MS Excel - Intermediate Course

Intermediate Microsoft® Excel 2003
Take your Microsoft® Excel skills to the next level! Packed with useful information for the intermediate
user, this course explains how to get the results you want from formulas and functions, how to find data
more easily with sorts and filters, how to manage multi-sheet workbooks, how to apply page formatting
such as headers and footers, and much more.
Lessons
1. More about Functions
Excel offers hundreds of functions. In this lesson, you'll take a look at several of
the most useful and practical ones, and learn how to get help with any of the
others that you might need. You'll also explore absolute cell referencing and its
role in formula copying.
2. Working with Multiple Worksheets
An Excel workbook is more than just a single sheet! In this lesson, you'll go 3-D
and learn how to use multiple sheets, name and format sheet tabs, and create
formula and function references to cells on multiple sheets.
3. Finding, Sorting, and Filtering Data
Long lists of data can be intimidating, but Excel has excellent sorting and
filtering capabilities to help bring that data under control. In this lesson, you'll
learn several strategies for finding and organizing data.
4. Advanced Formatting
In this lesson, you'll learn powerful formatting skills for making your workbooks
the best they can be, such as styles, custom headers and footers, and
conditional formatting.
More about Functions

Excel offers hundreds of functions. In this lesson, you'll take a look at several of the most useful and practical
ones, and learn how to get help with any of the others that you might need. You'll also explore absolute cell
referencing and its role in formula copying.

Welcome to the Course

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Hello, and welcome to the course! Hopefully, you'll find it fun and useful. Business Gold
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This course is for graduates of the Beginning Microsoft Excel 2003 course, or for
anyone who has basic Microsoft Excel skills and would like to know more. For this
course, you should know how to do the following:
Enter and edit text in cells. Apply today and let

Add and delete rows, columns, and cells. the built-in
Change row height and column width. Membership
Apply text formatting such as font changes, italicizing, and underlining. Rewards® program
Apply borders and shading to cells. reward you and your
Use number formatting such as Currency and Percentage. business. You can
Create math formulas and use simple functions such as SUM, AVERAGE, and earn up to 100,000
COUNT. points in your first year
alone, that’s enough
for 4 domestic round-
If you don't have the preceding skills, consider taking the Beginning Microsoft
trip airline tickets. And
Excel 2003 course.
with so many ways to
redeem points — from
travel to treats for you
What This Course Covers and your employees
— you’ve got support
that can help build
This course will take you to the next level of expertise with Excel. You'll learn how to
your business. (Terms
do the following:
and Conditions Apply.)
Create worksheets that use formulas and functions for useful everyday tasks.
Create formulas that include absolute references and named ranges.
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Sort data by single or multiple columns.
Filter data by single or multiple criteria via examples and forms. Just My Business
Manage a multisheet workbook and refer to 3D ranges in formulas. Interview
Create custom page headers and footers.
Apply styles and conditional formatting.
Along the way, you'll pick up many tips and tricks for being a more effective Excel
user, including using shortcut key combinations, toolbar buttons, and wizards.
iVillage and renowned

Do I Need Excel 2003? business journalist JJ
Ramberg bring you
the "Just My
This course is based on Excel 2003, so you'll get the maximum benefit from it if you Business" interview
have Excel 2003 installed on your PC. However, earlier versions of Excel are fairly series. In this exciting
similar, especially Excel 2002, and most students find that they can complete at least series JJ will interview
90 percent of the course with an earlier version. If you run into areas where the steps emerging and
presented in the lesson don't work exactly the same way, try exploring the Help experienced
system to find the steps for your version for that task, or post a message for your entrepreneurs. You
classmates on the Message Board asking for help from someone who has the same will get an inside
version you do. scoop on what it’s like
to own your own
business as well as
To determine which version of Excel you have, open Excel, and then select Help >
great advice on getting
About Microsoft Office Excel.
started.
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Review: Formulas and Functions

Power Networking:
This lesson begins by brushing up your basic knowledge of formulas and functions. If How the Biz Does
you took the Beginning Microsoft Excel 2003 course, this will seem familiar to you, so Business
feel free to move to the next section.
A formula is an equation that describes what should appear in a cell. A formula always
begins with an equals sign. A formula can be as simple as a reference to another cell,
such as =A1, or can be very complicated with multiple nested sets of parentheses.
Formulas can use numbers, cell references, or a combination of the two, in Go behind the scenes
conjunction with math operators for addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), and find out how
division (/), or exponentiation (^). successful producers
used marketing,
advertising, brand
Examples of formulas include: building, and more to
become some of the
top names in the
=A1
entertainment industry
=A1+1 in the "Power
=A1/A2 Networking: How the
Biz Does Business"
webcast, sponsored
When a formula contains more than one math operator, the operations are performed by OPEN from
in the same order as in regular math. Exponentiation is done first, followed by American Express®.
multiplication or division, and finally addition or subtraction. If you want to alter that Join host Peter Bart,
order, you place the parts that should be done first in parentheses. For example: Editor-In-Chief,
Variety, online
moderators Susan
=(A1+A2)/5 Sobbott and John
=(A1*A2)^2 Jantsch, along with
=2*((A1+A2)-(A3+A4)) successful producers
Sydney Pollack,
Lawrence Bender and
A function is a math operation (or group of operations) that has a textual name, such
Nancy Meyers as they
as SUM or AVERAGE. Functions have two main advantages. One is that they allow
share insights to help
Excel to perform complicated math operations simply; for example, using the
grow your business.
AVERAGE function is easier than summing all the values, counting the values, and
then dividing the sum by the count. The other is that you can operate upon ranges of
cells, such as A1:A100, rather than listing each cell individually as you must do in a Learn More!
normal formula.
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Examples of functions include:
=SUM(A1:A100)
=COUNT(A1:B5)
=AVERAGE(A1:B20)
business journalist JJ
The parameters of a function are called its arguments. Each function must be followed Ramberg bring you
by a set of parentheses in which its arguments are placed. Even functions that require the "Just My
no arguments must still have parentheses after the name, as in =TODAY( ). The Business" interview
preceding function examples have one argument per function; that argument is the series. In this exciting
range on which the operation should operate. Other functions have multiple series JJ will interview
arguments. Some arguments are required; some are optional. When a function has emerging and
more than one argument, they're separated within the parentheses by commas. experienced
entrepreneurs. You
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Getting Help with Function Parameters

Make Mine a $Million
If you happen to remember the arguments needed, and the order in which they should Business
appear, you can simply type the function into a cell. However, many people have a
hard time remembering the arguments for the various functions in Excel, so they rely
on one of Excel's built-in Help features for functions.
Co-founded by Count
Getting Help with Insert Function Me In for Women’s
Economic
The Insert Function feature enables you to find the correct function even if you don't Independence and
know its name, and to fill in the correct arguments for it in simple text boxes. To use it, OPEN from American
select Insert > Function, and then locate the function you want to use in the Insert Express®, this
Function dialog box. You type keywords that have to do with the activity you want to organization helps
perform, and Excel searches its available functions and recommends one. For women entrepreneurs
example, Figure 1-1 searches for a function that calculates the interest on a loan. build million-dollar
companies. Each
year, the group’s
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Figure 1-1: The Insert Function dialog box. the "Just My
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After you select the desired function, you're prompted for the arguments, as shown in series. In this exciting
Figure 1-2. Notice how all four of the arguments appear in bold in Figure 1-2. This series JJ will interview
means the arguments are all required. You can type the range or value into each box, emerging and
or you can click the Browse button to the right of a box to select the cell(s) in the experienced
worksheet itself. entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
to own your own
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Figure 1-2: Fill in the arguments for the selected function.
If you're confused, and you don't understand what you should put in the arguments,
click the Help on this function hyperlink in the bottom-left corner of the dialog box. The
Microsoft Excel Help window opens with more information about the select function,
as shown in Figure 1-3. From this, you learn that the final argument, Pv, is the starting
amount of the loan.
Figure 1-3: Use the Help system in Excel to get more information about function
usage.
» Enlarge image
Getting Help While Typing a Function
After you've used Insert Function a few times for a certain function, you'll probably
become familiar enough with it that you can type the arguments into the cell manually.
However, in case your mind goes blank as you're typing, Excel provides ScreenTips
under the cell to remind you of the arguments. For example, Figure 1-4 starts the FV
function (Future Value), and Excel displays that there are three required arguments
plus two optional ones. The bold one is the one you should type now. After you type
that one and type a comma, the next one becomes bold. The arguments in brackets
are optional.
Figure 1-4: Refer to the ScreenTip as you type the arguments for a function.
At any point during the typing process, you can change your mind and elect to go with
the Insert Function feature. Just click the Insert Function button (fx) on the formula bar
to open a dialog box containing the text boxes for the arguments of the function you've
started.
Working with Dates and Times

In Excel, dates are numbers. Even though they might look like dates, behind the Is the Date Off?
scenes they're simple numeric values. To see this for yourself, try the following
experiment: Some spreadsheet
programs, including
some very old
1. In a new worksheet, enter 01/15/1900 in cell A1.
versions of Excel,
2. Change the cell's number formatting to General. (Select Format > Cells, select
show dates in relation
General on the Number tab, and then click OK.) The value changes to 15.
to January 2, 1904
instead of January 1,
1900. If you open such
When you enter a date, Excel silently converts it to a number that represents the
a worksheet in a
number of days between that date and January 1, 1900. In this case, there are 15
modern version of
days, so the value is 15. It formats the number with the Date format, so you can
Excel, all the dates
continue thinking of it as a date, but Excel has already converted it to a number.
appear to be off. You
can correct this by
Now continue the experiment: selecting Tools >
Options, and then on
the Calculation tab,
1. Change the number format of cell A1 back to Date, and select the 03/14/01 checking the 1904
format. date system
2. Enter 1000 in cell A2. It appears as a normal number. checkbox. This shifts
3. Use Format Painter (the paintbrush tool on the Standard toolbar) to copy the the dates; remember
formatting from cell A1 to A2. A2's value now appears as a date: 09/26/02. to turn this option off
4. In cell A3, enter this formula: =A2-A1. The result is automatically formatted as a again when you're
date. finished with that
5. Now you want to know how many days are between the two dates. Change cell workbook, however.
A3 to General number format. From this you see that there are 985 days
between them. (In other words, 1000 minus 15.) American Express®
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Date and Time Functions
There are two functions for displaying the current date and time in a worksheet:
=NOW( ) returns the current date and time. Apply today and let
=TODAY( ) returns the current date (not the time). the built-in
Membership
Neither of these takes any argument, so you simply put blank parentheses after them. Rewards® program
They're useful for creating automatically updated dates for worksheets that you reward you and your
frequently revisit and update. business. You can
earn up to 100,000
points in your first year
Here's one more interesting time-related function: WEEKDAY. You use it to calculate alone, that’s enough
what day of the week a particular date is. Days of the week are numbered starting with for 4 domestic round-
1 for Sunday. If you put the date 02/17/2005 in cell A1, and then enter the following in trip airline tickets. And
cell A2: with so many ways to
=WEEKDAY(A1) and your employees
that can help build
it returns a value of 5 (if the cell is formatted as General), indicating that this date is a your business. (Terms
Thursday. and Conditions Apply.)
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series. In this exciting
series JJ will interview
emerging and
experienced
entrepreneurs. You
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business as well as
started.
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Formula Copying and Absolute References

