Introducing Excel
Jason C. H. Chen, Ph.D.
Professor of
Management Information Systems
School of Business Administration
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA 99258, USA
Chen@gonzaga.edu
Excel Skills
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Open Microsoft Excel
Close a workbook and Exit Excel
2
Key Terms (p. EX-4)
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Cell
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Active cell
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The intersection of a row and column in a worksheet. All
worksheet data is contained in cells.
The cell in which you can enter data or perform calculations.
You make a cell active by clicking it. The active cell is
surrounded by a thick border.
Address

A naming system consisting of the column letter and row
number for specifying any cell in a worksheet.
3
Key Terms
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Application title bar
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Formatting toolbar
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The title bar for Microsoft Excel that appears above the
workbook window for each open workbook, and contains the
controls to minimize, maximize, restore, and close Excel.
The toolbar appearing at the top of the application window
that contains buttons and boxes for formatting one or more
cells.
Formula bar

A bar near the top of the window that displays the constant
value or formula used in the active cell. To enter or edit
values or formulas, select a cell, type the data, and then
press W. You can also double-click a cell to edit data directly
in the cell. An equal sign is always precedes a formula.
4
Key Terms

Label
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Non-adjacent cells
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A selection of worksheet cells that are not adjacent to one
another.
Row
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Text in Excel that defines the structure of a worksheet.
A horizontal storage area in Excel.
Rows
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A selection of more than one row in a worksheet.
5
Key Terms

Scroll bars
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The shaded bars along the right side and bottom
of a window. To scroll to another part of the file,
drag the box or click the arrows in the scroll bar.
Sheet tabs

A tab near the bottom of a workbook window that
displays the name of a sheet. Click the sheet tab
to make a sheet active. To display a shortcut
menu, click a tab with the right mouse button. To
scroll through the sheet tabs, use the tab scrolling
buttons to the left of the tabs."
6
Key Terms

Standard toolbar


A toolbar displayed in the application window containing
buttons to accomplish common tasks such as saving files,
opening files, printing, and so on.
Status bar

The bar near the bottom of the screen that displays
information about a selected command or an operation in
progress. The right side of the status bar shows whether
keys such as X, Z, or Y are turned on. Choose Status Bar on
the View menu to display or hide the status bar.
7
Key Terms

Text


Letters and numbers added to worksheet cells.
What if?

A “what if” analysis is the process of changing
certain worksheet values to see the impact these
changes have on other values.
8
Key Terms

Workbook

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Worksheet

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An Excel file containing one or more worksheets.
A two-dimensional grid of data in a row-andcolumn format in an Excel workbook.
Worksheet area
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The specific portion of a worksheet in which you
enter data, format cells, or enter formulas.
9
Objectives
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Describe electronic spreadsheets and explain what
they are used for
Define common spreadsheet concepts
Explain what steps are required to build an electronic
workbook
Launch Microsoft Excel
Identify the Excel user interface
Close a workbook and Exit Excel
Describe the topics covered in each chapter of this
book
10
Seven Steps for Developing Excel
Workbooks
7. Print and
Distribute
1. Determine
the purpose
6. Create
Charts
2. Enter
Text
5. Test the
Worksheet
3. Enter
Numbers
4. Construct
Formulas
11
Seven Steps for Developing
Excel Workbooks
12
Contents
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Part I. Designing Complex Workbooks
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Proj. 1: creating 3-D workspace,
Proj. 2: logical and Lookup functions,
Proj. 3: sorting, grouping, and filtering sales data
Proj. 4: formatting, displaying, printing, and
publishing workbooks
Part II. Analyzing Data with Excel
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Proj. 5: creating interactive pivotTable reports
Proj. 6: using analysis toolpak to analyze sales
transactions
13
Contents (cont.)
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Part II. Analyzing Data with Excel (cont.)
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Proj. 7: forecasting values with What-If analysis
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using data tables, scenarios, Goal Seek, and solver
Part III. Integrating Data, Collaborating with
Others, and Customizing Excel 2000
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Proj. 8: using Excel’s Auditing and Collaboration
features.
Proj. 9: using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
to customize and automate
Proj. 10: information sharing
14
Answers to Study Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Multiple Choice
c
d
b
d
d
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Short Answer
active cell
by it’s column letter and row number
horizontal
text
an equal sign
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Fill in the Blank
formula
cells
worksheet
data or what if
labels, numbers, formulas text, functions
For Discussion
1.
A workbook contains one or more worksheets. A worksheet is where you enter data.
2.
A function is a predefined formula that performs calculations by using specific arguments in a
particular order. Functions can be used in a formula.
15
Introducing Excel
Introduction