
Apply the =COUNT function to the range A2:A21, which only has cells with
letters.
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It returns the value 0, no cells with numbers found. Range A2:A21 only had cells
with letters.
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Excel
For
DATA ANALYSTS
Day-7
(Top 10 Excel Functions)
BY
MOHAMMED UMAER
DATA ANALYST
Excel for Data Analysts
1. Excel VLOOKUP Function
VLOOKUP Function
The VLOOKUP function is a premade function in Excel, which allows searches
across columns.
It is typed =VLOOKUP and has the following parts:
=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])
Note: The column which holds the data used to lookup must always be to the
left.
Note: The different parts of the function are separated by a symbol, like
comma, or semicolon ;
Lookup_value: Select the cell where search values will be entered.
Table_array: The table range, including all cells in the table.
Col_index_num: The data which is being looked up. The input is the number of
the column, counted from the left:
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Range_lookup: TRUE if numbers (1) or FALSE if text (0).
Note: Both 1 / 0 and True / False can be used in Range_lookup.
How to use the VLOOKUP function.
1. Select a cell (H4)
2. Type =VLOOKUP
3. Double click the VLOOKUP command
4. Select the cell where search value will be entered (H3)
5. Type (,)
6. Mark table range (A2:E21)
7. Type (,)
8. Type the number of the column, counted from the left (2)
9. Type True (1) or False (0) (1)
10.
Hit enter
11.
Enter a value in the cell selected for the Lookup_value H3(7)
Let's have a look at an example!
Use the VLOOKUP function to find the Pokemon names based on their ID#:
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H4 is where the search result is displayed. In this case, the Pokemons names
based on their ID#.
H3 selected as lookup_value. This is the cell where the search query is entered.
In this case the Pokemons ID#.
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The range of the table is marked at table_array, in this example A2:E21.
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The number 2 is entered as col_index_number. This is the second column from
the left and is the data that is being looked up.
An illustration for selecting col_index_number 2.
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Ok, so next - 1 (True) is entered as range_lookup. This is because the most left
column has numbers only. If it was text, 0 (False) would have been used.
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The function returns the #N/A value. This is because there have not been
entered any value to the Search ID# H3.
Let us feed a value to it, type H3(7):
Have a look at that! The VLOOKUP function has successfully found the
Pokemon Squirtle which has the ID# 7.
One more time, type (H3)4:
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It still works! The function returned Charmanders name, which has 4 as its
ID#. That's great.
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2. INDEX and MATCH Function in Excel
INDEX-MATCH has become a more popular tool for Excel as it solves the
limitation of the VLOOKUP function, and it is easier to use. INDEX-MATCH
function in Excel has a number of advantages over the VLOOKUP function:
1. INDEX and MATCH are more flexible and faster than Vlookup
2. It is possible to execute horizontal lookup, vertical lookup, 2-way lookup,
left lookup, case-sensitive lookup, and even lookups based on multiple
criteria.
3. In sorted Data, INDEX-MATCH is 30% faster than VLOOKUP. This means
that in a larger dataset 30% faster makes more sense.
Let’s begin with the detailed concepts of each INDEX and MATCH.
INDEX Function
The INDEX function in Excel is very powerful at the same time a flexible tool that
retrieves the value at a given location in a range. In other words, It returns the
content of a cell, specified by row and column offset.
Syntax:
=INDEX(reference, [row], [column])
Parameters:

reference: The array of cells to be offset into. It can be a single range or an
entire dataset in a table of data.

row [optional]: The number of offset rows. It means if we choose a table
reference range as “A1:A5” then the Cell/content that we want to extract
is at how much vertical distance. Here, for A1 row will be 1, for A2 row = 2,
and so on. If we give row = 4 then it will extract A4. As row is optional so if
we don’t specify any row number then it extracts entire rows in the
reference range. That is A1 to A5 in this case.

column [optional]: The number of offset columns. It means if we choose a
table reference range as “A1:B5” then the Cell/content we want to extract
is at how much horizontal distance. Here, for A1 row will be 1 and the
column will be 1, for B1 row will be 1 but the column will be 2 similarly for
A2 row = 2 column = 1, for B2 row = 2 column = 2, and so on. If we give
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row = 5 and column 2 then it will extract B5. As the column is optional so if
we don’t specify any row no. then it will extract the entire column in the
reference range. For example, if we give row = 2 and column as empty
then it will extract (A2:B2). If we don’t specify Row and column both then
it will extract the entire reference table that is (A1:B5).
Reference Table: The following table will be used as a reference table for all the
examples of the INDEX function. The first Cell is at B3 (“FOOD”) and the Last
Diagonal Cell is at F10 (“180”).
Examples: Below are some examples of Index functions.
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Case 1: No Rows and Columns are mentioned.
Input Command: =INDEX(B3:C10)
Case 2: Only Rows are Mentioned.
Input Command: =INDEX(B3:C10,2)
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Case 3: Both Rows And Columns are mentioned.
Input Command: =INDEX(B3:D10,4,2)
Case 4: Only Columns are mentioned.
Input Command: =INDEX(B3 : D10 , , 2)
Problem With INDEX Function: The problem with the INDEX function is that
there is a need to specify rows and columns for the data that we are looking for.
Let’s assume we are dealing with a machine learning dataset of 10000 rows and
columns then it will be very difficult to search and extract the data that we are
looking for. Here comes the concept of Match Function, which will identify rows
and columns based on some condition.
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MATCH Function
It retrieves the position of an item/value in a range. It is a less refined version of
a VLOOKUP or HLOOKUP that only returns the location information and not the
actual data. MATCH is not case-sensitive and does not care whether the range
is Horizontal or Vertical.
Syntax:
=MATCH(search_key, range, [search_type])
Parameters:

search_key: The value to search for. For example, 42, “Cats”, or I24.

range: The one-dimensional array to be searched. It Can Either be a single
row or a single column.eg->A1:A10 , A2:D2 etc.

search_type [optional]: The search method. = 1 (default) finds the largest
value less than or equal to search_key when the range is sorted in
ascending order.
o
= 0 finds the exact value when the range is unsorted.
o
= -1 finds the smallest value greater than or equal to search_key
when the range is sorted in descending order.
Row number or Column number can be found using the match function and can
use it inside the index function so if there is any detail about an item, then all
information can be extracted about the item by finding the row/column of the
item using match then nesting it into index function.
Reference Table: The following table will be used as a reference table for all the
examples of the MATCH function. First Cell is at B3 (“FOOD”) and the Last
Diagonal Cell is At F10 (“180”)
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Examples: Below are some examples of the MATCH functionCase 1: Search Type 0, It means Exact Match.
Input Command: =MATCH(“South Indian”,C3:C10,0)
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Case 2: Search Type 1 (Default).
Input Command: =MATCH(“South Indian”,C3:C10)
Case 3: Search Type -1.
Input Command: =MATCH(“South Indian”,C3:C10,-1)
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INDEX-MATCH Together
In the previous examples, the static values of rows and columns were provided
in the INDEX function Let’s assume there is no prior knowledge about the rows
and column position then rows and columns position can be provided using the
MATCH function. This Is a dynamic way to search and extract value.
Syntax:
=INDEX(Reference Table , [Match(SearchKey,Range,Type)/StaticRowPosition],
[Match(SearchKey,Range,Type)/StaticColumnPosition])
Reference Table: The following reference table will be used. The first Cell is at
B3 (“FOOD”) and the Last Diagonal Cell is At F10 (“180”)
Example: Let’s say the task is to find the cost of Masala Dosa. It is known that
column 3 represents the cost of items, but the row position of Masala Dosa is
not known. The problem can be divided into two stepsStep 1: Find the position of Masala Dosa by using the formula:
=MATCH("Masala Dosa",B3:B10,0)
Here B3:B10 represents Column “Food” and 0 means Exact Match. It will return
the row number of Masala Dosa.
Step 2: Find the cost of Masala Dosa. Use the INDEX Function to find the cost of
Masala Dosa. By substituting the above MATCH function query inside the INDEX
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function at the place where the exact position of Masala Dosa is required, and
the column number of cost is 3 which is already known.
=INDEX(B3:F10, MATCH("Masala Dosa", B3:B10 , 0) ,3)
Two Ways Lookup With INDEX-MATCH Together
In the previous example, the column position Of the “Cost” attribute was
hardcoded. So, It was not fully dynamic.
Case 1: Let’s assume there is no knowledge about the column number of Cost
also, then it can be obtained using the formula:
=MATCH("Cost",B3:F3,0)
Here B3:F3 represents Header Column.
Case 2: When row, as well as column value, are provided via MATCH function
(without giving static value) then it is called Two-Way Lookup. It can be achieved
using the formula:
=INDEX(B3:F10, MATCH("Masala Dosa",B3:B10, 0) , MATCH("Cost" ,B3:F3 ,0))
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Left Lookup
One of the key advantages of INDEX and MATCH over the VLOOKUP function is
the ability to perform a “left lookup”. It means it is possible to extract the row
position of an item from using any attribute at right and the value of another
attribute in left can be extracted.
For Example, Let’s say buy food whose cost should be 140 Rs. Indirectly we are
saying buy “Biryani”. In this example, the cost Rs 140/- is known, there is a need
to extract the “Food”. Since the Cost column is placed to the right of the Food
column. If VLOOKUP is applied it will not be able to search the left side of the
Cost column. That is why using VLOOKUP it is not possible to get Food Name.
To overcome this disadvantage INDEX-MATCH function Left lookup can be
used.
Step 1: First extract row position of Cost 140 Rs using the formula:
=MATCH(140, D3:D10,0)
Here D3: D10 represents the Cost column where the search for the Cost 140 Rs
row number is being done.
Step 2: After getting the row number, the next step is to use the INDEX Function
to extract Food Name using the formula:
=INDEX(B3:B10, MATCH(140, D3:D10,0))
Here B3:B10 represents Food Column and 140 is the Cost of the food item.
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Case Sensitive Lookup
By itself, the MATCH function is not case-sensitive. This means if there is a Food
Name “DHOKLA” and the MATCH function is used with the following search
word:
1. “Dhokla”
2. “dhokla”
3. “DhOkLA”
All will return the row position of DHOKLA. However, the EXACT function can be
used with INDEX and MATCH to perform a lookup that respects upper and lower
case.
Exact Function: The Excel EXACT function compares two text strings, taking into
account upper and lower case characters, and returns TRUE if they are the
same, and FALSE if not. EXACT is case-sensitive.
Examples:
1. EXACT(“DHOKLA”,”DHOKLA”): This will return True.
2. EXACT(“DHOKLA”,”Dhokla”): This will return False.
3. EXACT(“DHOKLA”,”dhokla”): This will return False.
4. EXACT(“DHOKLA”,”DhOkLA”): This will return False.
Example: Let say the task is to search for the Type Of Food “Dhokla” but in CaseSensitive Way. This can be done using the formula#excelwithumaer
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=INDEX(C3:C10, MATCH(TRUE , EXACT("Dhokla", B3:B10) ,0))
Here the EXACT function will return True if the value in Column B3:B10 matches
with “Dhokla” with the same case, else it will return False. Now MATCH function
will apply in Column B3:B10 and search for a row with the Exact value TRUE.
After that INDEX Function will retrieve the value of Column C3:C10 (Food Type
Column) at the row returned by the MATCH function.
Multiple Criteria Lookup
One of the trickiest problems in Excel is a lookup based on multiple criteria. In
other words, a lookup that matches more than one column at the same time. In
the example below, the INDEX and MATCH functions and Boolean logic are used
to match on 3 columns1. Food.
2. Cost.
3. Quantity.
To extract total cost.
Example: Let’s say the task is to calculate the total cost of Pasta where
1. Food: Pasta.
2. Cost: 60.
3. Quantity: 1.
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So in this example, there are three criteria to perform a Match. Below are the
steps for the search based on multiple criteriaStep 1: First match Food Column (B3:B10) with Pasta using the formula:
"PASTA" = B3:B10
This will convert B3:B10 (Food Column) values as Boolean. That Is True where
Food is Pasta or else False.
Step 2: After that, match the Cost criteria in the following manner:
60 = D3:D10
This will replace D3:D10 (Cost Column) values as Boolean. That is True where
Cost=60 else False.
Step 3: Next step is to match the third criteria that are Quantity = 1 in the
following manner:
1 = E3:E10
This will replace E3:E10 Column (Quantity Column) as True where Quantity = 1
else it will be False.
Step 4: Multiply the result of the first, second, and third criteria. This will be the
intersection of all conditions and convert Boolean True / False as 1/0.
Step 5: Now the result will be a Column with 0 And 1. Here use the MATCH
Function to find the row number of columns that contain 1. Because if a column
is having the value 1, then it means it satisfies all three criteria.
Step 6: After getting the row number use the INDEX function to get the total
cost of that row.
=INDEX(F3:F10, MATCH(1, ("Pasta"=B3:B10) * (60=D3:D10) * (1=E3:E10) , 0 ))
Here F3:F10 represents the Total Cost Column.
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3. Excel CONCAT Function
CONCAT Function
To concatenate is to link something together.
CONCAT is a function in Excel and is short for concatenate.
The CONCAT function is used to link multiple cells without adding any delimiters
between the combined cell values.
It is typed =CONCAT
=CONCAT(cell1, delimiter, cell2)
Note: Delimiters are spacing or symbols used to separate content elements
apart from each other.
Example of delimiters
comma , semicolon ; quotes " or ' braces {} pipes | slashes / \
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Info: CONCAT is a new version of the old CONCATENATE function. Recent
versions of Excel do not accept the old CONCATENATE function as it is only
compatible with earlier versions of Excel. To use CONCATENATE in the latest
versions of Excel, use CONCAT.
How to Use CONCAT Function
To combine values from multiple Excel cells, use CONCAT.
Note: The different parts of the function are separated by a symbol, like
comma, or semicolon ;
Step 1) Start the CONCAT function
1. Select a cell E2
2. Type =CONCAT
3. Double click the CONCAT command
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Step 2) Link cells
4. Select a cell (A2)
5. Add a comma (,)
6. Add a space inside of quotation marks to create a delimiter (" ")
7. Select another cell (A3)
8. Hit enter
Note: The CONCAT function does not provide any delimiters between cell
values used in the function. If you want your cell values to be displayed with
delimiters, you have to add the delimiters between the selected cells. You can
use any symbol as a delimiter, if you want the delimiter to be a space, enter " ".
The function returns the content of A2 and A3 separated with a " " dilimiter.
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You can also use more symbols as a demilter, such as adding the word " and ".
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The CONCAT function accepts cell values of both text and numbers, you can
combine them in any way you prefer.
Combine the cell values with text strings as delimiters to make the output more
descriptive!
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4. Excel IFERROR Function
When you work with data and formulas in Excel, you’re bound to encounter
errors.
To handle errors, Excel has provided a useful function – the IFERROR function.
Before we get into the mechanics of using the IFERROR function in Excel, let’s
first go through the different kinds of errors you can encounter when working
with formulas.
Types of Errors in Excel
Knowing the errors in Excel will better equip you to identify the possible reason
and the best way to handle these.
Below are the types of errors you might find in Excel.
#N/A Error
This is called the ‘Value Not Available’ error.
You will see this when you use a lookup formula and it can’t find the value
(hence Not Available).
Below is an example where I use the VLOOKUP formula to find the price of an
item, but it returns an error when it can’t find that item in the table array.
#DIV/0! Error
You’re likely to see this error when a number is divided by 0.
This is called the division error. In the below example, it gives a #DIV/0! error as
the quantity value (the divisor in the formula) is 0.
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#VALUE! Error
The value error occurs when you use an incorrect data type in a formula.
For example, in the below example, when I try to add cells that have numbers
and character A, it gives the value error.
This happens as you can only add numeric values, but instead, I tried adding a
number with a text character.
#REF! Error
This is called the reference error and you will see this when the reference in the
formula is no longer valid. This could be the case when the formula refers to a
cell reference and that cell reference does not exist (happens when you delete a
row/column or worksheet that was referred to in the formula).
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In the below example, while the original formula was =A2/B2, when I deleted
Column B, all the references to it became #REF! and it also gave the #REF! error
as the result of the formula.
#NAME ERROR
This error is likely to be a result of a misspelled function.
For example, if instead of VLOOKUP, you by mistake use VLOKUP, it will give
a name error.
#NUM ERROR
Num error can occur if you try and calculate a very large value in Excel. For
example, =187^549 will return a number error.
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Another situation where you can get the NUM error is when you give a nonvalid number argument to a formula. For example, if you’re calculating the
Square Root of a number and you give a negative number as the argument, it
will return a number error.
For example, in the case of the Square Root function, if you give a negative
number as the argument, it will return a number error (as shown below).
While I have shown only a couple of examples here, there can be many other
reasons that can lead to errors in Excel. When you get errors in Excel, you can’t
just leave it there. If the data is further used in calculations, you need to make
sure the errors are handled the right way.
Excel’s IFERROR function is a great way to handle all types of errors in Excel.
Using the IFERROR function, you can specify what you want the formula to
return instead of the error. If the formula does not return an error, then its own
result is returned.
IFERROR Function Syntax
=IFERROR(value, value_if_error)
Input Arguments

value – this is the argument that is checked for the error. In most cases, it
is either a formula or a cell reference.

value_if_error – this is the value that is returned if there is an error. The
following error types evaluated: #N/A, #REF!, #DIV/0!, #VALUE!, #NUM!,
#NAME?, and #NULL!.
Additional Notes:

If you use “” as the value_if_error argument, the cell displays nothing in
case of an error.
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
If the value or value_if_error argument refers to an empty cell, it is treated
as an empty string value by the Excel IFERROR function.

