Excel Training Manual
Excel Training Manual
Workshop Guide
Contributors:
Reviewer
Ms.Nithya Subramaniam, Meark Enterprise
Table of Contents
Table of Contents 2
Introduction about MS Excel 3
Types of Data & Best Practices for Entering Data in Excel 7
Excel ShortCuts 8
Sorting in Excel 9
Filters in Excel 11
Formulas and Functions in Excel 13
Subtotal and Aggregate Function 17
Date Functions in Excel 19
Conditional Formatting 21
Understanding Cell References in Excel 24
Goal Seek 25
LOOKUP Function- VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP & XLOOKUP 26
Pivot Tables in Excel 28
Data Validation 30
Protecting Cells & Hiding Formulas 32
Macro in Excel 33
Power Query 37
Benefits of MS Excel
1. Data Organization: Efficiently organizes large sets of data with rows, columns, and
sheets.
2. Data Analysis: Advanced tools for data analysis such as pivot tables, filters, and
conditional formatting.
3. Calculations: Supports complex calculations using formulas and functions.
4. Visualization: Offers various chart types and data visualization tools to present data
clearly.
5. Automation: Allows automation of repetitive tasks through macros and VBA (Visual
Basic for Applications).
6. Collaboration: Enables multiple users to work on the same document, especially
with cloud integration.
Applications of MS Excel
Excel as a Spreadsheet
1. Data Organization:
○ Like a traditional ledger, Excel organizes data in a grid of rows and columns.
Each cell in the grid can contain data, a formula, or a function.
2. Calculation and Analysis:
○ Excel allows users to perform complex calculations, much like the arithmetic
done on paper spreadsheets but with greater speed and accuracy.
○ Formulas and functions in Excel can automate calculations, reducing the
potential for human error.
3. Data Management:
○ Excel's features for sorting, filtering, and analyzing data enhance the basic
functionalities of a traditional spreadsheet, making it a powerful tool for
managing large datasets.
1. Google Sheets:
○ Web-based, accessible from any device with an internet
connection.Integrates seamlessly with other Google Workspace applications.
2. Apple Numbers:
○ Part of Apple's iWork suite, designed for Mac users with a focus on simplicity
and visual appeal.
3. LibreOffice Calc:
○ Open-source spreadsheet application, part of the LibreOffice suite, offering
similar functionalities to Excel.
4. Zoho Sheet:
○ Web-based spreadsheet application, part of the Zoho Office Suite, known for
its collaboration features and cloud integration.
5. Apache OpenOffice Calc:
○ Another open-source alternative to Excel, part of the Apache OpenOffice
suite.
1. Workbook:
2. Worksheet:
● A single sheet within a workbook, consisting of rows and columns where data is
entered and manipulated.
3. Ribbon:
● The toolbar at the top of the Excel window, containing tabs and commands for
various functionalities. It includes:
○ Tabs: Categories of commands (e.g., Home, Insert, Page Layout).
○ Groups: Collections of related commands within each tab (e.g., Font,
Alignment).
○ Commands: Individual buttons or options within groups (e.g., Bold, Merge &
Center).
4. Formula Bar:
● Located above the worksheet grid, it displays the contents of the active cell and
allows for the entry and editing of data, formulas, and functions.
5. Name Box:
● Situated to the left of the Formula Bar, it shows the address of the active cell and can
be used to navigate to different cells or name ranges.
6. Worksheet Tabs:Found at the bottom of the Excel window, these tabs allow you to switch
between different sheets within a workbook. You can also rename, add, delete, and reorder
sheets here.
● Columns: Vertical divisions in the worksheet labeled with letters (A, B, C, ...).
● Rows: Horizontal divisions in the worksheet labeled with numbers (1, 2, 3, ...).
8. Cells:
● The individual boxes formed by the intersection of rows and columns. Each cell has a
unique address (e.g., A1, B2).
9. Status Bar:
● Located at the bottom of the Excel window, it provides information about the current
mode and other details like average, count, and sum of selected cells. It also offers
shortcuts to features like Zoom and Page Layout.
