MODULE 4

MICROSOFT EXCEL (SPREADSHEET)

A spreadsheet is a computer program (or a document produced by such a program) that we can use
for arithmetic computations. A spreadsheet offers major advantages over the use of a hand
calculator (just as a word processing program offers many advantages over typewriting). Among
the advantages of a spreadsheet over a hand calculator:

 A spreadsheet produces a document that can be read, printed, and stored and retrieved.
 A spreadsheet can have its calculations done in a fashion by which they may be redone
automatically if any of the data values upon which they depend, are changed.
 The numbers that appear in a spreadsheet are easily used as the foundation of “charts” or
“graphs” that may be used to illustrate the relationships among these numbers. We can build
bar charts, pie charts, line charts, etc.
 Etc.
Data may be entered into the cells of a worksheet in many types, including

 Text data: typically consisting of words or phrases; typically used for explanation (e.g., row or
column headers); typically not used in arithmetic. Note we may enter more text than a cell, in
its current configuration, can display. We can stretch or shrink a column or row by placing the
mouse cursor at the right edge of a column margin header or the bottom edge of a row margin
header, holding down the left mouse button, and dragging to the desired width or height.
 Numeric constants may be entered as text is entered. These values are typically used in
arithmetic.
 Formulas are used to describe a calculation whose value is to be displayed in the cell. A formula
typically starts with the “=” character and may involve a variety of symbols that may be cell
references, functions, operators of arithmetic, and constants (numeric, text, etc), as well as “cell
ranges”. For example, the formula
=C2-B2

instructs the cell in which it appears to display the result of taking the value in C2 and
subtracting the value in B2. Notice that the cell reference (name, address) is treated as a
variable – the name of a quantity that has a value, which is substituted for the name of the cell in
a formula.

This is a program that deals with the calculations in rows and columns.

EXAMPLES OF SPREADSHEETS.

1. Microsoft excel
2. Lotus 1,2,3
3. Open Office Calc
4. Zoho Sheet
5. Spread 32
STARTING UP EXCEL

 Click on the start button.

  Move the pointer to all programs Microsoft office
 Among the given Microsoft office suits select Microsoft office excel.

PARTS OF EXCEL SCREEN MENU BAR TITLE BAR

NAME BOX

WORKING AREA/CELLS
FORMULA BAR

SHEET TAB

TITLE BAR
 This is the upper most bar and it bears the title of the opened work book and the file name.

MENU BAR
 This bar contains menu options that you can choose commands to perform an operation.
The menu bar contains the following. HOME, INSERT, PAGE LAYOUT,REVIEW etc.
RIBBON
 This is where the elements of the menu bar are displayed.
FORMULA BAR
 It is at this bar that we enter a formula. It also indicates what you are entering in a cell.
NAME BOX
 This shows the rows and the columns number of the active cell e.g D7, C6, B2 etc
SHEET TAB

 It shows the names of worksheet in the opened workbook.

TERMINOLOGIES USED IN EXCEL

ALIGNMENT
This is the position of a word within the cell space.
CELL
It is the intersection point between a row and a column with a single unit of a worksheet.
COLUMNS
They make the vertical blocks of cells in ready sheets identified by letters i.e. A, B, C, D etc.
ROWS
They make the horizontal blocks of cells in ready sheets and are identified by numbers i.e. 1, 2, 3 etc
LABELS
It is an entry that consists of texts and numerical characters.
VALUE
It is an entry that is a number of results of a formula and functions.
FUNCTIONS
Are inbuilt formulas used in mathematical operations.
WORKBOOK
This is a group of worksheets on a normal document.
CELL ADDRESS
It is an individual label used to identify each cell.
FORMAT
It is a style applied to a cell that controls how numbers are displayed.
RANGE
It is a group of selected cells/ a collection.
ACTIVE CELL
This is a selected cell for data entry.

EXAMPLES OF FORMATTING IN EXCEL

 Currency
 Percentage
 Number
 Decimal
 Font etc.
FEATURES OF EXCEL

1. It has rows and columns.

2. Has a single unit of a row and a column called a cell which is indentified by a cell address.
3. Entries are made into a cell.
4. A cell entry can be moved or copied into other cells.
5. It makes sorting possible.
6. Allows various modes of formatting.

