EXCEL CHAPTER 6

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES FOR

ENHANCING WORKSHEET
EFFICACY

Topics Covered in This Chapter

How to check for spelling errors with Excels Spelling Checker

How to use Excels formula auditing tools to trace cell relationships in
formulas
The concepts of protecting worksheets and unlocking cells
The concept of a circular reference
How to use Excels Data Validation feature to warn of or prevent invalid data
entries in a worksheet
How to open multiple workbooks in different windows
How to freeze row and column titles on the screen
How to split a workbook window into multiple panes
How to hide and unhide columns and rows
How to hide and unhide sheets in a workbook
How to view more rows by changing to a full screen view
How to view more of a worksheet by zooming to a lower magnification
Using the IF function to test a template worksheet
Working with multiple worksheets in a workbook
How to insert manual page breaks in a worksheet

Avoid Those Embarrassing

Spelling Errors

Click on the Spelling button in the

Proofing group of the Review tabs Ribbon.

Press F7.

Formula Auditing Buttons in the

Formula Auditing Group of the
Formulas Tabs Ribbon

Auditing a Worksheet
With Excels Tracer Arrow
Excels formula auditing tools enable you to analyze the relationships
between formulas and cells in a worksheet. These formula auditing
tools include the:
Trace Precedents command, which draws tracer arrows that point
(i.e., trace) from a formula in the active cell to other cells whose
addresses are contained in the formula, and
Trace Dependents command, which draws tracer arrows that point
from the active cell to formulas in other cells that contain the active
cells address.
Tracer arrows enable you to focus on the relationships depicted by
precedent and dependent tracer arrows.
If you see an error message, such as #VALUE or #REF, in a cell, you
can track the error down with the Tracer commands.

Tracer Arrows Pointing

from Cell B14 to Precedent Cells

Data Validation
Restrict data entry in a cell:
Restrict data entry to a particular type such as whole numbers,
decimal numbers, dates, times, or text.
Restrict the values (i.e., minimum and/or maximum values) that
can be entered in a cell.
Restrict the entries in a cell or range of cells to the data in a list,
such as a list of valid account numbers or approved suppliers
Restrict the length of text (i.e., minimum and/or maximum number
of characters) that can be entered in a cell.
Restrict the date and time (i.e., start and/or end dates) values that
can be entered in a cell.
Stop, warn, or provide information and display an error message when
possible invalid data is entered in the cell.

Use the Data Validation Feature to

Restrict First Year Sales to between
$225,000 and $300,000
1. Select cell AB53, which contains the forecasted value for
first year sales in the data input section.
2. Click on the Data Validation button in the Data Tools group
of the Data tabs Ribbon to display the Data Validation
dialog box.

Use the Data Validation Feature to

Restrict First Year Sales to between
$225,000 and $300,000
3. Click on the Settings tab. In this tab, carry out the following
steps:
Click on the arrow at the right-end of the Allow list box
and select the Whole number data type from the dropdown list.
Click on the arrow at the right-end of the Data list box
and select the Between operator from the drop-down
list.
Enter 225000 in the Minimum box.

Use the Data Validation Feature to

Restrict First Year Sales to between
$225,000 and $300,000
4. Click on the Input Message tab. In this tab, carry out the
following steps:
Enter FIRST YEAR SALES: in the Title box.
Enter Enter a value between 225000 and 300000 in the Input
message box.

Use the Data Validation Feature to

Restrict First Year Sales to between
$225,000 and $300,000
5. Click on the Error Alert tab. In this tab, carry out the
following steps:
Click on the arrow at the right-end of the Style list box
and select Warning from the drop-down list.
Enter INVALID VALUE in the Title box.
Enter You entered a value outside the range of
225000 and 300000 in the Error message box.
6. Click on OK to close the dialog box and save your Data
Validation settings.

Warning Message When Value Is

Entered Outside the Acceptable Range

Circular
References
A circular reference (usually accidental) is a circumstance
in which a cell's value depends directly or indirectly on
itself.
For example, suppose you select Sheet2 for the Forecast
workbook and enter the following in cells B4 and B5:
Row/Col A
B
4
=B5+10
5
=B4+20
Another example of a circular reference is if you enter the
following formula in cell C15:
Row/Col
15

C
=C15+10

Circular Reference Message Box

When you enter a formula with a circular reference and
press Enter, Excel displays the message One or more
formulas contain a circular reference in a message
dialog box.

Circular Reference Message Box

Choices
When you see this circular reference message after
entering a formula, you have three options:
Click on OK to attempt to locate the circular reference.
Excel also displays the value 0 in the cell and displays a
Help window.
Click on Cancel to enter the formula with the circular
reference in the cell. Excel then displays the value zero
(0) in the cell.