If the value argument is an array formula, IFERROR will return an array of
results for each item in the range specified in value.
Excel IFERROR Function – Examples
Here are three examples of using IFERROR function in Excel.
Example 1 – Return Blank Cell Instead of Error
If you have functions that may return an error, you can wrap it within the
IFERROR function and specify blank as the value to return in case of an error.
In the example shown below, the result in D4 is the #DIV/0! error as the divisor
is 0.
In this case, you can use the following formula to return blank instead of the
ugly DIV error.
=IFERROR(A1/A2,””)
This IFERROR function would check whether the calculation leads to an error. If
it does, it simply returns a blank as specified in the formula.
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Here, you can also specify any other string or formula to display instead of the
blank.
For example, the below formula would return the text “Error”, instead of the
blank cell.
=IFERROR(A1/A2,”Error”)
Note: If you are using Excel 2003 or a prior version, you will not find the
IFERROR function in it. In such cases, you need to use the combination of IF
function and ISERROR function.
Example 2 – Return ‘Not Found’ when VLOOKUP Can’t Find a Value
When you use the Excel VLOOKUP Function, and it can’t find the lookup value in
the specified range, it would return the #N/A error.
For example, below is a data set of student names and their marks. I have used
the VLOOKUP function to fetch the marks of three students (in D2, D3, and D4).
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While the VLOOKUP formula in the above example finds the names of first two
students, it can’t find Josh’s name on the list and hence it returns the #N/A
error.
Here, we can use the IFERROR function to return a blank or some meaningful
text instead of the error.
Below is the formula that will return ‘Not Found’ instead of the error.
=IFERROR(VLOOKUP(D2,$A$2:$B$12,2,0),”Not Found”)
Note that you can also use IFNA instead of IFERROR with VLOOKUP. While
IFERROR would treat all kinds of error values, IFNA would only work on the
#N/A errors and wouldn’t work with other errors.
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Example 3 – Return 0 in case of an Error
If you don’t specify the value to return by IFERROR in the case of an error, it
would automatically return 0.
For example, if I divide 100 with 0 as shown below, it would return an error.
However, if I use the below IFERROR function, it would return a 0 instead. Note
that you still need to use a comma after the first argument.
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Example 4 – Using Nested IFERROR with VLOOKUP
Sometimes when using VLOOKUP, you may have to look through the
fragmented table of arrays. For example, suppose you have the sales
transaction records in 2 separate worksheets and you want to look-up an item
number and see it’s value.
Doing this requires using nested IFERROR with VLOOKUP.
Suppose you have a dataset as shown below:
In this case, to find the score for Grace, you need to use the below nested
IFERROR formula:
=IFERROR(VLOOKUP(G3,$A$2:$B$5,2,0),IFERROR(VLOOKUP(G3,$D$2:$E$5,2,0
),"Not Found"))
This kind of formula nesting ensure that you get the value from either of the
table and any error returned is handled.
Note that in case the tables are on the same worksheet, however, in a real-life
example, it likely to be on different worksheets.
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5. Excel Filter Function
Below is the syntax of the FILTER function:
=FILTER(array,include,[if_empty])

array – this is the range of cells where you have the data and you want to
filter some data from it

include – this is the condition that tells the function what records to filter

[if_empty] – this is an optional argument where you can specify what to
return in case no results are found by the FILTER function. By default
(when not specified), it returns the #CALC! error
Now let’s have a look at some amazing Filter function examples and stuff it can
do which used to be quite complex in its absence.
Example 1: Filtering Data Based on One Criteria (Region)
Suppose you have a dataset as shown below and you want to filter all the
records for the US only.
Below is the FILTER formula that will do this:
=FILTER($A$2:$C$11,$B$2:$B$11="US")
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The above formula uses the dataset as the array and the condition is
$B$2:$B$11=”US”
This condition would make the FILTER function check every cell in column B
(one that has the region) and only those records that match this criterion would
be filtered.
Also, in this example, I have the original data and the filtered data on the same
sheet, but you can also have these in separate sheets or even workbooks.
Filter Function returns a result that is a dynamic array (which means that
instead of returning one value, it returns an array that spills to other cells).
For this to work, you need to have an area where the result would come to be
empty. In any of the cells in this area (E2:G5 in this example) already has
something in it, the function will give you the #SPILL error.
Also, since this is a dynamic array, you can not change a part of the result. You
can either delete the entire range that has the result or cell E2 (where the
formula was entered). Both of these would delete the entire resulting array. But
you can not change any individual cell (or delete it).
In the above formula, I have hard-coded the region value, but you can also have
it in a cell and then reference that cell that has the region value.
For example, in the below example, I have the region value in cell I2 and this is
then referenced in the formula:
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=FILTER($A$2:$C$11,$B$2:$B$11=I1)
This makes the formula even more useful and now you can simply change the
region value in cell I2 and the filter would automatically change.
You can also have a drop-down in cell I2 where you can simply make the
selection and it would instantly update the filtered data.
Example 2: Filtering Data Based on One Criteria (More Than or Less Than)
You can also use comparative operators within the filter function and extract all
the records that are more or less than a specific value.
For example, suppose you have the dataset as shown below and you want to
filter all the records where the sales value is more than 10000.
The below formula can do this:
=FILTER($A$2:$C$11,($C$2:$C$11>10000))
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The array argument refers to the entire dataset and the condition, in this case,
is ($C$2:$C$11>10000).
The formula checks each record for the value in Column C. If the value is more
than 10000, it is filtered, else it’s ignored.
In case you want to get all the records less than 10000, you can use the below
formula:
=FILTER($A$2:$C$11,($C$2:$C$11<10000))
You can also get more creative with the FILTER formula. For example, if you
want to filter the top three record based on the sales value, you can use the
below formula:
=FILTER($A$2:$C$11,($C$2:$C$11>=LARGE(C2:C11,3)))
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The above formula uses the LARGE function to get the third-largest value in the
dataset. This value is then used in the FILTER function criteria to get all the
records where the sales value is more than or equal to the third-largest value.
Example 3: Filtering Data with Multiple Criteria (AND)
Suppose you have the below dataset and you want to filter all the records for
the US where the sale value is more than 10000.
This is an AND condition where you need to check for two things – the region
needs to the US and the sales need to be more than 10000. If only one condition
is met, the results should not be filtered.
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Below is the FILTER formula that will filter records with the US as the region and
sales of more than 10000:
=FILTER($A$2:$C$11,($B$2:$B$11="US")*($C$2:$C$11>10000))
Note that the criterion (called the include argument) is
($B$2:$B$11=”US”)*($C$2:$C$11>10000)
Since I am using two conditions and I need both to be true, I have used the
multiplication operator to combine these two criteria. This returns an array of
0’s and 1’s, where a 1 is returned only when both conditions are met.
In case there are no records that meet the criteria, the function would return
the #CALC! error.
And in case you want to return something meaningful (instead of the error), you
can use a formula as shown below:
=FILTER($A$2:$C$11,($B$2:$B$11="USA")*($C$2:$C$11>10000),"Nothing
Found")
Here, I have used “Not Found” as the third argument, which is used when no
records are found that match the criteria.
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Example 4: Filtering Data with Multiple Criteria (OR)
You can also modify the ‘include’ argument in the FILTER function to check for
an OR criteria (where any one of the given conditions can be true).
For example, suppose you have the dataset as shown below and you want to
filter the records where the country is either the US or Canada.
Below is the formula that will do this:
=FILTER($A$2:$C$11,($B$2:$B$11="US")+($B$2:$B$11="Canada"))
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Note that in the above formula, I have simply added the two conditions by using
the addition operator. Since each of these conditions returns an array of TRUEs
and FALSEs, I can add to get a combined array where it’s TRUE if any one of the
conditions is met.
Another example could be when you want to filter all the records where either
the country is the US or the sale value is more than 10000.
The below formula will do this:
=FILTER($A$2:$C$11,($B$2:$B$11="US")+(C2:C11>10000))
Note: When using AND criteria in a FILTER function, use the multiplication
operator (*) and when using the OR criteria, use the addition operator (+).
Example 5: Filtering Data To Get Above/Below Average Records
You can use formulas within the FILTER function to filter and extract records
where the value is above or below the average.
For example, suppose you have the dataset as shown below and you want to
filter all the records where the sale value is above average.
You can do that using the following formula:
=FILTER($A$2:$C$11,C2:C11>AVERAGE(C2:C11))
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Similarly, for below-average, you can use the below formula:
=FILTER($A$2:$C$11,C2:C11<AVERAGE(C2:C11))
Example 6: Filtering Only the EVEN Number Records (Or ODD Number
Records)
In case you need to quickly filter and extract all the records from even-number
rows or odd-number rows, you can do that with the FILTER function.
To do this, you need to check the row number within the FILTER function, and
only filter row numbers that meet the row number criteria.
Suppose you have the dataset as shown below and I only want to extract evennumbered records from this dataset.
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Below is the formula that will do this:
=FILTER($A$2:$C$11,MOD(ROW(A2:A11)-1,2)=0)
The above formula uses the MOD function to check the row number of each
record (which is given by the ROW function).
The formula MOD(ROW(A2:A11)-1,2)=0 returns TRUE when the row number is
even and FALSE when it’s odd. Note that I have subtracted 1 from the
ROW(A2:A11) part as the first record is in the second row, and this adjusts the
row number to consider the second row as the first record.
Similarly, you can filter all the odd-numbered records using the below formula:
=FILTER($A$2:$C$11,MOD(ROW(A2:A11)-1,2)=1)
Example 7: Sort the Filtered the Data With Formula
Using FILTER function with other functions allows us to get a lot more done.
For example, if you filter a dataset using the FILTER function, you can use the
SORT function with it to get the result that is already sorted.
Suppose you have a dataset as shown below and you want to filter all the
records where the sales value is more than 10000. You can use the SORT
function with the function to make sure the resulting data is sorted based on
the sales value.
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The below formula will do this:
=SORT(FILTER($A$2:$C$11,($C$2:$C$11>10000)),3,-1)
The above function uses the FILTER function to get the data where the sale
value in column C is more than 10000. This array returned by the FILTER
function is then used within the SORT function to sort this data based on the
sales value.
The second argument in the SORT function is 3, which is to sort based on the
third column. And the fourth argument is -1 which is to sort this data in
descending order.
So these are 7 examples to use the FILTER function in Excel.
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6. Sequence Function in Excel
Sequencing your data in an Excel worksheet is a tedious task. But fortunately,
those days are long gone! Though many users may think of using the AutoFill
feature to list down the numbers series in a sequence. But this modern autofill
feature doesn't work if you have a more specified sequential task to perform.
Therefore, in such cases, you can use the inbuilt SEQUENCE function, which is
specially created for this pursuit.
In this tutorial, you will learn what is Sequence function, its syntax, parameter,
points to remember, how this formula works and various examples by using the
Sequence function to return a new dynamic array by auto-generating a series of
Roman numbers and random integers
What is Sequence Function?
"The SEQUENCE function is an inbuilt Excel function that generates an array of
sequential numbers whether number, roman number, alphabets. For example:
1, 2, 3, etc."
The SEQUENCE function is a new dynamic array function that generates a list of
sequential numbers in an array. Though the resultant array can be onedimensional or two-dimensional, determined by the specified parameters i.e.,
rows and columns. This function always returns a dynamic array that arranging
the rows and columns in the specified sequence.
The SEQUENCE function is introduced in the new Microsoft Excel 365.
Therefore, if you are using the previous Excel versions, this function won't be
available. To use this function, make sure to update your Excel version to Excel
365 or above.
NOTE: If you are trying to access the Sequence function in previous Excel
versions, unlike Excel 2019, Excel 2016, and lower, you won't find it.
Syntax
SEQUENCE(rows, [columns], [start], [step])
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Parameters
Rows (required) - This parameter represents the number of rows to sequence
your data.
Columns (optional) - This parameter represents the number of columns to fill. If
the user doesn't provide this argument, by default it takes 1.
Start (optional) - This parameter represents the starting number in the
sequence. If the user doesn't provide this argument, by default it takes 1.
Step (optional) - This parameter represents the increment or decrement for
each subsequent value in the sequence. It can take the following values:

If you provide a positive number, the start number gets added in the
subsequent value, producing an ascending sequential order.

If you provide a negative number, the start number gets subtracted from
the subsequent values decrease, creating a sequential order.

If you don't provide any value to this parameter, by default it takes 1.
Return Type
The Excel Sequence Function returns a dynamic array by automatically
arranging the rows and columns in the specified sequence.
Formula to create a number sequence in Excel
If you want to create a column of rows with sequential numbers starting at 1,
you can use the Excel SEQUENCE function in its simplest form:
To place values in the first row:
=SEQUENCE(1)
To put value in a column:
SEQUENCE(1, n)
Where n represents the number of values available in the sequence.
For instance, to create a column with 100 numbers, enter the following formula
in the first cell (we have takes B2 in our case) and press the Enter button:
=SEQUENCE(100)
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The output will be automatically be spilled in the rows starting from the
selected row.
Things to Remember about Sequence Function
Before working on Microsoft Excel Sequence Function, make sure to go through
with the below facts:

The SEQUENCE function is only available in the Microsoft Excel 365 or the
newer versions. Therefore, if you are using the previous Excel versions
(2019, 2018, etc), this function won't be available and it won't create
dynamic arrays.

If the array of sequential numbers is the final output, Excel aligns all the
numbers automatically in a spill range. So, always make sure you provide
sufficient empty cells (using the rows and columns parameter) to the
down and right of the cell where you enter the formula; otherwise, Excel
will throw a #SPILL error.

The returned array can be 1-dimensional or 2-dimensional depending
upon how you pass the rows and parameters in the Sequence function.

If any optional parameter is omitted, by default, its value is 1.
Examples:
#SEQUENCE Example1: How to create a number sequence in descending order
in Excel
In the below sheet, as you see we have a list of values organised in a random
order.
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As asked in the question, to arrange the values in their descending order using
the Sequence function, we just need to do a little trick, i.e., we will supply
negative one (-1) in the step parameter.
Follow the below-given steps to fetch the descending sequential series of the
above-given numbers using the Excel Sequence() function:
Step 1: Select a cell to position your Sequenced data
Place your mouse cursor to a cell from where you want to start the sequencing
of your data. In our case, we have selected cell C2 of our Excel worksheet.
Refer to the given below image:
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STEP 2: Type the SEQUENCE function
In the selected cell, we will start your function with the equal to (=) sign
followed by the Sequence function. The formula will be as follows: =
SEQUENCE(
STEP 3: Insert all the parameters

At first, this function will ask you to specify the ROWS parameter. We will
specify the number to fill and sequence the values. Since we have 10
values so here we will mention 10. The formula will be = SEQUENCE(10,

The next argument is Column. This parameter represents the Column to
start the sequence here we will specify 1. = SEQUENCE(10,1,

Next, specify the start parameter. In this, we will specify the value we
want to start our sequencing with. Here we will mention 10. =
SEQUENCE(10,1,10

Since we want the sequencing to be ordered in descending order.
Therefore in the step parameter, we will specify -1. = SEQUENCE(10,1,10,1)
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Step 4: The Sequence function will return the output
As a result, the SEQUENCE function will return the 10 numbers in descending
sequential order.
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This function will select 10 values and start the counting from 10. It will subtract
1 from 10, and return 9. Again, it will subtract 1 and return 8, and in the
pattern, it will return 10 values in the descending sequential order.
Example2: How to create a 2-D array where sequential order moves vertically
top to bottom.
When working with an array of cells, the standard sequencing rule goes
horizontally across the first row till its last element, and next, it moves down to
the next row, in a similar method to reading text from left to right. But in
various scenarios, the range of cells is not listed in sequential order as per the
given Excel data.
To propagate the above data in the top to bottom order across the first column
and then right to the next column, we will use the combination of the
SEQUENCE function and the TRANSPOSE function. Follow the below-given steps
to fetch the results using Excel SEQUENCE() function:
Step 1: Select a cell to position your Sequenced data
Place your mouse cursor to a cell from where you want to start the sequencing
of your data. In our case, we have selected cell F2 of our Excel worksheet.
Refer to the given below image:
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STEP 2: Type the SEQUENCE function
In the selected cell, we will start your function with the equal to (=) sign
followed by the Sequence function. The formula will be as follows: =
SEQUENCE(
STEP 3: Insert all the parameters

At first, this function will ask you to specify the ROWS parameter. Since in
our case we have our data in three rows. Therefore, we will specify 3 in
this parameter. The formula will be = SEQUENCE(3,

The next argument is Column. This parameter represents the Column to
start the sequence. Since we have 3 columns, therefore will specify 3. The
formula will be = SEQUENCE(3,3,

Next, specify the start parameter. In this, we will specify the value we
want to start our sequencing with. Here we will mention 10. The formula
will be = SEQUENCE(3,3,10
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
Since we want the sequencing to be ordered with a gap of 10 order.
Therefore, in the step parameter, we will specify 10. =
SEQUENCE(3,3,10,10)
Step 4: The Sequence function will return the output
As a result, the regular SEQUENCE function will moves horizontally left to right
(column-wise) and return the following maintaining a gap of 10 between the
values.
Step 5: Nest Sequence function inside the Transpose Function
Though the above output is also correct, that's not what we were looking for. In
the question, we are asked to create a sequence that moves vertically from top
to bottom (row-wise), maintaining order of 10. Therefore, we will use the
Transpose function and nest the above Sequence function inside it.
The formula will be as follows:
=TRANSPOSE(SEQUENCE(3, 3, 10, 10))
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Step 6: Excel will fetch you the result
Once done, press the enter button and Excel will arrange all the data in the
specified sequence where the is arranged in the array sequencing vertically
from top to bottom (row-wise).
Refer to the below image for your reference.
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7. Excel String Functions – LEFT, RIGHT, and MID
Excel is mostly about numerical, however, we often have data of text data type.
Here are a few functions we should know to handle text data.

LEFT

RIGHT

MID
The LEFT function
The LEFT function returns a given text from the left of our text string based on
the number of characters specified.
Syntax:
LEFT(text, [num_chars])
Parameters:

Text: The text we want to extract from.

Num_chars (Optional): The number of characters you want to extract.
Default num_chars is 1 and the number must be a positive number that is
greater than zero.

Example:
Step 1: Format your data.
Now if you want to get the first “Geeks” from “Geeksforgeeks” in B2. Let us
follow the next step.
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Step 2: We will enter =LEFT(B2,5) in the B3 cell. Here we want Excel to extract
the first 5 characters from the left side of our text in B2.
This will return “Geeks”.
The RIGHT Function
The RIGHT function returns a given text from the left of our text string based on
the number of characters specified.
Syntax:
RIGHT(text, [num_chars])
Parameters:

Text: The text we want to extract from.

Num_chars (Optional): The number of characters you want to extract.
Default num_chars is 1 and the number must be a positive number that is
greater than zero.
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Example:
Step 1: Format your data.
Now if you want to get the last geeks from “Geeksforgeeks” in B2. Let us follow
the next step.
Step 2: We will enter =RIGHT(B2,5) in the B3 cell. Here we want Excel to extract
the last 5 characters from the right side of our text in B2.
This will return “geeks”.
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The MID function
The MID function returns the text from any middle part of our text string based
on the starting position and the number of characters specified.
Syntax:
MID(text, start_num, num_chars)
Parameters:

Text: The text we want to extract from.

start_num: The starting number of the first character from the text we
want to extract.