ADVANTAGES OF MICROSOFT EXCEL

1. It can do calculations for a large amount of numbers
2. It has the right formula
3. Assists in quick editing and formatting of data effectively
4. Files can be saved for future reference.
5. It is faster since cell entries can be copied into other cells.
 6. A worksheet can be protected thus limiting its access.
7. Has the ability to produce a visual display of data in form
of graphs and charts.

DISADVANTAGES OF EXCEL
1. It takes a long time to view longer spreadsheets
2. A wrong formula brings wrong results.
3. It requires skills to work with.

USES OF SPREADSHEETS
1. It is used in budget preparation.
2. In making of cheque book registers.
3. Assist in calculations of loans and mortgage payment.
4. They are also used in preparation of loss and profit statement.
5. Can as well be used in preparation of income tax.
6. In giving of expense reports.

DATA TYPES SUPPORTED BY EXCEL

1. text
2. number
3. currency
4. date
5. time
ADDING ROWS AND COLUMNS IN EXCEL

PROCEDURE

1. Click at the row or column where you want the new row or column inserted.
2. Click home from the menu bar then at the cells sector of the ribbon pull out insert then
select on what you want inserted.
NB: The newly inserted column or row is inserted at the column or row you had clicked on.

ADJUSTING COLUMN/ROW WIDTH/HEIGHT

 It is the increase of either column/row width/height of selected column.

PROCEDURE

 Click home then make another click on format that lies at the cells sector of the ribbon.
 This gives the window alongside, where you will select
 What you want adjusted, and then on the new window enter
 The value you need and click ok.

ALTERNATIVE

 Locate the mouse pointer on the vertical line between two columns or on the horizontal line
between two rows till it changes to a plus sign with two arrow head.
 Press down the left mouse button and drag the column or row to the desired width.
ADDING A WORKSHEET

This is the inclusion of another worksheet.

PROCEDURE

1. Click home from the menu bar then make another click on insert at the cells sector of the
ribbon and select insert sheet.
2. OR – right click at any sheet tab then choose insert among the retrieved options.

DELETING A ROW OR A COLUMN

PROCEDURE

 Click at the row or column you want deleted

 Click home then at the cells sector of the ribbon, click on delete and specify what you want
deleted.
ALTERNATIVELY

 Right click on either a row or column you want deleted then choose delete among the
retrieved options.
DELETING A WORKSHEET

 To define this I would say it is the removal of a worksheet from a selected workbook.

PROCEDURE

 Right click on the sheet tab of the worksheet you want deleted
 Among the options retrieved choose delete.

RENAMING A WORKSHEET

 This is the giving of a name to a selected sheet.

PROCEDURE

 Right click on the sheet tab of the sheet that you want renamed.
 From the options given select rename.
 Type the name of the sheet and then click outside the sheet tab.

COPYING DATA

 This is the duplication/production of another copy of some data or a range of data.

PROCEDURE

 Select the range of cells that you want copied

 Click home then make another click on copy.
 Click at the location/region you want your data copied then click home again and choose
paste.
 Press enter key when you are done.
CHANGING TEXT ALIGNMENT ON A WORKSHEET
PROCEDURE

 Select the text that you want aligned.

 Click home then at the alignment sector of the ribbon, pick an alignment you want.
NB: ALL OTHER FORMATTINGS IN EXCEL REQUIRES SELECTING FIRST BEFORE YOU CAN
CHOOSE.

FORMULA AND FUNCTION

A formula is an expression which calculates the value of a cell. Functions are predefined
formulas and are already available in Excel.

Operator Precedence
Excel uses a default order in which calculations occur. If a part of the formula is in parentheses,
that part will be calculated first. It then performs multiplication or division calculations. Once this
is complete, Excel will add and subtract the remainder of your formula. See the example below.
Copy/Paste a Formula
When you copy a formula, Excel automatically adjusts the cell references for each new cell the
formula is copied to. To understand this, execute the following steps.
Insert a Function
Every function has the same structure. For example, SUM(A1:A4). The name of this function is
SUM. The part between the brackets (arguments) means we give Excel the range A1:A4 as input.
This function adds the values in cells A1, A2, A3 and A4. It's not easy to remember which function
and which arguments to use for each task. Fortunately, the Insert Function feature in Excel helps
you with this.

