Mr. Fevola
Computer Apps
Notes
1/15/2012
Excel
Excel Basics

Excel is a spreadsheet software. It is especially useful for calculations of all complexities and charts.

Excel files have an .xlsx extension. Older versions have a .xls extension.
Excel Concepts

The 3 primary cell attributes are Address, Contents, Display

The 2 main data types are alpha/text/words and numeric/numbers. Text may appear to spill over into the next cell if it doesn’t fit
or be truncated if the next cell is occupied. Numbers will show #### if the column is not wide enough.

The 2 main formula types are basic operations such as +-*/ and functions such as sum, average, etc. They can also be mixed like
this =sum(c3:c11)*5

Cell Referencing. We reference cells by their address, such as B9 or Y22. We don’t want to type “hard” numbers into a formula.
We want to reference the cells so we can change the data and automatically get new results.
Page 1 of 6
Mr. Fevola
Computer Apps
1/15/2012
Notes
Excel

Relative Referencing. When we want to perform the same operation on different data that is laid out in the same way we use
relative addresses. Relative addresses are simply the addresses of the cells. When we reference cells in this manner it allows us to
create the formula once and copy it to one or more similar cells where the data will be in the same place relative to the formula.

Absolute Referencing. If we need the same operation in different locations using the same data over and over again we use
absolute addresses. Create an absolute address by pressing F4 after typing (or insert “$” before the column and row, e.g., $M$1).
When we reference cells in this manner it allows us to copy the formula without the address changing.
Page 2 of 6
Mr. Fevola
Computer Apps
1/15/2012
Notes
Excel
Excel Formulas