● Positioned above the Ribbon, it provides quick access to frequently used commands
(e.g., Save, Undo, Redo). Users can customize it by adding their preferred
commands.
11. Gridlines:
● The faint lines that divide the cells, helping users to differentiate between individual
cells in the worksheet.
● Vertical Scroll Bar: Located on the right side of the window, used to scroll up and
down through the worksheet.
● Horizontal Scroll Bar: Located at the bottom of the window, used to scroll left and
right through the worksheet.
● A slider located in the bottom right corner of the window, used to zoom in or out of
the worksheet for better visibility.
● Located at the bottom right, next to the Zoom Control, these buttons allow you to
switch between different views (e.g., Normal, Page Layout, Page Break Preview).
● Clicking the File tab opens the Backstage View, where you can manage your files,
such as saving, opening, printing, and sharing workbooks.
1. Text Data
○ Includes letters, words, or any alphanumeric characters (e.g., Names,
Addresses).
2. Numeric Data
○ Includes numbers, which can be integers, decimals, or percentages (e.g.,
Quantities, Prices).
3. Date/Time Data
○ Includes calendar dates and time (e.g., 10/11/2024, 12:45 PM).
4. Boolean Data
○ Represents logical values such as TRUE or FALSE.
5. Currency Data
○ Numeric values formatted as currency (e.g., $500, ₹250).
6. Percentage Data
○ Numeric data expressed as percentages (e.g., 25%, 75%).
Editing shortcuts
Navigation shortcuts
Other shortcuts
Ctrl + F: Open the Find and Replace dialog box Ctrl + 9: Hide the selected rows
Ctrl + Shift + $: Apply the currency format Ctrl + F1: Displays or hides the Ribbon
Ctrl + 0: Hide the selected columns Ctrl + F2: Displays the print preview area
● Organize Data: Helps in arranging your data in a logical sequence, making it easier
to read and interpret.
● Quick Analysis: Sorting allows you to identify trends or outliers in data sets, such as
highest/lowest values, most recent dates, etc.
● Efficient Filtering: It helps group similar data together, making it easier to apply
filters or summaries like pivot tables.
● Data Management: Useful for restructuring large datasets for reports or
presentations.
To sort data in MS Excel while ensuring headers are selected and avoiding specific
columns like S.No (serial number), follow these steps:
1. Select the range of data you want to sort, excluding the S.No. column (if you don't
want to include it in sorting).
○ You can do this by selecting the specific columns you want to sort. For
example, hold down the Ctrl key and click on the header of each column you
wish to sort while avoiding the "S.No." column.
2. Go to the Data tab and click on Sort.
3. In the Sort dialog box, ensure the "My data has headers" checkbox is selected.
This ensures that Excel recognizes the headers of your data range and avoids
sorting the column headers.
Example
If you have a dataset with columns like S.No., Name, Department, and Salary, and you
want to:
● Exclude S.No.
● Sort by Department (alphabetically)
● Then by Name (alphabetically)
● And finally by Salary (numerically)
You would:
This process ensures accurate sorting based on multiple criteria, while keeping the serial
numbers intact.
● Filter in Excel is a feature that allows you to display only the rows that meet
specific criteria while hiding the others.
● It helps to focus on relevant data without deleting or rearranging the data.
1. Number Filter
○ Filters numeric data based on conditions like greater than, less than, equal
to, etc.
○ Example: Filter salaries greater than 50,000.
2. Text Filter
○ Filters text data based on conditions like begins with, contains, equals, etc.
○ Example: Filter all names that begin with "A."
3. Date Filter
○ Filters date-based data using conditions like before, after, between, or
specific periods (Today, This Month).
○ Example: Filter dates from January to March.
4. Color Filter
○ Filters cells based on cell color, font color, or conditional formatting.
○ Example: Filter all rows with red-colored cells.
5. Custom Filter
○ Allows you to apply more complex filtering criteria by combining multiple
conditions.
○ Example: Filter for data where Salary > 50,000 and Department = HR.
