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Excel 2007 IntermediateDocumentation

The Center for Teaching, Research, and Learning

Teaching & Learning Resources

Learning OutcomesCreate complex formulas

Utilize advanced (conditional) formatting

Create and customize graphical displays

Table of Contents

Formulas ................................................................................................................................................................... 2Basic Formulas .................................................................................................................................................. 2

Conditional Operators ............................................................................................................................... 2Advanced Formulas ......................................................................................................................................... 4

Nested IF ......................................................................................................................................................... 4Combined IF/AND ...................................................................................................................................... 5

RANK................................................................................................................................................................ 5CONCATENATE ........................................................................................................................................... 6COUNT............................................................................................................................................................. 6

Named Cells ........................................................................................................................................................ 7Formula auditing ................................................................................................................................................... 8

Tracing precedents and dependents ........................................................................................................ 8Trace precedent ........................................................................................................................................... 9

Sorting data .......................................................................................................................................................... 10Conditional formatting ..................................................................................................................................... 11Graphs and Charts ............................................................................................................................................. 13

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FormulasA formula is a sequence of values, cell references, names, functions, or operators in a cell

that together produce a new value. A formula always begins with an equal sign (=).

You can create a simple formula by using constants (numbers) and calculation operators

(such as addition or multiplication). For example, the formula =5+2*3, multiplies twoconstants and then adds a number to the result.

Note: Microsoft Office Excel follows the standard order of mathematical operations.

You can also create a formula by using a function. For example, the formulas

=SUM(A1:A2) and SUM(A1,A2) both use the SUM function to add the values in cells A1

and A2.

Depending on the type of formula that you create, a formula can contain any or all of these

parts.

Basic Formulas

Conditional Operators

In addition to using arithmetic operators in your formulas, you can also use conditional

operators to create logical functions. These functions allow you to set up a logical test

which determines the output value. These formulas generally use the operators IF,AND,

OR and NOT. For example, the IF function uses the following arguments:

logical_test: The condition that you want to check.value_if_true: The value to return if the condition is True.

value_if_false: The value to return if the condition is False.

Example: In the image below, the logical test is whether the students grade is greater than

75. If it is (in other words, the test is true), then the cell will display Pass. If it is false (less

than 75), the value will be displayed as Fail.

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Note: If you want the formula to display a text value, such as Pass or Fail or A, B, C, D, etc,

you must put that text value in quotation marks in the formula.

Similarly, you can use other operators in logical functions.

The operatorAND returns TRUE if all of the arguments are TRUE.Example: In the image below, both test grades have to be over 75 for the value in column D to

be True.

The operator OR returns TRUE if any of the arguments are true.

Example: In the image below, if any of the test grades are above 75 then the value in

column D will be TRUE. If none of them are, the value will be reflected as FALSE.

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The operator NOT reverses the logic of its argument.

Example:

Advanced Formulas

NestedIF

Excel can also use multiple formulas in the same cell. For instance, you can nest multiple IF

statements in one strand of logical tests.

Example: In the image below, letter grades are calculated based on the average final grade

for each student and on a grade scale. The nested IF formula follows the same template as

before, however, in the place ofthe value if false argument, you start the next IF

statement instead.

Note: You may put up to 64 nested IF statements in one formula.

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CombinedIF/AND

This formula allows you to combine the features of the IF andAND formulas to specify an

outcome. The formula setup is:

=IF(AND(logical_test_1, logical_test_2), value_if_true, value_if_false))

Example: The formula below essentially requires that all three grades test 1, test 2 and

the final grade be above 75 in order for the student to pass. If any one of the values is

below 75, the student receives a Fail.

RANKThis function returns the rank of a number amongst a list of numbers. It does not reorder

the cells, rather it tells you where a particular value falls in a ranking of a specified range of

values.

Example: The formula below ranks the final grades in descending order.

The formula is specified as:

=RANK(cell, range, count by)

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Note: The range is an absolute reference (see Excel Beginner) so that as you copy the

formula down it does not change relative to the cell position.

CONCATENATE

The CONCATENATE function joins up to 255 text strings into one text string. The joined

items can be text, numbers, cell references, or a combination of those items. For example, ifyour worksheet contains a person's first name in cell A1 and the person's last name in cell

B1, you can combine the two values in another cell by using the following formula:

=CONCATENATE(A1," ",B1)

The second argument in this example (" ") is a space character. You must specify any

spaces or punctuation that you want to appear in the results as an argument that is

enclosed in quotation marks.

Example:

COUNT

The COUNT function counts the number of cells that contain numbers, and counts numbers

within the list of arguments. Use the COUNT function to get the number of entries in a

number field that is in a range or array of numbers. For example, you can enter the

following formula to count the numbers in the range A1:A20:

=COUNT(A1:A20)

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Example:

Named Cells

Formulas in Excel can become difficult to interpret, especially if youve inherited a

spreadsheet from a coworker or if the formulas are complex and long. One way to get

around this is to give certain cell(s) names. A name is a meaningful shorthand that makes it

easier to understand the purpose of a cell reference, constant, formula, or table, each of

which may be difficult to comprehend at first glance.

Example:

A formula such as =SUM(A2:C32), which has no meaning can be transformed into

=SUM(FirstQuarterSales) by assigning that name to the given cell range.