Power Networking:
When you copy a formula that contains cell references, Excel adjusts those How the Biz Does
references to refer to cells that are relative to the new location. Business
For example, suppose you have this formula in cell C4:
=A4+B4
Go behind the scenes
and find out how
This formula says "sum the values in the two cells immediately to the left." Therefore, successful producers
if you copy this formula to cell N8, it becomes =L8+M8 because those are the two used marketing,
cells immediately to the left of the new location. advertising, brand
building, and more to
become some of the
Why does Excel do this? It's primarily a matter of convenience. Usually, when you top names in the
copy a formula, you don't want it to be exactly the same as the original; you want it to entertainment industry
apply referentially to a new location. The makers of Excel knew this, so they made in the "Power
relative references the default. Networking: How the
Biz Does Business"
webcast, sponsored
The alternative is absolute references. An absolute reference does not shift when by OPEN from
copied. Absolute references are indicated with dollar signs preceding both the row and American Express®.
the column. For example, to refer absolutely to cell B4, you type $B$4. Join host Peter Bart,
Editor-In-Chief,
Variety, online
moderators Susan
The two dollar signs are required because there might be times when you want to
Sobbott and John
"freeze" just the row or just the column. For example, $B4 freezes only the
Jantsch, along with
column, whereas B$4 freezes only the row. These are called mixed references.
successful producers
Sydney Pollack,
Lawrence Bender and
Figure 1-5 shows a simple worksheet for calculating loan payments when various Nancy Meyers as they
amounts are borrowed. The PMT function in cell C4, shown in the formula bar, uses share insights to help
absolute references to the interest rate ($C$1) and the loan term ($C$2), but a relative grow your business.
reference to the amount (B4). That way, when the formula is copied to C5:C15, the
amount reference changes but the other items do not.
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emerging and
experienced
entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
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business as well as
started.
Figure 1-5: This worksheet refers absolutely to cells C1 and C2. Watch the Video!
To set up an absolute or mixed reference, manually type the dollar signs into the
formula or function. Or, as a shortcut, after you click the cell reference, press F4 to
cycle through all the available absolute, relative, and mixed combinations.
Creating and Referencing Named Ranges
So far in this lesson, you've seen ranges referenced by listing the top-left and bottom-
right cells with a colon between them, like this: A1:C12. In most cases that's the most
efficient way of doing it.
However, if you're going to refer to the same range many times in a worksheet, and
you find yourself having to look up the range every time because you can't remember
it, you might find it advantageous to name the range. Naming a range assigns a text
reference to it that (presumably) has a logical meaning you'll be more likely to
remember.
For example, cells C2, C3, and C4 are named goods, labor, and price, respectively.
Cell C5 uses these names in the formula in C5, as shown in Figure 1-6:
=price-(goods+labor)
Figure 1-6: Cells C2, C3, and C4 have all been given names.
You can name a single cell or a range of cells. The process is the same either way:
1. Select the cell(s).

2. Click in the Name box, which is at the left end of the formula bar. (It's where the
active cell's row and column reference normally appear.)
3. Type the name you want to use for the range, as shown in Figure 1-7, and
press Enter. In Figure 1-7, cell C5 is named profit.
Figure 1-7: Name a range by typing text in the Name box.
» Enlarge image
Named ranges are absolute references by default. A reference to the range does
not change when you copy it to another cell.
Practice with Named Ranges

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Now that you understand the concept, try creating some named ranges yourself. Business Gold
Follow these steps: Rewards Card
1. In a new worksheet, type the data and text shown in Figure 1-8.
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the built-in
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Figure 1-8: Create this worksheet to start with. travel to treats for you
and your employees
1. Select the range B2:D2. Click in the Name box and type Sam. — you’ve got support
2. Select the range B3:D3. Click in the Name box and type Joe. that can help build
3. Select the range B4:D4. Click in the Name box and type Mike. your business. (Terms
4. In E2, type =sum(sam). In E3, type =sum(joe). In E4, type =sum(mike). and Conditions Apply.)
5. In E5, type =sum(sam,mike,joe) for a grand total. The finished worksheet
should look like Figure 1-9.
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Figure 1-9: The completed example worksheet. series JJ will interview
emerging and
experienced
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started.
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More on Named Ranges

Power Networking:
Here are some other things you can do with named ranges. How the Biz Does
Business
Updating (Applying) References
If you create a named range after you've already referred to that range in some
formulas or functions, you can automatically update them to use the name rather than
the old row-and-column naming convention. This is known as applying the name. Go behind the scenes
and find out how
To update all the formulas and functions in the worksheet for the new name: used marketing,
advertising, brand
1. Click in a blank cell. become some of the
2. Select Insert > Name > Apply. top names in the
3. In the Apply Names dialog box, select the named range, as shown in Figure 1- entertainment industry
10. in the "Power
Networking: How the
Biz Does Business"
webcast, sponsored
by OPEN from
American Express®.
Join host Peter Bart,
Editor-In-Chief,
Variety, online
moderators Susan
Sobbott and John
Jantsch, along with
Sydney Pollack,
Lawrence Bender and
Figure 1-10: The Apply Names dialog box. Nancy Meyers as they
1. Click OK.
grow your business.
Changing or Deleting a Named Range Learn More!
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To change a name, or delete one:
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1. Select Insert > Name > Define. The Define Name dialog box appears, as
shown in Figure 1-11.

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Figure 1-11: The Define Name dialog box.
1. Select the name to change or delete. started.
2. To change the range to which the name refers, change the values in the Refers
to text area. To delete the name, click the Delete button.
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3. Click OK.
Automatically Assign Names
Here's a real time-saver. If you have a simple one-to-one relationship between a text
label and a number in an adjacent cell (to its right or below it), Excel allows you to
refer to the number by using the text label in a formula or function. You do not have to
explicitly define the name.
To set this up, select Tools > Options, and then on the Calculation tab, check the
Accept labels in formulas checkbox, as shown in Figure 1-12.
Figure 1-12: Tell Excel to accept labels in formulas.
From that point on, you can use the text in the adjacent cell to refer to a number.
To try this, create the worksheet shown in Figure 1-13.
Figure 1-13: Create this worksheet to test automatic label usage.
In cell B6, enter =Tom+Dick+Harry. Excel shows the result, even though you haven’t
explicitly defined the names to refer to the cells containing the numbers.
You could've used =SUM(Tom,Dick,Harry) to produce the same result.
Creating a Checkbook Register

Now that you know the basics of formulas and functions in a worksheet, you need to Business
know some practical examples, such as a checkbook register. If all you want to do is
track your checkbook balance, you don't need a full-blown financial program; you can
use Excel.
Co-founded by Count
Save this workbook; creating it is part of this lesson's assignment. Save the file as Me In for Women’s
MyFinances.xls. Economic
Independence and
OPEN from American
Express®, this
To begin, enter the labels shown in Figure 1-14, and format them as bold, underlined,
organization helps
and with a grey-shaded background. Widen the columns as needed, and merge and
women entrepreneurs
center the My Checkbook label across the top row. Use the =TODAY( ) function to
build million-dollar
show today's date.
companies. Each
year, the group’s
award program
presents women with
money, mentoring,
and marketing
support.
Learn More!
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Figure 1-14: Create this worksheet to start a checkbook register.

» Enlarge image business journalist JJ
Ramberg bring you
the "Just My
In the first line of the register (cell E6), enter the opening balance. For this exercise, Business" interview
use $10,000. (It's nice to dream, eh?) series. In this exciting
emerging and
Format the cells accordingly. For example, format the date cells as Date, the Payee experienced
cells as text, and the rest as Currency so that negative numbers appear in red and in entrepreneurs. You
parentheses. will get an inside
to own your own
In the next row of the Balance column (cell E7), enter a formula that starts with the
business as well as
previous balance, subtracts any withdrawal in the line, and then adds any deposit in
the line. Can you figure it out on your own?
started.
Just in case you didn't figure it out, here's the formula:

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=E6-C7+D7
Next, copy that formula into the cells directly below it (say, 50 rows or so). The easiest
way to do that is with the fill handle, which is the small black square in the bottom-right
corner when the cell is selected.
Drag the fill handle down so the formula fills the cells under it, as shown in Figure 1-
15. The copies are relative references, which is what you want here. All the copies
read $10,000.00 at this point because you haven't entered any transactions.
Figure 1-15: Copy the formula into the rows below using the fill handle.
» Enlarge image
Now add a column for the check number. Do you remember how to add a column to a
worksheet? Select the column to the right of where it should appear, and then select
Insert > Columns. In this case, insert the new column between the Date and Payee
columns, and label it Chk#.
Now enter a withdrawal transaction in row 7, and a deposit transaction in row 8. You
do not want to start with row 6 because that's where the raw opening balance
appears; any transaction entered in that row would not calculate properly.
For example, enter the transactions shown in Figure 1-16.
Figure 1-16: Enter these transactions.
» Enlarge image
Now continue working on the checkbook register by completing the following optional
finishing touches:
Add another narrow column in which you can place an R for Reconciled when you
balance your checkbook. You can put it anywhere, but a common placement for
such a column is to the left of the Withdrawal column.
Shade every other line pale green. To do this, shade one line (row 7), but not the
next line (row 8). Next, select both rows, click Format Painter, and then drag across
the range of cells on which to paint this format.
Apply borders on all sides of all cells in the register's data grid. For example, you
might start at cell A5 and apply the borders to all cells in the range below and to its
right.
Figure 1-17 shows the finished register.
Figure 1-17: The completed register.
» Enlarge image

Creating a Loan Amortization Table

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Now let's try something just a little more challenging. Suppose you have a home Business Gold
mortgage and you would like to know what effect it will have if you make an extra Rewards Card
payment, or regularly pay more than the minimum on your loan. Excel can help you
find out.
Save this workbook; creating it is part of this lesson's assignment. Save the file as
Apply today and let
LoanWhatIf.xls.
the built-in
Membership
Rewards® program
To begin, create the worksheet shown in Figure 1-18. reward you and your
business. You can
earn up to 100,000
and your employees
that can help build
Apply Now!
Figure 1-18: Start with these labels.
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» Enlarge image
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Now follow these steps:
1. Auto-fill the numbers 1 through 360 in cells A10 through A369.

2. In cell D3, enter 6%. Ensure that the cell is formatted as Percentage.
3. In cell D4, enter a formula that divides this amount by 12: =D3/12. Apply the
Percentage format to the cell, with two decimal places shown.
Ramberg bring you
4. In cell D5, enter 0 and apply the Currency format.
the "Just My
5. In cell D6, enter 200000 and apply the Currency format. Widen column D if
Business" interview
needed.
6. Apply the Currency format to columns B, E, F, G, and H, plus the range
D10:D369.
emerging and
7. In D7, enter 360. (That's 12 payments a year times 30 years -- a 30-year
experienced
mortgage.) Apply the General number format to the cell if it is not already so.
entrepreneurs. You
8. At this point, your worksheet should resemble Figure 1-19.
will get an inside
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business as well as
started.
Watch the Video!