1. B - Brackets (Parentheses)
2. O - Orders (Exponents, including roots)
3. D - Division
4. M - Multiplication
5. A - Addition
6. S - Subtraction
When performing calculations, operations within brackets are completed first, followed by
exponents, then division and multiplication (from left to right), and finally addition and
subtraction (from left to right).
Example: Let's solve the expression 2+8×2^2/5−2 by step using the BODMAS rule.
Expression: 2+8×2^2/5−2
1. Brackets (B): There are no brackets in this expression, so we move to the next step.
2. Orders (O): Evaluate the exponentiation first.
Formulas:
Functions:
● Functions are predefined formulas that perform specific calculations using the data
you provide.
Syntax of Functions
Practice Problems
1. Calculate the total sales for the range B2:B10 using the SUM function.
○ =SUM(B2:B10)
2. Find the highest score in the range C2:C15 using the MAX function.
○ =MAX(C2:C15)
3. Check if the value in cell D1 is greater than 100 using the IF function.
○ =IF(D1>100, "Above 100", "Below 100")
4. Concatenate the first name in E1 and the last name in F1 with a space in between.
○ =CONCATENATE(E1, " ", F1)
5. Sum the values in B1:B10 if the corresponding value in A1:A10 is greater than 50.
○ =SUMIF(A1:A10, ">50", B1:B10)
6. Count the number of cells in the range A1:A10 that are greater than or equal to 50.
○ =COUNTIF(A1:A10, ">=50")
7. Sum the values in B1:B10 where the corresponding value in A1:A10 is greater than
50 and the corresponding value in C1:C10 is "Red".
○ =SUMIFS(B1:B10, A1:A10, ">50", C1:C10, "Red")
8. Count the number of cells in A1:A10 that are greater than or equal to 50 and have
the value "Blue" in the corresponding cell in B1:B10.
○ =COUNTIFS(A1:A10, ">=50", B1:B10, "Blue")
By understanding and practising these functions and formulas, you can effectively perform a
wide range of calculations and data analysis tasks in Excel.
● Purpose:
○ The SUBTOTAL function returns the subtotal of a list or database.
○ It allows performing various mathematical operations like SUM, AVERAGE,
COUNT, etc., and is useful when filtering data, as it only considers visible
cells.
Syntax:
SUBTOTAL(function_num, range)
● Example:
○ Let’s say you have data in cells A1
and want to calculate the sum.
○ Explanation:
■ The 9 represents the SUM function.
■ The result will be the sum of all visible cells in A1
.
● Key Benefit:
○ When you filter the data, the subtotal automatically updates to reflect only
visible cells.
● Purpose:
○ The AGGREGATE function performs multiple operations on a list or database
while offering more options than SUBTOTAL, such as ignoring errors, hidden
rows, etc.
Syntax:
AGGREGATE(function_num, options, range)
AGGREGATE(9, 6, A1:A10)
○ Explanation:
■ 9 means the SUM operation.
■ 6 means ignore errors.
■ This function provides flexibility by allowing you to specify how to
handle hidden rows or errors.
● Key Benefit:
○ More versatile than SUBTOTAL as it allows operations to ignore hidden rows,
errors, and nested subtotals.
● Entering Date:
○ To enter a date, use the format DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY, depending
on your regional settings.
○ Example: 01/01/2024
● Entering Time:
○ Time is entered using the format HH
AM/PM or HH
for 24-hour format.
○ Example: 10:30 AM or 14:30
● Shortcuts:
○ Current Date: Ctrl + ;
○ Current Time: Ctrl + Shift + ;
TODAY Function
DATE Function
● Purpose: The DATE function returns a date from individual year, month, and day
inputs.
● Syntax: =DATE(year, month, day)
● Example: =DATE(2024, 1, 1)
○ Explanation: This will return the date 01/01/2024.
EDATE Function
● Purpose: The EDATE function returns the date that is a specified number of months
before or after a start date.
● Syntax: =EDATE(start_date, months)
● Example: =EDATE(TODAY(), 3)
○ Explanation: This returns the date three months from today’s date.
EOMONTH Function
● Purpose: The EOMONTH function returns the last day of the month that is a
specified number of months before or after a start date.