EXCEL FUNCTIONS
Count
To count the number of cells that contain numbers, use the COUNT function.
E,g Count(AI:A9)
Countif
To count cells based on one criteria (for example, higher than 9), use the following COUNTIF
function.
E.g countif(A1:A9,”>9”)

Countifs
To count cells based on multiple criteria (for example, green and higher than 9), use the following
COUNTIFS function.
E.g countifs(A1:A9,”green”,B2:B9,”>9”)
Sum
To sum a range of cells, use the SUM function.
E.g Sum(A1:A9)

Sumif
To sum cells based on one criteria (for example, higher than 9), use the following SUMIF function
(two arguments).
E.g Sumif(A1:A9,”>9”)

Sumifs
To sum cells based on multiple criteria (for example, blue and green), use the following SUMIFS
function (first argument is the range to sum).
E.g Sumifs(A1:A9,B2:B9,”blue”,B7:B12,”green”)

If Function
The IF function checks whether a condition is met, and returns one value if TRUE and another
value if FALSE.
1. Select cell C1 and enter the following function.

The IF function returns Correct because the value in cell A1 is higher than 10.
And Function
The AND Function returns TRUE if all conditions are true and returns FALSE if any of the
conditions are false.
1. Select cell D1 and enter the following formula.

The AND function returns FALSE because the value in cell B1 is not higher than 5. As a result
the IF function returns Incorrect.
Or Function
The OR function returns TRUE if any of the conditions are TRUE and returns FALSE if all
conditions are false.
1. Select cell E1 and enter the following formula.

The OR function returns TRUE because the value in cell A1 is higher than 10. As a result the IF
function returns Correct.
Relative Reference
By default, Excel uses relative reference. See the formula in cell D2 below. Cell D2 references
(points to) cell B2 and cell C2. Both references are relative.

Absolute Reference
See the formula in cell E3 below.
1. To create an absolute reference to cell H3, place a $ symbol in front of the column letter and
row number of cell H3 ($H$3) in the formula of cell E3.

2. Now we can quickly drag this formula to the other cells.

The reference to cell H3 is fixed (when we drag the formula down and across). As a result, the
correct lengths and widths in inches are calculated.
Mixed Reference
Sometimes we need a combination of relative and absolute reference (mixed reference).
1. See the formula in cell F2 below.

2. We want to copy this formula to the other cells quickly. Drag cell F2 across one cell, and look
at the formula in cell G2.
Do you see what happens? The reference to the price should be a fixed reference to column B.
Solution: place a $ symbol in front of the column letter of cell B2 ($B2) in the formula of cell F2.
In a similar way, when we drag cell F2 down, the reference to the reduction should be
a fixed reference to row 6. Solution: place a $ symbol in front of the row number of cell B6 (B$6)
in the formula of cell F2.
Result:

Note: we don't place a $ symbol in front of the row number of B2 (this way we allow the reference
to change from B2 (Jeans) to B3 (Shirts) when we drag the formula down). In a similar way, we
don't place a $ symbol in front of the column letter of B6 (this way we allow the reference to
change from B6 (Jan) to C6 (Feb) and D6 (Mar) when we drag the formula across).
3. Now we can quickly drag this formula to the other cells.

Date & Time Functions

To enter a date in Excel, use the "/" or "-" characters. To enter a time, use the ":" (colon). You can
also enter a date and a time in one cell.
Note: Dates are in US Format. Months first, Days second. This type of format depends on your
windows regional settings. Learn more about Date and Time formats.
Year, Month, Day
To get the year of a date, use the YEAR function.

Note: use the MONTH and DAY function to get the month and day of a date.
Date Function
1. To add a number of days to a date, use the following simple formula.

2. To add a number of years, months and/or days, use the DATE function.

Note: the DATE function accepts three arguments: year, month and day. Excel knows that 6 + 2 =
8 = August has 31 days and rolls over to the next month (23 August + 9 days = 1 September).
Current Date & Time
To get the current date and time, use the NOW function.
Note: use the TODAY function to get the current date only. Use NOW()-TODAY() to get the
current time only (and apply a Time format).
Hour, Minute, Second
To return the hour, use the HOUR function.

Note: use the MINUTE and SECOND function to return the minute and second.
Time Function
To add a number of hours, minutes and/or seconds, use the TIME function.

