1. It is a machine
2. It is electronic
3. It is automatic
4. It can manipulate data
5. It has memory
6. It has logic function.

Capabilities of a Computer

1. It is extremely fast, accurate, and reliable.
2. It can store large amounts of data.
3. It can remember or recall instantly all its stored data.
4. It can  handle large volumes of repetitive tasks accurately.
5. It can communicate with its operators and with other machines.
6. It is capable of remote processing wherein data are fed from afar.

Limitations of a computer:

1. It can do only what it is designed to do.
2. It cannot generate information nor make decisions on its own.
3. It cannot correct input data.
4. It cannot completely avoid making errors.

Autosum automatically creates the formula that makes use of the sum function.  When you use autosum button, Excel anticipates that you want to add values within the reference range you have specified.

Autosum is very easy to use, just follow these three steps:

1. Select the cell where you want to hold the result of the equation. If you are adding a column or row then choose the last empty cell or the cell after to hold the formula result.
2. From the standard toolbar, look for the autosum button and click it.
3. Press Enter key. The result will be seen at the chosen cell.

What Are Functions?

Functions are ready-made formulas that perform a series of operations on a specified range of values. For example, to determine the sum of a series of numbers in cells A1 through H1, you can enter the function =SUM(A1:H1). Excel functions can do all kinds of calculations for all kinds of purposes, including financial and statistical calculations.

Every function consists of the following three elements:

• The = sign, which indicates that what follows is a function (formula).
• The function name, such as SUM, that indicates which operation will be performed.
• A list of cell addresses, such as (A1:H1), which are to be acted upon by the function. Some functions can include more than one set of cell addresses, which are separated by commas (such as A1,B1,H1).

Applying Conditional Formatting

Another useful formatting feature that Excel provides is conditional formatting. Conditional formatting allows you to specify that certain results in the worksheet be formatted so that they stand out from the other entries in the worksheet.

To apply conditional formatting, follow these steps:

1.      Select the cells to which you want to apply the conditional formatting.

2.      Select the Format menu and select Conditional Formatting. The Conditional Formatting dialog box appears.

3.      Be sure that Cell Value Is is selected in the Condition 1 drop-down box on the left of the dialog box.

4.      In the next drop-down box to the right, you select the condition. The default is Between. Other conditions include Equal To, Greater Than, Less Than, and other possibilities. Use the drop-down box to select the appropriate condition.

5.      After selecting the condition, you must specify a cell or cells in the worksheet that Excel can use as a reference for the conditional formatting. For example, if you select Less Than as the condition, you must specify a cell in the worksheet that contains a value that can be used for comparison with the cells that you are applying the conditional formatting to. Click the Shrink button on the Conditional Formatting dialog box. You are returned to the worksheet. Select the reference cell for the condition.

6.      Click the Expand button on the Conditional Formatting dialog box to expand the dialog box.

7.      Now you can set the formatting that will be applied to cells that meet your condition. Click the Format button in the Conditional Formatting dialog box and select the formatting options for your condition in the Format Cells dialog box. Then click OK.

8.      After setting the conditions to be met for conditional formatting (you can click Add to set more than one condition), click OK.

One way to add calculations to an Excel workbook is to create your own formulas. Formulas are typically used to perform calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. More complex calculations are better left to Excel functions, which is a built-in set of formulas that provide financial, mathematical, and statistical calculations.

Formulas that you create typically include cell addresses that reference cells on which you want to perform a calculation. Formulas also consist of mathematical operators, such as + (addition) or * (multiplication).

Formula Operators

Order of Operations

The order of operations, or operator precedence, simply means that some operations take precedence over other operations in a formula. For example, in the formula =C2+D2*E2, the multiplication of D2 times E2 takes precedence, so D2 is multiplied by E2 and then the value in cell C2 is added to the result.

You can force the precedence of an operation by using parentheses. For example, if you want C2 and D2 added before they are multiplied by E2, the formula would have to be written =(C2+D2)*E2.