All Excel Formulas begin with “=”. For instance…
=A2+A3
=B5/C5

In addition to the operators or functions, formulas can have numbers, relative addresses, absolute addresses, lists and ranges.
Ranges are represented by a starting and ending address separated by a colon. Operators and functions can be mixed. Numbers
and references can be mixed. Lists and ranges can be mixed.
Example Formula
Explanation
=5+6
Basic operation using numbers
=Q10+R10
Basic operation using cell (relative) addresses
=S44*$B$2
Basic operation using relative and absolute cell addresses
=sum(A6,D6,G6)
Function with a list of relative cell addresses
=sum(P3:P29)
Function with a range of relative cell addresses
=C127*10
Basic operation mixing a relative addresses with a hard number
=D8/sum($C$6:$C$70)
A basic operation, a function, a relative address and an absolute range, all mixed in one formula
=max(D4,G4,R4:W4)
Function with a list and range
Excel Operators
Operation
Operator
Addition
+
Subtraction
-
Multiplication
*
Division
/
Excel Functions
Operation
Function
Type
Explanation
Example
Addition
Sum
Statistical
Provides the sum of all the values
in parenthesis. The values can be a
range of addresses, or a list of
numbers or addresses or ranges or
any combination.
=sum(B6:B157)
Average
Average
Statistical
Provides the average of all the
values in parenthesis. The values
can be a range of addresses, or a
list of numbers or addresses or
ranges or any combination.
=average(B6,D6,F6,H6)
Be careful not to have a comma
at the end or a “0” will be
averaged in.
Count
Numbers
Count
Statistical
Counts all cells containing numeric
values
=count(Q3:Q127)
Formulas and dates count as
numbers.
Count All
Counta
Statistical
Counts all cells containing data
=counta(R13:R28)
Page 3 of 6
Special Notes
Mr. Fevola
Computer Apps
1/15/2012
Notes
Excel
Operation
Function
Type
Explanation
Example
High/
Maximum
Value
Max
Statistical
Provides the highest value in
parenthesis. The values can be a
range of addresses, or a list of
numbers or addresses or ranges or
any combination.
=max(B5,B6,F5,F6,J5,J6,100)
Low/
Minimum
Value
Min
Statistical
Provides the lowest value in
parenthesis. The values can be a
range of addresses, or a list of
numbers or addresses or ranges or
any combination.
=min(A2:A25,T2:T25,Z2:Z25)
Be careful not to have a comma
at the end or a “0” will be the
minimum value.
If
Condition
If
Logical
Provides 2 choices of operation
based on a true/false test. The first
argument must be something that
is either true or false. For instance,
Q50>100. Either cell Q50 is greater
nd
than 100 or it isn’t. The 2
argument is what you want to
calculate or display when this is
rd
true. The 3 argument is what you
want to calculate or display when
this is false.
=if(A5>0,A5,”NA”)
If you don’t proved the 3
argument you will get a result of
“FALSE” in the cell when the
condition is not true.
Addition
of specific
data
Dsum
Database
Provides the sum of all the values
in a selected column that match
the criteria.
=dsum(B6:B157)
The top cell of the criteria is the
nd
field name. The bottom (2 )
cell of the criteria range is the
criteria. For example:
=daverage(B6:H60,”Sales”,J1:J2)
The top cell of the criteria is the
nd
field name. The bottom (2 )
cell of the criteria range is the
criteria. For example:
=dcount(B6:H60,”Sales”,J1:J2)
Formulas and dates count as
numbers.
Arguments:
Special Notes
rd
1. The table range
2. The field name in quotes
3. The criteria range
Average
of specific
data
Daverage
Database
Provides the average of all the
values in a selected column that
match the criteria.
Arguments:
1. The table range
2. The field name in quotes
3. The criteria range
Count
Numbers
of specific
data
Dcount
Database
Counts all cells containing numeric
values in a selected column that
match the criteria.
Arguments:
1. The table range
2. The field name in quotes
3. The criteria range
Page 4 of 6
The top cell of the criteria is the
nd
field name. The bottom (2 )
cell of the criteria range is the
criteria. For example:
Mr. Fevola
Computer Apps
1/15/2012
Notes
Excel
Operation
Function
Type
Explanation
Example
Special Notes
Count All
of specific
data
Dcounta
Database
Counts all cells containing data in a
selected column that match the
criteria.
=dcounta(B6:H60,”Sales”,J1:J2)
The top cell of the criteria is the
nd
field name. The bottom (2 )
cell of the criteria range is the
criteria. For example:
=dmax(B6:H60,”Sales”,J1:J2)
The top cell of the criteria is the
nd
field name. The bottom (2 )
cell of the criteria range is the
criteria. For example:
=dmin(B6:H60,”Sales”,J1:J2)
The top cell of the criteria is the
nd
field name. The bottom (2 )
cell of the criteria range is the
criteria. For example:
Arguments:
1. The table range
2. The field name in quotes
3. The criteria range
High/
Maximum
Value of
specific
data
Dmax
Database
Provides the highest value in a
selected column that match the
criteria.
Arguments:
1. The table range
2. The field name in quotes
3. The criteria range
Low/
Minimum
Value of
specific
data
Dmin
Database
Provides the lowest value in a
selected column that match the
criteria.
Arguments:
1. The table range
2. The field name in quotes
3. The criteria range
Error
check
Iserr
Information
Returns TRUE if there is an error in
the cell or formula you ask it to
check and FALSE if there is not.
=iserr(w12)
Errors you may see are #DIV/0!
, #Value, #Ref
Round
Round
Math
Rounds a number off to a number
of digits. You provide the number
or formula or cell as the first
argument and the number of digits
as the second argument.
=round(B3,2)
The round function actually
changes the value. This differs
from the
icons because
they only change the display.
nd
Using 3 for the 2 argument would
be 3 decimal places, 2 would mean
2 decimal place, 1 equals 1 decimal
place and 0 means none. To round
to the nearest 10s place you use -1
and -2 is the nearest 100, etc.

Nesting. A function can take other formulas as an argument if appropriate. It can even take another function. This is referred to
as nesting.
Page 5 of 6
Mr. Fevola
Computer Apps
1/15/2012
Notes
Excel
Charts

The Data from your spreadsheets can be used to create charts.

Charts are an excellent way to make a point with your data. Many people understand the big picture better when it is represented
in a graphical format.
Chart Type
Example
Best Uses
Pie
When comparing all the parts as a whole. For instance, a list of the amount of
each of all the different car types sold. Each slice would represent the amount of
a different type of car. The whole pie would be all the cars.
Stacked Columns
When comparing groups to each other. For instance, you could compare how
many cars sales each dealership did and at the same time show the amount of
each of all the different car types sold in each dealership. Each bar would
represent all the cars sold by one dealership. Each color would be a subset of the
bar representing the total sales of a specific type of car.
Multi-Bar
When comparing groups of unrelated information to other groups. For instance,
you could compare the average, highest and lowest sales totals for a month in
each dealership to all the other dealerships.
Line
When showing trends over time. For example, the amount of items sold over the
course of a few years or the total monthly expenses in a year.
Other Graphical Tools

The Data from your spreadsheets can be formatted based on its value or its value relative to other cells. In particular, conditional
formatting can be used to display colors based on a range from lowest to highest. See below.
Page 6 of 6