● Syntax: =EOMONTH(start_date, months)
● Example: =EOMONTH(TODAY(), 1)
○ Explanation: This will return the last day of the next month from today.
NETWORKDAYS.INTL Function
DATEDIF Function
● Purpose: The DATEDIF function calculates the difference between two dates in
years, months, or days.
● Syntax: =DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit)
● Units:
○ "Y": Years
○ "M": Months
○ "D": Days
● Example: =DATEDIF("01/01/2020", "01/01/2024", "Y")
○ Explanation: This calculates the number of full years between January 1,
2020, and January 1, 2024.
● Purpose:
○ Conditional Formatting in Excel allows you to format cells based on specific
conditions, making it easier to spot trends, patterns, and anomalies in data
visually.
● Usage Scenario:
○ A sales manager may use conditional formatting to highlight sales figures
that exceed a certain target, helping quickly identify top performers.
● Key Options Covered:
○ Greater Than, Less Than, Between
○ Text That Contains
○ Date Occurrence
○ Duplicate Values
○ Equal To
● Purpose:
○ Highlights cells with values greater than a specified number.
● Usage Scenario:
○ Sales Performance: Highlight sales figures greater than $10,000 to identify
top sales easily.
● How To:
○ Select the range of cells.
○ Go to Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Greater
Than.
○ Enter the value and select the formatting style.
● Example:
○ Highlight values greater than 500 to identify outliers in product sales.
● Purpose:
○ Highlights cells with values less than a specified number.
● Usage Scenario:
○ Inventory Management: Identify products with stock levels lower than 50 for
restocking.
● Purpose:
○ Highlights cells with values between two specified numbers.
● Usage Scenario:
○ Grading System: Highlight scores between 70 and 90 to identify students
who are doing well but could improve.
● How To:
○ Select the range.
○ Go to Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Between.
○ Enter the two values and set the formatting style.
● Example:
○ Highlight sales figures between $5,000 and $10,000.
● Purpose:
○ Highlights cells that contain specific text strings.
● Usage Scenario:
○ Customer Feedback: Highlight feedback containing the word “issue” to
quickly identify negative feedback.
● How To:
○ Select the range.
○ Go to Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Text That
Contains.
○ Enter the specific text and set the formatting.
● Example:
○ Highlight cells containing the word "urgent" in a task list.
● Purpose:
○ Highlights cells with dates matching a specified condition like today, last
week, next month, etc.
● Usage Scenario:
○ Project Management: Highlight tasks that are overdue by comparing due
dates with today's date.
● How To:
○ Select the date range.
○ Go to Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > A Date
Occurring.
○ Choose the date condition (e.g., Today, Last Week) and set the formatting.
● Example:
○ Highlight deadlines that are due today.
● Purpose:
○ Highlights duplicate entries in a selected range.
● Usage Scenario:
○ Data Cleaning: Identify duplicate entries in a customer database to ensure
data integrity.
● How To:
○ Select the data range.
○ Go to Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Duplicate
Values.
○ Set the format to highlight duplicates.
● Example:
○ Highlight duplicate customer IDs in a list.
● Purpose:
○ Highlights cells that are equal to a specific number or text.
● Usage Scenario:
○ Budgeting: Highlight expenses equal to exactly $1,000 to check for certain
fixed costs.
● How To:
○ Select the range.
○ Go to Home > Conditional Formatting > Highlight Cells Rules > Equal To.
○ Enter the specific value and set the formatting.
Absolute References
Absolute references are particularly useful when you want a specific cell reference to stay
fixed, no matter where the formula is copied. This is done by adding dollar signs ($) before
the column letter and row number.
Syntax: $Column$Row
Example: $A$1
● Consistency: Ensure that a formula always refers to the same cell, even when
copied to different locations.
● Data Integrity: Maintain reference to a fixed value or range, such as a tax rate,
constant, or lookup table.
● Efficiency: Simplify complex formulas that require consistent references across a
worksheet.
The LOOKUP function searches for a value in one range and returns a value from the same
position in another range.
Syntax:
Steps:
2. INDEX Function
The INDEX function returns the value of a cell at a specific row and column in a range.