The natural order of math operators follows:

1.      Exponent (^) and calculations within parentheses

2.      Multiplication (*) and division (/)

3.      Addition (+) and subtraction (–)

Entering Formulas

You can enter formulas in one of two ways: by typing the entire formula, including the cell addresses, or by typing the formula operators and selecting the cell references. Take a look at both ways.

To type a formula, perform the following steps:

1.      Select the cell where you will place the formula.

2.      Type an equal sign (=) into the cell to begin the formula.

3.      Enter the appropriate cell references and operators for the formula. The formula also appears in the Formula bar as you type it. The cells that you specify in the formula are highlighted with a colored border.

4.      Press Enter when you have finished the formula, and Excel calculates the result.

Unwanted Formula If you start to enter a formula and then decide you don’t want to use it, you can skip entering the formula by pressing Esc.

To enter a formula by selecting cell addresses, follow these steps:

1.      Click in the cell where you will place the formula.

2.      Type the equal sign (=) to begin the formula.

3.      Click the cell whose address you want to appear first in the formula. You can also click a cell in a different worksheet or workbook. The cell address appears in the cell and in the Formula bar.

4.      Type a mathematical operator after the value to indicate the next operation you want to perform. The operator appears in the cell and in the Formula bar.

5.      Continue clicking cells and typing operators until the formula is complete.

6.      Press Enter to accept the formula and have Excel place its results into the cell.

Using the Status Bar AutoCalculate Feature

Using a feature that Excel calls, you can view the sum of a column of cells simply by selecting the cells and looking at the status bar. The values in the selected cells are added. You can also right-click the AutoCalculate area of the status bar and choose different formulas, such as average, minimum, maximum, and count.

Editing Formulas

1.      Select the cell that contains the formula you want to edit.

2.      Click in the Formula bar to place the insertion point in the formula, or press F2 to enter Edit mode (the insertion point is placed at the end of the entry in that cell).

3.      Press the left-arrow key or the right-arrow key to move the insertion point within the formula. Then, use the Backspace key to delete characters to the left, or use the Delete key to delete characters to the right. Type any additional characters.

4.      When you finish editing the data, click the Enter button on the Formula bar or press Enter to accept your changes.

1.      Select the cell or range that contains the text whose look you want to change.

2.      To change the font, click the Font drop-down list, and select a new font name. To change the font size, click the Font Size drop-down list and select the size you want to use. You can also type the point size into the Font Size box and then press Enter.

3.      To add an attribute such as bold, italic, or underlining to the selected cells, click the appropriate button: Bold, Italic, or Underline, respectively.

You can also change the color of the font in a cell or cells. Select the cell or cells and click the Font Color drop-down arrow on the Formatting toolbar. Select a font color from the Color palette that appears.

Aligning Text in Cells

1.      Select the cell or range you want to align.

2.      Select the Format menu and then select Cells. The Format Cells dialog box appears.

3.      Click the Alignment tab.

4.      Choose from the following options to set the alignment:

o        Horizontal— Lets you specify a left/right alignment in the cells. (The Center Across selection centers a title or other text within a range of cells, which is discussed in a moment.)

o        Vertical— Lets you specify how you want the text aligned in relation to the top and bottom of the cells.

o        Orientation— Lets you flip the text sideways or print it from top to bottom instead of left to right.

o        Wrap Text— Tells Excel to wrap long lines of text within a cell without changing the width of the cell. (Normally, Excel displays all text in a cell on one line.)

o        Shrink to Fit— Shrinks the text to fit within the cell’s current width. If the cell’s width is adjusted, the text increases or decreases in size accordingly.

o        Merge Cells— Combines several cells into a single cell. All data is overlaid, except for the cell in the upper-left corner of the selected cells.