To name a cell, formula or cell range, first select the area you would like to name. (Note that

the cells do not have to be adjacent). Then, in the box to the left of the formula bar, type in

a name of no more than 255 characters and click enter.

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Now, instead of referring to that cell range in your formulas, you can refer to the name you

assigned to that range.

Formula auditing

Tracing precedents and dependents

Sometimes, checking formulas for accuracy or finding the source of an error can be difficult

when the formula uses precedent or dependent cells. A precedent cell is a cell that is

referred to by a formula in another cell. Dependent cells contain formulas that refer to

other cells. For example, if cell D10 contains the formula =B5, cell D10 is a dependent of

cell B5 and cell B5 is a precedent to cell D10.

To assist you in checking your formulas, you can use the Trace Precedents and Trace

Dependents commands to graphically display, or trace the relationships between these

cells and formulas with tracer arrows.

First, click the Microsoft Office button and then Excel Options.

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Then, click on the Advanced button. Under the area, Display Options for this Workbook,

make sure All is selected under For Objects, Show:. Click OK.

Trace precedent

To trace cells that provide data to a formula, first select the cell that contains the formula.

Then, in the Formula tab, click Trace Precedents. A tracer arrow will appear connecting the

cells that provide data with the active cell.

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Note: Blue arrows indicate no errors with the formula. Red arrows indicate that there is an

error. To remove the arrows, click Remove Arrows.

Trace dependent

To trace formulas that reference a particular cell, first click on the cell. Then, click on TraceDependents under the Formulas tab. The tracer arrows will indicate the cell that is

dependent on your selected cell for its formula.

Sorting dataSorting data is an integral part of analyzing and organizing your information. For instance,

if you have a listing of names and addresses, you may want to sort by the residents last

name, or perhaps by zip code. In Excel, you can sort text, numbers, dates and other forms

of information.

To sort data, regardless of the form, the first step is to select the entire range of data you

want to sort. It is important to include all of the data so that all of the data sorts together.

On the home tab, click the Sort & Filter button. You can sort in ascending (A-Z) or

descending (Z-A) order.

Example:

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You can also choose to do a custom sort in which you can have multiple layers of

organization. This may be helpful if, for example, you wish to sort first by last name and

then by zip code. To do so, select the entire range of data you wish to sort. Click the Sort &

Filter button again, but this time select Custom Sort. In the pull-down menu, select which

column you want to sort by and in what direction. To add another level, simply click theAdd Level button.

Conditional formattingConditional formatting alters the appearance of your data dependent on a set of rules that

you designate. It is an easy way to visually signify trends or outliers.

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First, select the cell(s) you wish to apply the rules to. Then, on the home tab, select

Conditional Formatting. There are many options for applying the conditional formatting,

but one simple way is to select Highlight Cell Rules. If you wish for the formatting to apply

to values greater than a specific number, select Greater than .

In the box that pops up, type in a value. Values greater than (or less than, depending on

which option you chose) will display the conditional formatting. In the pull-down menu

you can choose which formatting to apply to values that obey your rules. If you do not like

the choices, you can also choose Custom Format and create a formatting style of your own.

When you are finished, click OK.

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The result is that the conditional formatting highlights the values that correspond to the

rule you just created. In our example, all values greater than 92 are formatted as red.

Graphs and ChartsCharts are used to display series of numeric data in a graphical format to make it easier to

understand large quantities of data and the relationship between different series of data.

Microsoft Excel 2007 no longer has the chart wizard present in 2003. Instead, it allows you

to edit all parts of your chart easily from the menu ribbon.

To create a chart in excel, first select the range of data you would like to include in the

graph. Then, on the Insert ribbon, select the type of chart you prefer.

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The type of chart you select should be appropriate for the type of data you are using. For

instance, a column chart (as selected below) may be the most appropriate if you have

multiple rows and columns of data you would like to compare. A pie chart may be more

effective if you are displaying portions or percentages of a larger total.

Once your chart has been inserted, three new menus will appear on the ribbon under ChartTools: Design, Layout and Format. Each area has all of the relevant options available for

modifying your chart.

Under the Design menu, you can alter the type of chart or the data included. You may also

modify the style and color scheme of your chart.

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To modify the data youve selected, click Select Data. A box will appear with the currently

selected data listed. To edit any of the series, click on one and then select Edit.

Another box will appear that will let you select the cell(s) pertaining to the series name

and values.

In the Series Name box, type the cell that contains the label for that series, or click the Go to

Spreadsheet icon and click on the cell in the spreadsheet. Do this for each series in the

spreadsheet.

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Under the Layout tab, you can modify each of the areas that make up the chart. For

instance, you can add a chart title, label your axes, create a legend, alter the scale of your

axes and more.

The format tab contains the buttons to change the appearance of the chart are and text.

As you edit your chart, always keep in mind your audience and the medium of presentation.

Readability is key as the main point of creating a visual representation of your data is to

ease interpretation. Therefore, be cautious when applying formatting just because you

can change a color or a font, doesnt mean you should. Finally, always label your axes and

charts!

For more information on how to use Excel, visithttp://office.microsoft.com/en-

us/excel/default.aspx.

Please evaluate your instructor athttp://www.american.edu/cte/training_links.htm#. The

link is located under Training Calendar.

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