Note: Excel adds 2 hours, 10 + 1 = 11 minutes and 70 - 60 = 10 seconds.

Text Functions

Join Strings | Left | Right | Mid | Len | Find | Substitute

Excel has many functions to offer when it comes to manipulating text strings.
Join Strings
To join strings, use the & operator.

Note: to insert a space, use " "

Left
To extract the leftmost characters from a string, use the LEFT function.

Right
To extract the rightmost characters from a string, use the RIGHT function.

Mid
To extract a substring, starting in the middle of a string, use the MID function.

Note: started at position 5 (p) with length 3.

Len
To get the length of a string, use the LEN function.

Note: space (position 8) included!

Find
To find the position of a substring in a string, use the FIND function.
Note: string "am" found at position 3.
Substitute
To replace existing text with new text in a string, use the SUBSTITUTE function.
Lookup & Reference Functions

VLookup | HLookup | Match | Index | Choose

Learn all about Excel's lookup & reference functions such as the VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP,
MATCH, INDEX and CHOOSE function.
VLookup
The VLOOKUP (Vertical lookup) function looks for a value in the leftmost column of a table, and
then returns a value in the same row from another column you specify.
1. Insert the VLOOKUP function shown below.

Explanation: the VLOOKUP function looks for the ID (104) in the leftmost column of the range
$E$4:$G$7 and returns the value in the same row from the third column (third argument is set to
3). The fourth argument is set to FALSE to return an exact match or a #N/A error if not found.
2. Drag the VLOOKUP function in cell B2 down to cell B11.
Note: when we drag the VLOOKUP function down, the absolute reference ($E$4:$G$7) stays the
same, while the relative reference (A2) changes to A3, A4, A5, etc.
HLookup
In a similar way, you can use the HLOOKUP (Horizontal lookup) function.

Match
The MATCH function returns the position of a value in a given range.
Explanation: Yellow found at position 3 in the range E4:E7. The third argument is optional. Set
this argument to 0 to return the position of the value that is exactly equal to lookup_value (A2) or
a #N/A error if not found.
Index
The INDEX function below returns a specific value in a two-dimensional range.

Explanation: 92 found at the intersection of row 3 and column 2 in the range E4:F7.
The INDEX function below returns a specific value in a one-dimensional range.
Explanation: 97 found at position 3 in the range E4:E7.
Choose
The CHOOSE function returns a value from a list of values, based on a position number.

Financial Functions

Pmt | Rate | Nper | Pv | Fv

To illustrate Excel's most popular financial functions, we consider a loan with monthly payments,
an annual interest rate of 6%, a 20-year duration, a present value of $150,000 (amount borrowed)
and a future value of 0 (that's what you hope to achieve when you pay off a loan).
We make monthly payments, so we use 6%/12 = 0.5% for Rate and 20*12 = 240 for Nper (total
number of periods). If we make annual payments on the same loan, we use 6% for Rate and 20 for
Nper.
Pmt
Select cell A2 and insert the PMT function.

Note: The last two arguments are optional. For loans the Fv can be omitted (the future value of a
loan equals 0, however, it's included here for clarification). If Type is omitted, it is assumed that
payments are due at the end of the period.
Result. The monthly payment equals $1,074.65.

Tip: when working with financial functions in Excel, always ask yourself the question, am I
making a payment (negative) or am I receiving money (positive)? We pay off a loan of $150,000
(positive, we received that amount) and we make monthly payments of $1,074.65 (negative, we
pay).
Rate
If Rate is the only unknown variable, we can use the RATE function to calculate the interest rate.

Nper
Or the NPER function. If we make monthly payments of $1,074.65 on a 20-year loan, with an
annual interest rate of 6%, it takes 240 months to pay off this loan.
We already knew this, but we can change the monthly payment now to see how this affects the
total number of periods.

Conclusion: if we make monthly payments of $2,074.65, it takes less than 90 months to pay off
this loan.
Pv
Or the PV (Present Value) function. If we make monthly payments of $1,074.65 on a 20-year loan,
with an annual interest rate of 6%, how much can we borrow? You already know the answer.

Fv
And we finish this chapter with the FV (Future Value) function. If we make monthly payments of
$1,074.65 on a 20-year loan, with an annual interest rate of 6%, do we pay off this loan? Yes.