Syntax:
Steps:
3. MATCH Function
Syntax:
Steps:
The VLOOKUP function searches for a value in the first column of a range and returns a
value in the same row from another column.
Syntax:
Steps:
5. HLOOKUP Function
The HLOOKUP function searches for a value in the first row of a range and returns a value
in the same column from another row.
Syntax:
Steps:
6. XLOOKUP Function
The XLOOKUP function searches a range or array for a value and returns a value
corresponding to it.
Syntax:
Steps:
Pivot tables are powerful tools in Excel used to summarize, analyze, and present large
amounts of data in a concise, tabular format. They allow users to quickly rearrange, group,
and aggregate data to extract meaningful insights.
● Grouping: Group dates, numbers, or text fields within the pivot table.
● Calculated Fields: Create new fields based on calculations within the pivot table.
● Slicers: Add interactive slicers to filter data visually.
● Pivot Charts: Create charts directly from pivot tables to visualize trends.
Best Practices
● Keep Data Clean: Ensure consistent data formatting and avoid empty rows or
columns.
● Use Descriptive Headers: Clear and descriptive column headers help in easy field
selection.
● Experiment: Pivot tables are flexible; experiment with different field placements and
settings to find the best view for your data.
1. Select the Cell: Choose the cell where you want the dropdown list.
2. Open Data Validation:
○ Go to the Data tab.
○ Click on Data Validation in the Data Tools group.
3. Choose List:
○ In the Data Validation dialog box, under the Settings tab, select List in the
Allow dropdown.
4. Enter Options:
○ In the Source box, type the options separated by commas (e.g., “Yes, No,
Maybe”).
5. Apply and Finish:
○ Click OK. Your dropdown is now set up with the typed options.
1. Select the Cell: Choose the cell where you want the dropdown.
2. Open Data Validation:
○ Go to the Data tab.
○ Click on Data Validation in the Data Tools group.
3. Choose List:
○ In the Data Validation dialog box, select List from the Allow dropdown.
4. Select Range:
○ Click inside the Source box and select the range of cells containing your list
options (e.g., A2:A5).
5. Apply:
○ Click OK. The dropdown list will now display the values from the selected
range.
1. Go to File Menu:
○ Click File → Save As.
2. Set Password:
○ In the Save As dialog, click Tools and choose General Options.
○ Enter passwords in the "Password to open" and/or "Password to modify"
boxes.
3. Save:
○ Click OK and save the workbook.
1. Go to File Menu:
○ Click File → Save As.
2. Choose Macro-Enabled Format:
○ In the Save As Type dropdown, choose Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook
(*.xlsm).
3. Save:
○ Name your file and click Save.
Sub CreateIndexPage()
Dim ws As Worksheet
Dim i As Integer
' Check if the Index sheet already exists, and delete if it does
Application.DisplayAlerts = False
Application.DisplayAlerts = True
On Error GoTo 0
indexSheet.Name = "Index"
With indexSheet
.Range("A1").Font.Bold = True
.Range("A1").Font.Size = 14
.Columns("A:A").ColumnWidth = 30
End With
' Loop through all sheets and create a list of sheet names with hyperlinks
' Add the sheet name and create a hyperlink to the sheet
i=i+1
End If
Next ws
indexSheet.Activate
End Sub
Sub GetSheets()
Path = ""
Sheet.Copy After:=ThisWorkbook.Sheets(1)
Next Sheet
Workbooks(Filename).Close
Filename = Dir()
Loop
End sub
Note:
Step5: copy the folder path and paste in 2nd line where Path=” “ Put \ backslash at the end
of path
Power Query is a data transformation and connection tool available in Excel. It allows you to
import, clean, and transform data from various sources such as Excel, databases, web
pages, and other file types. Power Query helps automate data preparation tasks, making it
easier to clean and reshape data without manual editing, allowing for more efficient data
analysis.
1. Data Importing: Power Query can pull data from various external sources (Excel,
CSV, databases, web, etc.) into Excel for further analysis.
2. Data Transformation: It provides a suite of tools to clean, reshape, and transform
the data without manually editing in Excel cells.