Help Window on Circular Reference

Circular Reference: B4

Intentional Circular
References
There are instances when you might want to use an
intentional circular reference in order to solve a problem
through iteration.
To use circular references to solve a problem through
iteration:
Click on the Office Button in the upper-left corner of the
screen.
Click on the Excel Options button near the lower-right corner
of the Office button dialog box.
Click on the Formulas tab to display the Formulas portion of
the Excel Options dialog box, as shown in next slide.
Check the Enable iterative calculation box.

Providing for an Intentional

Circular Reference

Protecting Workbooks,
Sheets, and Their Contents
Prevent users from opening a workbook or accessing its
contents.
Enable users to open a workbook and enter changes to its
contents, but prevent them from replacing the original copy.
Enable users to open a workbook, but not change its
contents or the way it's organized and displayed.
Prevent users from entering changes to some or all of the
items on a sheet (for example, changing or modifying the
contents of cells, embedded charts on worksheets or chart
sheets, graphic objects on worksheets, or code in a Visual
Basic module). This is called worksheet protection and is
the only form of protection that is covered in this book.

Protecting Workbooks,
Sheets, and Their Contents
Prevent users of a shared workbook on a network from
removing the workbook from shared use and from turning
off the tracking of revisions.
Hide a workbook so users can open or access it, but not
see it (for example, so they can run macros in the
workbook).
Hide selected sheets in an open workbook.
Hide some or all items on a sheet so users can't see them
or accidentally change them.
Prevent worksheet formulas from appearing in the formula
bar.

Protecting Workbooks,
Sheets, and Their Contents

Prevent users of a shared workbook on a network from

removing the workbook from shared use and from
turning off the tracking of revisions.

Hide a workbook so users can open or access it, but not

see it (for example, so they can run macros in the
workbook).

Hide selected sheets in an open workbook.

Hide some or all items on a sheet so users can't see

them or accidentally change them.

Prevent worksheet formulas from appearing in the

formula bar.

Protect Sheet Dialog Box

(Click on the Protect Sheet Button in the
Changes Group of the Review Tabs Ribbon)

Message Dialog Box Warning

That Cell Is Protected

Unlocking Cell(s) in the

Protection Tab of the Format
Cells Dialog Box

If You Unlock the Wrong Cell

or Range of Cells
Unprotect the worksheet by clicking on the Unprotect
Sheet button in the Changes group of the Review tabs
Ribbon (if necessary).
Select the cell or range you want to lock.
Click on the Format Cells button in the shortcut menu.
Click on the Protection tab.
Check the Locked box.
Click on the OK button.
Protect the worksheet clicking on the Protect Sheet button
in the Changes group of the Review tabs Ribbon.

Working with Multiple Open

Workbooks
Press Ctrl+F6 to switch to the Forecast window
and then press Ctrl+F6 again to switch back to the
Cashflow window.
Alternatively, click on the Switch Windows
button in the Window group of the View
tabs Ribbon and select the workbook or
worksheet you want.

Working with Multiple Open

Workbooks
The number of workbooks that can be opened at any
one time is limited only by the amount of your
computers RAM memory and by the number of other
Windows applications that currently are open.
You can also display multiple workbooks on the screen
with the Arrange command in the Window menu.
Having multiple workbooks open at the same time
facilitates the copying and pasting (or cutting and
pasting) of data and objects between workbooks.

Freezing Row and Column

Titles on the Screen
The Freeze Panes command in the Window menu
freezes the column titles across the top of the
screen and the row titles down the left side of the
screen.
If you only want to freeze row(s) on the screen,
click on the row heading immediately below the
row(s) you want to freeze.
If you only want to freeze column(s), click on the
column heading immediately to the right of the
column(s) you want to freeze.

Freezing Row and Column

Titles on the Screen
If you want to freeze both rows and columns on the screen,
Click on the cell that is immediately below the row(s)
and immediately to the right of the column(s) you want
to freeze on the screen
Selecting the active cell is crucial in this operation,
because Excel locks on the screen those rows that are
displayed immediately above the selected cell and those
columns that are displayed immediately to the left of the
selected cell.
Freeze the rows and columns by clicking on the Freeze
Panes button in the Window group of the View tabs
Ribbon and then clicking on the Freeze Panes
command.

Unfreezing Row and Column

Titles on the Screen
To unfreeze the row and columns:
Click on the Freeze Panes button in the
Window group of the View tabs Ribbon, and
then
Choose the Unfreeze Panes command.