But, if we make monthly payments of only $1,000.00, we still have debt after 20 years.
Statistical Functions

Average | Averageif | Median | Mode | Standard Deviation | Min | Max | Large | Small
This chapter gives an overview of some very useful statistical functions in Excel.
Average
To calculate the average of a range of cells, use the AVERAGE function.

Averageif
To average cells based on one criteria, use the AVERAGEIF function. For example, to calculate
the average excluding zeros.

Note: <> means not equal to. The AVERAGEIF function is similar to the SUMIF function.
Median
To find the median (or middle number), use the MEDIAN function.
Check:

Mode
To find the most frequently occurring number, use the MODE function.

Standard Deviation
To calculate the standard deviation, use the STEDV function.

Min
To find the minimum value, use the MIN function.
Max
To find the maximum value, use the MAX function.

Large
To find the third largest number, use the following LARGE function.

Check:

Small
To find the second smallest number, use the following SMALL function.

Check:

Tip: Excel can generate most of these results with the click of a button. Our Descriptive
Statistics example shows you how.
Round

Round | RoundUp | RoundDown

This chapter illustrates three functions to round numbers in Excel. The
ROUND, ROUNDUP and ROUNDDOWNfunction.
Before your start: if you round a number, you lose precision. If you don't want this, show
fewer decimal placeswithout changing the number itself.
Round
1. Round a number to two decimal places.

Note: 1, 2, 3, and 4 get rounded down. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 get rounded up. In this example, 114.7211,
114.7221, 114.7231 and 114.7241 get rounded down to 114.72 and 114.7251, 114.7261, 114.7271,
114.7281 and 114.7291 get rounded up to 114.73.
2. Round a number to one decimal place.

3. Round a number to the nearest integer.

4. Round a number to the nearest 10.

5. Round a number to the nearest 100.

RoundUp
The ROUNDUP function always rounds a number up (away from zero). For example, round a
number up to one decimal place.

RoundDown
The ROUNDDOWN function always rounds a number down (toward zero). For example, round a
number down to the nearest integer.

Formula Errors

##### error | #NAME? error | #VALUE! error | #DIV/0! error | #REF! error
This chapter teaches you how to deal with some common formula errors in Excel.
##### error
When your cell contains this error code, the column isn't wide enough to display the value.

1. Click on the right border of the column A header and increase the column width.

Tip: double click the right border of the column A header to automatically fit the widest cell in
column A.
#NAME? error
The #NAME? error occurs when Excel does not recognize text in a formula.

1. Simply correct SU to SUM.

#VALUE! error
Excel displays the #VALUE! error when a formula has the wrong type of argument.

1a. Change the value of cell A3 to a number.

1b. Use a function to ignore cells that contain text.

#DIV/0! error
Excel displays the #DIV/0! error when a formula tries to divide a number by 0 or an empty cell.
1a. Change the value of cell A2 to a value that is not equal to 0.
1b. Prevent the error from being displayed by using the logical function IF.

Explanation: if cell A2 equals 0, an empty string ("") is displayed. If not, the result of the formula
A1/A2 is displayed.
#REF! error
Excel displays the #REF! error when a formula refers to a cell that is not valid.
1. Cell C1 references cell A1 and cell B1.

2. Delete column B. To achieve this, right click the column B header and click Delete.

3. Select cell B1. The reference to cell B1 is not valid anymore.

4. To fix this error, you can either delete +#REF! in the formula of cell B1 or you can undo your
action by pressing CTRL + z

ENTERING A FORMULA IN EXCEL.

1. Place an equal sign at the location you want your answer to be displayed.
2. Enter a function that you want to use. i.e. sum, average, count e.t.c.
3. Open a bracket.
4. Enter the argument area.
5. Close the bracket.
6. After you are done, press on enter key.
This will appear this way if we for example use sum function

= SUM (B2:F2)

=AVERAGE (B2:B14)