3. Automation: Power Query allows you to set up repeatable processes for data
transformation. Once the steps are defined, you can refresh the data anytime, and
the same transformations will be applied automatically.
4. Data Merging and Combining: You can combine multiple tables or datasets (e.g.,
combining several Excel sheets into one dataset).
5. Data Filtering: Remove irrelevant data, filter rows, and columns to focus on what’s
important.
6. Data Restructuring: Pivot or unpivot data to restructure it as needed.
Once you've imported data and clicked on "Transform Data," the Power Query Editor window
opens. Below are the main components of the Power Query interface:
1. Ribbon: The top menu contains tabs like Home, Transform, Add Column, View, and
Help. Each tab contains transformation tools, from data source management to
adding calculated columns.
2. Queries Pane (Left Panel): This panel lists all queries you have loaded. A query
represents a set of transformations applied to data. You can work on multiple queries
simultaneously.
3. Data Preview (Center): This area shows a sample of your data as you apply
transformations. It is not the final dataset but a preview based on the current
transformation steps.
4. Applied Steps (Right Panel): This panel records all transformation steps applied to
your query. You can click on any step to view or modify it, or even delete steps.
5. Formula Bar: This shows the M-code (Power Query's scripting language) for the
currently selected transformation. You can manually edit the M-code to customize
transformations.
6. Status Bar: Shows the number of rows and columns loaded in the query.
1. Text Functions:
2. Date Functions:
Power Query offers powerful transformations for date and time data.
● Date Parts: Extract parts of a date like year, month, day, quarter, week, etc.
● Add/Subtract Dates: Add or subtract days, months, or years from a date.
● Date Differences: Calculate the difference between two dates.
● Convert to Date: Transform data into date format.
● Extract Time: If working with a date-time format, you can extract the time portion
(hour, minute, second).
3. Number Functions:
4. Conditional Transformations:
● If...Then...Else: Use conditional logic to create new columns or modify existing ones
based on criteria. For example, if sales > 1000, label as "High," otherwise "Low."
5. Column Transformations:
● Pivot: Transforms rows into columns, allowing you to aggregate data more easily.
● Unpivot: Converts columns into rows, useful when you need to normalize wide
datasets.
● Merge Columns: Combine two or more columns into one.
● Split Columns: Split one column into multiple columns based on a delimiter or
specific number of characters.
6. Combining Data:
● Append Queries: Stack datasets from multiple tables or sheets one after another.
● Merge Queries: Join two datasets on a common column, much like a SQL join.
The general steps to combine multiple sheets using Power Query in Excel:
1. Open Excel and Power Query: Launch Excel and go to the "Data" tab. Click on "Get
Data" > "From File" > "From Workbook" to import data from an Excel file.
2. Select the Excel File: Choose the workbook that contains the sheets you want to
combine and click "Import."
3. Preview Navigator: In the Navigator window, select one of the sheets you want to
combine (you will later combine all the necessary sheets). Then click "Transform
Data" to open Power Query Editor.
4. Keep Only the Source Step: In the "Applied Steps" pane, make sure to keep the
"Source" step and remove other steps like "Navigation" to retain flexibility for
combining multiple sheets.
5. Filter for Sheets: In the Power Query Editor, find the "Kind" column (it shows the
type of content, such as table, sheet, etc.). Filter the data to display only "Sheet" or
"Table" entries, depending on your need.
6. Select Necessary Columns: Hold down "Ctrl" and select only the columns with the
sheet names and data you want to extract (typically "Name" and "Data"). Then
right-click and choose "Remove Other Columns" to focus on these two columns.
7. Expand Data: In the "Data" column, click the expand icon (the two arrows). In the
expansion dialog box, uncheck "Use original column name as prefix," then click "OK"
to load the data from the selected sheets.
8. Use First Row as Headers: In the "Transform" tab, click "Use First Row as Headers"
to set the first row of your combined data as the column headers.
9. Rename Columns: Rename any columns as necessary to ensure consistency
across the combined sheets.
10. Remove Unwanted Columns: If there are any unnecessary columns, select them
and use "Remove Columns" to eliminate them.