Viewing More of the Worksheet

Click on the Full Screen button in the
Workbook Views group of the View tabs
Ribbon.
Click on the Zoom button in the Zoom group of
the View tabs Ribbon and zoom to a lower
Magnification.

Hiding Columns
and Rows
Excludes them from printing when you print the
worksheet.
Precludes someone from looking over your
shoulder and viewing sensitive information in
hidden columns or rows.

To Hide One or More Rows or

Columns
Select the row(s) or column(s) you want to hide.
You can select a single row by clicking on the
row heading or on any cell in the row. You can
select multiple rows by selecting the row
headings or a range of cells which include those
rows.
You can select a single column by clicking on
the column heading or on any cell in the
column. You can select multiple columns by
selecting the column headings or a range of
cells which include those columns.

To Hide One or More Rows or

Columns
Click on the Format button in the Cells group of the
Home tabs Ribbon, choose the Hide and Unhide
command from the Format menu, and then choose
the Hide Rows or Hide Columns command from
the submenu.
Alternatively, select one or more row or column
headings, press the right mouse button to display
the shortcut menu, and then choose the Hide
command from this menu.

To Unhide One or More

Rows or Columns
Select the rows or columns on both sides of the
hidden row(s) or column(s). A thick row or column
heading border and a skipped row heading or
column heading indicate that there is a hidden
row or column.
Click on the Format button in the Cells group of
the Home tabs Ribbon, choose the Hide and
Unhide command from the Format menu, and
then choose the Hide Rows or Hide Columns
command from the submenu.

To Unhide One or More

Rows or Columns
If Column A or Row 1 is hidden and you wish to
unhide it, click on the Select All button in the
worksheet prior to:
Clicking on the Format button in the Cells group
of the Home tabs Ribbon,
Choosing the Hide and Unhide command from
the Format menu, and then
Choose the Hide Rows or Hide Columns
command from the submenu.

Forcing Page Breaks

Select the cell one row below where you want

the page to break.

Click on the Breaks button in the Page Setup

group of the Page Layout tabs Ribbon and then
choose the Insert Page Break command from
that menu.

Testing the Accuracy of a

Worksheet with IF Functions
Examples:
Cash in the balance sheet (row 42) = Ending cash in the
cash flow statement (row 97)
Total assets (row 54) = Total Liabilities & Shareholders
Equity (row 73)
=IF(C54=C73,"Yes","No")
=IF(C54=C73,"Yes","No")

Working with Multiple

Worksheets within a Workbook
Once you have decided to organize information into
different worksheets, you can:
Rename worksheets.
Copy or move worksheets within the workbook (or to
another workbook).
Reference cell addresses from one or more worksheets
in the formulas and functions in another worksheet in
the workbook (or in another workbook).
Insert and delete worksheets.
Hide worksheets.
Change the color of the sheet tabs.

Rename Worksheets
Right-click on the sheet tab, choose the Rename
command from the shortcut menu, and enter a
new name.
For example, rename Sheet1 as Jan 2011.
Similarly, rename Sheet2 as Feb 2011 and
Sheet3 as Mar 2011.

Moving & Copying Worksheets

You can move or copy a worksheet within a workbook, to
another open workbook, or to a new workbook.
To move or copy a worksheet, right-click on the sheet tab and
choose the Move or Copy command, which opens the Move or
Copy dialog box.
If you want to move or copy the worksheet to a different
workbook, click on the arrow at the end of the To book: list
box and select the workbook.
In the Before sheet: list box, select where you want to move
or copy the worksheet within the selected workbook.
To copy and NOT move, check the Create a Copy box and
click OK.

Copying & and Renaming Mar

2011 Worksheet
Right-click on the Mar 2011 sheet tab and choose the Move or
Copy command, which opens the Move or Copy dialog box.
In the Before sheet: list box, select (move to end), which will
allow you to copy the worksheet to the end of the workbook.
Check the Create a Copy box and click OK.
Excel creates a copy of the Mar2011 worksheet and names
the sheet tab Mar 2011 (2).
Right-click on the Mar 2011 (2) sheet tab, choose the Rename
command from the Shortcut menu, and name the worksheet 1st
Qtr 2011.