5.      Click OK when you have finished making your selections.

Aligning Text from the Toolbar

You can also align text by merging cells together. You do this by applying the following steps:

1. Selecting the cell that contains the data you want to merge with other cells.
2. Drag through the other cells that will become a part of the merge.
3. Click the Merge and Center button on the toolbar.

Adding Borders to Cells

1.      Select the cell(s) around which you want a border to appear.

2.      Open the Format menu and choose Cells. The Format Cells dialog box appears.

3.      Click the Border tab to see the Border options.

4.      Select the desired position, style (thickness), and color for the border. The position of the border is selected using the buttons along the left of the Border box. You can also click inside the Border box itself to place the border.

5.      Click OK or press Enter.

Add Borders from the Toolbar . You can use the Borders button on the Formatting toolbar to add a border to cells or cell ranges. Select the cells, and then click the Borders drop-down arrow on the Formatting toolbar to select a border type.

You can also adjust row heights, if you want, using the mouse. However, your row heights will adjust to any font size changes that you make to data held in a particular row. Row heights also adjust if you wrap text entries within them. You will probably find that you need to adjust column widths in your worksheets far more often than row heights.

What Is ########? When you format a value in a cell with numeric formatting and Excel cannot display the result in the cell because of the column width, Excel displays ######## in the cell. This lets you know that you need to adjust the column width so that it can accommodate the entry and its formatting.

To adjust a column width with the mouse, place the mouse pointer on the right border of the column. A sizing tool appears. Drag the column border to the desired width. You can also adjust the column width to automatically accommodate the widest entry within a column; just double-click the sizing tool. This is called AutoFit, and the column adjusts according to the widest entry.

If you want to adjust several columns at once, select the columns. Place the mouse on any of the column borders and drag to increase or decrease the width. Each selected column is adjusted to the width you select.

Changing row heights is similar to adjusting column widths. Place the mouse on the lower border of a row and drag the sizing tool to increase or decrease the row height. To change the height of multiple rows, select the rows and then drag the border of any of the selected rows to the desired height.

Inserting Rows and Columns

1.      To insert a single row or column, select a cell to the right of where you want to insert a column or below where you want to insert a row.

To insert multiple columns or rows, select the number of columns or rows you want to insert. To insert columns, drag over the column letters at the top of the worksheet. To insert rows, drag over the row numbers. For example, select three column letters or row numbers to insert three rows or columns.

2.      Select the Insert menu, and then select Rows or Columns. Excel inserts rows above your selection and columns to the left of your selection. The inserted rows or columns contain the same formatting as the cells (or rows and columns) you selected in step 1.

Fast Insert To quickly insert rows or columns, select one or more rows or columns, right-click one of them, and choose Insert from the shortcut menu.

Removing Rows and Columns

1.      Click the row number or column letter of the row or column you want to delete. You can select more than one row or column by dragging over the row numbers or column letters.

2.      Select the Edit menu and then select Delete. Excel deletes the rows or columns and renumbers the remaining rows and columns sequentially. All cell references in formulas and functions are updated appropriately.

Using autofill

Allows you to copy the content to its adjacent cells by simply dragging the fill handle.

Selecting a Range

Selecting or choosing a cell or range of cells makes it an active cell or an active cells. When you select a cell, it is highlighted and its address can be seen inside your name box or reference area.

To select a single cell

Simply rest the mouse pointer that looks like a fat cross to any of the cell you want to select and click the mouse. The chosen cell will be highlighted and will become the present active cell.

Selecting adjacent cells

1. Select the first cell by clicking the left button of the mouse and hold it down.
2. Drag the mouse, and watch as the range of cells are being marked up.
3. As you reach your desired range of cells, release the left mouse button.

There is another way:

1. Choose the first cell of the range by using the mouse or the keyboard.
2. Press the shift key, and hold it down.
3. Choose the last cell of the range and click it. The range of cells you have chosen will also be marked.