Figure 1-19: Your spreadsheet should resemble this.
» Enlarge image
Now continue with these steps to complete your spreadsheet:
1. Create the following range names:
D4: Rate
D6: Amount
D7: Length
1. In cell B10, enter the PMT function to calculate the loan payments:
=PMT(Rate,Length,Amount).
2. Notice that the value in B10 is negative. You want it to be a positive number, so
enclose the function within an ABS function (absolute value) like this:
=ABS(PMT(Rate,Length,Amount)).
The ABS function is very handy. It shows the absolute value of a number. If the
number is already positive, it has no effect; if the number is negative, it changes it to
positive.
1. Copy the function from B10 to B11:B369.

2. Enter the first day of next month in cell C10. (For example, if next month is
August, 2005, enter 08/01/05.)
3. Enter the next month following it in cell C11, for example, 09/01/05.
4. Select C10:C11, and then Autofill the other dates into C12:C369.
5. In cell E10, enter a formula to calculate the interest paid in the first loan
payment: =D6*D4.
6. In cell D10, enter a formula to calculate the principal paid in the first loan
payment: =B10-E10, and then copy that formula to D11:D369.
7. In G10, enter an absolute reference to cell D5: =$D$5. Copy that formula into
G11:G369.
8. In H10, enter a formula to calculate the balance of the debt after the payment
and after any extra payments you might make: =D6-D10-F10-G10.
At this point, your worksheet should resemble Figure 1-20.
Figure 1-20: The first payment has been calculated.
» Enlarge image
So far, the formulas and functions you created for that first payment have referred to
the opening balance. That won't work for the next payments because they should refer
to the remaining loan balance instead. Therefore, you need to set them up
separately:
1. In cell E11, enter a formula that calculates the interest on the current loan
balance: =H10*$D$4.
Notice that the reference to H10 is relative so that when you copy the formula
later, it refers to the current balances, but the reference to D4 is absolute because
that's always where the monthly rate is.
1. Copy the formula from E11 to E12:E369.

2. In cell H11, enter a formula that calculates the loan balance after the current
payment: =H10-D11-F11-G11, and then copy that formula to H12:H369.
Congratulations! You've created a loan amortization table. It should look like Figure 1-
21 at this point. Scroll down to row 369 and notice that it comes out to exactly 360
payments with a loan balance of zero.
Figure 1-21: The completed loan amortization table.
» Enlarge image
But wait -- there's more. You can use this worksheet to play "what if" with your loan.
Try the following:
Enter $100 in cell D5 to find out what would happen if you paid $100 extra each
time. Scroll down and see that you would save over 60 payments (that's 5 years) if
you did that. The row where the Balance amount turns negative (in parentheses) is
the line of the last payment.
Change cell D5 back to $0, and enter $1,000 in F10. Scroll down to find out how
making a one-time payment of $1,000 at the beginning of the loan period would
decrease the loan length. It shaves five payments off the end, saving you almost
$6,000!
Clear cell F10 again, and change the interest rate in cell D3 to 5.5%. It doesn't
change the loan term, but it does change the amount of each payment.
Moving On
In this lesson, you learned many handy tips and tricks for working with formulas and
functions, and you created a couple of useful financial worksheets that you can save
and modify later on your own.
Before you move on, do the assignment and quiz to make sure you have grasped the
key concepts presented in this lesson. If you have any questions or comments, feel
free to post them on the Message Board.
In Lesson 2, you'll learn how to work with multiple sheets in a workbook.
Assignment #1
1. If you haven't created and saved the checkbook register from Lesson 1, do so now.
Save the file as MyFinances.xls. You need this file for the Lesson 2 assignment.
2. If you haven't created and saved the loan amortization table discussed in Lesson 1, do
so now. Save the file as LoanWhatIf.xls.
3. (Optional) Do whichever of the following interests you the most, and save it as
Lesson1Assign.xls.
Create a worksheet that compares two loans for the same amount of money --
one with a lower interest rate but with higher upfront costs (such as points,
closing costs, and so on).
Create a register in which you can track the charges, payments, and interest/fees
on one of your credit cards.
Create a worksheet that shows you how much you should tip at a restaurant for
various bill amounts. Set up separate columns for different percentages such as
10%, 15%, and 20%.
Quiz #1
Question 1:
How would you write an absolute reference to cell B1?
A) $B1
B) $B$1
C) B$1$
D) B$1

Question 2:
Which of these is a function?
A) =A1
B) =((A1+A2)/10)^2
C) Both of these
D) Neither of these

Question 3:
How does Excel store dates?
A) As a text string
B) As a number representing the entered date divided by 365
C) As a number representing the number of days between December 31, 1901 and the entered date
D) As a number representing the number of days between January 1, 1900 and the entered date

Question 4:
Is =sum(Patrick) a valid function?
A) Never
B) Sometimes
C) Always

Question 5:
What does the ABS function do?
A) Displays the absolute value of the number, so any negatives are converted to positives.
B) Reverses the positive/negative sign of a value, so negatives turn to positives and positives turn to
negatives.
C) Sums the values of all cells to the left of the current cell.
D) Turns all references to cells within it into absolute references.

Working with Multiple Worksheets

An Excel workbook is more than just a single sheet! In this lesson, you'll go 3-D and learn how to use multiple
sheets, name and format sheet tabs, and create formula and function references to cells on multiple sheets.

Working with Sheet Names and Tabs

Welcome back! In this lesson, you'll learn how to expand beyond single sheets, creating Background Color
true 3-D workbooks with multiple sheets and references between them.
Do you want to
add a background
Back in the early days of spreadsheets, a data file had only one sheet in it. In current
to the entire sheet
versions of Excel, a file, also known as a workbook, can have many sheets in it. By
rather than just the
default, each workbook has three sheets: Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3. You can switch
tab? Select Format
between them by clicking the appropriate tab at the bottom of the window, as shown in
> Sheet >
Figure 2-1.
Background to
select a photo as
the background, or
select the entire
worksheet (press
Ctrl+A ), and then
use the Fill Color
button (on the
Figure 2-1: Sheet tabs at the bottom of a workbook window. Formatting toolbar)
to fill all cells with
Changing a Sheet Name any solid color.
American
As you're creating spreadsheets, you'll probably want to change the names of the sheets Express®
to reflect what they contain. It's much easier to remember that your budget is on a tab Business Gold
named Budget than on a tab named Sheet1, after all. Rewards Card
To change a tab's name, double-click it to move the insertion point into the tab, and then
just type the desired name. Alternatively, you can select Format > Sheet > Rename. You
can make the names as long as you need them to be, but a long name makes the tab
very wide so that there's less room to see the other tabs. Apply today and let
the built-in
Membership
If you're going to refer to a sheet's name in a formula on another sheet (which, by the Rewards®
way, is called a 3-D reference and is covered later in the lesson), select a short sheet program reward
name with no spaces in it. This makes it easier to reference. you and your
business. You can
earn up to 100,000
Scrolling Through the Tabs points in your first
year alone, that’s
When all the tabs don't fit across the bottom of the workbook in the allotted area, scroll enough for 4
arrows appear that allow you to scroll from side to side through the tabs in the workbook, domestic round-
as shown in Figure 2-2. trip airline tickets.
And with so many
ways to redeem
points — from
travel to treats for
you and your
employees —
you’ve got support
that can help build
Figure 2-2: Scroll arrows at the bottom of a workbook window.
your business.
(Terms and
Changing a Tab Color
Conditions Apply.)
By default all tabs are white. You can change each tab's color if you want to color code
your workbook. (You must have Excel 2002 or later to do this.) Apply Now!
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To select a color for a tab: Interview
1. Right-click the tab and select Tab Color, or select Format > Sheet > Tab Color.
2. In the Format Tab Color dialog box, shown in Figure 2-3, select a color, and then
click OK.
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Figure 2-3: Format Tab Color dialog box.

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After you change the color, when the tab is selected (that is, when its sheet is on top), the
tab appears white with a thin band of color at the bottom. When the tab is not selected, it
appears in the solid color you select for it.
Working with Sheets

American
Now that your sheets have well-thought-out names and artful colors, there are other Express®
things you can do with them. Business Gold
Rewards Card
Selecting Multiple Sheets at Once
You might want to perform some operations, such as deleting sheets, on more than one
sheet at a time. To select multiple sheets, hold down Ctrl as you click each tab, or click Apply today and let
the first one and press Shift while clicking the last one to select a contiguous range of the built-in
sheets. Membership
Rewards®
program reward
Deleting Sheets you and your
business. You can
It's not necessary to delete the extra blank sheets in a workbook; you can just ignore earn up to 100,000
them. You can, however, delete any sheet (except the last one; a workbook can't be points in your first
completely devoid of sheets). To delete a sheet, right-click its tab and select Delete. If year alone, that’s
there's anything on the tab, you're asked to confirm. Click the Delete button to do so. enough for 4
domestic round-
trip airline tickets.
And with so many
The Undo operation does not work on sheet deletions. Once the sheet is gone, it's ways to redeem
gone for good. If you accidentally delete an important sheet, and you haven't resaved points — from
your work since you opened the workbook, close the file without saving your changes travel to treats for
and then reopen the original file. you and your
employees —
that can help build
Inserting New Blank Sheets your business.
(Terms and
Here's a procedure where the fastest method is actually the menu command. (That's rare, Conditions Apply.)
as you've probably noticed in your work with Excel.) To insert a new worksheet, select
Insert > Worksheet. The new sheet appears to the left of the selected sheet when you
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issue the command.
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Alternatively, you can right-click any existing sheet's tab and select Insert. The Insert Interview
dialog box appears. In that dialog box, select Worksheet, and then click OK. The dialog
box has many other options besides a default-format worksheet. You can select from
templates on your local PC (the Spreadsheet Solutions tab) or online, insert a chart, and
so on, as shown in Figure 2-4.
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Copying and Moving Worksheets

American
To reorder the sheets in your workbook, drag a worksheet tab to the left or right. As you Express®
drag it, a small black triangle and an icon that looks like a piece of paper appear. Just Business Gold
drop the sheet where you want it, as shown in Figure 2-5. Rewards Card
Apply today and let

Figure 2-5: Reorder the sheets by dragging them.
the built-in
Another way to rearrange sheets -- or to copy them-- is with the Move or Copy command. Membership
Yes, that's a single command, but it serves two separate purposes. It's more powerful Rewards®
than the drag-and-drop method because you can use it to move or copy a sheet from one program reward
workbook to another if desired. To use it, follow these steps: you and your
business. You can
earn up to 100,000
points in your first
1. If moving or copying between workbooks, make sure both workbooks are open.
2. Right-click the tab to be moved or copied and select Move or Copy. year alone, that’s
3. In the Move or Copy dialog box, select the workbook into which to move or copy (if enough for 4
different from the current workbook). domestic round-
4. In the Before sheet list, select the sheet that you want to move the sheet in front of. trip airline tickets.
In Figure 2-6, Sheet 5 will be moved between Sheet 4 and Sheet 6. To place the And with so many
sheet at the end of the workbook (that is, with its tab in the rightmost position), ways to redeem
select (move to end). points — from
you and your
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Interview
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Figure 2-6: The Move or Copy dialog box. business journalist
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If this is a copy operation (rather than a move), check the Create a copy checkbox. Business"
Copying a sheet copies all content on it. interview series. In
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1. Click OK. emerging and
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Hiding and Unhiding Sheets You will get an
inside scoop on
what it’s like to
Hiding a sheet is useful when you prefer not to lose whatever is on the sheet but you don't own your own
want the information to be obvious to others with whom you'll share the workbook. Other business as well
users can still view the hidden sheet simply by unhiding it, but unless they think to look for as great advice on
hidden sheets, they probably won't notice it's there. This option does provide some getting started.
measure of security.
To hide the current sheet, select Format > Sheet > Hide. Watch the Video!
To unhide hidden sheets, select Format > Sheet > Unhide. An Unhide dialog box
appears listing all the hidden sheets. Click the one you want to unhide, and then click
OK.