Num_chars: The number of characters you want to extract.
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Example:
Step 1: Format your data.
Now if you want to get the character “for” which is located in the middle of our
text “Geeksforgeeks” in B2. Let us follow the next step.
Step 2: We will enter =MID(B2,5,3) in the B3 cell. Here we want Excel to extract
the characters located in the middle of our text in B2.
This will return “for”.
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8. Excel SMALL and LARGE functions
Want to pick out the smallest or the largest numbers from your dataset? But
don’t want to reposition it?
The SMALL and LARGE functions of Excel will help you do that without reshaping
your data.
I will walk you through both these functions using multiple examples. So don’t
wait any further – and dive right in.
How to use the SMALL function
The SMALL function (just like you guessed it) will extract the k-th smallest value
from any given dataset
It has two required arguments:

Array – the array of range values from where the smallest value is sought

K – the k-th smallest value that is sought
I know it’s always boring to keep reading about functions. So how about an
example
The holiday season is yet not over, and we have a list of airlines with their ticket
prices mentioned next to them.
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Let’s find the 4th cheapest ticket from the list above
To help you double-check the accuracy of the function, we have organized the
data in ascending order. This is not needed to run the SMALL otherwise
1. Write the SMALL function as below:
= SMALL (
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2. For the first argument (array), create a reference to the cell range
containing the numeric values (from where the smallest value is sought).
We are creating a reference to the cell range B2:B8.
= SMALL (B2:B8
3. For argument K, write the position of the lowest value.
We want to find the 4th cheapest ticket. In other words, we seek the 4th
smallest value from the dataset above.
So our function becomes:
= SMALL (B2:B8, 4)
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Pro Tip!
Be careful while you write the k argument. If the value for k is a number smaller
than 1 or a number greater than the number of values in your dataset, the
SMALL function will return the #NUM error or the wrong value.
For example, the data above has a total of 7 numerical values. If you write the k
argument as 8 (or any number greater than 7), you’ll end up getting the #NUM
error
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4. You’re only an ‘Enter’ away from the desired results. So go on and hit it.
That’s $700 by Purple Airlines. Impressive to see how the SMALL function works,
isn’t it
The SMALL function is available in all versions of Microsoft Excel starting from
Excel 2010 to Excel 365.
How to use the LARGE function
If you thought the LARGE function would be a dupe of the SMALL function – you
made a bang-on target
The Excel LARGE function will extract the k-th largest value from any given
dataset.
It also has the same two arguments:

Array – the array of range values from where the largest value is sought

K – the k-th largest value that is sought
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Let’s not go any far and try using the LARGE function on the same example, as
above. However, this time, we are on the hunt for the second-highest ticket
price
1. Write the LARGE function as below:
= LARGE (
2. For the first argument (array), create a reference to the cell range
containing the values (from where the largest value is sought).
We are again creating a reference to the cell range B2:B8.
= LARGE (B2:B8
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3. For argument K, write the position of the largest value.
We want to find the 2nd most expensive ticket (the 2nd largest value) from the
dataset above.
So our function becomes:
= LARGE (B2:B8, 2)
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4. Hit Enter to get the results as follows:
That’s $900 by Red Airlines
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Both the SMALL and the LARGE functions are super simple to use. And you
vouch for that too now, don’t you?
Pro Tip!
Why were the LARGE and SMALL functions needed when Excel had the MIN and
the MAX functions
The MIN and the MAX functions will only return the minimum and the
maximum values from a given dataset. However, you don’t want the lowest but
the second, third (or any k-th) lowest or highest numeric value from the same
dataset, these functions would no more help.
That’s where you’d need the LARGE and the SMALL function
SMALL and LARGE functions examples
The basic application of the SMALL and the LARGE function is just that simple.
And now, we are diving into more examples for both these functions.
Example #1: SMALL and LARGE function with Dates
Did you know? You can use the SMALL and LARGE functions with dates too
We will show you that here. The images below have a list of flights (all
scheduled for different dates).
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To see when the third latest flight is scheduled, let’s apply the LARGE function:
1. Write the LARGE function as below:
= LARGE (B2:B8
For the first argument (array), we have referred to the cell range that contains
the dates.
2. For argument K, write 3. That’s because we want to find the third latest
flight.
= LARGE (B2:B8, 3)
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3. Hit Enter to get the results as follows
That’s on 31st May 2023.
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Pro Tip!
Instead of the date (31st May 2023), are you getting a serial number as result? If
that’s the case, relax
There is no problem with your function. You only need to reformat the subject
cell. To do that:

Select the cell.

Go to the Home Tab > Format > Short Date Format.
And everything will be sorted.
Similarly, if you want to find the third earliest flight:
4. Write the SMALL function as follows:
= SMALL (B2:B8, 3)
The function above translates as “Find the 3rd smallest date from the cell
range B2 to B8″.
5. Hit Enter to get the results.
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And there you have it! On 25th March 2023
Example #2: With the XLOOKUP function
In the above example, we have found the third earliest and the third latest
dates when the flights are scheduled.
But what if we want the answer to be different? What if you want to fetch Flight
No., and not the date when that flight is scheduled
We need to combine the XLOOKUP function with the SMALL and LARGE
functions to get that. So let’s do it.
1. Write the XLOOKUP function as follows:
= XLOOKUP (
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2. As the lookup_value, write in the LARGE function as written above.
= XLOOKUP ( LARGE (B2:B8, 3)
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We have just told Excel to look for the third largest value from the cell
range B2:B8.
3. Create a reference to the lookup range (where the lookup value is to be
looked for).
The lookup value will be the third latest date, so the lookup range will be the
cell range where the dates sit
= XLOOKUP ( LARGE (B2:B8, 3), B2:B8
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4. Create a reference to the return array.
We want the flight number to be returned so, the return array will be the
column for flight numbers.
= XLOOKUP ( LARGE (B2:B8, 3), B2:B8, A2:A8)
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5. Hit Enter.
We get Flight No. 1. Check out the date against it. It’s 31st May 2023 – the same
that we got above
Let’s do the same for the third earliest flight. Here you go!
6. Write the XLOOKUP function as follows:
= XLOOKUP ( SMALL (B2:B8, 3), B2:B8, A2:A8)
Take a closer look at the function above. We have only replaced the LARGE
function with the SMALL function.
And the results are here.
This time it’s Flight No. 2 (dated 25th March 2023)
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The Excel UNIQUE function can extract a list of distinct values, or a list of values
that only occur once, i.e. unique values. It can return a unique or distinct list
from one column or from multiple columns.
Syntax: =UNIQUE(array, [by_col], [occurs_once])
array is the range or array you want the unique values returned from.
by_col is an optional logical value (TRUE/FALSE) and allows you to compare
values by row (FALSE), or by column (TRUE).
occurs_once is also an optional logical value (TRUE/FALSE) and allows you to
find the truly unique values, i.e. the values that only occur once (TRUE), or all
distinct values (FALSE). If you omit this argument, it will default to FALSE and
return a distinct list.
Note: The UNIQUE function is part of the new Excel Dynamic Arrays family and
at the time of writing, Dynamic Arrays are only available in Office 365 and are
currently in beta on the Insiders channel. Excel 2019 will not have the Dynamic
Array functions.
Excel UNIQUE Function Examples
Let’s say we want to find a list of distinct values from the Item column (C) in the
table below:
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We can write a simple UNIQUE formula like this:
=UNIQUE(C7:C21)
You can see the results in cells B26:B30 in the image below:
The Excel UNIQUE function ‘spills’ the results into the rows below. This is the
new dynamic array behaviour that occurs when the final result of the formula
returns multiple values.
Note: In the example above, I’ve omitted the by_col argument, which means it
will default to FALSE and compare values by row. I’ve also omitted the
occurs_once argument so it has defaulted to FALSE and returned a distinct list.
Extract a list of Unique Values
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If you want to find a list of values that only occur once in a list, i.e. a list of truly
unique values, the occurs_once argument is set to TRUE. In the example below,
you can see ‘Support’ is the only unique value in the range A2:A9:
Extracting UNIQUE Rows of Values
In the example below, you can see there are whole rows containing duplicates.
Setting the by_col and occurs_once arguments to FALSE we get a list of unique
rows, as shown below:
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10. SUMIFS function in Excel.
Already discussed in Day 6 of #excelwithumaer series.
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Excel
For
DATA ANALYSTS
Day-8
(Excel Data Analysis)
BY
MOHAMMED UMAER
DATA ANALYST
Excel for Data Analysts
Excel Tables
Table
Ranges can be converted into tables.
Tables make it easier to structure and organize data.
Note: The filter function is similar to a table. The filter can be better used if the
only function needed is to sort and filter data.
Tables connect cells in a range and put them into a fixed structure.
The cells in the table range share the same formatting.
Note: Tables can be used to prepare data for charts and pivot tables.
Tables allow for options such as:

Sort & Filter

Formatting

Auto Filling
Note: Tables can be converted back to the range.
Example
Formatting a range into a table will give it a new form with a fixed structure.
Tables open access to new functionality such as filtering, automation, and
styling.
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Example (Converting a Range to Table)
How to convert range to table, step by step.
1. Select range A1:F22
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2. Click Insert, then Table (
), in the Ribbon.
3. Click OK
Note: The range (A1:F22) already has headers in row 1. Unchecking the "My
table has headers" option allows you to create a dedicated header if you do not
already have it.
The range A1:F22 was successfully converted from range to table.
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The range is now a fixed table structure and new options such as sorting and
filtering are now enabled.
Applying the filter keeps the relationship between the columns while sorting
and filtering.
Excel Table Design
Table Design
Tables can be customized and styled in a few clicks.
Converting a range into a table gives access to a menu called "Table Design".
The menu appears when selecting a cell in the table's range.
This menu has options and commands such as:

Resize

Remove duplicates

Convert to range

Style options (Total row, Header row, Banded row etc..)

Formatting
Table Name
Excel gives tables default names such as: Table 1, Table 2, Table 3 and so on.
Note: Tables cannot be renamed in the Excel online version.
The name of the table can be found in the Table Design tab
1. Select the table
2. Click the Table design menu
3. See the name input field
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Note: It is useful to know the table names when you have many tables in a
workbook and are referring to them in formulas.
Excel Table Resizing
Table Resizing
The size of a table can be changed.
Resizing is to increase or decrease the range of the table.
There are three ways to resize a table

Resize table command

Drag to resize

Adding headers
Resize Table Command
The resize table command allows you to change the size of the table by entering
a range.
For example by entering A1:D10.
The command is found in the Ribbon under the Table Design tab.
Example - Resizing a Table
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Convert the range into a table.
Lets resize the table from range A1:F12 to A1:F20
1. Select the table
2. Click the Table Design menu
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3. Click the Resize Table command (
)
Clicking the Resize Table command allows you to set a new range for the table.
4. Click the range input field
5. Type the new range, A1:F20
6. Click OK
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The table has been resized to from A1:F12 to A1:F20.
Drag to Resize
The table can be resized by dragging its corner.
Example - Dragging to Resize, Smaller
Change the tables size from A1:F12 to A1:D5
1. Press and hold the bottom right corner of the table (
)
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2. Move the pointer, marking the range A1:D5
The table range has been changed from A1:F12 to A1:D5.
Note: Cells outside of the table range are no longer included in the table. The
connection between the cells created by the table is broken and they no longer
have the table formatting.
Let's try to sort the Pokemon by their names to see what happens.
1. Click the filter option in A1
2. Sort by Ascending (A-Z)
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The filter option only includes the Pokemon in the tables range (A1:A5). The
connection to the cells outside of the table is broken.
Lets resize again, this time bigger.
Example - Dragging to Resize, Bigger
Change the tables size from A1:D5 to A1:G13
1. Press and hold the bottom right corner of the table (
)
2. Move the pointer to mark A1:G13
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The table range has been changed from A1:D5 to A1:G13.
The rest of the cells are now included again, and the connection between the
cells is back.
Let's try to filter the Pokemon by their names to see what happens.
1. Click the filter option in A1
2. Sort by Ascending (A-Z)
Nice! The table has successfully sorted the Pokemon in the range A1:A12 by
their names.
Something has changed. A new column (G) has appeared...
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Increasing the table size will continue the formatting, formulas and add new
columns.
Note: It will not overwrite the name for existing headers. It will use the value
that is typed in the header cell.
The header name can be changed.
1. Double click G1
2. Delete the text
3. Type "Mighty" to G1
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Removing Duplicates
Excel has a command to remove duplicates in tables.
Note: Duplicates are extra copies of values.
Removing duplicates are helpful when cleaning a dataset and you do not want
to include copies.
The Remove Duplicate function is found in the Ribbon under the Table Design
tab.
The command allows you to specify the column where you want to find and
remove duplicates.
Once applied it will return the number of deleted values and how many unique
ones that remains.
Note: The remove duplicate command will not ask for which duplicates to
delete. Make sure that it does not delete useful data.
Examples - Remove Duplicates command
Lets try an example removing the duplicate Pokemon in the range A1:E13
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Convert the range into a table.
1. Select the table
2. Click the Table Design tab (
)
3. Click the Remove Duplicates command (
)
4. Leave all columns checked
5. Click OK
Note: Unchecking a column means that it will not remove duplicates for that
column.
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The command returns the number of found and removed duplicates and how
many unique ones that remain.
6. Click OK
The remove duplicates command has successfully removed the 9 duplicate
Pokemon from the range and the table has been resized accordingly. The
remaining 3 values are unique.
Excel Converting a Table to Range
Tables can be reversed and converted back to the range.
Tables can be converted to ranges by selecting a cell in the table range and
clicking on the Convert to Range command.
The command to convert to range is found in the Table Design tab, in the Tools
group.
Example - Convert Table to Range
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Convert the range into a table.
1. Select a cell in the table range (A1:F16)
2. Click the Design Table tab (
3. Click the Convert to Range command (
)
)
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The table is now converted into a range and it no longer has the table options
available.
Note: The cell formatting is kept for the range after the conversion.
Excel Table Style
Excel has many ready-to-use styles which can be applied to tables.
Table styles is to change the appearance of the table.
It can be changed to:

Make it easier to read and understand

Make it look better
The table style is Blue, Table Style Medium 2 by default.
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Example: Blue, Table Style Medium 2, which is how the default looks like.
Excel has three main categories for Table styles:

Light; Light colors, more white space

Medium; Medium colors, medium white space

Dark; Dark colors, less white space
The table style can be applied in a few steps.
Example - Applying Light Style
Type or copy the values to follow along:
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Convert the range into a table.
1. Select a cell in the table range
2. Click the Design Table tab (
)
3. Click on the Table Styles option button
Note: The Table Style that is already applied has a green rectangle around it. In
this case Blue, Table Style Medium 2.
Clicking the Table Style option button opens a menu with different style options.
Here the three categories are presented; Light, Medium and Dark.
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4. Click on the Light, Green, Table Style Light 21. Found in the Light category.
Well done! The formatting of the table has changed to the light green style.
Apply Gray, Table Style Dark 4. Found in the Dark category.
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Note: Get familiar with the Table Styles. Try different options to see how they
look.
Excel Sorting
Ranges can be sorted using the Sort Ascending and Sort Descending commands.
Sort Ascending: from smallest to largest.
Sort Descending: from largest to smallest.
The sort commands work for text too, using A-Z order.
Note: To sort a range that has more than one column, the whole range has to
be selected. Sorting just one can breaks the relationship between columns.
This is shown in an example later in this chapter.
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The commands are found in the Ribbon under the Sort & Filter menu (
)
Example Sort (text)
Sort the Pokemons in the range A2:A21 by their Name, ascending from smallest
to largest (A-Z).
1. Select A2:A21
2. Open the Sort & Filter menu
3. Click Sort Ascending
Note: A1 is not included as it is the header for the column. This is the row that is
dedicated to the filter. Including it will blend it with the rest.
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The Sort Ascending function successfully sorted the Pokemons by
their Name ascending from A-Z.
Example Sort (numbers)
Sort the Pokemons ascending by their Total stats from smallest to largest.
1. Select A2:A21
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2. Open the Sort & Filter menu
3. Click Sort Ascending
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The Pokemons were successfully sorted by their Total stats from smallest to
largest. The sort commands work for both text and numbers.
A Non-Working Example (sorting one column in a range)
In this example we have two columns with related data. Column A is the
Pokemons Names and Column B is their Total stats. Try sorting just one of the
columns (A2:A21) ascending by their Names.
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The attempt to sort results in a warning.
It is not recommended to sort the names alone because it will break the
relationship between the Pokemons Names and their Total stats.
Click "Just sort" to see what happens.
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This breaks the relationship with Column A and B. The Pokemons now have
wrong Total stats.
Clicking the other option in the warning "Expand and Sort" makes the sort
function include Column B and sorts them in relation to each other.
Sorting More Than One Column
Select the whole range when sorting ranges with more than one column.
Note: When sorting multiple columns, it will always sort by the first column
(leftmost).
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Select A2:B21 and sort the range ascending.
By selecting range A2:B21 it sorts correctly, keeping the relationship between
the data (Columns A and B).
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Excel Filter
Filters can be applied to sort and hide data. It makes data analysis easier.
Note: Filter is similar to formatting a table, but it can be applied and
deactivated.
The menu is accessed in the default Ribbon view or in the Data section in the
navigation bar.
Applying Filter
Filters are applied by selecting a range and clicking the Filter command.
It is important to have a row of headers when applying filters. Having headers is
useful to make the data understandable.
Note: Filters are applied to the top row in a range.
Like in the example below, the dedicated row is row 1.
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Let's apply filters to the data set, step by step.
1. Select range A1:E1
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2. Click the Sort & Filter menu
3. Click the Filter command
New buttons have been added to the cells in the top row. This indicates that
the Filter was successfully applied. The buttons can be clicked to access the
different Sort & Filter options.
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A Non-Working Example
Lets delete row 1 (the header row) and apply filters to the new row 1, to see
what happens.
The filter is applied and has replaced the header row. It is important to dedicate
a header row for the filter.
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Filter options
The filter options allow for sorting and filtering.
Applying filter keeps the relationship between the columns while sorting and
filtering.
Clicking the options button opens the menu.
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Sorting
Ranges can be sorted and the relationship between the columns is kept.
Sort Ascending (A-Z) sorted from smallest to largest.
Sort Descending (Z-A) sorts from largest to smallest.
You can read more about Sorting in a previous chapter.
Filtering
Filters can be applied to hide and sort data.
This is helpful for analysis, to select the data that you want to see or not.
Example Filter
Use the filter option to filter on Pokemon that is Type 1, Bug.
Step by step
1. Click the drop down menu on C1 ( ) and choose the Filter option. This is
the Column which holds the Type 1 data.
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Note: "Items" are the different categories in that column; Grass, Fire, Water and
so on.
All items are checked by default. The checked items are the ones that are
shown. Uncheck to hide.
2. Uncheck all items, except Bug, which is the type that we want to show.
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3. Click OK
The range was successfully sorted by Type 1, Bug. All shown Pokemons
are Bug type.
Note: The unchecked rows are hidden, not deleted.
This is explained by looking at the row numbers. The numbers are jumping from
1 to 11 and 16 to 22. The rows in between are hidden.
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Note: Checking the items will have the rows shown again.
Another Example
Use the filter option to filter the Pokemons which have Type 1, Bug and Type
2, Poison.
1. Click the filter option in D1
2. Uncheck all items except Poison
3. click OK
That is on point! We have sorted the range based on Type 1, Bug and Type
2, Poison. The filter option is helpful to make ranges easier to analyse.
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Excel
For
DATA ANALYSTS
Day-9
(CONDITIONAL FORMATTING)
BY
MOHAMMED UMAER
DATA ANALYST
Excel for Data Analysts
Excel Conditional Formatting
Conditional Formatting
Conditional formatting is used to change the appearance of cells in a range
based on your specified conditions.
The conditions are rules based on specified numerical values or matching text.
Changing the appearance of cells can visually highlight interesting data points
for analysis.
The browser version of Excel provides a number of built-in conditions and
appearances:
Note: The web browser version of Excel only offers a selection of built-in
conditional formatting options.
The Excel application has the option of creating fully customized conditional
formatting rules.
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Conditional Formatting Example
Here, the Speed values of each pokemon is formatted with a Color Scale:
Note: Excel has several different color scales to pick from.
Color Scale Formatting Example
Highlight the Speed values of each Pokemon with Color scale conditional
formatting.
Conditional formatting, step by step:
1. Select the range of Speed values C2:C9
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2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
the Home menu
in the ribbon, from
3. Select the Color Scales from the drop-down menu
There are 12 Color Scale options with different color variations.
The color on the top of the icon
will apply to the highest values.
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4. Click on the "Green - Yellow - Red Colour Scale" icon
Now, the Speed value cells will have a colored background highlighting:
Dark green is used for the highest values, and dark red for the lowest values.
Charizard has the highest Speed value (100) and Squirtle has the lowest Speed
value (43).
All the cells in the range gradually change color from green, yellow, orange,
then red.
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Excel Highlight Cell Rules
Highlight Cell Rules
Highlight Cell Rules is a premade type of conditional formatting in Excel used to
change the appearance of cells in a range based on your specified conditions.
The conditions are rules based on specified numerical values, matching text,
calendar dates, or duplicated and unique values.
Here is the Highlight Cell Rules part of the conditional formatting menu:
Appearance Options
The web browser version of Excel offers the following appearance options for
conditionally formatted cells:

Light Red Fill with Dark Red Text

Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text

Green Fill with Dark Green Text

Light Red Fill
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
Red Text

Red Border
Here is how the options look in a spreadsheet:
Cell Rule Types
Excel offers the following cell rule types:

Greater Than...

Less Than...

Between...

Equal To...

Text That Contains...

A Date Occurring...

Duplicate/Unique Values
Highlight Cell Rule Example
The "Equal To..." Highlight Cell Rule will highlight a cell with one of the
appearance options based on the cell value being equal to your specified value.
The specified value could be a particular number or particular text.
In this example, the specified value will be "48".
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You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
Let's apply the rule to all of the different stat values.
"Equal To..." Highlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range C2:H8 for all of the stat values
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
Home menu
in the ribbon, from the
3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Equal To... from the menu
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This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Enter 48 into the input field
6. Select the appearance option "Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text" from the
dropdown menu
Now, the cells with values equal to "48" will be highlighted in yellow:
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All of Ditto's stat values are 48, so they are highlighted.
Note: You can remove the Highlight Cell Rules with Manage Rules.
Highlight Cell Rules - Greater Than
Excel HCR - Greater Than
Highlight Cell Rules is a premade type of conditional formatting in Excel used to
change the appearance of cells in a range based on your specified conditions.
Greater Than... is one of the options for the condition.
Here is the Highlight Cell Rules part of the conditional formatting menu:
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Highlight Cell Rule - Greater Than Example
The "Greater Than..." Highlight Cell Rule will highlight a cell with one of the
appearance options based on the cell value being greater than to your specified
value.
The specified value is typically a number, but it also works with a text value.
In this example, the specified value will be "65".
You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
Let's apply the rule to the HP values.
"Greater Than..." Highlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range C2:C8 for HP values
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2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Greater Than... from the menu
This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Enter 65 into the input field
6. Select the appearance option "Green Fill with Dark Green Text" from the
dropdown menu
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Now, the cells with values greater than "65" will be highlighted in green:
Gyarados, Lapras and Vaporeon have HP values greater than 65, so they are
hightlighted.
Note: Jolteon's HP value is 65, but is not highlighted, since the rule does not
include the specified value itself.
Note: You can remove the Highlight Cell Rules with Manage Rules.
Highlight Cell Rule - Greater Than Example (with Text)
The "Greater Than..." Highlight Cell Rule also works with text values.
Excel will use alphabetical order (A-Z) to highlight the text values that starts with
a letter that is later in the alphabet than the specified value.
In this example, the specified text value will be "Gyarados".
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You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
Let's apply the rule to the Name values.
"Greater Than..." Highlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range A2:A8 for Name values
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Greater Than... from the menu
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This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Enter Gyarados into the input field
6. Select the appearance option "Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text" from the
dropdown menu
Now, the cells with text values later in the alphabet than "Gyarados" will be
highlighted in yellow:
Magikarp starts with "M", Lapras with "L", Vaporeon with "V", and Jolteon with
"J".
"M", "L", "V", and "J" are all later in the alphabet than "G", which Gyarados
starts with, so these all are highlighted.
But, what about the rest of the letters in the text value?
Let's see what happens if we add a fictional pokemon with a new name:
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Notice that the fictional "Gzarados" is highlighted.
The Excel condition checks each letter in the specified text value from left to
right.
Because the "z" in "Gzarados" comes later in the alphabet than the "y" in
"Gyarados", this is considered Greater Than and is highlighted.
Highlight Cell Rules - Less Than
Excel HCR - Less Than
Highlight Cell Rules is a premade type of conditional formatting in Excel used to
change the appearance of cells in a range based on your specified conditions.
Less Than... is one of the options for the condition.
Here is the Highlight Cell Rules part of the conditional formatting menu:
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Highlight Cell Rule - Less Than Example
The "Less Than..." Highlight Cell Rule will highlight a cell with one of the
appearance options based on the cell value being less than to your specified
value.
The specified value is typically a number, but it also works with a text value.
In this example, the specified value will be "55".
You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
Let's apply the rule to the Attack values.
"Less Than..." Highlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range D2:D8 for Attack values
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2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Less Than... from the menu
This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Enter 55 into the input field
6. Select the appearance option "Light Red Fill with Dark Red Text" from the
dropdown menu
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Now, the cells with values less than "55" will be highlighted in red:
Only Magikarp and Ditto have Attack values less than 55, so these values are
highlighted.
Note: Eevees's Attack value is 55, but is not highlighted, since the rule does not
include the specified value itself.
Note: You can remove the Highlight Cell Rules with Manage Rules.
Highlight Cell Rule - Less Than Example (with Text)
The "Less Than..." Highlight Cell Rule also works with text values.
Excel will use alphabetical order (A-Z) to highlight the text values that starts with
a letter that is earlier in the alphabet than the specified value
In this example, the specified text value will be "Electric".
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You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
Let's apply the rule to the Type 1 values.
"Less Than..." Highlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range B2:B8 for Type 1 values
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Less Than... from the menu
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This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Enter Electric into the input field
6. Select the appearance option "Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text" from the
dropdown menu
Now, the cells with text values earlier in the alphabet than "Electric" will be
highlighted in yellow:
Nothing seems to have changed!
Water starts with "W" and Normal starts with "N".
"W"and "N" are all later in the alphabet than "E", which Electric starts with,
so none of these are highlighted.
Note: The specified value "Electric" itself is also not highlighted, because the
rule only hightlights text values that are earlier in the alphabet.
So, what about the rest of the letters in the text value?
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Let's see what happens if we add a fictional pokemon with a new Name and
Type:
Notice that the fictional "Ficteon" has the type "Eclectic", which is highlighted.
The Excel condition checks each letter in the specified text value from left to
right.
Because the "c" in "Eclectic" comes earlier in the alphabet than the "l" in
"Electric", this is considered Less Than and is highlighted.
Excel Highlight Cell Rules - Between
Highlight Cell Rules - Between
Highlight Cell Rules is a premade type of conditional formatting in Excel used to
change the appearance of cells in a range based on your specified conditions.
Between... is one of the options for the condition.
Here is the Highlight Cell Rules part of the conditional formatting menu:
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Highlight Cell Rule - Between Example
The "Between..." Highlight Cell Rule will highlight a cell with one of the
appearance options based on the cell value being between two specified values.
The specified values is typically numbers, but can also be text values.
In this example, the specified values will be "79" and "100".
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You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
Let's apply the rule to all of the different stat values.
"Between..." Highlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range C2:H8 for all of the stat values
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Between... from the menu
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This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Enter 79 and 100 into the input fields
6. Select the appearance option "Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text" from the
dropdown menu
Now, the cells with values between "79" and "100" will be highlighted in yellow:
Notice that Gyarados' Defense and Special Defense, which are 79 and 100, are
hightlighted.
The Between... condition includes the specified values. This is different from
the Greater Than... and Less Than... conditions, which do not include the
specified values.
Note: You can remove the Highlight Cell Rules with Manage Rules.
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Highlight Cell Rules - Equal To
Excel HCR - Equal To
Highlight Cell Rules is a premade type of conditional formatting in Excel used to
change the appearance of cells in a range based on your specified conditions.
Equal To... is one of the options for the condition.
Here is the Highlight Cell Rules part of the conditional formatting menu:
Highlight Cell Rule - Equal To Example (with Numbers)
The "Equal To..." Highlight Cell Rule will highlight a cell with one of the
appearance options based on the cell value being equal to your specified value.
The specified value could be a particular number or particular text.
In this example, the specified value will be "48".
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You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
Let's apply the rule to all of the different stat values.
"Equal To..." Highlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range C2:H8 for all of the stat values
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Equal To... from the menu
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This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Enter 48 into the input field
6. Select the appearance option "Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text" from the
dropdown menu
Now, the cells with values equal to "48" will be highlighted in yellow:
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All of Ditto's stat values are 48, so they are highlighted.
Note: You can remove the Highlight Cell Rules with Manage Rules.
Highlight Cell Rule - Equal To Example (with Text)
The "Equal To..." Highlight Cell Rule also works with text values.
In this example, the specified text value will be "Magikarp".
You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
Let's apply the rule to the Name values.
"Equal To..." Highlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range A2:A8 for Name values
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2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Equal To... from the menu
This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Enter Magikarp into the input field
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6. Select the appearance option "Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text" from the
dropdown menu
Now, the cells with text values equal to "Magikarp" will be highlighted in yellow:
Note: The Equal To... Highlight Cell Rule will highlight cells that exactly match
the specified value.
You can use the Text That Contains rule for highlighting cells that have values
with any part matching the specified value.
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Highlight Cell Rules - Text That Contains
Excel HCR - Text That Contains
Highlight Cell Rules is a premade type of conditional formatting in Excel used to
change the appearance of cells in a range based on your specified conditions.
Text That Contains... is one of the options for the condition.
Here is the Highlight Cell Rules part of the conditional formatting menu:
Highlight Cell Rule - Text That Contains Example (with Text)
The "Text That Contains..." Highlight Cell Rule will highlight a cell with one of the
appearance options based on a part of the cell value containing your specified
value.
The specified value is typically text, but also works with a numerical value.
In this example, the specified value will be "Pidge".
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You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
Let's apply the rule to the Name values.
"Text That Contains..." Highlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range A2:A8 for the Name values
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Text That Contains... from the menu
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This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Enter Pidge into the input field
6. Select the appearance option "Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text" from the
dropdown menu
Now, the cells with values Text That Contains "Pidge" will be highlighted in
yellow:
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The names "Pidgey", "Pidgeot", and "Pidgeotto" all start with "Pidge", so all
these cells are highlighted.
Note: The Text That Contains rule works with any part of the cell values.
Like in the example below:
Highlight Cell Rule - Text That Contains Example 2 (with Text)
The "Text That Contains..." Highlight Cell Rule will highlight a cell with one of the
appearance options based on a part of the cell value containing your specified
value.
The specified value is typically text, but also works with a numerical value.
In this example, the specified value will be "row".
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You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
Let's apply the rule to the Name values.
"Text That Contains..." Highlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range A2:A8 for the Name values
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Text That Contains... from the menu
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This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Enter row into the input field
6. Select the appearance option "Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text" from the
dropdown menu
Now, the cells with values Text That Contains "row" will be highlighted in
yellow:
The names "Spearow" and "Fearow" both end with "row", so both cells are
highlighted.
Note: You can remove the Highlight Cell Rules with Manage Rules.
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Highlight Cell Rule - Text That Contains Example (with Numbers)
The "Text That Contains..." The highlight Cell Rule also works with numbers.
In this example, the specified text value will be "7".
You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
Let's apply the rule to all the different stat values.
"Text That Contains..." Highlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range C2:H8 for all the stat values
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Text That Contains... from the menu
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This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Enter 7 into the input field
6. Select the appearance option "Green Fill with Dark Green Text" from the
dropdown menu
Now, the cells with values That Contains "7" anywhere will be highlighted in
green:
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Note: The Text That Contains... Highlight Cell Rule will highlight cells that have
values with any part matching the specified value.
You can use the Equal To... rule for highlighting cells that exactly match the
specified value.
Highlight Cell Rules - A Date Occurring
Excel HCR - A Date Occurring
Highlight Cell Rules is a premade type of conditional formatting in Excel used to
change the appearance of cells in a range based on your specified conditions.
A Date Occurring... is one of the options for the condition.
Here is the Highlight Cell Rules part of the conditional formatting menu:
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Highlight Cell Rule - A Date Occurring Example
The "A Date Occurring..." Highlight Cell Rule will highlight a cell with one of the
appearance options based on the cell value relative to a specified time frame.
The time frame can be:

Yesterday

Today

Tomorrow

In the last 7 days

Last Week

This Week

Next Week

Last Month

This Month

Next Month
In this example, the specified time frame will be "next month".
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You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
Let's apply the rule to the Birthday values.
"A Date Occurring..." Highlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range C2:C19 for the Birthday values
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the A Date Occurring... from the menu
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This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Select "Next Month" from the dropdown menu
6. Select the appearance option "Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text" from the
dropdown menu
Now, the cells with values A Date Occurring next month will be highlighted in
yellow:
Note: In this example, the next month happens to be September.
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Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup, Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott all have birthdays in
September, so their cells are highlighted.
Note: You can remove the Highlight Cell Rules with Manage Rules.
Excel Highlight Cell Rules - Equal To
Excel HCR - Duplicate and Unique Values
Highlight Cell Rules - Duplicate and Unique Values
Highlight Cell Rules is a premade type of conditional formatting in Excel used to
change the appearance of cells in a range based on your specified conditions.
Duplicate Values. is one of the options for the condition, and can check for
both duplicate and unique values.
Here is the Highlight Cell Rules part of the conditional formatting menu:
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Highlight Cell Rule - Duplicate Value Example
The "Duplicate Value..." Highlight Cell Rule will highlight a cell with one of the
appearance options based on the cell value being the same as other cells in the
range.
You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows and columns.
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Let's apply the rule to all of the cells values.
"Equal To..." Hightlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range A2:H8
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Duplicate Values... from the menu
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This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Select Duplicate
6. Select the appearance option "Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text" from the
dropdown menu
Now, all the cells in the range that have the same value as another cell are
highlighted in yellow:
All of Ditto's stat values are 48 and all of Mew's stat values are 100, so they are
all highlighted.
All of the Dittos and all of the Normal Type values are also highlighted.
Note: You can remove the Highlight Cell Rules with Manage Rules.
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Highlight Cell Rule - Unique Value Example
The "Duplicate Values..." Highlight Cell Rule can also find and highlight Unique
Values.
Let's apply this to the same set of data:
You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows and columns.
Let's apply the rule to all of the cells values.
"Equal To..." Highlight Cell Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range A2:H8
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
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3. Select the Highlight Cell Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Duplicate Value... from the menu
This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Select Unique from the dropdown menu
6. Select the appearance option "Green Fill with Dark Green Text" from the
dropdown menu
Now, the cells with unique values will be highlighted in green:
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Mew and Psychic only appear once in the range, so these values are highlighted.
Note: You can remove the unwanted duplicates from a table with the Removing
Duplicate Function.
Excel Conditional Formatting - Top/Bottom Rules
Excel Top/Bottom Rules
Top/Bottom Rules
Top/Bottom Rules are premade types of conditional formatting in Excel used to
change the appearance of cells in a range based on your specified conditions.
Here is the Top/Bottom Rules part of the conditional formatting menu:
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Appearance Options
The web browser version of Excel offers the following appearance options for
conditionally formatted cells:

Light Red Fill with Dark Red Text

Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text

Green Fill with Dark Green Text

Light Red Fill

Red Text

Red Border
Here is how the options look in a spreadsheet:
Top/Bottom 10 Items Example
The "Top 10 Items..." and "Bottom 10 Items..." rules will highlight cells with one
of the appearance options based on the cell value being the top or bottom
values in a range.
Note: The default number of items is 10, but you can specify any whole number
up to 1000 for Top/Bottom Items to be highlighted.
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You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
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Let's first apply the Top 10 Items... rule to the Speed values.
"Top 10 Items..." Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range C2:C31 for Speed values
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2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Top/Bottom Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Top 10 Items... from the menu
This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Leave the default value 10 in the input field
6. Select the appearance option "Green Fill with Dark Green Text" from the
dropdown menu
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Now, the 10 cells with the top values will be highlighted in green:
Now, the top 10 Speed values are easily identified.
Let's try the same with the bottom 10 Speed values.
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Note: Multiple rules can be applied to the same range.
Repeat the steps, but instead choose the Bottom 10 Items... in the menu and
select the "Light Red Fill with Dark Red Text" appearance option.
Now, the slowest values are also highlighted:
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Notice that there are actually 11 items highlighted in red. Why could this be?
Let's sort the table with descending Speed values for a clue:
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We can see that both Pidgey and Nidorina have a Speed of 56. So, they are tied
for the 10th bottom value.
Note: When using the Top/Bottom 10... conditional formatting, values that tie
will all be highlighted.
Top/Bottom 10% Example
The "Top 10%..." and "Bottom 10%..." rules will highlight cells with one of the
appearance options based on the cell value being the top or bottom percent of
values in a range.
Note: The default percent of items is 10, but you can specify any whole number
up to 100 for Top/Bottom Percent to be highlighted.
Let's apply Top and Bottom 10% rules to the same dataset with sorted Speed
values:
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You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows and columns.
Let's first apply the Bottom 10%... rule to the Speed values.
"Bottom 10%..." Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range C2:C31 for Speed values
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2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Top/Bottom Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select the Bottom 10%... from the menu
This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Leave the default value 10 in the input field
6. Select the appearance option "Light Red Fill with Dark Red Text" from the
dropdown menu
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Now, the bottom 10% of cells will be highlighted in red:
Notice that there are 3 highlighted cells.
There are 30 cells in the range, so 10% of that is 3 cells.
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Note: The number of cells will be rounded down to the closest whole number
based on the percent.
For example:

6% of 30 is 1.8, which will be rounded down to 1 cell

7% of 30 is 2.1, which will be rounded down to 2 cells
Let's try the same with the top 10% Speed values.
Repeat the steps, but instead choose Top 10%... in the menu and select the
"Green Fill with Dark Green Text" appearance option.
Now, the fastest values are also highlighted:
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Notice that there are actually 4 items highlighted in green.
We can see that both Charizard and Fearow have a Speed of 100. So, they are
tied for the 3rd top value.
Both are included in the top 10% and are highlighted.
Note: You can remove the Highlight Cell Rules with Manage Rules.
Excel Above and Below Average Rules
Above and Below Average Rules are premade types of conditional formatting in
Excel used to change the appearance of cells in a range based on your
specified conditions.
Above and Below Average Rules are found in the Top/Bottom Rules part of the
conditional formatting menu:
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Appearance Options
The web browser version of Excel offers the following appearance options for
conditionally formatted cells:

Light Red Fill with Dark Red Text

Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text

Green Fill with Dark Green Text

Light Red Fill

Red Text

Red Border
Here is how the options look in a spreadsheet:
Above and Below Average Example
The "Above Average" rule will highlight cells with one of the appearance options
based on the cell value being the above the average value in a range.
Note: You can use Excel to calculate the average value of a range, like in the
example data below:
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Note: The Average value row is separated from the data with a visual border.
Check out how to add this in the format borders chapter.
You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows and columns.
Let's first apply the Above Average rule to the HP values.
"Above Average" Rule, step by step:
1. Select the range C2:C11 for HP values
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2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select the Top/Bottom Rules from the drop-down menu
4. Select Above Average from the menu
This will open a dialog box where you can specify the value and the appearance
option.
5. Select the appearance option "Green Fill with Dark Green Text" from the
dropdown menu
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Now, the cells with above average HP values (more than 77.2) will be
highlighted in green:
Let's try the same with the below average HP values.
Note: Multiple rules can be applied to the same range.
Repeat the steps, but instead choose Below Average in the menu and select the
"Light Red Fill with Dark Red Text" appearance option.
Now, the below average values are also highlighted:
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Note: You can remove the Highlight Cell Rules with Manage Rules.
Notice that there are more below average values than above average values.
Why could this be?
The number of above or below average value cells in a range will depend on the
actual values in the range.
If some values in the range are extra large this will increase the average by a lot.
Let's add a fictional Pokemon with a very high HP stat value to illustrate this:
The fictional Wigglytuffest has 1000 HP, which increases the average value all
the way up to more than 161.
Now, only Wigglytuffest has an above average HP stat value, and every other
Pokemon has below average HP stat values.
Note: This kind of average value is referred to as the mean.
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Excel Conditional Formatting - Data Bars
Data Bars
Data Bars are premade types of conditional formatting in Excel used to add
colored bars to cells in a range to indicate how large the cell values are
compared to the other values.
Here is the Data Bars part of the conditional formatting menu:
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Data Bars Example
You can choose any range for where the Highlight Cell Rule should apply. It can
be a few cells, a single column, a single row, or a combination of multiple cells,
rows, and columns.
Note: The size of the data bars depends on the smallest and largest cell value in
the range.
Let's apply the Data Bars conditional formatting to the Speed values.
"Data Bars", step by step:
1. Select the range C2:C10 for Speed values
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2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
from Home menu
in the ribbon,
3. Select Data Bars from the drop-down menu
4. Select the "Green Data Bars" color option from the Gradient Fill menu
Note: Both Gradient Fill and Solid Fill work the same way. The only difference
between those, and the color options are aesthetic.
Now, all of the Speed value cells have a green bar showing how big the value is
compared to the other values in the range:
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Electrode has the highest value, 140, so the bar fills the entire cell.
The other bars are scaled relative to the highest value and 0 by default.
Exeggcute has the lowest value, 40, so this is the shortest bar. Though, it is
larger than 0, so there is still a small bar.
Let's see what happens if we add a fictional Pokemon with a 0 Speed value:
The fictional Neutrinode has a Speed value of 0, so this becomes an invisible
"minimum" bar.
Let's see what happens if we add another fictional Pokemon with a negative
Speed value:
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Now, the fictional Positrode has the lowest Speed value, -140, so this becomes
an invisible "minimum" bar.
Notice that all the other bars have now been scaled relative to the new
minimum (-140).
Neutrinode's Speed value of 0 is now in the middle between -140 and 140, so
the cell has a bar filling half the cell.
Electrode still has the highest Speed value, 140, so this bar still fills the entire
cell.
Note: You can remove the Highlight Cell Rules with Manage Rules.
Excel Conditional Formatting - Color Scales
Color Scales
Color Scales are premade types of conditional formatting in Excel used to
highlight cells in a range to indicate how large the cell values are compared to
the other values in the range.
Here is the Color Scales part of the conditional formatting menu:
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Color Scale Formatting Example
Highlight the Speed values of each Pokemon with Color Scale conditional
formatting.
Color Scales, step by step:
1. Select the range of Speed values C2:C8
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2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
the Home menu
in the ribbon, from
3. Select the Color Scales from the drop-down menu
There are 12 Color Scale options with different color variations.
The color on the top of the icon
will apply to the highest values.
4. Click on the "Green - Yellow - Red Colour Scale" icon
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Now, the Speed value cells will have a colored background highlighting:
Dark green is used for the highest values, and dark red for the lowest values.
Rapidash has the highest Speed value (105) and Slowpoke has the lowest Speed
value (15).
All the cells in the range gradually change color from green, yellow, orange,
then red.
Note: The color formatting is relative to the smallest and largest cell values in
the range.
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Let's see what happens if we add a fictional Pokemon with an even slower
Speed value than Slowpoke:
Now, the fictional Slowestpoke has the lowest Speed value of 1, which is
highlighted in dark red.
Notice that the color of Slowpoke's Speed value now is highlighted in orange
instead of dark red.
Let's see what happens if we add another fictional Pokemon that is faster than
any of the other Pokemon:
The fictional Fastestpoke has a higher Speed value (200) than any of the other
pokemon and is highlighted in dark green.
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Rapidash' Speed value of 105 is no longer the highest value and is highlighted
with a lighter green.
Notice that the Speed values of the other Pokemon also change as the highest
value in the range is now 200 instead of 105.
Note: You can remove the Highlight Cell Rules with Manage Rules.
Excel Conditional Formatting - Icon Sets
Icon Sets
Icon Sets are premade types of conditional formatting in Excel used to add icons
to cells in a range to indicate how large the cell values are compared to the
other values in the range.
Note: Icon Sets can be used together with other conditional formatting rules.
Icon Sets Options
Excel has a number of different icon sets, organized as:
Directional
Shapes
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Indicators
Ratings
Icon Set Formatting Example
Add icons to the Speed values of each Pokemon with Icon Set conditional
formatting.
Icon Sets, step by step:
1. Select the range of Speed values C2:C10
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2. Click on the Conditional Formatting icon
the Home menu
in the ribbon, from
3. Select the Icon Sets from the drop-down menu
4. Click on the "3 Traffic Lights (Unrimmed)" option
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Now, the Speed value cells will have icons indicating how large the values are
compared to the other values in the range:
The green traffic light is used for the highest values, yellow for the middle
values, and red for the lowest values.
Excel automatically calculates and chooses which values get which colored
traffic light icon.
Note: You can remove the Highlight Cell Rules with Manage Rules.
Excel Conditional Formatting - Manage Rules
Excel Manage Rules
Conditional Formatting rules can be managed and removed using the Clear
Rules and Manage Rules features.
Here is the Clear Rules part of the conditional formatting menu:
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You can remove all the rules from a selected range of cells or from the entire
spreadsheet using the Clear Rules menu options.
Conditional Formatting - Manage Rules Example
You can also use the Manage Rules menu option to clear conditional formatting
rules.
Let's remove the Color Scale rule applied to all the Stat values:
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Select the range C2:H9.
Select the Manage Rules option from the Conditional Formatting
menu
in the Home menu.
This box will appear on the right-hand side of your spreadsheet:
This will show all the active rules that are applied to the selected range.
It will also indicate which cells the rule is applied to. Which, in this example,
is C2:H9.
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Note: In the web browswer version of Excel, the only thing that can be managed
is removing the rules.
Clicking on the recycling bin icon will remove a particular rule.
Now, the cells no longer have conditional formatting.
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For
DATA ANALYSTS
Day-10
(Excel Charts)
BY
MOHAMMED UMAER
DATA ANALYST
Excel for Data Analysts
Excel Charts
Charts are visual representations of data used to make it more understandable.
Commonly used charts are:

Pie chart

Column chart

Line chart
Different charts are used for different types of data.
Note: Charts are also called graphs and visualizations.
The chart above is a column chart representing the number of Pokemons in
each generation.
Note: In some cases, the data has to be processed before being plotted into a
chart.
Charts can easily be created in a few steps in Excel.
Creating a Chart in Excel
Creating a chart, step by step:
1. Select the range A1:A8
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2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on the Line menu (
choose Line (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
You should now get this chart:
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Excellent! You have now created your first chart.
Note: The cells 9 and 10 were not selected in the range, and therefore not
included in the graph.
Creating Another Chart in Excel
Lets compare the stats for the Pokemons; Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur
using a column chart.
1. Select the range A1:G4
2. Click on the insert menu, then click on the column menu (
choose Clustered Column (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
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You should now get this chart:
The chart gives a visual overview for the Pokemons stats.
Charmander, represented by the orange bars, and has the highest speed.
Squirtle, represented by the gray bars, has the highest defense.
Note: The default chart title is "Chart Title". It can be changed. You will learn
about chart customization in a later chapter.
Excel Bar Charts
Bar charts show the data as vertical bars.
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The chart above represents the number of Pokemons in each generation.
Similar to column charts, bar charts are suited for representing values
of qualitative (categorical) data.
There are three different type of bar charts:

Clustered bar(
)

Stacked bar(

100% stacked bar(
)
)
Clustered Bar Chart
Clustered Bar charts are used when the value of data is important but the order
is not.
Example With One Data Column
We want to find the number of generation 1 Pokemons with types "Grass",
"Fire", "Water" and "Bug".
You can copy the values to follow along:
1. Select the range A1:B5
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2. Click on the insert menu, then click on the bar menu (
choose Clustered Bar (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
Following the steps above will give you the chart below.
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The chart gives a visual overview for the "Grass", "Fire", "Water" and "Bug" type
Pokemons in generation 1.
Type "Water" has the most Pokemons in the first generation.
Example With Two Data Columns
Now let's do the same for generation 2 Pokemons and compare the results with
the last example.
1. Select the range A1:C5
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2. Click on the insert menu, then click on the bar menu (
choose Clustered Bar (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
You should get the chart below:
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The chart gives a visual overview for the "Grass", "Fire", "Water" and "Bug" type
Pokemons in generation 1 and 2.
Generation 1 is shown in blue and generation 2 is shown in orange.
Type "Water" has the most Pokemons in both generations
Also, all the types in generation 2 have less members than generation 1.
Excel Stacked Bar Charts
Stacked bar charts are used to highlights the total amount of contribution for
each category.
This is done by stacking the bars at the end of each other.
The charts are used when you have more than one data column.
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Example
We want to find out the total number of generation 1 and 2 Pokemons in each
of these type 1 categories: "Grass", "Fire", "Water" and "Bug".
You can copy the values to follow along:
1. Select the range A1:C5
2. Click on the insert menu, then click on the bar menu (
choose Stacked Bar (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
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Following the steps above, you will get the following chart:
The chart gives a visual overview for the total number of "Grass", "Fire",
"Water" and "Bug" type Pokemons in both generation 1 and 2.
Generation 1 Pokemons are shown in blue and generation 2 Pokemons are
shown in orange.
This chart shows that "Water" type Pokemons are the most common and "Fire"
type Pokemons are the least common.
100% Stacked Bar Chart
100% Stacked Bar is used to highlights the proportion of contribution for each
data column in a category.
This is done by scaling the total value of each category in a stacked bar chart to
100.
The charts are used when you have more than one data column.
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Example
We want to find out the proportion of Pokemon types "Grass", "Fire", "Water"
and "Bug" in generation 1 and 2.
You can copy the values to follow along:
1. Select the range A1:C5
2. Click on the insert menu, then click on the bar menu (
choose 100% Stacked Bar (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
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Following the steps above, you will get the following chart:
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The chart gives a visual overview for the proportion of "Grass", "Fire", "Water"
and "Bug" type Pokemons in both generation 1 and 2.
Generation 1 Pokemons are shown in blue and generation 2 Pokemons are
shown in orange.
This chart shows that more than half of Pokemons are in generation 1.
Excel Column Charts
Column charts show the data as vertical bars.
Column charts are suited for representing values of qualitative (categorical)
data.
Excel has three different types of column charts:

Clustered column(
)

Stacked column(

100% Stacked column(
)
)
Clustered Column Chart
Clustered Column charts are used when the value of data is important but the
order is not.
Example With One Data Column
We want to find the number of generation 1 Pokemons with types "Grass",
"Fire", "Water" and "Bug".
You can copy the values to follow along:
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1. Select the range A1:B5
2. Click on the insert menu, then click on the column menu (
choose Clustered Column (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
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Following the steps above will give you the chart below.
The chart gives a visual overview for the "Grass", "Fire", "Water" and "Bug" type
Pokemons in generation 1.
Type "Water" has the most Pokemons in the first generation.
Example With Two Data Columns
Now let's do the same for generation 2 Pokemons and compare the results with
the last example.
1. Select the range A1:C5
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2. Click on the insert menu, then click on the column menu (
choose Clustered Column (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
You should get the chart below:
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The chart gives a visual overview for the "Grass", "Fire", "Water" and "Bug" type
Pokemons in generation 1 and 2.
Generation 1 is shown in blue and generation 2 is shown in orange.
Type "Water" has the most Pokemons in both generations
Also, there are more Pokemons in generation 1 than 2.
Excel Stacked Column Charts
Stacked Column charts are used to highlights the total amount of contribution
for each category.
This is done by stacking columns on top of each other.
The charts are used when you have more than one data column.
Example
We want to find out the total number of generation 1 and 2 Pokemons in each
of these type 1 categories: "Grass", "Fire", "Water" and "Bug".
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You can copy the values to follow along:
1. Select the range A1:C5
2. Click on the insert menu, then click on the column menu (
choose Clustered Column (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
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Following the steps above, you will get the following chart:
The chart gives a visual overview for the total number of "Grass", "Fire",
"Water" and "Bug" type Pokemons in both generation 1 and 2.
Generation 1 Pokemons are shown in blue and generation 2 Pokemons are
shown in orange.
This chart shows that "Water" type Pokemons are the most common and "Fire"
type Pokemons are the least common.
100% Stacked Column Chart
100% Stacked Column is used to highlights the proportion of contribution for
each data column in a category.
This is done by scaling the total value of each category in a stacked column
chart to 100.
The charts are used when you have more than one data column.
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Example
We want to find out the proportion of Pokemon types "Grass", "Fire", "Water"
and "Bug" in generation 1 and 2.
You can copy the values to follow along:
1. Select the range A1:C5
2. Click on the insert menu, then click on the column menu (
choose Clustered Column (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
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Following the steps above, you will get the following chart:
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The chart gives a visual overview for the proportion of "Grass", "Fire", "Water"
and "Bug" type Pokemons in both generation 1 and 2.
Generation 1 Pokemons are shown in blue and generation 2 Pokemons are
shown in orange.
This chart shows that more than half of Pokemons are in generation 1.
Excel Pie Charts
Pie charts arrange the data as slices in a circle.
Pie charts are used for representing values of qualitative (categorical) data.
Pie charts show the contribution of each category to the total.
Excel has two types of pie charts:

2-D pie (

Doughnut (
)
)
2-D Pie Chart
Pie charts arrange the data as slices in a circle.
2-D pie charts are used when you only have one data column.
Example
Showing the proportion of 1st generation Grass, Fire, Water, and Bug type
Pokemon.
You can copy the values to follow along:
1. Select the range A1:B5
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2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on the Pie menu (
) and choose Pie (
) from the drop-down menu
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
You should get the chart below:
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The chart gives a visual overview of the number of 1st generation Grass, Fire,
Water, and Bug-type Pokemon.
Type "Grass" is shown in blue, "Fire" in orange, "Water" in gray and "Bug" in
yellow.
Type "Water" has the most Pokemon in the first generation.
Note: The chart can be customized by adding labels. This can make it easier to
understand the differences between categories.
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Doughnut Chart
Doughnut charts arrange the data as slices in a circle with hollow center.
Doughnut charts are often used when you have more than one data column.
Note: A doughnut chart with one data column shows the same information as a
2-D pie chart.
Example
We want to find the proportion of types "Grass", "Fire", "Water" and "Bug". in
generation 1 Pokemon and compare it to the proportions in generation 2.
You can copy the values to follow along:
1. Select the range A1:C5
2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on the Pie menu (
choose Doughnut (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
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Following the steps above, you will get the following chart:
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The chart gives a visual overview of the number of 1st and 2nd generation
Grass, Fire, Water and Bug type Pokemon.
Generation 1 Pokemon are shown in the inner circle and generation 2 Pokemon
are shown in the outer circle.
Type "Grass" is shown in blue, "Fire" in orange, "Water" in gray and "Bug" in
yellow.
This chart shows that "Water" type Pokemon are the most common in both
generations.
Note: Based on this chart, you cannot say which generation has more Pokemon.
Excel Line Charts
Line charts show the data as a continuous line.
Line charts are typically used for showing trends over time.
In-Line charts, the horizontal axis typically represents time.
Line charts are used with data that can be placed in an order, from low to high.
Note: Data that can be placed in an order, from low to high, like numbers and
letter grades from A to F are called ordinal data.
Excel has six types of line charts:

Line (
)

Line with Markers (

Stacked Line (

Stacked Line with Markers (

100% Stacked Line (

100% Stacked Line with Markers (
)
)
)
)
)
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Line
Line charts are used for showing data ordered from low to high.
Example
Let's see the stats change for Bulbasaur evolutions.
Copy the values to follow along:
1. Select the range A1:C4 for labels and data
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on the Line menu (
choose Line (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
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You should get the chart below:
The chart gives a visual overview for the Pokemon stats.
Bulbasaur evolutions are shown on the horizontal axis.
HP stat is shown in blue and Attack stat is shown in orange.
The chart shows that with each evolution, the stats increase.
Now let's plot more stats on the chart.
1. Select the range A1:D4 for labels and data
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2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on Line menu (
) and choose Line (
) from the drop-down menu
You should get the chart below:
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Wait a minute. Something doesn't seem right.
Suddenly, Bulbasaur's evolutions are not shown on the horizontal axis. Instead,
it is the stats.
What's happening?
Note: Excel checks the number of rows and columns included in the chart and
automatically places the larger number on the horizontal axis.
Luckily, there is a simple fix.
Click on the the chart, then chick on the Chart tab and finally Click on Switch
Row/Column.
The outcome is this chart which has Bulbasaur evolutions on the horizontal axis.
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Line with Markers
Line with markers highlights data points with markers on a line chart.
Example
Let's chart the average HP, Attack and Defense over all the Pokemon
generations.
Copy the values to follow along:
Note: This data is rounded to one decimal.
1. Select the range A1:D7 for labels and data
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on the Line menu (
choose Line with Markers (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
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You should get the chart below:
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The chart gives a visual overview for average Pokemon stats over generations.
Average HP is shown in blue, average attack is shown in orange and average
defense is shown in gray.
The horizontal axis shows the generations.
This chart shows that the average of all stats in the 2nd generation is very close
to each other and 5th generation Pokemon have on average the highest attack.
Excel Stacked Line Charts
Stacked Line charts show the contribution to trends in the data.
This is done by stacking lines on top of each other.
Stacked Line charts are used with data that can be placed in an order, from low
to high.
The charts are used when you have more than one data column which all add
up to the total trend.
Note: Data that can be placed in an order, from low to high, like numbers and
letter grades from A to F are called ordinal data.
Example
Let's see how the average stats add up across Pokemon generations
Copy the values to follow along:
Note: This data is rounded to one decimal.
1. Select the range A1:D7 for labels and data
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
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2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on the Line menu (
choose Stacked Line (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
You should get the chart below:
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The chart gives a visual overview for the average Pokemon stats over
generations.
The blue line shows the average HP, the orange line show the addition of
average HP and Average attack. Finally, the gray line shows the sum of all the
stats once all the average stats are added.
This chart shows that 4th generation Pokemon have the highest stats on
average.
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Stacked Line with Markers
Stacked line with markers highlights data points with markers on a stacked line
chart.
Example
Let's see how the average stats add up across Pokemon generations
Copy the values to follow along:
Note: This data is rounded to one decimal.
1. Select the range A1:D7 for labels and data
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on the Line menu (
choose Stacked Line with Markers (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
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You should get the chart below:
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The chart gives a visual overview for the average Pokemon stats over
generations.
The blue line shows the average HP, the orange line show the addition of
average HP and Average attack. Finally, the gray line shows the sum of all the
stats once all the average stats are added.
This chart shows that 4th generation Pokemon have the highest stats on
average.
Excel 100% Stacked Line Charts
100% Stacked Line charts show the proportion of contribution to trends in the
data.
This is done by scaling the lines so that the total is 100%.
100% Stacked Line charts are used with data which can be placed in an order,
from low to high.
The charts are used when you have more than one data column which all add
up to the total trend.
Note: Data which can be placed in an order, from low to high, like numbers and
letter grades from A to F are called ordinal data.
Example
Let's see how the average stats add up across Pokemon generations
Copy the values to follow along:
Note: This data is rounded to one decimal.
1. Select the range A1:D7 for labels and data
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Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on the Line menu (
choose 100% Stacked Line (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
You should get the chart below:
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The chart gives a visual overview for the average Pokemon stats over
generations.
The blue line shows how much the average HP contribute to the overall. The
orange line shows how much the average Attack contribute to the total and
finally, the gray line shows all the sum of all the stats scaled to 100%.
This chart shows that in the second generation, HP contributes more to the
overall compared to other generations.
100% Stacked Line with Markers
100% stacked line with markers highlights data points with markers on a 100%
stacked line chart.
Example
Let's see how the average stats add up across Pokemon generations
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Copy the values to follow along:
Note: This data is rounded to one decimal.
1. Select the range A1:D7 for labels and data
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on the Line menu (
choose 100% Stacked Line with Markers (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
You should get the chart below:
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Excel for Data Analysts
The chart gives a visual overview for the average Pokemon stats over
generations.
The blue line shows how much the average HP contribute to the overall. The
line orange line shows how much the average Attack contribute to the total and
finally, the gray line shows all the sum of all the stats scaled to 100%.
This chart shows that in the 2nd generation, HP contributes more to the overall
compared to other generations.
Excel Radar Charts
Radar charts show multivariate data as values relative to a center point.
Note: Multivariate data has more than one variables. For example, a dataset
containing age and height is multivariate because it has two variables.
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Radar charts can only show data that can be ordered from low to high.
Note: Data which can be placed in an order, from low to high, like numbers and
letter grades from A to F are called ordinal data.
Radar charts are suited for showing similarities and outliers in the data.
Note: An outlier is a data point that has unusually large/small values compared
to the rest of the data.
Excel has three types of radar charts:

Radar (
)

Radar with markers (

Filled radar (
)
)
Note: Radar chart is also known as web chart, spider chart and star chart.
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Radar
Radar charts show data as as vertices on a polygon.
The relevant distance from the center of the polygon shows the value of the
data point.
Example
Let's compare the stats for Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle.
Copy the values to follow along:
1. Select the range A1:G4
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on the Other Charts menu (
choose Radar (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
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You should get the chart below:
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Excel for Data Analysts
The chart gives a visual overview for the Pokemon stats.
Bulbasaur is shown in blue, Charmander in orange and Squirtle in gray.
The chart shows that Charmander has the highest speed and lowest special
defense. Squirtle has the highest defense and lowest special attack. The three
Pokemon have similar HP and attack stats.
Radar With Markers
Radar with Markers is similar to radar chart. The only difference is that the data
points are highlighted with markers.
Example
Let's compare the stats for Bulbasaur evolutions to Ivysaur and Venusaur.
Copy the values to follow along:
1. Select the range A1:G4
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on the Other Charts menu (
choose Radar with Markers (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
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You should get the chart below:
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The chart gives a visual overview for the Pokemon stats.
Bulbasaur is shown in blue, Ivysaur in orange and Venusaur in gray.
The chart shows that with each evolution, the stats increase in a similar manner.
Filled Radar
Filled radar is similar to radar chart. The only difference is that inside the charts
are filled with color.
Example
Let's compare the stats for Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle.
Copy the values to follow along:
1. Select the range A1:G4
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on the Other Charts menu (
choose Radar (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
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You should get the chart below:
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The chart gives a visual overview for the Pokemon stats.
Bulbasaur is shown in blue, Charmander in orange and Squirtle in gray.
The chart shows that Charmander has the highest speed.
Note that since the charts are overshadowing each other, the chart cannot give
any more information.
Caution: It's better to avoid using filled radar charts with multiple data columns
because some data columns can overshadow others.
Example (The Extreme Case)
Let's compare the stats for Bulbasaur evolutions to Ivysaur and Venusaur.
Copy the values to follow along:
1. Select the range A1:G4
Note: This menu is accessed by expanding the ribbon.
2. Click on the Insert menu, then click on the Other Charts menu (
choose Radar with Markers (
) and
) from the drop-down menu
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You should get the chart below:
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In this chart, Venusaur, which is shown in gray, overshadows all the other
Pokemon.
The only information this chart gives is that Venusaur has larger or equal stat
values than both Bulbasaur and Ivysaur.
Excel Area Chart
Area charts can be used to plot change over time (years, months and days) or
categories and draw attention to the total value across a trend. By showing the
sum of the plotted values, an Area chart also shows the relationship of parts to
a whole.
You can use Area charts to highlight the magnitude of change over time.
Step 1 − Arrange the data in columns or rows on the worksheet.
Step 2 − Select the data.
Step 3 − On the INSERT tab, in the Charts group, click the Area chart icon on the
Ribbon.
You will see the different types of available Area charts.
An Area Chart has the following sub-types −
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

2-D Area Charts
o
Area
o
Stacked Area
o
100% Stacked Area
3-D Area Charts
o
3-D Area
o
3-D Stacked Area
o
3-D 100% Stacked Area
Step 4 − Point your mouse on each of the icons. A preview of that chart type will
be shown on the worksheet.
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Step 5 − Double-Click the chart type that suits your data. In this chapter, you will
understand when each of the Area Chart Types is useful.
Area and 3-D Area
These chart types are useful to show the trend of values over time or other
category data.
An Area chart shows the values in 2-D format. A 3-D Area chart shows values in
3-D format. 3-D Area charts use three axes (horizontal, vertical, and depth) that
you can change.
You can use Area charts −

When the category order is important.

To highlight the magnitude of change over time.
As you can see in the screen shot given above, in a non-Stacked Area chart, the
data from one series can be hidden behind the data from another series. In such
a case, use a line chart or a stacked area chart.
Stacked Area and 3-D Stacked Area
Stacked Area charts are useful to show the trend of the contribution of each
value over time or other category data in 2-D format. 3-D Stacked Area charts
are also useful for the same but they show areas in 3-D format without using a
depth axis.
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You can use Stacked Area charts to −

Highlight the magnitude of change over time.

Draw attention to the total value across a trend.
100% Stacked Area and 3-D 100% Stacked Area
100% Stacked Area charts are useful to show the trend of the percentage that
each value contributes over time or other category data. 100% 3-D Stacked
Area charts are also useful for the same, but they show areas in 3-D format
without using a depth axis.
You can use 100% Stacked Area charts to −
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
Draw attention to the total value across a trend.

Highlight the magnitude of change to the percentage that each value
contributes over time.
Excel Chart Customization
Charts in Excel can be customized.
Customization can be helpful to make the data easier to understand. For
example to highlight key points, give additional information and make it look
better.
Excel has many options for how to customize a chart. You will learn more about
the different options in this chapter.
This doughnut chart shows the ratio of different Pokemon types in generations
1 and 2.
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The "Water" type, shown in gray has the most Pokemons in both generations.
Then there are types "Bug", shown in yellow, "Grass", shown in blue and "Fire",
shown in orange.
Note: Different charts can be customized in different ways.
Moving Charts
Excel charts can be moved around the spreadsheet.
How to move a chart, step by step:
1. Select the chart by clicking on it.
Note: Selecting a chart highlights its borders.
2. Drag the chart and place it where you want
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Resizing Charts
Excel charts can be resized.
Resizing will scale all the elements in the chart except the text.
How to resize a chart, step by step:
1. Select the chart by clicking on it.
2. Click and drag one of the 8 points shown on the chart border and drag
them
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Note: The arrows in the image above are pointing to where you can drag to
resize the chart.
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The chart is now resized. This can be done as many times as needed to get the
right size.
Changing The Chart Title
The default chart title in Excel is "Chart Title". This is not informative. The title
should describe the chart.
Changing the title, step by step:
1. Double click on the chart
This opens up a menu on the right side of your screen.
2. Find "Chart Title" text in the newly opened menu and change it
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Now, the title has changed to "Pokemon Stats".
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Note: You can remove the chart title by clicking on it and pressing the Delete
key on your keyboard.
Customization Options
Charts can be customized in different ways, here are some elements you can
change:

Legends

Axis

Data labels

Grid lines

Styling and formatting
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Excel
For
DATA ANALYSTS
Day-11
(Excel Pivot Tables & Charts)
BY
MOHAMMED UMAER
DATA ANALYST
Excel for Data Analysts
Introduction Excel PivotTable
PivotTable
PivotTable is a functionality in Excel that helps you organize and analyze data.
It lets you add and remove values, perform calculations, and filter and sort data
sets.
PivotTable helps you structure and organize data to understand large data sets.
The data that you use needs to be in tabular format.
The tabular form is data in a table format (rows and columns).
How a PivotTable Works
PivotTables have four main components:
1. Columns
Columns are vertical tabular data.
The column includes the unique header, which is on the top.
The header defines which data you are seeing listed downward.
In this example, D5(Sum of Attack) is the header.
D6(110), D7(100), D8(50), D9(73), and so on are the data.
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2. Rows
Rows are horizontal tabular data.
Data in the same row are related.
In this example, A8(Alakazam) is the Pokemon name.
B8(500), C8(55), D8(50), E8(45) represents the pokemons stats.
The type of stats is read in the header in the columns.
3. Filters
Filters are used to select what data you see.
In this example, there are two filters enabled: Generation and Type 1.
The filters are set to Generation (1) and Type (Psychic).
We will only see Generation 1 Pokemon that is Type 1, Psychic.
All Pokemon in the table below the filter are of this generation and type.
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Filter view:
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4. Values
Values define how you present the data.
You can define how you Summarize and Show values.
In this example, values are defined for the range B5:E5.
The range B5:E5 has all the same value setting: Sum
The Sum is summarized in the range B14:E14.
Values settings view:
You can change the name and settings of the values.
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Fields and layout
The TablePivot is displayed how by your settings.
The PivotTable Fields panel is used to change how you see the data.
The settings can be separated into two: Fields and Layout.
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1. Fields
The checkboxes can be selected or unselected to display or change the property
of the data.
In this example, the checkbox for Speed is selected.
Speed is now displayed in the table.
You can click the downward arrow to change how the data is presented.
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2. Layout
Drag and drop fields to the boxes to the right to display data in the table.
You can drag them to the four different boxes that we mentioned earlier (four
main components):
1. Filters
2. Rows
3. Columns
4. Values
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In this example, we will drag and drop Sp. def to Values.
Sp. Def is now displayed in the table.
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The settings of the fields that you have moved to the right side can be changed.
Click the downward arrow to access the settings.
This is possible in the four areas (Filters, rows, columns, and values).
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Example:
PivotTable is Excel’s premium tool for working with huge data tables and even
data stored in other database systems like Access, SQL servers, and MySQL
servers. Below is an example of a large data table we will use PivotTable on to
do some very relevant quick analysis. It is a table of sales for a particular Pizza
Restaurant for a day and it has 5000 entries.
So how can we make a report that will show us the sales performance that day
by the different types of Pizzas the restaurant sells. A report like the one below:
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It’s quite easy with Pivot Table. You start by selecting the sales transaction table
or selecting one of the cells in it. Then go to the Insert menu and click on Pivot
Table.
In the screenshot above, I selected one of the cells in the table, clicked on the
Insert menu, clicked on PivotTable, confirmed that my entire table has been
selected, and clicked on OK. You will be taken to a new sheet that looks like the
one below:
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At first, it looks different, like you are no longer in Excel. But it is very easy to
work with. The core part is the part on the right with the name PivotTable
Fields. It has a list of all the fields in the original data table. The part below the
field names is where you set up your report. Whatever field you want to display
its unique entries, one per line/row, you will drag to ROWS. Let’s do that for the
Pizza Sold field so we will be able to see all the pizza types the restaurant sells.
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Then if it is that you want to display those unique entries one per column, drag
the field to COLUMNS. Let’s see what will happen if we drag that Pizza Sold field
from ROWS to COLUMNS.
So now you understand how ROWS and COLUMNS work. Drag Pizza Sold back to
ROWS, that is where we need it for our quick analysis. Next is VALUES.
Whatever you want to do a mathematical calculation on, you drag to the
VALUES part. Common calculations you will find yourself doing are counts (to
see the number of times each unique entry occurred in the original table), sum
(to add the values of a particular field), and average (to average the values of a
particular field). In our case, let’s drag the Quantity and Amount Sold fields to
VALUES.
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We have just analyzed a 5000 sales record table in seconds. Now we have a
report that shows us how many of each Pizza type were sold and the total sales
amount generated. Those are the type of lightning-fast analyses PivotTable
allows you to do. There is now one part we haven’t touched: FILTERS. As the
name suggests, it simply gives us the capability to filter our report. We will drag
Time Range to FILTERS to see which sales occurred at the peak period (before
9:00 am) and after the peak period.
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And that’s how PivotTable works. Very easy to use and powerful.
PivotChart
Whenever you insert a chart using data generated via a PivotTable, that chart is
a PivotChart. It has some extra functionalities it inherits from the PivotTable
which makes it a little different from the regular charts we have already
discussed. Below is the PivotChart for the PivotTable we just created.
Notice the extra elements on it. Even the Time Range filter is showing on the
chart. Besides those extra elements, a PivotChart is the same as the regular
charts and the same kind of formatting you can do on the regular charts work
on Pivot Charts.
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Excel
For
DATA ANALYSTS
Day-12
(Excel What-If Analysis)
BY
MOHAMMED UMAER
DATA ANALYST
Excel for Data Analysts
What-If Analysis in Excel
What-If Analysis in Excel allows us to try out different values (scenarios) for
formulas. The following example helps you master what-if analysis quickly and
easily.
Assume you own a bookstore and have 100 books in storage. You sell a certain
% for the highest price of $50 and a certain % for the lower price of $20.
If you sell 60% for the highest price, cell D10 calculates a total profit of 60 * $50
+ 40 * $20 = $3800.
Create Different Scenarios
But what if you sell 70% for the highest price? And what if you sell 80% for the
highest price? Or 90%, or even 100%? Each different percentage is a
different scenario. You can use the Scenario Manager to create these scenarios.
Note: You can simply type in a different percentage into cell C4 to see the
corresponding result of a scenario in cell D10. However, what-if analysis enables
you to easily compare the results of different scenarios. Read on.
1. On the Data tab, in the Forecast group, click What-If Analysis.
2. Click Scenario Manager.
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The Scenario Manager dialog box appears.
3. Add a scenario by clicking on Add.
4. Type a name (60% highest), select cell C4 (% sold for the highest price) for the
Changing cells, and click on OK.
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5. Enter the corresponding value 0.6 and click on OK again.
6. Next, add 4 other scenarios (70%, 80%, 90%, and 100%).
Finally, your Scenario Manager should be consistent with the picture below:
Note: to see the result of a scenario, select the scenario and click on the Show
button. Excel will change the value of cell C4 accordingly for you to see the
corresponding result on the sheet.
Scenario Summary
To easily compare the results of these scenarios, execute the following steps.
1. Click the Summary button in the Scenario Manager.
2. Next, select cell D10 (total profit) for the result cell and click on OK.
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Result:
Conclusion: if you sell 70% for the highest price, you obtain a total profit of
$4100, if you sell 80% for the highest price, you obtain a total profit of $4400,
etc. That's how easy what-if analysis in Excel can be.
Goal Seek
What if you want to know how many books you need to sell for the highest
price, to obtain a total profit of exactly $4700? You can use Excel's Goal
Seek feature to find the answer.
1. On the Data tab, in the Forecast group, click What-If Analysis.
2. Click Goal Seek.
The Goal Seek dialog box appears.
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3. Select cell D10.
4. Click in the 'To value' box and type 4700.
5. Click in the 'By changing cell' box and select cell C4.
6. Click OK.
Result. You need to sell 90% of the books for the highest price to obtain a total
profit of exactly $4700.
Goal Seek
If you know the result you want from a formula, use Goal Seek in Excel to find
the input value that produces this formula result.
Goal Seek Example 1
Use Goal Seek in Excel to find the grade on the fourth exam that produces a
final grade of 70.
1. The formula in cell B7 calculates the final grade.
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2. The grade on the fourth exam in cell B5 is the input cell.
3. On the Data tab, in the Forecast group, click What-If Analysis.
4. Click Goal Seek.
The Goal Seek dialog box appears.
5. Select cell B7.
6. Click in the 'To value' box and type 70.
7. Click in the 'By changing cell' box and select cell B5.
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8. Click OK.
Result. A grade of 90 on the fourth exam produces a final grade of 70.
Goal Seek Example 2
Use Goal Seek in Excel to find the loan amount that produces a monthly
payment of $1500.
1. The formula in cell B5 calculates the monthly payment.
The PMT function calculates the payment for a loan. If you've never heard of
this function before, that's OK. The higher the loan amount, the higher the
monthly payment. Assume, you can only afford $1500 a month. What is your
maximum loan amount?
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2. The loan amount in cell B3 is the input cell.
3. On the Data tab, in the Forecast group, click What-If Analysis.
4. Click Goal Seek.
The Goal Seek dialog box appears.
5. Select cell B5.
6. Click in the 'To value' box and type -1500 (negative, you are paying out
money).
7. Click in the 'By changing cell' box and select cell B3.
8. Click OK.
Result. A loan amount of $250,187 produces a monthly payment of $1500.
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Goal Seek Precision
Goal seeks returns approximate solutions. You can change the iteration settings
in Excel to find a more precise solution.
1. The formula in cell B1 calculates the square of the value in cell A1.
2. Use goal seek to find the input value that produces a formula result of 25.
Result. Excel returns an approximate solution.
3. On the File tab, click Options, Formulas.
4. Under the Calculation options, decrease the Maximum Change value by
inserting some zeros. The default value is 0.001.
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5. Click OK.
6. Use Goal Seek again. Excel returns a more precise solution.
Data Tables
Instead of creating different scenarios, you can create a data table to quickly try
out different values for formulas. You can create a one-variable data table or a
two-variable data table.
Assume you own a bookstore and have 100 books in storage. You sell a certain
% for the highest price of $50 and a certain % for the lower price of $20. If you
sell 60% for the highest price, cell D10 below calculates a total profit of 60 * $50
+ 40 * $20 = $3800.
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One Variable Data Table
To create a one-variable data table, execute the following steps.
1. Select cell B12 and type =D10 (refer to the total profit cell).
2. Type the different percentages in column A.
3. Select the range A12:B17.
We are going to calculate the total profit if you sell 60% for the highest price,
70% for the highest price, etc.
4. On the Data tab, in the Forecast group, click What-If Analysis.
5. Click Data Table.
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6. Click in the 'Column input cell' box (the percentages are in a column) and
select cell C4.
We select cell C4 because the percentages refer to cell C4 (% sold for the
highest price). Together with the formula in cell B12, Excel now knows that it
should replace cell C4 with 60% to calculate the total profit, replace cell C4 with
70% to calculate the total profit, etc.
Note: this is a one-variable data table so we leave the Row input cell blank.
7. Click OK.
Result.
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Conclusion: if you sell 60% for the highest price, you obtain a total profit of
$3800, if you sell 70% for the highest price, you obtain a total profit of $4100,
etc.
Note: the formula bar indicates that the cells contain an array formula.
Therefore, you cannot delete a single result. To delete the results, select the
range B13:B17 and press Delete.
Two-Variable Data Table
To create a two-variable data table, execute the following steps.
1. Select cell A12 and type =D10 (refer to the total profit cell).
2. Type the different unit profits (the highest price) in row 12.
3. Type the different percentages in column A.
4. Select the range A12:D17.
We are going to calculate the total profit for the different combinations of 'unit
profit (the highest price)' and '% sold for the highest price'.
5. On the Data tab, in the Forecast group, click What-If Analysis.
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6. Click Data Table.
7. Click in the 'Row input cell' box (the unit profits are in a row) and select cell
D7.
8. Click in the 'Column input cell' box (the percentages are in a column) and
select cell C4.
We select cell D7 because the unit profits refer to cell D7. We select cell C4
because the percentages refer to cell C4. Together with the formula in cell A12,
Excel now knows that it should replace cell D7 with $50 and cell C4 with 60% to
calculate the total profit, replace cell D7 with $50 and cell C4 with 70% to
calculate the total profit, etc.
9. Click OK.
Result.
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Conclusion: If you sell 60% for the highest price, at a unit profit of $50, you
obtain a total profit of $3800, if you sell 80% for the highest price, at a unit
profit of $60, you obtain a total profit of $5200, etc.
Note: The formula bar indicates that the cells contain an array formula.
Therefore, you cannot delete a single result. To delete the results, select the
range B13:D17 and press Delete.
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Excel
For
DATA ANALYSTS
Day-13
(Excel Keyboard Shortcuts)
BY
MOHAMMED UMAER
DATA ANALYST
Excel for Data Analysts
Excel Keyboard Shortcuts
Most Useful Excel Keyboard Shortcuts
In this overview, you can find the functionalities and key combinations of the
most useful Excel keyboard shortcuts.
Use keyboard shortcuts to speed up your workflow on Excel.
Note: Keyboard shortcuts have slight differences depending on the platform.
Description
Windows
Mac OS
Copy
Ctrl + C
Command + C or Ctrl + C
Paste
Ctrl + V
Command + V or Ctrl + V
Cut
Ctrl + X
Command + X or Ctrl + X
Undo
Ctrl + Z
Command + Z or Ctrl + Z
Redo
Ctrl + Y
Delete
Command + Y or Ctrl + Y or Command +
Shift + Z
Delete
Ctrl + B
Command + B or Ctrl + B
Italic
Ctrl + I
Command + I or Ctrl + I
Underline
Ctrl + U
Command + U or Ctrl + U
Fill cells down
Ctrl + D
Command + D or Ctrl + D
Fill cells right
Ctrl + R
Command + R or Ctrl + R
Insert cells
Ctrl + Shift + Equal sign (=)
Delete cells
Ctrl + Shift + Plus
sign (+)
Ctrl + Hyphen (-)
Save
Ctrl + S
Command + Hyphen (-) or Ctrl + Hyphen
(-)
Command + S or Ctrl + S
Save As
F12
Command + Shift + S or F12
Print
Ctrl + P
Command + P or Ctrl + P
Close Window
Ctrl + W or Ctrl + F4 Command + W or Ctrl + W
Quit Excel
Alt + F4
Remove Cell
Contents
Bold
Command + Q
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Move and Scroll using Keyboard Shortcuts
This is an overview of key combinations used to navigate within an Excel
workbook.
Note: Keyboard shortcuts have slight differences depending on the platform.
Description
Windows
Mac OS
Navigation between cells
Arrow keys
Arrow keys
Navigation between
unlocked cells on a
protected sheet
Horizontal Scrolling
Tab key
Tab key
Shift + scroll the mouse wheel up
for left and down for right
Access Go To
Shift + scroll the mouse
wheel up for left and
down for right
Alt + G
Access Find
Alt + F
Ctrl + F or Shift + F5
Access search while in a
cell
Ctrl + F
Command + F
Move to the edge of the
selected data region
Ctrl + Arrow key
Command + Arrow key
Move to the start of a
row
Alt + H
Home or Fn + Left arrow key
Move to the start of the
sheet
Ctrl + Home
Ctrl + Home or Ctrl + Fn + Left
arrow key
Move to the last used cell
on the sheet
Ctrl + End
Ctrl + End or Ctrl + Fn + Right
arrow key
Navigate one screen
down
Page down
Page down or Fn + Down arrow
key
Navigate one screen up
Page up
Page up or Fn + Up arrow key
Navigate one screen to
the right
Alt + Page down
Alt + Page down or Fn + Alt +
Down arrow key
Navigate one screen to
the left
Navigate to the next
sheet
Alt + Page up
Alt + Page up or Fn + Alt + Up
arrow key
Ctrl + Page up or Alt + Right arrow
key
Navigate the previous
sheet
Ctrl + Page up
Ctrl + Page down or Alt + Left
arrow key
Scroll to the active cell
Shift + Tab
Ctrl + Delete
Ctrl + Page down
Ctrl + G
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Excel
For
DATA ANALYSTS
Day-14
(Excel Interview Questions)
BY
MOHAMMED UMAER
DATA ANALYST
Excel for Data Analysts
Excel Concepts Tested in Data Analyst Interviews
In order to establish why Excel is so useful, it is helpful to think of the teams you
may work or be embedded with. The finance department of a company is an
excellent example. Establishing plans and testing models for this team puts you
in a position of deciding on crucial financial decisions for the company itself.
That is why a successful data analyst should focus on learning and improving
their financial reporting, forecasting and strategizing, which is where knowing
important Excel functions and tools comes in handy. You may very well work
with other functions of a business like sales or customer success (retention), and
the following tools will also be a huge asset for their planning as well:
Pivot Tables
Pivot tables are perhaps one of the tools that will save you the most time in
Excel. It is capable of summarizing and analyzing data in a matter of seconds.
And regardless of the size of the data itself, it will provide you with a summary
of it, with the ability to quickly update when new data is inputted. With these
advantages, the pivot table can be one of the best ‘friends’ of data analysts who
use Microsoft Excel regularly.
Charts
Charts are the essential way for you to present your data. Everyone can turn in
pages upon pages of numbers. And sometimes that kind of presentation is
required or requested as well. More often however, the detailed and
customizable Charts section in Excel is going to help you create graphics that
both convey data and tell a better story. Common charts include:

Column Chart

Line Chart

Pie Chart (2-D and 3-D)

Doughnut Chart

Bar Chart

Area Chart
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Calculated Items
Calculated items work as custom formulas that use the sum of different items.
The sum of different items is calculated and put into a pivot field. It can be
looked at almost as a supportive feature of Pivot Tables.
Conditional Formatting
This feature also goes well when you are presenting your final results to a
group. It helps you differentiate categories of data cells from each other. You
can highlight, emphasize and change the format of the cells, often by adding cell
color based on the cell contents. As a business analyst, you are going to deal
with numbers constantly. Therefore, presenting them in a more fashionable
way will help everyone to realize and understand what they are looking at
easily.
Basic Excel Questions for Data Analysts
It is crucial that you know Excel in today’s times, especially when you have to
work with data. A data analyst has to know a number of tools, and Excel is one
of the basic ones on that list. There are plenty of other tools that can work with
large datasets, but it is Excel where most analysis starts, before increasing in
complexity. Some questions you need to know how to solve in Excel at a basic
level are:
1. What are the common data formats in Microsoft Excel?
Excel can accommodate a number of basic and advanced data formats. Some of
the most common ones are numbers, percentages, dates, and text.
2. How are data formats used in Excel?
There are many ways in which one can use data formats in Excel. For example,
numbers can be used as decimals or rounded figures, percentages can be used
to show part of a whole (the whole being 100%), dates can be changed
depending on the region and location that Excel is connected to, and text can be
used to analyze data and reports imported from other spreadsheets. These
formats are often used in conjunction with one another when doing more
advanced coding and manipulation, which we will cover further in the article
(for example, multiplying a number by a percentage).
3. What is a spreadsheet and what are its fundamental components?
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A spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel is made up of cells organized into rows and
columns. Information is inputted into the cells in order to organize, display and
manipulate data. For example, a spreadsheet can contain the names of a list of
products, the price per unit, and the number of units sold. This enables the
viewer to read and search through this list and make calculations for what data
needs to be analyzed.
4. In how many formats can Microsoft Excel export data?
There are a total of six formats in which data can be exported. They are:
1. Excel workbook: .xlsx
2. Excel macro-enabled workbook: .xlsm
3. Excel binary workbook: .xlsb
4. Template: .xltx
5. Template (code): .xltm
6. XML data: .xml
Choosing which format to export it may be dependent on the team that needs
the file or constraints on how large a file can be for its end destination.
5. How can you wrap the text within a cell?
Wrapping text is useful for data presentation and keeping your sheet clean. You
must select the text you want to wrap, click wrap text from the home tab, and
you will see the text wrap within a cell.
6. What is a Ribbon in Excel?
A Ribbon refers to the topmost area of the application that contains menu items
and toolbars available in MS Excel. Ribbons can be shown/hidden using
CTRL+F1. The ribbon runs on the top of the application and acts as a
replacement for the toolbars and menu dropdowns that can be hard to navigate
without lots of muscle memory. The ribbons have various tabs on the top, and
upon clicking on it you can see a group of commands which you can use without
having to re-navigate to the tab header. Additionally, hovering over ribbon
commands will show you the hotkey combination to perform that function, so
that you can memorize some of the functions you use most often.
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7. What order of operations do you use when evaluating formulas in Excel? In
other words, in what order will Excel formulas process the inputted code?
The same as you use in mathematics which is defined by the term “PEMDAS” or
“BEDMAS”. This stands for:

Parentheses or Brackets

Exponent

Multiplication

Division

Addition

Subtraction
8. What are cells In Excel?
Each worksheet on Microsoft Excel is comprised of multiple rows and columns.
The points where the rows and columns intersect form a rectangle, which is also
known as a cell.
9. What is a cell address and how is it denoted in Excel?
The cell address is a unique identification value given to every cell on an Excel
sheet to make it easier to find data present on the document. The cell address is
denoted by the respective column letter and corresponding row number for the
cell. The notation is simple, A1 is the left uppermost cell in a spreadsheet, and
other cells count outwards from there.
10. How do you delete unwanted sheets in your Excel workbook?
Right click on the bottom sheet tab of the sheet that you wish to delete. The
right click will bring up a menu of options, one of which is delete. Selecting
delete will activate a prompt that asks if you are ready to permanently delete
the sheet; make sure you have a saved version or really are positive you will no
longer need the information contained within.
11. Can you add annotations to a cell in your Excel workbook? If yes, how?
You can annotate a cell in excel using multiple techniques like utilizing colors,
callouts, and cell comments.
12. What are cell references?
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Cell references are used to refer to data located in the same Excel spreadsheet
but to data in a different cell. This becomes useful when building custom
formulas that rely on data from different locations within the same sheet or
from a different sheet.
13. How do you insert a comment into an Excel spreadsheet?
To add a comment to a sheet, right click on the sheet you want to add the
comment to and choose insert comment from the menu. Type your comment in
the comment area provided. Cell comments are directly linked to specific cells
and are indicated by a red triangle in the corner of a cell. To see the comment,
simply hover over the cell with your mouse.
14. Can you protect your data in Excel? If so, how?
There are three ways in which you can do this, and they are: Setting passwords
to open the workbook. Adding, removing or hiding sheets (make sure you have
reviewed how to unhide the sheet for future reference). Protecting the sheet
from the alteration of window sizes or positions.
15. How many cell formats are possible in Microsoft Excel?
Microsoft Excel 2003 can handle 4,000 different cell format combinations, and
Excel 2007 and later can handle 64,000. Any unique combination of formats
counts towards this number: for example, one cell formatted with Arial font and
pink fill color, and another cell with Arial font and blue fill color, would count as
two different combinations.
16. How do you change the formatting of a cell in Excel?
The default font of all cell content in a workbook is Calibri (in black). However,
this can be changed by selecting any cell and clicking the Font drop-down menu
on the Home tab. You can change the font, size and color and make your text
bold, italic or underlined. Other options available to you include: - Cell Fill
colors. - Cell Borders. - Cell styles. - Auto number formatting (adding currency
symbols, percentage symbols, etc). - Alignment. - Auto text formatting
(changing the appearance of dates and times etc).
17. What does the red triangle in the upper right corner of a cell denote?
A red triangle in the upper right corner of a cell indicates that a cell comment
has been attached to this cell. If you hover over the cell with your cursor, the
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comment will be displayed. Check back to “How do you insert a comment”
above to review that process.
18. What does an Absolute Cell Reference accomplish in Excel?
Absolute cell referencing is the exact opposite of relative cell referencing. By
marking the row number and column letter with a $ symbol (e.g. $A$1), you can
make a cell reference fixed (or “absolute”). This means that when you copy and
paste it to another cell or use AutoFill, the cell references will not change.
19. What is the function of the dollar sign ($) in Microsoft Excel?
When you insert the dollar sign, it tells a cell in Excel whether to change the
location of the reference or not, if the formula for it is copied to other cells. You
can also make only the row or column absolute ($A1, or A$1), in order to allow a
portion of a reference to be updated when pasting or AutoFilling.
20. What is the shortcut to the Data Filter on Excel?
The shortcut to turn filters on or off is Ctrl+Shift+L. To display the filter dropdown menu, the shortcut is Alt+Down Arrow
21. What is the difference between a function and a formula in Excel?
Formulas are written instructions for a calculation in Excel. All calculations
within a spreadsheet will be written as formulas (e.g. =C3+C4+C5+C7+C8). On
the other hand, functions are prewritten formulas and a feature of Excel. Excel
has over 500 built-in functions that allow users to achieve complicated
calculations without having to create the formula themselves, or type it out in
full.
22. How do you clear the cell formatting without removing text?
You need to go to the Home tab, click the Clear button and then select the
option for Clear Formats. Any formatting done on the cell will be removed
without affecting content.
23. How do you enter the current date and time on an Excel sheet?
=NOW() function will return the current date and time. If you just want to enter
the current time, but not date, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+semicolon
key, and for the current date without time, press Ctrl+Semicolon.
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Excel for Data Analysts
24. What is a Dashboard?
A dashboard is used to present important information through graphical
representation. It is helpful in presenting huge data on a single computer screen
so it can be reviewed with a glance, and useful insights can be inferred from it.
Often a dashboard will utilize color coded gauges to show if metrics are within
desired parameters or if a deeper dive is needed on a specific topic.
25. How do you split information in a column into two or more columns?
The text to column option in the Data tab could be used to split the original
column into two or more columns. You can split by number of characters, or by
delimiting (looking for a certain indicator). A common example is separating the
cell FirstLastName (Susan Crabapple) into a First Name (Susan) and Last Name
(Crabapple). By delimiting based on the space, you could separate a whole
range of names into their component parts.
Intermediate Excel Questions for Data Analysts
Explaining data succinctly is part of the job, but explaining the software and
tools that data analysts use definitely is not, and not everyone is naturally gifted
in this area. This means that you need to be prepared for any kind of question
that the interviewer may ask, and can show your additional capabilities by
articulating what other interviewees may not be able to.
As the interview progresses, the questions can get tougher depending on how
well you know the software. If you have experience in data analytics, you can
expect questions on functions and other tasks that you can carry out in
Microsoft Excel, such as writing SQL Queries within Excel.
26. What is an Excel chart, and how many types of charts are there?
A chart in Excel is a feature that allows you to display data through a range of
visually intuitive graphs. These charts and graphs can make it easier and quicker
to comprehend data, in comparison to just looking at the numbers on the
worksheet. Available charts in Excel include:

Bar graphs

Line graphs

Pie charts
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
Area graph

Scatter graphs

Surface graphs

Doughnut graphs

Radar charts
Each of these charts has its advantages and disadvantages, based on the story
you wish to tell your audience. Make sure you have a reason for choosing a
specific chart, and that it is not emotional or random.
27. What is a Macro in Microsoft Excel?
A macro is a sequence of performable actions in Excel that have been recorded,
saved, and named for easy use in the future.
A macro can then be called on whenever necessary to complete the sequence of
actions without the user having to replicate each step manually. This saves
valuable time and effort when performing repetitive tasks with larger sets of
data. You might, for example, need to manipulate a data set in the same way
every week, but it involves 15 steps to complete. By recording a macro, you can
manipulate the data in a consistent way extremely quickly, with just a click of a
button.
28. How do you standardize the formatting in the sheets of a workbook?
Formatting will automatically be copied to all selected sheets, so to apply a
single format to all the sheets in a workbook, simply hold down Ctrl (or Cmd on
Mac) to select every sheet. Only formatting edits will be copied over with this
method, not data.
29. What is a relative cell address?
A relative cell address (or relative cell reference) is a cell address within a
formula that does not include a $ symbol before the row number or column
letter. This means that when the formula is copied one column over, the cell
address will change accordingly. The formula will calculate relative to its
position, rather than displaying the calculation from the original position. This is
why making formulas with absolute cell references is so important, as you often
do not want your equations to roll forward automatically.
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30. What is a drop-down list?
A drop-down list allows the creator of a spreadsheet to control the data
inputted into certain cells. In other words, when the creator only wants one of
four predetermined options to be used, instead of relying on potentially
unreliable user inputs (misspellings, non-standard categories), they can ensure
it is adhered to by having the users click an option from a drop-down list. Good
inputs equal good outputs, and reducing the opportunities for manual entry will
allow for better analysis down the line.
31. How do you use the Name Box function?
The Name Box is an input box above the Excel sheet, to the left of the formula
bar. Its default mode displays the address of the currently selected cell, but it
has other uses too. Firstly, the Name Box can be used to quickly select a specific
cell or range of cells: typing in a cell reference like G8 will automatically navigate
to cell G8, and typing in a range of cells like G8:G30 will select all cells within
that range. Secondly, the Name Box can be used to create a named range, and
then can be used as a drop-down menu to navigate between your assorted
named ranges.
32. What is the LOOKUP function in Microsoft Excel?
The LOOKUP function allows the user to find exact or partial matches in the
spreadsheet. The VLOOKUP option lets the user search for data located in the
vertical position. The HLOOKUP option functions in the same way but in the
horizontal plane.
33. Can you use multiple data formats in Pivot Tables?
Data can be imported from a variety of sources by selecting the Data tab and
clicking Get External Data > From Other Sources. Excel worksheet data, data
feeds, text files, and other such data formats can be imported, but you will need
to create relationships between the imported tables and those in your
worksheet before using them to create a pivot table.
34. How do you create a hyperlink in Excel?
To create a link in Excel, select the element you wish to use as the anchor (this
can be a cell or an object like a picture). You can then use a variety of pathways:
select Link from the Insert tab, right-click and select Link on the menu, or press
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Ctrl+K. This will bring up a series of options that will allow you to indicate what
kind of content you would like to link to, such as a file, a web page, a specific
location, or an email address.
35. How do you find the day of the week for a particular date in an Excel
sheet?
You can do this by using the WEEKDAY function. First, enter the formula in the
required cell, WEEKDAY(A1,1). The second argument (1) determines to what day
Excel will assign the value. Press Enter, and the Formula will return 3, meaning
that your date is the 3rd day of the week.
36. What are the benefits of using the SHEET formula?
When working in a massive workbook with many sheet tabs, it can be helpful to
know that you are looking at the correct sheet and not missing any hidden tabs.
The SHEET formula returns the number of the sheet you are in, such that the
second sheet tab would return a value of 2. This is beneficial as an
organizational tool.
37. How do you build a Pivot Table?

Click on the Data tab in the ribbon section.

Then, click the Data Validation button in the Data Tools group

Navigate to Configurations>Allow>List

Select an array for the source list
38. What is the default value of the last parameter of the VLOOKUP function?
If the last parameter is not specified via TRUE or FALSE, the return value will
default to TRUE (approximate), and show an approximate match for your
request. This is usually not what you are looking to accomplish, as the typical
use case for VLOOKUP is to find an exact match.
39. How do you refresh a Pivot Table?
There are several methods to refresh a pivot table without making a new one
from scratch:
1. Click the pivot table, select Analyze, and then select Refresh from the pivot
table tools menu.
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2. Right-click the pivot table and select Refresh.
3. Use the keyboard shortcut Alt+F5.
You can also refresh all pivot tables within a workbook at once by selecting the
arrow underneath the Refresh button in the pivot table tools menu, and
selecting Refresh All.
40. What is the most common error message in Excel?
The most common error message in Excel is the #### error message, which is
displayed when a cell is not large enough to display all the data that has been
inputted into it. To solve this error message, simply drag the cell to increase its
width or depth.
Other common errors include #VALUE! , which results when a portion of the
data you are trying to analyze has a different format than the rest, or #NAME! ,
when the formula was written incorrectly and is not processing as it should.
41. How do you find duplicate values in a column in Excel?
To find but not delete duplicates in a column, select the target range of data
and navigate to the Style group on the Home tab. Here, click the arrow next to
Conditional Formatting. You will then be able to choose Highlight Cell Rules,
Duplicate Values, and enter the values you wish to find duplicates of. This will
highlight duplicates of the values you entered, but will not manipulate the data
within.
42. What are Macro languages in Excel?
Macros for Excel are written in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). You can use
VBA to manually type out actions for a macro yourself, or you can “record”
actions using the Macro Recorder in Excel, and the software will convert these
to VBA code for you. Once you become stronger in VBA, you can review
recorded macros and perform the updates yourself to tweak your use cases.
43. How do you extract unique values in Excel?
You can find unique values by selecting the desired range of data and navigating
to Data > Sort & Filter > Advanced. To permanently delete duplicate values and
create a list of unique values only, click Data > Data Tools > Remove Duplicates.
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44. How do you create Cross-Tabulation in Excel?
The product of the pivot table feature in Excel is often referred to in other
software as a contingency table or cross-tabulation. To create a “crosstab” use
the PivotTable option on the Insert tab.
45. What is Freeze Panes?
The Freeze Pane function in Excel serves to lock rows or columns of a sheet so
that they are always visible. This can be found on the View Tab of the ribbon.
This is often helpful when you want to keep the headers of columns in view, or
perhaps the identifier of a row while scrolling right.
Hard Excel Questions for Data Analysts
No matter what position you work in, no matter which company you work for, if
you are unable to solve the problems you face, you will not be successful. That
means you have to be good at identifying the problems themselves. Then you
have to consider which ones can be or should be solved. After your evaluations,
you can create solutions to challenges for both the organization and you as a
data analyst. By being able to answer difficult questions on Excel, and knowing
how to navigate these issues, you will find your job as a data analyst much
easier.
These harder questions about Excel include data analysis, sorting, and other
hard functions.
46. What is conditional formatting?
Conditional formatting is a method that allows us to identify the characteristics
(conditions) of a cell’s contents that are of interest to us, and superimpose
highlighting of cells or ranges that meet that criteria. When a cell is updated
with new information, the conditional formatting will recognize and update
itself. For instance, if you wanted to apply a green highlight to any cell that
contains the letter Z, and you update Randolph to Ziggy, the conditional format
would automatically apply.
47. What is the limitation of the VLOOKUP function?
The VLOOKUP function can only move in one direction, from left to right.
Therefore, the information you wish to seek out must be located in a column to
the right of the lookup value’s location. In newer versions of Excel, a successor
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to VLOOKUP has been added, called XLOOKUP. This new function works in any
direction and defaults to exact matches rather than approximate. At some point
in the future, XLOOKUP will completely replace VLOOKUP, but this will not
happen until the majority of users have moved away from using older versions
of Excel.
48. Does VLOOKUP use case sensitive values?
VLOOKUP is not case-sensitive, and will always return the first value of the
match irrespective of the case. In other words, the name Apgar and the
acronym APGAR would be viewed as the same by VLOOKUP. It is, however,
possible to manipulate VLOOKUP into returning case-sensitive values by using a
helper column, or by sorting your data in an ascending or descending order so
that the value you want is always the first to be encountered by VLOOKUP.
49. How do the INDEX and MATCH functions work in Excel?
You can use two MATCH functions within an INDEX formula to specify a cell
reference and return the value of that cell. The dynamic formula will return the
corresponding data of any two MATCH values you input. For example, if you
have a table detailing the price per unit and the number of units sold for a
variety of products, you can use the match index function to return a specific
piece of information about a specific product.
50. What is the difference between COUNT, COUNTA, COUNTBLANK and
COUNTIF functions?
COUNT: This function counts how many cells within a specified range contain
numerical data. It will ignore (not count) any cells that are blank or contain text
or symbols only.
COUNTA: This function counts how many cells within a specified range contain
data of any type (the cell is filled). It will count all cells that are not blank.
COUNTBLANK: This function will count the number of blank cells within the
designated range.
COUNTIF: This function will count only the cells whose value meets a certain
condition specified by the user.
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51. What is Data Validation?
Data Validation limits the type of values that can be inserted into a single cell or
a set of cells by a user. It again works to limit user input errors and keep the
data inputs clean.
52. How can you measure an Excel percentage?

Select the destination cell to display the percentage

Then, type a “=” sign.

Type in your reference, say A1/ A2, then hit the Enter key.

Click on the Home tab, and select the % symbol from the numbers group.
This converts the value into a percentage format.
53. Can you build Excel feature shortcuts?
Yes. It is possible to configure the ‘Easy Access Toolbar’ above the home button
to display your most commonly used shortcuts.
54. What are the alignments for Left, Right, Fill, and Distributed?

The left/right alignment aligns the cell’s contents to the left and right.

Fill the cell with the same text repetitively, as the name suggests.

Distributed spreads the text over the cell width.
55. How do you use Advanced Filters?
You can extract a unique list of items using Advanced Filters, or you can also
extract a particular item from various worksheets. It may be assumed that the
Advanced Filter is an advanced Auto Filter variant.
56. What is an Excel Array formula?
With an array, a user can perform multiple calculations on multiple items using
just one formula. For instance, if you want to multiply A1 by B1, A2 by B2, A3 by
B3, and so on, instead of writing a formula for each calculation, you can write
=A1:A10*B1:B10 in cell C1, and the results for each calculation will spill down
the C column.
This is called a multi-cell array, as the results will be stored in multiple cells. You
can also create a single-cell array if, for example, you wanted to sum the
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entirety of the values calculated by the above array. This would look like:
=SUM(A1:A10*B1:B10) and return a single value calculated by adding the
results of all ten multiplications together.
57. How do you extract the first name from a full name in Excel?
The FIND function will return the numerical location of this target (with the first
character of the text being 1). The LEFT function can then extract the number of
characters specified by the FIND function from the beginning of the text (i.e. the
left).
However, the value returned by FIND will include the space itself, so we need to
subtract 1 from the value in order to find the actual ending point of the first
name. The formula would look like this:=LEFT(A1,FIND(“ ”,A1)-1).
A second method would separate the first names and last names and deposit
them into separate new columns, using the Text to Columns feature found in
the Data tab. We covered this earlier under how to split information in a
column. The Text to Columns dialogue box will allow you to select the delimiter
separating each field (e.g. space) and show you a preview of the result. The last
step will allow you to choose where you want the result to be displayed.
58. What is the difference between a function and a subroutine in VBA?
It is the duty of a function to return the value of the mission it performs.
Subroutines, meanwhile, do not return the importance of the assignment they
perform. Functions are used as formulas, as they are in spreadsheets.
Subroutines are not used as formulas directly inside spreadsheets.
59. What’s the distinction in VBA between this workbook and the active
workbook?
The name of the workbook from which the code is running is provided by This
Workbook. Active Workbook is as the name implies, the workbook that is
actually active in the numerous open workbooks.
60. What is the easy way to go back to a specific area of a worksheet?
Using the name box is a fast way to return to a particular section of the
worksheet. To return to a particular area of a worksheet, you can type the cell
address or name of the range in the name box.
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Excel
For
DATA ANALYSTS
Day-15
(Excel Quick Guide)
BY
MOHAMMED UMAER
DATA ANALYST
Excel for Data Analysts
Quick Guide
Excel Important Concepts to Glance on Before Interviews and Revision
10 FORMULAS
Formulas make Excel smart. Without them, Excel is simple data-keeping
software. Once you unleash formulas on your data, you can do magic. But Excel
has hundreds of formulas, so which ones to learn first? In this chapter, I present
the ten most important formulas for you. Master these and you will be able to
answer most business analysis questions quickly. I am assuming that you are
familiar with simple formulas like IF, SUM, COUNT, AVERAGE, etc. So, in this
section, we will only focus on intermediate to advanced formula concepts.
1. Tables & Structural References
2. IFS
3. SUMIFS
4. VLOOKUP
5. INDEX + MATCH combination
6. Working with Date and Time values in Excel Formulas
7. Working with Text Values
8. Implementing Business Logic using AND/OR/NOT
9. Summarize Filtered Values with SUBTOTAL
10. ERROR in Formulas
10 DATA ANALYSIS
There are a million ways to analyze data in Excel. But as an intermediate-level
user, you should focus on learning the core analysis concepts first before
moving to advanced topics. In this chapter, I will be talking about the top 10
ways to analyze data in Excel.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Basic Statistics
Weighted Average
Quickly Spotting OUTLIERS using Conditional Formatting
Find Common Values between Lists
Extract TOP / BOTTON 5 Values
Filters
Avoid VLOOKUPS with Multi – Table PIVOTS
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8. MONTHLY / QUARTERLY Totals from Daily Data (Aggregation)
9. Look for Trends
10. Make you’re Analysis Interactive
10 CHARTS
We all know how to make column charts, lines, and pies. But when it comes to
business analysis and reporting, it is necessary to learn how to make a few
different types of advanced charts in Excel. In this chapter, we will see the top
10 charts for data analysis.
Before we into the top 10 charts, first let me highlight the importance of picking
the right type of chart for each situation.
The process for picking a chart is simple.
1. Figure out what information you want to present. This is easy because most
of the time, you know it, or someone asks you for it. But for the rare occasions
when you are asked to analyze this data and present something, select one of
the below six key messages.
a. Comparison
b. Trend
c. Distribution
d. Relationship
e. Parts of Whole
f. Deviation
2. Gather your data and turn it into information. Now that you know what your
chart needs to say, take your data and turn it into necessary information. This
can be done by either formulas or pivot tables or other tools.
3. Make the chart. Pick the chart that conveys the message you want concisely.
When in doubt, use below mapping table to decide which chart goes with each
message.
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4. Format the chart. Most of the time, the default chart in Excel is not ready for
distribution. Format the chart by removing any distractions, adding the
necessary title, and caption, and applying labels if needed. Align & size it
properly.
That is all. Your chart is now ready.
Top 10 Charts
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Thermometer Chart
Combo Chart
Smart Titles & Captions on your charts
Analyze Distribution with Histograms
Box plots
Indexed Charts
Interactive Charts
Last Year Vs This Year Analysis
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9. Highlight Important points in charts
10. Tables are Charts too
SELF-LEARNING TIPS FOR LEARNING EXCEL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Focus on Learning rather than skimming everything
Practice alongside learning
Make notes, it will be very helpful in the revision
Do not try to mug up all formulas, memorize only the important
formulas, and the rest you must google when you need.
Using Google Effectively
No Excel Expert Knows everything, they find the approach to the
problem and use Google for the rest.
Start making projects as soon as you complete a little intermediate stuff.
Ex: Personal finance, To Do list.
Make a Excel Learning Tracker in Excel.
ALL THE BEST. KEEP LEARNING. KEEP EXCELLING. KEEP UPSKILLING
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