Selecting non-adjacent cells

To pick out cells that are apart from each other, simply follow the steps below:

1. Choose the first cell in the range.
2. Press down the Ctrl key while picking out non-adjacent cells.
3. Release your hold of the Ctrl key after you are through with your selections.

Text is any combination of letters, numbers, and spaces. By default, text is automatically left-aligned in a cell, whereas numerical data is right-aligned.

Entering Numbers As Text To enter a number that you want treated as text (such as a ZIP code), precede the entry with a single quotation mark (‘), as in ’46220. The single quotation mark is an alignment prefix that tells Excel to treat the following characters as text and left-align them in the cell. You do not have to do this to “text” numerical entries, but it ensures that they will not be mistakenly acted upon by formulas or functions.

To enter text into a cell, follow these steps:

1.      Use your mouse or the keyboard arrows to select the cell in which you want to enter text.

2.      Type the text. As you type, your text appears in the cell and in the Formula bar.

3.      Press Enter. Your text appears in the cell, left-aligned. The cell selector moves down one cell. You can also press Tab or an arrow key to enter the text and move to the next cell to the right (or in the direction of the arrow).

When text does not fit into a cell (because of the column width set for that column), Excel displays the information in one of two ways: If the next cell is empty, the text overflows into that cell, allowing you to see your entire entry. If the cell to the right of your entry is not empty, you will be able to see only the portion of your entry that fits within the confines of the cell.

Entering Numbers

Data that serves as the values in your workbooks can include the numeric characters 0–9. Because formulas are also considered values, other valid value characters include symbols such as +, –, /, and *. You can also use characters such as a comma (,), a percent sign (%), or a dollar sign ($) in your values. You will find, however, that you can save yourself a few data-entry keystrokes and add these characters using different Excel formatting options .

For example, you could enter the dollar amount $700.00 including the dollar sign and the decimal point. However, it’s probably faster to enter the 700 into the cell and then format all the cells that contain dollar amounts after you have entered all the data.

To enter a value, follow these steps:

1.      Click in the cell where you want to enter the value.

2.      Type the value. To enter a negative number, precede it with a minus sign or surround it with parentheses.

3.      Press Enter or the Tab key; the value appears in the cell right-aligned.

Correcting Data

1.      Select the cell in which you want to edit data.

2.      To begin editing, click in the Formula bar to place the insertion point into the cell entry. To edit within the cell itself, press F2 or double-click the cell. This puts you in Edit mode; the word Edit appears in the status bar.

3.      Press the right- or left-arrow key to move the insertion point within the entry. Press the Backspace key to delete characters to the left of the insertion point; press the Delete key to delete characters to the right. Then, type any characters you want to add.

4.      Press the Enter key when you have finished making your changes.

5.      If you change your mind and you no longer want to edit your entry, click the Cancel button on the Formula bar or press Esc.

Copying and Moving Data

1.      Select the cell(s) that you want to copy. You can select any range or several ranges if you want.

2.      Click the Copy button on the Standard toolbar. The contents of the selected cell(s) are copied to the Clipboard.

3.      Select the first cell in the area where you would like to place the copy. (To copy the data to another worksheet or workbook, change to that worksheet or workbook first.)

4.      Click the Paste button. Excel inserts the contents of the Clipboard at the location of the insertion point.

Using Drag and Drop

The fastest way to copy something is to drag and drop it. Select the cells you want to copy, hold down the Ctrl key, and drag the border of the range you selected . When you release the mouse button, the contents are copied to the new location. To insert the data between existing cells, press Ctrl+Shift as you drag.

To drag a copy to a different sheet, press Ctrl+Alt as you drag the selection to the sheet’s tab. Excel switches you to that sheet, where you can drop your selection into the appropriate location.

Moving Data

Moving data is similar to copying except that the data is removed from its original place and placed into the new location.

To move data, follow these steps:

1.      Select the cells you want to move.

2.      Click the Cut button.

3.      Select the first cell in the area where you want to place the data. To move the data to another worksheet, change to that worksheet.