Viewing Multiple Sheets at Once

American
Usually, one sheet only is visible at a time, but you can set up Excel to view multiple Express®
sheets side-by-side. Business Gold
Rewards Card
To view multiple sheets, follow these steps:
1. Select Window > New Window. Do this as many times as needed until you have a
window for every worksheet you want to see simultaneously. Apply today and let
2. Select Window > Arrange. The Arrange dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 2- the built-in
7. Membership
Rewards®
program reward
you and your
business. You can
earn up to 100,000
enough for 4
domestic round-
trip airline tickets.
And with so many
ways to redeem
Figure 2-7: The Arrange dialog box. points — from
1. Check the Windows of active workbook checkbox. you and your
2. Select Tiled. employees —
3. Click OK. The windows show the same workbook in each window. For example, in you’ve got support
Figure 2-8, there are three windows. Each one is still showing Sheet1 at this point. that can help build
your business.
(Terms and
Conditions Apply.)
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Figure 2-8: Three views of the same workbook, each individually viewable. Business"
1. In each of the windows, click a different tab to display a different sheet. this exciting series
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Changing the Default Number of Sheets experienced
entrepreneurs.
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As mentioned earlier, by default, there are three sheets in every worksheet. You can inside scoop on
change this default by doing the following: what it’s like to
own your own
business as well
1. Select Tools > Options. as great advice on
2. Click the General tab. getting started.
3. In the Sheets in new workbook text box, change the number, as shown in Figure 2-
9.
Watch the Video!
Figure 2-9: Change the default number of sheets here.
1. Click OK. All new workbooks will have the specified number of sheets.
Referring to a Cell on a Different Sheet

American
Each sheet uses the same row and column naming, so in a multiple-sheet workbook, Express®
there are several cells with the same name. (There's A1 on Sheet1, A1 on Sheet2, and so Business Gold
on.) It's not a problem as long as each formula and function is confined to the two- Rewards Card
dimensional environment of its own sheet. However, when you need to refer to another
cell on a different sheet, some additional naming clarification is required.
To refer to a cell on a different sheet, you precede the name with the sheet name,
followed by an exclamation point; for example, A1 on Sheet1 is Apply today and let
the built-in
Membership
=Sheet1!A1 Rewards®
program reward
you and your
This is why you should keep the sheet names short. It saves you time when you have to business. You can
put the sheet name in the reference. earn up to 100,000
If you want to use a long sheet name but you have a lot of formulas to set up, first, name enough for 4
that sheet with a very short name (or use the default name), and then use that name to domestic round-
set up all your formulas. When you're finished, rename the sheet to the long name you trip airline tickets.
want; all the formulas change their references automatically. And with so many
ways to redeem
points — from
When sheet names have spaces in them, an additional challenge appears: How do you travel to treats for
account for the space in a formula when formulas are not allowed to have spaces in you and your
them? The answer is to enclose the sheet name in single quotation marks. For example, if employees —
the sheet is called My Sheet, a reference to cell A1 is you’ve got support
that can help build
your business.
='My Sheet'!A1 (Terms and
Conditions Apply.)
Building Multisheet Formulas by Selecting

Apply Now!
It's often easier to select the cells you want when building a formula than it is to type the Just My Business
names manually. It's not much different when those cells are on different sheets than Interview
when they're on the same sheet:
1. Type = to start your formula or function.

2. Type the formula or function up to the point where you want to insert the reference
to the cell or range.
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1. If the cell or range is on a different sheet, click its tab. this exciting series
2. Select the cell or range. JJ will interview
3. Return to the tab of the sheet where you started in Step 1 and complete the emerging and
formula. Or, if the formula is finished after selecting the cell or range, press Enter. experienced
Excel returns you to the correct tab automatically. entrepreneurs.
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Referring to the Same Cell on Several Sheets what it’s like to
own your own
business as well
Sometimes it's useful to create a 3-D range, which is a range that refers to the same as great advice on
cell(s) on multiple sheets. For example, suppose you have 12 identical worksheets, each getting started.
one for a different month. Each one has a monthly total in cell F12. You can refer to all the
F12 cells in all 12 sheets in a formula that produces a grand total for the entire year.
Watch the Video!
A 3-D reference is used in a function, not in a formula; that's because a non-function

formula cannot accept a range.
To create a function with a 3-D range, follow these steps:
1. Type = to start your function.

2. Type the function up to the point where you want to insert the reference to the
range.
3. Select the tab on which the first cell resides.
4. Select the cell.
5. Hold down the Shift key, and then click the tab on which the last cell resides. The
corresponding cells on all of the sheets in-between are also selected.
6. Return to the original sheet and complete the function. If you're finished after
making the selection, press Enter to complete the function and return to the sheet
automatically.
Linking Content from Other Workbooks

American
Now you know how to refer to one worksheet's cells on another worksheet, but what Express®
about referring to cells in an entirely different workbook? For this, you need to create a Business Gold
link. Rewards Card
For example, suppose you have several workbooks that each contain a certain type of
data, and one workbook called Summary.xls in which you want to summarize the totals
from all the various workbooks. Copy the values (or formulas) from one workbook to the
other using the Clipboard, but instead of pasting normally, select Edit > Paste Special, Apply today and let
and in the Paste Special dialog box, click the Paste Link button. the built-in
Membership
Rewards®
To see how it works, try the following: program reward
you and your
business. You can
1. Start a new workbook, type a number in cell A1, and save it as Data.xls. earn up to 100,000
2. Start another new workbook, but don't close the first one. Save it as Summary.xls. points in your first
3. Switch back to Data.xls, and then select cell A1. year alone, that’s
4. Select Edit > Copy (or press Ctrl+C). enough for 4
5. Switch back to Summary.xls and click cell A1. domestic round-
6. Select Edit > Paste Special. trip airline tickets.
7. In the Paste Special dialog box, click the Paste Link button. And with so many
8. Switch back to Data.xls and type a different number in A1. ways to redeem
9. Switch back to Summary.xls. Notice that the number has automatically changed. points — from
10. Now let's break the link. In Summary.xls, select Edit > Links. The Edit Links dialog travel to treats for
box appears. you and your
11. Select the link, and then click Break Link. A confirmation box appears; click Break employees —
Links to confirm. you’ve got support
12. Click Close to close the dialog box. that can help build
13. Switch back to Data.xls and type a different number in A1. your business.
14. Switch back to Summary.xls. The number doesn't change this time because (Terms and
there's no link. Conditions Apply.)
15. Close both files. You can delete them if you want; you're done with them.
Apply Now!
Moving On
Just My Business
Interview
In this lesson, you learned how to work with multiple worksheets in a workbook, and how
to share data between workbooks. Now you can move beyond the simple row-and-
column environment to create more complex collections of data.
Before you move on, do the assignment and quiz. If you have any questions or
comments, feel free to post them on the Message Board. iVillage and
renowned
business journalist
In Lesson 3, you'll learn how to employ Excel's data-handling techniques to create and JJ Ramberg bring
manage simple databases. you the "Just My
Business"
JJ will interview
emerging and
experienced
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You will get an
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Assignment #2
1. Open MyFinances.xls, which you created in Lesson 1's assignment. It already has one
checkbook register in it.
2. Customize the checkbook register for your own checking account as needed.
3. Name the checkbook register tab Check1 and apply a color to its tab.
4. Rename Sheet2 to Check2.
5. Delete the Check2 sheet.
6. Rename Sheet3 to Credit Card and apply a different color to its tab.
7. Create a register on the Credit Card tab that would be appropriate for storing information
about your credit card transactions.
8. Create a new blank sheet at the beginning of the workbook (leftmost position) and call its
tab Summary.
9. On the Summary tab, enter the data shown in Figure 2-10.
Figure 2-10: Create this summary sheet.
1. In cell B3, create a formula that displays the balance in your checking account register on
the Check1 tab. (Hint: Refer to the balance in the bottommost row.)
2. Modify the Credit Card sheet's register to make it appropriate for use with a credit card.
(The details are up to you.)
3. In cell B4, create a formula that displays the balance in your credit card account register on
the Credit Card tab. (Again, use the balance in the bottommost row.)
4. In cell B6, create a formula that shows the value of B3 minus B4.
5. Save your work and exit Excel.
Quiz #2
Question 1:
How many sheets (tabs) are there by default per workbook?
A) One
B) Two
C) Three
D) Four

Question 2:
Which of these are ways of inserting a new worksheet? (Check all that apply.)
A) Select Insert > Worksheet.
B) Right-click an existing worksheet tab, select Insert, and then select Worksheet in the dialog box that
appears.
C) Press the Insert key on the keyboard.
D) Press Ctrl+I.

Question 3:
How can you unhide a hidden worksheet?
A) Press Ctrl+U.
B) Select Format > Sheet > Unhide.
C) Select Insert > Sheet > Unhide.
D) Select Tools > Unhide > Sheet.

Question 4:
Which is the correct way to refer to cell C13 on Sheet2 in Sheet1?
A) Sheet2!C13
B) "Sheet 2"!C13
C) C13:Sheet2
D) C13!Sheet "2"

Question 5:
To link cells from another workbook, copy them from that workbook and then use Edit > ________ to paste them
into the destination location.
A) Paste
B) Link
C) Paste Special
D) OLE

Finding, Sorting, and Filtering Data

Long lists of data can be intimidating, but Excel has excellent sorting and filtering capabilities to help bring that
data under control. In this lesson, you'll learn several strategies for finding and organizing data.

Excel As a Database? Yes!