Referencing Cell Addresses

from Other Worksheets in
the Workbook
You reference cell addresses from other worksheets in a
workbook in formulas and functions by preceding the cell
address with the sheet name, single quotes, and an
exclamation point.
For example, Cell 6 in the Jan 2011 worksheet would be
represented as follows:
Jan 2011!C6
Similarly, the formula to sum sales from the three
worksheets would appear as follows:
=Jan 2011!C6 + Feb 2011!C6 + Mar 2011!C6

Referencing Cell Addresses

from Other Worksheets in
the Workbook

Because there are one or more spaces within a sheet name,

then the sheet name must be enclosed within single quotes.
For example, because there is a space between Jan and
2011, then Cell 6 in that worksheet is represented as follows:
'Jan 2011'!C6
Conversely, if there are no spaces in the sheets name, then
you would not use single quotes to wrap the sheets name.
For example, if there are no spaces in Jan2011, then you
would represent it as:
Jan2011!C6

Include Cells from Different

Worksheets in Formulas by Pointing
to Their Cell Addresses

Enter an equal (=) sign in cell B9 of the 1st Qtr 2011 worksheet. You should
see = on the formula bar.
Click on the Jan 2011 sheet tab and then click on cell B9. You should see
the following on the formula bar:
= Jan 2011!B9
Enter the plus (+) sign.
Click on the Feb 2011 sheet tab and then click on cell B9. You should see
the following on the formula bar:
= Jan 2011!B9 + Feb 2011!B9
Enter the plus (+) sign.
Click on the Mar 2011 sheet tab and then click on cell B9. You should see
the following on the formula bar:
= Jan 2011!B9 + Feb 2011!B9 + Mar 2011!B9
Click on the Enter box on the formula bar (or press the Enter key).

To Create a 3D Reference

Select cell B10 in the 1st Qtr 2011 worksheet.

Enter the following at the keyboard:
=SUM(
Click on the Jan 2011 sheet tab, the first sheet in the range.
Hold the Shift key down and click on Mar 2011 sheet tab, the
last sheet in the range.
Click on a cell (i.e. (B10).
Click on the Enter box on the formula bar (or press the Enter
key).
Excel sums that cell across sheets Jan 2011 to Mar 2011.

Inserting Worksheets
Select a worksheet (or any other type of sheet) by clicking
on its tab. Then either:
Either choose the Worksheet command in the Insert menu
or position the mouse pointer on the sheet tab and choose
the Insert command from the shortcut menu.
Excel inserts a new worksheet to the left of the selected
sheet.
For example, insert a new worksheet between the Mar
2011 and 1st Qtr 2011 worksheets.

Deleting Worksheets

Click on the sheet tab.

Either choose the Delete Sheet command from

the Edit menu or position the mouse pointer on
the sheet tab and choose the Delete command
from the shortcut menu.

Excel displays a message dialog box warning

you that The selected sheet(s) will be
permanently deleted., as shown in the next
slide.

Click on OK to delete the worksheet.

Warning Message
When Deleting a Sheet

Caution on Deleting Worksheets

You should save your workbook before deleting a
sheet, because the permanently deleted warning
message means just that.
When you click on OK, the sheet is gone forever.
You cannot undo a delete sheet action.
All you can do is recreate the sheet and that could
represent a great deal of effort.

Hiding Sheets

Select a worksheet by clicking on its sheet tab.

To hide the sheet:

Click on the Format button in the Cells
group of the Home tabs Ribbon,
Choose the Hide & Unhide command from
the Format menu, and then
Choose the Hide Sheet from the submenu.

Unhiding Sheets
Unhide a sheet by:
Clicking on the Format button in the Cells group of the
Home tabs Ribbon.
Choose the Hide & Unhide command from the Format
menu, and then
Choose the Unhide Sheet command from the submenu.

Excel displays the Unhide (sheet) dialog box.

Unhiding Sheets
In the Unhide (sheet) dialog box:
Select the name of the sheet you want to
display in the Unhide sheet list box by clicking
on it.
Click on OK.

Unhide (Sheet) Dialog Box

Add Color to Sheet Tabs

Select the sheet by clicking on the sheet tab.

Press the right mouse button to display the Short Cut

menu, and then choose the Tab Color command.

Excel displays the Tab Color dialog box, as shown in in

the next slide, with a palette of colors you can choose
from to apply a color to the selected sheets tab.

Click on the desired color and the click on OK. Excel

applies the color to the sheets tab.

Format Tab Color

Dialog Box

Add Color to Sheet Tabs

After you click on OK, Excel underlines the sheet
name in the color you chose (to indicate it's the
current sheet).
When you click to a new tab, the old one will
appear in the color you choose.

Moving a Worksheet within

a Workbook
To move a worksheet within its workbook, you can
use either of the following approaches.
Right-click on the worksheets sheet tab and
choose the Move or Copy command from the
Shortcut menu, or
Click on the Worksheets sheet tab, hold down
the left mouse pointer, and drag the sheet tab to
the left or to the right.