4.      Click Paste.

Using Drag and Drop to Move Data

You can also move data using drag and drop. Select the data to be moved, and then drag the border of the selected cells to its new location. To insert the data between existing cells, press Shift while you drag. To move the data to a different worksheet, press the Alt key and drag the selection to the worksheet’s tab. You’re switched to that sheet, where you can drop your selection at the appropriate point.

Workbook – is actually a file in which you accumulate information so that we could study them closely and systematically

Appearance and part of a workbook

1. Row and column headings – you will know the exact location or address of an active cell through its column and row headings. You can also adjust the dimensions of cells via column and row headings.
2. Active cell – the highlighted or marked cell.
3. Select all button – located between the row and column headings. When you click on this button it automatically selects the whole worksheet, making it susceptible to all kinds of commands available in Excel.
4. Tab scrolling button – these buttons allows you to view your sheets from the beginning or the last sheet.
5. Sheet tabs – shows you which worksheet you are working at the moment.
6. Scroll bars – allows you to see the worksheet area that cannot be seen.

Adding and Deleting Worksheets to a Workbook

What if you need a new worksheet in the current workbook? Simply click the sheet that should be to the right of the new sheet and choose Insert | Worksheet. The new sheet appears to the left of the active sheet and becomes the new active sheet. Of course, once you’ve added sheets, you might need to rearrange them. To move sheets, just drag the sheet tabs with your mouse.

Deleting sheets is also quite simple but should be done with great care, especially if there’s data on them. If you realize you have an unnecessary sheet in the workbook after entering data onto the sheet, you’ll want to make sure that data isn’t essential to the workbook (the data will be deleted along with the sheet) or that you’ve copied it to another sheet in the workbook for safekeeping.

To get rid of a sheet, click its tab and choose Edit | Delete Sheet, or you can right-click the tab and choose Delete from the shortcut menu. If there is no data on the sheet, the sheet disappears immediately. If there is any data—even a single character in a single cell—Excel will prompt you that there might be data lost if you proceed.

Naming Sheets

Double-click the tab, and when the existing name turns black, simply type the new name and press ENTER or click in a cell on the sheet when you’re finished typing the name.

Moving Within a Worksheet

Using the Keyboard

You can also quickly go to a specific cell address in a worksheet using the Go To feature. Press Ctrl+G (or select Edit, Go To). Type the cell address you want to go to into the Reference box, and then click the OK button.

Using a Mouse

Understanding Excel Data Types

When you work in Excel, you enter different types of information, such as text, numbers, dates, times, formulas, and functions (which is a special built-in formula provided by Excel). Excel data basically comes in two varieties: labels and values.

A label is a text entry; it is called a label because it typically provides descriptive information such as the name of a person, place, or thing. A label has no numerical significance in Excel; it’s just there to describe accompanying values.

Label Any text entry made on an Excel worksheet

A value is data that has numerical significance. This includes numbers, dates, and times that you enter on your worksheet. Values can be acted on by formulas and functions.

Values Entries, such as numbers and dates, that have numerical significance and can be acted upon by formulas or functions.

Excel is a spreadsheet program that can help you create worksheets and invoices and do simple and sophisticated number crunching; it is designed to help you calculate the results of formulas and help you organize and analyze numerical data.

To start Excel from the Windows desktop, follow these steps:

1.      Click the Start button, and the Start menu appears.

2.      Point at All Programs (in Windows XP; in Windows 2000 select Programs), and the Programs menu appears.

3.      Select the Microsoft Office program group and then Microsoft Office Excel 2003 to start the program.

Understanding the Excel Window

When you click the Microsoft Excel icon, the Excel application window appears, displaying a blank workbook labeled Book1 . On the right side of the Excel window is the Getting Started task pane. This task pane enables you to connect to Microsoft online. It also allows you to open existing Excel workbooks or create new workbooks. Close the Task Pane If you would like a little more room in the Excel window to work on the current workbook sheet, click the Close (X) button on the task pane.