Power Networking:
When you think about databases, perhaps the first program that pops into your mind How the Biz Does
is Microsoft Access, the official database component of Microsoft Office 2003. Most Business
people don't realize that Excel can also function as a database application, and for
simple databases, it's just as good.
To understand the difference between Access and Excel's database capabilities, you
need to understand that there are several types of databases. The very simple kind
consists of a single sheet containing rows and columns. The first row contains column Go behind the scenes
headers (names) and the subsequent rows contain the data. This type of database is and find out how
called a flat-file database, and you can create this type in either Excel or Access successful producers
equally well. Figure 3-1 shows a simple flat-file database. used marketing,
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A more complex type of database contains multiple sheets (Access calls them tables
), with each sheet linked in some way. For example, you might have a table with Learn More!
customer address data, and another table with information about orders, and each
order links to the customer table via the customer's ID number. This is called a Just My Business
relational database, and for this type, you need a real database program such as Interview
Access. Figure 3-2 shows an example.

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Figure 3-2: A relational database in Access. business as well as
» Enlarge image started.
At this point, perhaps you're thinking "Wait a minute. I just learned in Lesson 2 that a Watch the Video!
workbook can have multiple sheets and that there can be references between them.
How is that different from a relational database?" Well, technically you could set up a
relational database in Excel, but it would be laborious to do so because you would
have to create all the formulas for it. In Access it's much easier -- drag-and-drop easy.
It does take a little bit of time to learn Access, but if you're serious about multitable,
relational databases, it's more than worth your while.
This lesson assumes that your database needs are more modest. Perhaps you need
to create a list of your tax-deductible contributions for the year, or maintain a roster of
people who are in your book club and their contact information. For situations like
these, Excel is a great database utility.
If you have data that needs some calculations, Excel might even be better for you
than Access. Access allows calculations, but you have to set it up through queries;
you can't enter formulas and functions directly into a table. It takes some extra
learning to be able to do it, whereas you already know how to set up calculations in
Excel.
Creating Your Data Table

In database terminology, each type of information is a field and each data instance is Importing Data Between
Access and Excel
a record. For example, in your address book, First Name is a field, Last Name is a
field, and so on. All the information about a particular person (first name, last name,
address, city, and so on) is a record. You can use an Excel
sheet as a data table
in Access. From within
As you're creating your data table in an Excel worksheet, place the field names in the Access, select File >
top row, and then enter the records beneath them. Figure 3-3 shows a simple phone Get External Data >
list. The fields are First, Last, and Phone, and there are six records. You can widen Import to permanently
the columns as needed to accommodate any amount of data per cell, as you have insert the data into
done with other data in earlier lessons. Access, or select File
> Get External Data >
Link Tables to create a
dynamic link between
the Excel sheet and
the Access database.
You can also import

an Access table into
Excel. To do that, from
Excel, select File >
Open. Change the
Files of type setting to
Access Databases ,
and open the
database as you
would an Excel file.
Figure 3-3: A simple data table.
When prompted to
select which table you
Some people like to put a title in the first row, and if you're simply going to use the
want to open, make
data in Excel, that's fine. However, if you later decide to import the data into Access,
your selection.
your field names will need to be in row 1, so you have to delete the title before
importing or linking to Access.
Business
In Figure 3-3, the field names are bold, but this is not necessary. It depends on your
viewing preferences. Excel does not assign any particular meaning to whether the text
in any cell is bold or not.
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Finding and Replacing

After you get 50 or so records in your database, finding a specific record becomes an Business
issue. It can be difficult to quickly browse the list just by eyeballing it.
Most of the remainder of this lesson is devoted to various methods of locating data in
an Excel database, but let's start with the simplest of them all: the Find command.
Co-founded by Count
Me In for Women’s
To use Find, do the following: Economic
Independence and
OPEN from American
1. Open an Excel file that already has some data in it, or create a new workbook Express®, this
and type some data into it. For example, set up a simple address book. organization helps
2. Select Edit > Find. The Find and Replace dialog box appears. women entrepreneurs
3. In the Find what text area, type some text (or a number) that you know is build million-dollar
somewhere on the sheet, as shown in Figure 3-4. companies. Each
year, the group’s
award program
presents women with
money, mentoring,
and marketing
support.
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the "Just My
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Figure 3-4: The Find and Replace dialog box with some text entered.
emerging and
1. Click Find Next. The cell selector jumps to the first cell containing the matching experienced
text. entrepreneurs. You
2. Now click Find All. This option lists all the occurrences of the string in the entire will get an inside
worksheet. In Figure 3-5, there's only one instance of Lafayette in this scoop on what it’s like
worksheet. to own your own
business as well as
started.
Watch the Video!

Figure 3-5: Find All lists all instances in the worksheet.
1. Click Options. The extra options appear, as shown in Figure 3-6. From here
you can select:
Within: This is where to search. The default is within the current sheet.
Search: In what order to search. The default is by rows, which searches

across one whole row, then the next row, and so on.
Look in: You can select formulas, values, or comments. The default is
Formulas. If a cell has a constant value in it rather than a formula, it's
included in such a search, but for example if a cell contains =2+1, and
you're searching in Formulas for 2, it will find it. In contrast, if you set it
to search for values, the value of that formula is 3, so 2 would not be
found there.
Match case: Whether to match case. If you check this checkbox, letter
case is distinguished.
Match entire cell contents: If you check this checkbox, text within a cell
will not be found if the cell contains more than just the search string. For
example, it will not find 101 if the value in the cell is 1010.
Figure 3-6: Find options add more flexibility.
1. Click the Format drop-down list. A menu appears containing these options:
Format: Opens a Find Format dialog box (which you'll look at shortly).
This is the same as clicking the face of the Format button.
Choose Format From Cell: Enables you to select an existing cell as an
example of the formatting you want to find. This is useful for finding all
the cells with a certain format, and then changing them to some other
format.
Clear Find Format: Available only after you've selected a format; this
option removes any formatting criteria from the search.
1. Select Format. The Find Format dialog box opens.

2. Select a format for which to search (pick one that's in use in your sheet, so it
will have something to find), and then click OK.
3. Clear the Find what text box, so you're just looking for the formatting. Use
either Find All or Find Next to locate an instance of that formatting.
4. Click Format, and then select Clear Find Format from the drop-down list.
5. Click the Replace tab, shown in Figure 3-7, and examine the options for
replacing one text string with another. They are very much the same as those
for Find. There's a Replace with text box for the replacement text, and there's a
Replace All button for global replacements.
Figure 3-7: Replace options.
1. (Optional) Try a replace operation by putting some text in the Find what text
box that you know exists in the sheet and entering a replacement for it in the
Replace with box. Then click Find Next, and then when it finds it, click Replace.
2. Click Close when you're done with the Find and Replace dialog box.
Sorting Worksheet Data

American Express®
As you just saw, the Find feature offers one way to locate certain data in your sheet. Business Gold
Another way is to sort the records by a particular column, and then scroll through the Rewards Card
data to find what you want.
Using the Sort Buttons
Apply today and let

The Sort Ascending and Sort Descending buttons on the Standard toolbar provide a the built-in
simple method of sorting single columns. To try it, do the following: Membership
Rewards® program
reward you and your
1. In a new blank worksheet, type five people's first names in cells A1 through
business. You can
A5.
earn up to 100,000
2. Select column A and click the Sort Ascending button. The names are sorted in
alphabetical order (A to Z).
3. Click the Sort Descending button. The names are sorted in reverse order (Z to
A), as shown in Figure 3-8.
and your employees
that can help build
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Figure 3-8: Sort with the Sort buttons on the toolbar.
When you sort multiple columns using these buttons, Excel sorts by the leftmost
column. Try this experiment:

1. Type numbers in column B, next to each name. business journalist JJ
2. Select only column A, and click Sort Ascending. Notice that column B did not Ramberg bring you
get sorted; now the two columns are out of synch. the "Just My
3. Select Edit > Undo (or Ctrl+Z) to undo the sort. Business" interview
4. Select columns A and B, and click Sort Ascending. That time both columns series. In this exciting
stay synchronized, but the sort occurs by column A. series JJ will interview
5. Now change the names in column A so that two cells have the exact same emerging and
name but a different number in column B. experienced
6. Click Sort Descending, and then click Sort Ascending. Notice that the values in entrepreneurs. You
column A continue to be sorted, but the values in column B are completely will get an inside
ignored -- they're simply along for the ride. scoop on what it’s like
to own your own
business as well as
What you should have learned from the previous steps is that when you use the Sort great advice on getting
buttons on the toolbar, Excel sorts only by the leftmost column. If the other columns started.
are selected, they go along for the ride, but Excel does not consult their values when
determining the sort order.
Watch the Video!
Sorting by Multiple Columns

Sometimes you might need to sort a database list by more than one column. An Business
example of a multicolumn sort might be one in which you first sort by last name, and
then if there are any ties (that is, two records with the same last name), you break the
tie by sorting by first name.
Co-founded by Count
To do this type of multicolumn sort, you must use the Sort dialog box.
Me In for Women’s
Economic
Independence and
You must also use the Sort dialog box if you want to do a single-column sort but OPEN from American
use one of the columns other than the leftmost one. Express®, this
organization helps
women entrepreneurs
Try these steps to experiment with the Sort dialog box: build million-dollar
companies. Each
year, the group’s
1. Enter the data shown in Figure 3-9. award program
presents women with
money, mentoring,
and marketing
support.
Learn More!
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Interview

Ramberg bring you
Figure 3-9: Start with a three-field database. the "Just My
Business" interview
1. Select the entire data range (A1:C7), and then select Data > Sort. The Sort series. In this exciting
dialog box appears. series JJ will interview
2. Open the Sort by list and select Last. Select the Ascending radio button. emerging and
3. Open the first Then by list and select First. Select the Ascending radio button. experienced
Figure 3-10 shows these sections in the Sort dialog box. entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
to own your own
business as well as
started.
Watch the Video!
Figure 3-10: Sort by last name, and then by first name.
1. Click OK. The data is sorted first by last name, and then by first name when
there's a tie.
2. Now select the data range again, but exclude row 1. In other words, select
A2:C7.
3. Select Data > Sort again. In the Sort dialog box, select the No header row radio
button. The names in the drop-down lists change to generic column letters.
4. Sort by column C in Descending order, and then click OK.
Filtering Data
Power Networking:
Sorting helps you find certain records that meet particular criteria alphabetically in a How the Biz Does
certain field. For example, when you sort by last name, it's easy to scroll through the Business
worksheet and find all the people with the last name of Brown because you know
you'll find them near the top of the list, where the other names that begin with B
appear.
A filter can be an even better way of finding certain records, however, because it
allows you to hide any records that don't meet your criteria. Whereas sorting is a Go behind the scenes
means of organizing data in a certain order, filtering takes that one step further. and find out how
used marketing,
There are two ways to filter data in Excel: AutoFilter and Advanced Filter. This course advertising, brand
shows you how to use AutoFilter. Even though the name is AutoFilter, there's a lot you building, and more to
can do with it -- more than the word "Auto" might imply in the name. become some of the
top names in the
To find out more about the Advanced Filter feature, search Microsoft Excel Help. in the "Power
Networking: How the
Biz Does Business"
Using AutoFilter webcast, sponsored
by OPEN from
American Express®.
AutoFilter provides an easy way to filter by example. In other words, you select the
correct value from a list of all values in that column, and then Excel filters the list to
Editor-In-Chief,
show only records that have that value in that column.
Variety, online
moderators Susan
Try it with the data you worked with in the preceding section: Sobbott and John
Jantsch, along with
1. Select Data > Filter > AutoFilter. Drop-down list arrows appear at the top of Sydney Pollack,
each column, as shown in Figure 3-11. Lawrence Bender and
grow your business.
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Ramberg bring you
Figure 3-11: AutoFilter turned on. the "Just My
Business" interview
1. Open the Last drop-down list and select Brown. The list is filtered to show only series. In this exciting
the two records for which the last name is Brown. series JJ will interview
2. Open the Last drop-down list and select All. emerging and
3. Open the Age drop-down list and select 52. The list is filtered to show only the experienced
two records for which the Age is 52. entrepreneurs. You
4. Open the Age drop-down list and select Custom. The Custom AutoFilter dialog will get an inside
box appears. scoop on what it’s like
5. Open the Age drop-down list and select is greater than. In the text box to its to own your own
right, enter 53. business as well as
6. Select the Or radio button, and in the second set of controls, select is less than great advice on getting
and enter 25. At this point, the dialog box should resemble Figure 3-12. started.
Watch the Video!
Figure 3-12: Create a Custom AutoFilter.
1. Click OK. The list is filtered to show the three records for which the age is
either over 53 or under 25.
2. Select Data > Filter > AutoFilter again to turn AutoFilter off.
Excel has a data entry form feature that you can use to enter data into your worksheet
if you like. To see it, select Data > Form.
Merging and Splitting Data

