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Excel Basics

Excel Basics. Brad Yundt byundt@alum.mit.edu. Important Features of Excel. Useful Functions COUNTIF, COUNTIFS, SUMIF, SUMIFS Data manipulation Data importing & conditioning Text to Columns Sorting Filtering Grouping, Subtotaling What if analysis Data Table Goal Seek, Solver

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Excel Basics

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  1. Excel Basics Brad Yundt byundt@alum.mit.edu

  2. Important Features of Excel • Useful Functions • COUNTIF, COUNTIFS, SUMIF, SUMIFS • Data manipulation • Data importing & conditioning • Text to Columns • Sorting • Filtering • Grouping, Subtotaling • What if analysis • Data Table • Goal Seek, Solver • Visualization • Conditional Formatting • Charts • Pivot Tables • Macro recording & editing

  3. Excel Proficiency (self test) • Novice • OK with Data Entry tasks. • Novices formulas: SUM, IF, AVERAGE, COUNT, ROUND • Intermediate • Comfortable building formulas to manipulate text and dates • This category includes most users who claim to know Excel very well. • Intermediate Formulas: SUMIF, COUNTIF, VLOOKUP, CHOOSE, MID • Advanced • Knows what array formulas are and how to use them. • Can create and modify macros with or without the macro recorder. • Advanced Formulas: SUMPRODUCT, INDIRECT, INDEX, MATCH, OFFSET • Expert • Can build add-ins for distribution and widespread use. • If you can think it, they can build it with Excel. • Expert Formulas: A true expert knows the strengths & weaknesses of every single function • Guru • Probably just a handful of them in the world. • If you're an Expert, you probably know their names.

  4. Condition Imported Data • Web or mainframe data may not fall into neat columns when pasted into Excel • Data...Text to Columns menu item is primary tool for splitting data into columns • Dates and numbers are stored as text • Copy a blank cell, select the data and Paste Special...Add • Use the CLEAN function to remove non-printing characters • Use SUBSTITUTE to remove specific characters. Nest formula. • Use TRIM to remove leading and trailing spaces

  5. Counting & Summing with Criteria • SUMIF, COUNTIF, SUMIFS and COUNTIFS • Critieriaare case insensitive—CIGNA vs. cigna. • Only the used cells will be searched. This makes these functions much more efficient than SUMPRODUCT or array formulas. • Wildcard characters in the criteria. • ? matches any single character • * matches 0 or more characters • Tricks with criteria • Concatenate operators with a cell value in the criteria • Put the date in a cell, use the DATE or DATEVALUE function, or else preface a string with two minus signs

  6. SUMPRODUCT & Array Formulas • Array formulas have array arguments where normally a single value would be used • Embedded IF function • Boolean expression • Array formulas avoid need for helper columns • Control + Shift + Enter • Array formulas are surrounded by curly braces { } • SUMPRODUCT uses Boolean expressions, but does not need to be array-entered • Less important now because of COUNTIFS & SUMIFS

  7. Filtering • AutoFilters provide both filtering and sorting functionality. • Tables inherit AutoFilters on each column • Custom filter, which affords some simple logic to the filtering. • Auxiliary column formulas can determine whether the row should be hidden or displayed by the filter.

  8. Sorting • The Data...Sort menu item sorts one or more columns • Options button allows sorting horizontally as well • You may sort in numerical or alphabetical order • You may also sort according to a Custom List • Sorting also possible using AutoFilter, Table, or PivotTable • Auxiliary column formulas can determine how the row should be sorted

  9. Conditional Formatting • Change appearance of cells based on the values they contain • Display a bar graph (data fill) proportional to cell value compared to other cells • Add a highlight color to cells containing an unusual value • Change formatting based on the results of a formula • Formula should return TRUE or FALSE. TRUE is 1, FALSE is 0 • May have more than one conditional format, either singly or in combination • Absolute and Relative addressing

  10. Charting • Many chart types possible. Choose wisely! • Scatter chart vs. Line chart • Bar & Column charts • Eschew 3D and pie charts • Text on a chart can be linked to a cell via a formula • Trend lines can also show equation & R-squared • Microsoft changed charting in Excel 2007. No macro recording (restored in Excel 2010) • Improved discoverability with Excel 2013 chart wizard

  11. Data Tables • One-variable and two-variable data tables perform repetitive calculations. • Better to think of them as taking one or two direct inputs • Many input/many output problems using indirect inputs in a lookup table • Underutilized way of performing repetitive calculations • Especially useful when the "calculation engine" is complex • Details & formulas need be defined only once • Calculation engine may include worksheet formulas and VBA functions • Can be integrated with Solver

  12. Goal Seek & Solver • Goal Seek • Drive one target cell towards a specific value • Change only one cell in model • Solver • Drive one target cell to a minimum, maximum or specific value • Change one or more cells in model • May add constraints like integer, binary, non-negative • Optional install of Solver add-in • Solver.com for tech support

  13. Grouping & Subtotals • Group sorted data by one or more fields • At each change in value, one or more fields in each group will be counted, summed, etc. using the SUBTOTAL function. • SUBTOTAL can also be used to find the mininum, maximum, average, variance of the group • SUBTOTAL functions 1 through 11 will ignore values hidden by a filter • SUBTOTAL functions 101 through 111 will ignore values hidden either by a filter or by manual user action

  14. PivotTables • PivotTables summarize numeric data, typically by count or sum • Examine different alternatives with slicers or making dropdown selections • Raw data must be normalized • Each column must have a header label • Use either a Table or a dynamic named range as the source for your PivotTable • Formatting changes to PivotTable get overwritten after Refresh. Don’t fight it!

  15. VBA Code • Subs do things (e.g. formatting or data manipulation) • Functions return values • VBA code is readable, even by people with little experience • Need to display Developer menu • “Disable all macros with notification” • ALT + F11 toggles between VBA Editor and worksheet • ALT + F8 displays macro selector • May record a macro (sub) • Good way to learn objects, methods and properties • After editing, a recorded macro can be reused in future

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