When you work in Excel, you use workbook files to hold your numerical data, formulas, and other objects, such as Excel charts. Each Excel workbook can consist of several sheets; each sheet is called a worksheet. Workbook An Excel file is called a workbook. Each workbook consists of several worksheets made up of rows and columns of information.

You enter your numbers and formulas on one of the workbook’s worksheets. Each worksheet consists of 256 columns. The columns begin with column A and proceed through the alphabet. The 27th column is AA, followed by AB, AC, and this convention for naming subsequent columns continues through the entire alphabet until you end up with the last column (column 256), which is designated IV.

Each worksheet also consists of 65,536 rows. The intersection of a column and a row on the worksheet is called a cell. Each cell has an address that consists of the column and row that intersect to make the cell. For example, the very first cell on a worksheet is in column A and row 1, so the cell’s address is A1.

Elements of the Excel Window

In 1978, a Harvard Business student named Dan Bricklin got tired of adding up columns of numbers – and adding them up again after making a few changes – just to assess the effect of the merger. Bricklin, who knew little about computers from summer jobs at Wang and other firms, came up with the idea of a spreadsheet program running on a personal computer.

Bricklin’s teachers together with a programmer friend, Bob Frankston, produced Visicalc. It is a program for apple II computer. This marks an important new chapter in American enterprise, the Electronic spreadsheet.

Visicalc was huge success. More than 700,000 copies of the program eventually was sold and it was almost single-handedly responsible for the success of the Apple II personal computer. By 1984 it disappeared when lotus 1-2-3 was launched by IBM. It was an integrated program that combines analytical graphics and database management with what is clearly a clone of Visicalc spreadsheet.

Many innovations did come out, especially during the 90’s when the development of microchips were unstoppable, and so is the rapid the rapid development in various application programs. Finally, the ear of the GUI’s (Graphical User Interface) desktop had arrived. The next decade now belong to Microsoft’s Software king – Bill Gates. Then comes the birth of Microsoft Office software which include the Microsoft Excel, which operates very similar with lotus 123 but much faster and user friendly because it works in a graphical desktop environment with its electronic input device companion – the witty mouse.

Saving and Naming a Workbook

Whether you build your workbook from a blank template or use one of the Excel templates, after you enter some data into the workbook, you should save the file .. Also, because changes that you make to the workbook are not automatically saved, you should occasionally save the edited version of your work.

The first time you save a workbook, you must name it and specify a location where it should be saved. Follow these steps to save your workbook:

1.      Open the File menu and select Save, or click the Save button on the Standard toolbar. The Save As dialog box appears .

2.      Type the name you want to give the workbook in the File Name text box. You can use up to 218 characters, including any combination of letters, numbers, and spaces.

3.      Normally, Excel saves your workbooks in the My Documents folder. To save the file to a different folder or drive (such as a network drive), select a new location using the Save In list.

4.      Click Save to save your workbook and close the Save As dialog box.

To save changes that you make to a workbook that you have previously saved, just click the Save button on the Standard toolbar. You can also press the shortcut key combination of Ctrl+S to save changes to your workbook.

Closing Workbooks

When you have finished with a particular workbook and want to continue working in Excel, you can easily close the current workbook. Click the Close (X) button in the upper-right corner of the workbook. (There are two Close buttons; the one on top closes Excel, and the one below it closes the current workbook window.) You can also close the current workbook by selecting File, Close. If you have changed the workbook since the last time you saved it, you will be prompted to save any changes.

Exiting Excel

When you have finished working with Excel, you need to exit the application. This closes all workbooks that are currently open. To exit Excel, select the File menu and select Exit. Or you can click the Close (X) button at the upper-right corner of the Excel window.

If you have changed any of the workbooks that you were working with, you are prompted to save changes to these workbook files before exiting Excel.