Sometimes when you set up a database, you make a bad decision initially about what Business
information will be separate and what will be combined. For example, many people
decide to put first and last names together in a single column in an address book,
calling it Name. Later, they realize they want to be able to sort the list by last name,
but there's no way to do it because each entry begins with the person's first name.
Co-founded by Count
Me In for Women’s
The opposite can also occur. Perhaps you originally decide to separate the first and
Economic
last names but then want to use them together.
Independence and
OPEN from American
Neither of these problems is insurmountable, fortunately. Express®, this
organization helps
women entrepreneurs
Splitting Data build million-dollar
companies. Each
year, the group’s
First, let's look at the situation where two words exist in a single cell and you want award program
them separated. To try this, enter the data shown in Figure 3-13 in a new worksheet. presents women with
money, mentoring,
and marketing
support.
Learn More!
Just My Business
Interview

Figure 3-13: Start with full names in a single column like this. Ramberg bring you
the "Just My
Then do the following: Business" interview
1. Select the range A2:A4. emerging and
2. Select Data > Text to Columns. The Convert Text to Columns Wizard appears. experienced
3. Select Delimited, and then click Next. entrepreneurs. You
4. For the delimiter character, check the Space checkbox only, as shown in will get an inside
Figure 3-14, and then click Next. scoop on what it’s like
to own your own
business as well as
started.
Watch the Video!

Figure 3-14: Select Space as the delimiter (that is, the break marker).
1. Click Finish. The data is split into two columns: A and B.
Notice in the preceding steps that the data was split into the column to the right of the
current one. You need to have a blank column to the right of the column containing
the original data when you use this command.
Merging Data
American Express®
Now let's look at the opposite situation. Suppose you want to combine the two Business Gold
columns into one again. Rewards Card
There are two ways of doing this: a temporary way and a permanent way. Use the
temporary way when you want to use the data in a single cell elsewhere in the
worksheet but retain the separate values also. Use the permanent way when you don't
need to go back. Apply today and let
the built-in
Membership
Merging Data Temporarily Rewards® program
reward you and your
business. You can
To merge data temporarily, create a new column, and in it, set up formulas that
earn up to 100,000
concatenate (that is, link together) the values of the individual cells.
Suppose, for example, you want to concatenate the values in A2 and B2 into C2. In
cell C2, you enter:
=A2&" "&B2 and your employees
that can help build
The & sign is the concatenation operator. If you just used =A2&B2, however, you your business. (Terms
would not get the desired space between them. That's why the formulas includes &" " and Conditions Apply.)
in it.
Apply Now!
You can also use the CONCATENATE function to do the same thing, like this:
Just My Business
Interview
=CONCATENATE(A2," ",B2)
Merging Data Permanently
The formulas or functions you set up in the preceding section maintain their reference iVillage and renowned
to the original cells, so the new values do not really replace the old ones. You could business journalist JJ
not delete the original first and last name columns, for example, because then the Ramberg bring you
formulas or functions would have errors. the "Just My
Business" interview
If you want to permanently replace the two-column names with the one-column ones, series JJ will interview
do this: emerging and
experienced
entrepreneurs. You
1. Create the formulas as in the preceding section. will get an inside
2. Copy the formulas to the Clipboard. scoop on what it’s like
3. In a new column, paste the formulas using Paste Special. In the Paste Special to own your own
dialog box, select Values. business as well as
4. Delete the original columns and the formula column, leaving only the pasted great advice on getting
values. started.
Moving On Watch the Video!
In this lesson, you learned how to create flat-file databases in Excel, and how to
search, sort, and filter them. You also learned how to split and merge data in cells to
recover from database organization errors you might have made initially. Now you're
ready to use Excel to store all kinds of data, from address lists to inventories.
comments, feel free to post them on the Message Board.
In Lesson 4, you'll learn about some formatting techniques that can make your
worksheets easier to read and understand.
Assignment #3
1. Open the workbook you used in Lesson 2's assignment (MyFinances.xls) and start a new
sheet.
2. On the new sheet, create a database for storing information about a collection you own,
such as CDs, DVDs, sports cards, or anything else you like. Think carefully about the fields
you want to include, and create them in row 1. Then enter the records in subsequent rows.
You might want a field called ID# where you enter a unique number for each record. Then if you
ever want to put them back in original order after sorting them some other way, you can re-sort by
ID.
1. Use your data to practice searching, sorting, and filtering in any ways that you think you
might actually use the data. For example, if you have created a database of your CD
collection, you might practice sorting by Artist.
Quiz #3
Question 1:
Which type of database is Excel most suitable for creating?
A) Relational
B) Flat file
C) Analytic
D) Hierarchical

Question 2:
When you set up a database in Excel, each column represents which of the following?
A) Field
B) Record
C) Database
D) Cell

Question 3:
An ascending sort would sort your data in which order?
A) A to Z
B) Z to A
C) A to M
D) N to Z

Question 4:
When you select multiple columns, and then click the Sort Descending button, by which column is the range
sorted?
A) Rightmost
B) Leftmost
C) You can choose which one
D) Neither

Question 5:
Which formula would you use to concatenate the values in cells C2 and D2 with one space between them?
A) =C2&" "&D2
B) =C2&D2
C) ="C2"&"D2"
D) =C2"&"D2

Advanced Formatting
In this lesson, you'll learn powerful formatting skills for making your workbooks the best they can be, such as
styles, custom headers and footers, and conditional formatting.

Formatting: Beyond the Basics

Power Networking:
This intermediate-level course assumes you already know the basics of formatting in How the Biz Does
Excel, such as changing text font, size, colors, and attributes; using borders and Business
shading on cells; and changing cell height and width. Even if you haven't done these
basic types of formatting specifically in Excel, they're similar enough to other
applications, such as Microsoft Word, that you should be able to figure them out
easily. (They're also covered in the Beginning Microsoft Excel 2003 course.) There are
many more complex and sophisticated formatting options in Excel besides the basic
formatting -- most of which are not self-evident. In this final lesson, you'll explore some
of these powerful but lesser-known formatting features. Go behind the scenes
and find out how
Creating Styles used marketing,
advertising, brand
If you've used a word processing program such as Word before, you're probably become some of the
familiar with the concept of a style. A style is a collection of formatting presets that you top names in the
can apply to selected text (or cells in a table or worksheet) to quickly format them a entertainment industry
certain way. Styles save you time by being able to apply multiple formatting in the "Power
commands in a single step. For example, suppose you want to make some text Times Networking: How the
New Roman, Italic, 18-point, and red. Normally, you'd have to perform four steps to Biz Does Business"
set that up. However, if you create a style that contains all that formatting, you can webcast, sponsored
apply that formatting to text in a single step. If it's just a one-time-only application of by OPEN from
the styles, of course, it doesn't save you any time. However, if you tend to apply the American Express®.
same formatting over and over, such as for column headings, styles can be a Join host Peter Bart,
tremendous help. Editor-In-Chief,
Variety, online
moderators Susan
By default, a workbook has only a few styles: Normal style, plus a few Comma and Sobbott and John
Currency styles that affect only the number format. Therefore, you probably want to Jantsch, along with
create some new styles with which to experiment. successful producers
Sydney Pollack,
Lawrence Bender
Creating a New Style by Example and Nancy Meyers as
they share insights to
help grow your
Give these steps a try to create a new style:
business.
1. In a new worksheet, type your name in cell A1.

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2. Format it as Times New Roman, Italic, 18-point, red.
3. Select Format > Style. The Style dialog box appears.
Just My Business
4. Type Red Heading in the Style name text box.
Interview
5. Click OK. Congratulations, you just defined a new style.
6. In cell A2, type the name of the city in which you live.
7. With A2 selected, select Format > Style.
8. Select Red Heading from the Style Name list, as shown in Figure 4-1.

Ramberg bring you
the "Just My
Business" interview
emerging and
experienced
entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
to own your own
business as well as
great advice on
Figure 4-1: Create a new style and then apply it. getting started.
1. Click OK. The style is applied to A2.

Watch the Video!
Creating a new style by definition
Another way to create a new style is to use a series of formatting dialog boxes to
specify how the style should appear. This method takes a little more time to set up, but
some people prefer it because they don't have to format anything ahead of time. To try
it, follow these steps:
1. In the same workbook you used in the preceding steps, click cell A5, and then
type Microsoft Excel.
2. Select Format > Style. The Style dialog box appears.
3. In the Style Name box, type Emphasis.
4. Click the Modify button. The Format Cells dialog box appears.
5. Click the Font tab, leave the font as Arial, select Bold as the Font style, and
then change the Size to 14 point.
6. Click the Border tab, and then select Outline.
7. Click the Patterns tab, and then click the pale orange square.
8. Click OK to return to the Style dialog box.
9. Clear any checkboxes for items that you don't want the style to control. For
example, if you don't want to apply the style to change the number format of a
cell, clear the Number checkbox.
10. Click OK to apply the new style.
There's no specific procedure for removing a style from a cell, but you can reapply the
Normal style (from the Style dialog box) to return to normal formatting at any time. You
can also modify a style (also from the Style dialog box) by unselecting some of the
checkboxes so that certain aspects of the style are not in effect.
Style Shortcuts
Power Networking:
If you're thinking that it's a lot of work to apply a style, you'll be happy to know that you How the Biz Does
can greatly simplify style application by adding a Styles list to a toolbar. (For example, Business
the Formatting toolbar is a logical choice.) You can then select a style from the toolbar
whenever you want it -- just like in Microsoft Word.
Follow these steps to create a Styles drop-down list on a toolbar:

1. Select Tools > Customize. The Customize dialog box appears. and find out how
2. Select the Commands tab, and then select Format from the Categories list. successful producers
3. In the Commands list, locate the Style command that has a drop-down list used marketing,
image next to it, and drag-and-drop it onto the desired toolbar. For example, in advertising, brand
Figure 4-2, it's at the right-end of the Formatting toolbar. building, and more to
become some of the
top names in the
in the "Power
Networking: How the
Biz Does Business"
webcast, sponsored
by OPEN from
American Express®.
Editor-In-Chief,
Variety, online
moderators Susan
Sobbott and John
Jantsch, along with
Figure 4-2: The Style drop-down list, now at the right end of the Formatting toolbar. Sydney Pollack,
Lawrence Bender
1. Click Close to close the Customize dialog box. and Nancy Meyers as
2. Try using the Style drop-down list by selecting a cell, and then selecting a style they share insights to
from the list. help grow your
business.
After you put the Style drop-down list on a toolbar, you have a new way to create a
new style: by example. Learn More!
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1. Format a cell with the style you want. Interview
2. Click in the text box on the Style drop-down list and type the new name.
3. Press Enter. The new style is defined based on the example.
This is just like in Microsoft Word.