=MIN (B6:F6)
=COUNT (C2:C12)
=MAX (F4:F15) e.t.c
SAMPLE DATA

Name Englis biolog Math Compute Tota Averag MINIMU MA

h y S r l e M X
ERICK 78 66 96 68
MERCY 80 64 95 75
KEVIN 52 85 88 67
LABAN 89 45 80 68
BERYL 65 89 78 85
EVERLINE 82 56 74 88
MOSES 89 99 75 56
HARRISON 54 97 78 90
MAUREEN 28 96 79 58
DUNCAN 66 54 58 62
TEDDY 55 52 68 58
LYNETTE 44 36 69 56
PAUL 85 54 66 62
AVERAGE
Total
MIN
MAX
 COUNT
INT
EVEN
TRY THAT OUT

NAME BASI HOURS ALLOWANC RATE NSS NHI NE GROS TA

C PAY WORKE E PER F F T S PAY X
D HOU PAY
R
Erick 8 300
Winfred 6 250
huzna 9 158
emmy 4 100
Moses 7 450
Harriso 8 290
n
Mauree 10 200
n
Duncan 10 150
teddy 11 150
Lynet 8 295
paul 10 120
average
Total
MIN
INT
MAX
TURN NEXT PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

1. basic pay= hours worked *rate per hour.

2. Allowance= 5% of the basic pay
3. Nssf=2% of the basic pay
4. Nhif = 3% of the basic pay
5. TAX=4% of basic pay
6. Gross pay= basic pay + allowance
7. Net pay= gross pay-deductions

LOAN CALCULATION EXAMPLE

NAME 1ST 2ND 3RD LOAN BALANCE

INSTALMENT INSTALMENT INSTALMENT BORROWED
ERICK 20000000
MERCY 1000000
EVERLINE 500000
LABAN 56000
BERYL 1200000
JULIET 74000000
MOSES 28000000
HARRY 2350000
 TOTAL
AVERAGE

CALCULATING THE ABOVE ON NEXT PAGE

BALANCE=LOAN BORROWED –1ST INST-2ND INST-3RD INST

I.E IF LOAN BORROWED IS IN CELL E2 THEN, IT WILL BE:

BALANCE=E2-B2-C2-D2 .

IF STATEMENT

 There are two types of IF i.e. simple IF and nested IF and are used in testing for conditions
meeting a certain criteria.

SIMPLE IF

This can only be used to test for not more than two conditions.

EXAMPLE

=IF (G2> 70,” GOOD”, “POOR”)

Please give me a chance to explain the above, it implies that if the value that is in G2 is greater
than 70, then comment that will be given is GOOD, but if it is below then the comment is POOR.

NAME ENGLISH BIOLOGY MATHS COMPUTER AVERAGE REMARKS

ERICK 78 66 96 68
MERCY 80 64 95 75
EVERLINE 52 85 88 67
LABAN 89 45 80 68
BERYL 65 89 78 85
MOSES 89 99 75 56
HARRY(AJEY) 80 56 98 81
TOTAL
AVERAGE
Base your argument on average to get REMARKS.

NESTED IF

This is used in a situation where there are many condition to be tested i.e. more than two.

EXAMPLE 1

= IF (F2>80,”A”, IF (F2>75,”A-“, IF (F2>70,”B+”, IF (F2>65,”B”, IF (F2>60,”B-“,

IF(F2>55,”C+”,IF(F2>50,”C”,IF(F2>48,”C-“IF>43,”D+”...)))))))))

EXAMPLE 2
= IF (F2=A,”DISTINCTION”, IF (F2=A-,”LOWER DISTINCTION“, IF (F2=B+, “CREDIT 1”,
IF (F2=B,”CREDIT”,…))))

NB: THE BRACKETS ARE CLOSED AT THE END DEPENDING WITH HOW MANY IF YOU HAVE
IN YOUR ARGUMENT.

NAME ENGLISH BIOLOGY MATHS COMPUTER TOTAL AVERAGE GRADE

ERICK 78 66 96 68
MERCY 80 64 95 75
BERYL 65 89 78 85
MAUREEN 69 56 74 88
DAN 60 67 57 72
AJEY 70 85 65 73
MOSES 89 99 75 56
VICTORY 68 92 71 55

Use average column to get grade using nested if.

DATA REPRESENTATION ON AGRAPH.

PROCEDURE

 Select the range of cells that you want represented on a graph.

 Click on insert then at the charts sector select the chart type you want. i.e. column, bar, pie,
e.t.c.
 On the given sub types select by clicking the one you want.