Ramberg bring you
the "Just My
Business" interview
emerging and
experienced
entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
to own your own
business as well as
great advice on
getting started.
Watch the Video!

Using the Same Styles in Multiple Workbooks
Power Networking:
The Style list remains a part of your Excel display no matter with which workbook How the Biz Does
you're working. However, the styles themselves are saved with the individual Business
workbook, and do not carry over between files.
If you want your custom-defined styles to carry over to other workbooks, you have two
choices:
Create a Book.xlt template and set it as the startup template. This works well when Go behind the scenes
you want the styles to be available to every workbook you create from this point on. and find out how
Copy the styles from one workbook to another. This has a less global scope, and is successful producers
useful when you don't necessarily want every workbook to have the styles. used marketing,
advertising, brand
Creating a Book.xlt File building, and more to
become some of the
top names in the
Excel has its own built-in, Normal template it uses to create new workbooks. However, entertainment industry
you can override this template by creating a new template called Book.xlt and placing in the "Power
it in the Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\XLSTART directory. When a Networking: How the
Book.xlt file is present, Excel uses it as its default template. If you decide you want to Biz Does Business"
go back to the original settings, simply delete the Book.xlt file. webcast, sponsored
by OPEN from
American Express®.
To create a Book.xlt file, follow these steps: Join host Peter Bart,
Editor-In-Chief,
Variety, online
1. Start a new blank workbook and create all the styles in it that you need.
moderators Susan
2. Select File > Save As. In the Save as type list, select Templates.
Sobbott and John
3. Navigate to the Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\XLSTART folder
Jantsch, along with
(usually in your C: drive).
Sydney Pollack,
Lawrence Bender
This step is important; don't save it in the default location for user templates, which and Nancy Meyers as
is what appears automatically when you set the Save as type to Templates. they share insights to
help grow your
business.
1. Save the file as Book.xlt, as shown in Figure 4-3.
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Interview

Ramberg bring you
the "Just My
Business" interview
Figure 4-3: Save the Book.xlt file. series JJ will interview
emerging and
1. Close Excel and restart it. Make sure the styles you created are available in the experienced
new worksheet. entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
Copying Styles Between Workbooks to own your own
business as well as
great advice on
To copy styles between workbooks, open both workbooks in Excel, and then do the getting started.
following:
Watch the Video!

1. From either workbook, select Format > Style. The Style dialog box appears.
2. Click the Merge button. The Merge Styles dialog box appears, as shown in
Figure 4-4.
Figure 4-4: Merge Styles dialog box.
1. Select the other workbook, and then click OK.

2. Click OK to close the Style dialog box. Now both workbooks have the same
styles.
Conditional Formatting
Power Networking:
Perhaps you've noticed that some number formats make the numbers in a cell appear How the Biz Does
in red when they're negative. If you haven't seen this in action yet, do the following: Business
1. In cell A1 of a new worksheet, type -10.

2. With cell A1 selected, select Format > Cells.
3. Click the Number tab, select the Number category, and in the Negative
Numbers area, select one of the red formats.
4. Click OK. Go behind the scenes
and find out how
That, in a nutshell, is what conditional formatting is. Conditional formatting formats the used marketing,
value or label in a cell differently depending on what it is. Certain number formats have advertising, brand
conditional formatting built in, as you just saw, but you can also create your own building, and more to
custom conditional formats. become some of the
top names in the
You use conditional formats to show the meaning of your data. For example, you're a in the "Power
manager and you have a spreadsheet that lists your salespeople and their sales Networking: How the
figures for the month, as in Figure 4-5. Create this worksheet to follow along with the Biz Does Business"
example coming up momentarily. webcast, sponsored
by OPEN from
American Express®.
Editor-In-Chief,
Variety, online
moderators Susan
Sobbott and John
Jantsch, along with
Sydney Pollack,
Lawrence Bender
and Nancy Meyers as
help grow your
business.
Learn More!
Figure 4-5: Create this worksheet to practice conditional formatting.
Just My Business
Each salesperson has to meet a $1,000 quota, and you want to be alerted when Interview
someone doesn't meet the quota. You could set up a conditional format for the cells
containing the amounts so that if the amount is less than $1,000, it's formatted in an
eye-catching way. For example, you might place a border around the cell and apply
background shading to it.
Follow these steps to set up the conditional formatting for the worksheet shown in iVillage and renowned
Figure 4-5: business journalist JJ
Ramberg bring you
the "Just My
1. Select cells B2:B7. Business" interview
2. Select Format > Conditional Formatting. The Conditional Formatting dialog box series. In this exciting
appears. series JJ will interview
3. Set Condition 1 so the Cell Value Is less than $1,000, as shown in Figure 4-6. emerging and
experienced
entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
to own your own
business as well as
great advice on
getting started.
Figure 4-6: Set a condition of a value less than $1,000.
1. Click Format. The Format Cells dialog box appears. Watch the Video!
2. On the Border tab, click Outside.
3. On the Patterns tab, click a red square.
4. Click OK when you're done applying the formatting to return to the Conditional
Formatting dialog box.
5. Click OK to apply the conditional formatting. The values for Barbie and Midge
appear in red.
6. Change Barbie's value to $1,001. The conditional formatting is removed.
More on Conditional Formatting

American Express®
The conditional formatting example you just saw was extremely simple. It had only Business Gold
one condition, and it referred to a constant value. Now let's look at a more complex Rewards Card
example.
To try this one, create the worksheet shown in Figure 4-7.
Apply today and let

the built-in
Membership
Rewards® program
reward you and your
business. You can
earn up to 100,000
enough for 4 domestic
round-trip airline
tickets. And with so
many ways to redeem
points — from travel
to treats for you and
your employees —
that can help build
and Conditions
Figure 4-7: Start with this worksheet. Apply.)
Follow these steps to set up a multicondition formatting situation that refers to values
in cells rather than to constants: Apply Now!
Just My Business
1. Select B5:B11. Interview
2. Select Format > Conditional Formatting.
3. For the first condition, set that the cell value is greater than or equal to cell B1.
Make it an absolute reference to B1, like this: =$B$1.
4. Click Add to start another condition, and set the second condition to be greater
than or equal to cell B2. Again, use an absolute reference.
5. Click Add to start another condition, and the third condition to be greater than
or equal to cell B3. Again, use an absolute reference. iVillage and renowned
6. For each condition, set the cell shading (the pattern) to be the corresponding business journalist JJ
colors: Ramberg bring you
the "Just My
Business" interview
Condition 1: Blue series. In this exciting
emerging and
Condition 2: Red experienced
entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
Condition 3: Yellow scoop on what it’s like
to own your own
business as well as
1. Check your conditions to make sure they're the same as shown in Figure 4-8,
great advice on
and then click OK to apply them.
getting started.
Watch the Video!
Figure 4-8: Set up these conditions.
1. Change the value in cell B1 to 700. Notice that the color of B7 changes to red
because it no longer meets the criteria.
2. Change the value in B1 to 300. Now both B7 and B11 appear in blue.
Close the workbook without saving your changes when you're finished experimenting
with conditional formatting.
Custom Number Formats

Power Networking:
When you select Format > Cells and select a format from the Number tab, you apply How the Biz Does
certain number formatting options to that cell. Up until this point, you've been restricted Business
to the number format options that Excel provides. (This isn't a huge hardship, because
there are many preset number formats.)
But what if you want some really unusual number format that you can't select through
any of the presets? For example, what if you want negative numbers to appear green
instead of red, or you want to display currency values with three decimal places rather Go behind the scenes
than two? (These are really odd examples, but what if?) This is when the ability to and find out how
create custom number formats comes in handy. successful producers
used marketing,
advertising, brand
When you define a custom number format, you create a string of codes that tells Excel building, and more to
exactly how you want the numbers to appear. The following table shows the symbols become some of the
you can use. top names in the
in the "Power
Networking: How the
Biz Does Business"
Symbol Description webcast, sponsored
by OPEN from
American Express®.
# A digit that's displayed only if it's significant. For Join host Peter Bart,
example, in 04.0, the zeros are both insignificant Editor-In-Chief,
because if you leave them off, the value is exactly the Variety, online
same. moderators Susan
Sobbott and John
Jantsch, along with
0 A digit that's displayed even if it's insignificant. successful producers
Sydney Pollack,
Lawrence Bender
? Space for insignificant zeros on either side of the and Nancy Meyers as
decimal point so that the decimal points align. they share insights to
help grow your
business.
[color] The color to use. The color must be one of the
following: Black, Blue, Cyan, Green, Magenta, Red,
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White, or Yellow.
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, The punctuation you use if you want the number
format to separate the number with commas.
$ The symbol to use (a dollar sign or other currency

symbol) if you want it to be included in the number
format. iVillage and renowned
Ramberg bring you
m Months or Minutes depending on the context. the "Just My
Business" interview
d Days.
emerging and
experienced
entrepreneurs. You
y Years.
will get an inside
to own your own
h Hours. business as well as
great advice on
getting started.
s Seconds.
Watch the Video!

_ A space. Follow the _ by a character to create a space
the width of that character. For example, when you
use _), a space the width of a closing parenthesis is
inserted, which helps negative numbers in
parentheses line up with positive numbers.
* Repeating characters. Whatever character follows the

* is repeated to fill the cell.
"text " @ Text string. Excel adds the text string to the beginning
of whatever text is in the cell. For example, if you use
"Final "@ as the code and the entry in the cell is
Answer, the cell displays Final Answer.
Table 4-1: Symbol descriptions

Parts of a Custom Number Format

There are four sections to a custom number format: Positive, Negative, Zeros, and Business
Text. They're separated by semicolons, like this:
#,###.00_);[Red](#,###.00);0.00;"FW: "@
Co-founded by Count
Me In for Women’s
The following table provides an explanation of this code: Economic
Independence and
OPEN from American
Express®, this
organization helps
Code Explanation women entrepreneurs
companies. Each
#,###.00_) Positive numbers are displayed with a year, the group’s
comma separator, and with significant award program
digits only when to the left of the decimal presents women with
point. There are two digits to the right of the money, mentoring,
decimal point, even if they're zeros. There's and marketing
a right-parenthesis-sized blank space to support.
the right of the number.
Learn More!
[Red](#,###.00) Negative numbers are displayed the same
as positive ones except they're in red and Just My Business
have parentheses around them. Interview
0.00 Zero values are displayed as 0.00.
"FW: "@ All text strings are preceded by FW: . iVillage and renowned
Ramberg bring you
Table 4-2: Code Explanations the "Just My
Business" interview
emerging and
Modifying a Custom Format
experienced
entrepreneurs. You
You can often modify an existing custom format, so you don't have to reinvent the will get an inside
wheel every time. scoop on what it’s like
to own your own
business as well as
Do the following to try modifying a custom format: great advice on
getting started.
1. Select a cell that has a number in it. Type a number into a cell if needed.
2. Select Format > Cells, and then click the Number tab. Watch the Video!
3. From the Categories list, select Custom.
4. Scroll through the list of custom formats and select this custom format, also
shown in Figure 4-9:
#,##0_);[Red](#,##0)
Figure 4-9: Select an existing custom format.
1. Replace the word Red with Green.

2. Click OK to apply the format to the number.
3. Edit the number so it's negative one. It turns green.
Creating Your Own Custom Formats
Using the symbols described earlier in the lesson, you should be able to develop your
own custom formats.
Try this one to test yourself. Create a format that shows the currency symbol but does
not use commas, and uses no decimal places. For negative numbers, have them
appear in red and with a minus sign preceding them, but not in parentheses. Force
one digit to display; all others are optional. Do not indicate anything special for zero or
text format.
This is the answer:
$###0;[Red]"-"$###0
For the first part (the positive number), it's a simple dollar sign followed by three
optional digits with no commas, ending with a required digit so that if the value is zero,
it will show $0 instead of just being blank.
For the second part, [Red] indicates that negative numbers will be red. The "-" is for
the minus sign. The rest is the same as for the positive number.
Page Setup Options

Power Networking:
Page Setup (File > Page Setup) enables you to control the settings, such as the paper How the Biz Does
size, how the paper is oriented, whether headers or footers (or both) appear on each Business
page, and so on, for spreadsheets you print.
There are four categories of settings and the Beginning Microsoft Excel 2003 course
covered them pretty thoroughly, but here's a quick review.
Page: Shown in Figure 4-10. Controls the paper size, the scaling (for example, you Go behind the scenes
can grow or shrink the printout by a certain amount or force it to fit in a certain and find out how
number of pages), and the beginning page number. successful producers
used marketing,
advertising, brand
become some of the
top names in the
in the "Power
Networking: How the
Biz Does Business"
webcast, sponsored
by OPEN from
American Express®.
Editor-In-Chief,
Variety, online
moderators Susan
Sobbott and John
Jantsch, along with
Figure 4-10: The Page tab of the Page Setup dialog box. Sydney Pollack,
Margins: Shown in Figure 4-11. Helps you set margins for all four sides of the Lawrence Bender
printout, plus margins for the header and footer (if used). It also enables you to and Nancy Meyers as
center the printout vertically and/or horizontally. they share insights to
help grow your
business.
Learn More!
Just My Business
Interview

Ramberg bring you
the "Just My
Business" interview
Figure 4-11: The Margins tab of the Page Setup dialog box. series. In this exciting
Header/Footer: Shown in Figure 4-12. Allows you to select what appears at the top series JJ will interview
and bottom of each page. Open the Header drop-down list and select a type of emerging and
information; do the same thing for the Footer drop-down list. You find out how to experienced
create custom headers/footers in the next section. entrepreneurs. You
will get an inside
to own your own
business as well as
great advice on
getting started.
Watch the Video!
Figure 4-12: The Header/Footer tab of the Page Setup dialog box.
Sheet: Shown in Figure 4-13. Contains a hodge-podge of miscellaneous settings
that have to do with how the data appears on the page. For example, you can set
the print area (if you don't want to print the whole sheet), you can select certain
rows or columns to repeat on each page, and you can control whether gridlines will
print.
Figure 4-13: The Sheet tab of the Page Setup dialog box.

Custom Headers and Footers

Power Networking:
Selecting one of the preset headers and footers is no trick; you saw how to do it from How the Biz Does
the Header/Footer tab of the Page Setup dialog box in the preceding section. But what Business
if you want something different?
To create a custom header or footer, click the Custom Header or Custom Footer
button on the Header/Footer tab. The Header (or Footer) dialog box appears, showing
three sections for Left, Center, and Right, respectively.
and find out how
You can enter text into a section to make that text repeat on every page of the successful producers
printout. For example, you can put your company name in the header or footer, or a used marketing,
copyright or security warning, as shown in Figure 4-14. advertising, brand
become some of the
top names in the
in the "Power
Networking: How the
Biz Does Business"
webcast, sponsored
by OPEN from
American Express®.
Figure 4-14: You can enter your own text for the header or footer. Editor-In-Chief,
Variety, online
You can also place codes in the header or footer that will print certain information moderators Susan
drawn from the workbook, sheet, or system clock. For example, you can use a page Sobbott and John
numbering code to print the correct page number on each page, or use a date or time Jantsch, along with
code to print the current date or time. Figure 4-15 shows which buttons in the dialog successful producers
box correspond to which codes. Sydney Pollack,
Lawrence Bender
and Nancy Meyers as
help grow your
business.
Learn More!
Just My Business
Interview
Figure 4-15: Buttons that insert codes in the header/footer.
You can also type these codes in manually, although there is little incentive to do
so because the buttons are so readily available. Precede a code with an
ampersand (&). Each code appears in square brackets. For example, the page
number code is &[page]. iVillage and renowned
Ramberg bring you
The Format button is the first button in the dialog box. It's the one that looks like a the "Just My
capital A. You use it to apply formatting to the header or footer. Select the text (or Business" interview
codes) to format, and then click the Format button. It opens a Font dialog box from series. In this exciting
which you can select the font, size, color, and attributes. series JJ will interview
emerging and
experienced
entrepreneurs. You
You must select the text before clicking the button; the formatting does not apply
will get an inside
to the entire header or footer globally.
to own your own
business as well as
Moving On great advice on
getting started.
Congratulations on completing this course! In this lesson, you learned advanced

formatting techniques for Excel. Watch the Video!
comments, feel free to post them on the Message Board.
Thank you for taking this course.
Assignment #4
1. Open the workbook you used in Lesson 3's assignment (MyFinances.xls). Or if you did not
do Lesson 3's assignment, start with the version of My Finances.xls you worked on in
Lesson 2 or Lesson 1.
2. Add the Styles drop-down list to the Formatting toolbar.
3. Use basic formatting techniques to improve the look of each worksheet. These can include
using different fonts, sizes, colors, borders, and shading. As you're doing this, create at
least three styles, and use the styles to speed up your formatting work if possible.
4. (Optional) If you did not already create a Book.xlt template when working through Lesson 4,
do so now, referring to Lesson 4 for specific directions. Merge your new styles into Book.xlt
before saving and closing it.
5. Create a custom number format, and apply it to at least one numeric value in your
workbook.
6. Create a custom header and a custom footer for the workbook. In the header, include your
company's name and the current date. In the footer, include the file name and the page
number.
7. Save your work and close Excel.
Quiz #4
Question 1:
What's the purpose of a style in Excel?
A) To format a page so that it prints page numbers correctly
B) To access special formatting features that are not available in any other way
C) To save time by automating the process of applying the same formatting repeatedly
D) To format a page so it prints the date and time correctly

Question 2:
Suppose you want to add the Styles drop-down list to the Formatting toolbar. Which menu option allows you to
edit the toolbars and drag-and-drop commands onto them?
A) Tools > Customize
B) Tools > Options
C) File > Setup
D) File > Options

Question 3:
Why would you create a Book.xlt file?
A) To create a custom version of the Formatting toolbar
B) To store a personal address book
C) To copy and paste between Excel and Word
D) To override the default settings for a new blank workbook

Question 4:
Which of these custom number formats always shows at least one digit to the left of the decimal point and three
digits to the right of it, and shows negative numbers in parentheses but not in any particular color?
A) #,###.000_);(#,###.000)
B) #,##0.000_);(#,##0.000)
C) #,##0.00_);[Red](#,##0.00)
D) #,##0.##_);[None](#,##0.##

Question 5:
Which of these are codes you can insert in a header or a footer? (Check all that apply.)
A) Date
B) Time
C) Page number
D) Sheet name
E) Workbook file name

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Intermediate Microsoft® Excel 2003

More about Functions

Welcome to the Course

Enter and edit text in cells. Apply today and let

iVillage and renowned

Watch the Video!

Review: Formulas and Functions

Watch the Video!

Getting Help with Function Parameters

Watch the Video!

Figure 1-2: Fill in the arguments for the selected function.

Getting Help While Typing a Function

Working with Dates and Times

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Watch the Video!

Formula Copying and Absolute References

For example, suppose you have this formula in cell C4:

iVillage and renowned

Creating and Referencing Named Ranges

1. Select the cell(s).

Figure 1-7: Name a range by typing text in the Name box.

Practice with Named Ranges

Apply today and let

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Watch the Video!

More on Named Ranges

Updating (Applying) References

Changing or Deleting a Named Range Learn More!

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Automatically Assign Names

To try this, create the worksheet shown in Figure 1-13.

Figure 1-13: Create this worksheet to test automatic label usage.

You could've used =SUM(Tom,Dick,Harry) to produce the same result.

Creating a Checkbook Register

Figure 1-14: Create this worksheet to start a checkbook register.

Just in case you didn't figure it out, here's the formula:

For example, enter the transactions shown in Figure 1-16.

Figure 1-16: Enter these transactions.

Figure 1-17 shows the finished register.

Figure 1-17: The completed register.

Creating a Loan Amortization Table

Now follow these steps:

1. Auto-fill the numbers 1 through 360 in cells A10 through A369.

Watch the Video!

Now continue with these steps to complete your spreadsheet:

1. Create the following range names:

1. Copy the function from B10 to B11:B369.

At this point, your worksheet should resemble Figure 1-20.

Figure 1-20: The first payment has been calculated.

1. Copy the formula from E11 to E12:E369.

Figure 1-21: The completed loan amortization table.

In Lesson 2, you'll learn how to work with multiple sheets in a workbook.

Working with Multiple Worksheets

Working with Sheet Names and Tabs

Figure 2-3: Format Tab Color dialog box.

Working with Sheets

Selecting Multiple Sheets at Once

Watch the Video!

Copying and Moving Worksheets

Apply today and let

Viewing Multiple Sheets at Once

To view multiple sheets, follow these steps:

Referring to a Cell on a Different Sheet