[Difference between formulas and functions]

Formulas = equations that perform calculations on values in our worksheet

Functions predefined formulas that perform formulas that perform calculations by using specific values, called arguments in a particular order or structure

In every calculation the mathematical operators and also the parenthesis are very important

Every function has arguments also known as parameters. Very few functions don’t have this type of parameters. Most of the functions have one required argument and also can have aoptional arguments that are indicated by the square brackets

[Tracing cell references]

Tracing cell references is very useful in a complex worksheet in which formulas are piled on top of one another and the results os some formulas are computed into other formulas, so this option gives us the opportunity to get a better idea of how our worksheet is constructed.

[Error messages]

Sometimes something regarding using formulas can go wrong and an error message will appear, but there is no reason to be worried, because again Excell will help us to fix it.

First of all, we can figure it out by the error message that appears in the cell where the formula is (a text that has in from an #). The most common messages are :DIV/O, N/A, NAME, NULL, REF, VALUE. Or more useful for us can be the error checker from the Formulas tab – Error Checking Button.

[Copying formulas from cell to cell]

In a worksheet we usually have to make a lot of calculation. Excel can make our job easier than we imagine by just copying a formula to a new cell (drag the Autofill handle across the cells to which  you want to copy the formula) and we don’t have to worry about the values, because Excel adjusts the cell references in the formula so that the formula works in the cells t which it has been copied, all by itself.

[Use in Formula button]

So...if we have to make a lot of difficult calculations, but all our information is spitted in several worksheet the Use in Formula button will save us from a lot of headaches (this type of button can be used only after doing the firsts step, which is naming the cells range).

This button will help us to use informations not from a single worksheet, but from all the worksheets of the workbook.

[Naming cell ranges]

Naming cell ranges, so that we can use them in formulas:

·         First of all we have to select the cells that we want to name

·         After that, on the formula tab, click  the Define Name Button

·         Enter a specific name in the Name box

·         And finally, on the Scope drop-down list, we choose Workbook or a Worksheet name

We can also add a descriptive comment for the range name, such that we can rememeber the type of information the cell hold.

After that we can actually use the cell range name in a formula (or simply press F3, even more quickly is to open the Name box drop-down list and choose a name)

If we decide later that we want to change the name of the cell, or simply  we do not need it anymore, all we have to do is to click the Name Manager button on the Formulas Tab.

[Site for the beginners]

I talked about a very interesting site in a previous post [Excel formulas] but I forgot to add it

http://www.free-training-tutorial.com/formulas.html
                                             and also:
http://www.softwaretrainingtutorials.com/excel-2010-ms.php

So… Take a lookJ

[My personal site]

So... today I finally had the courage to create my personal site... I have to admit that it didn't hurt, but when you don't know much about a thing (like I didn't and I still don't know sites and all that stuff) you begin to avoid or ignore it.

[Excel formulas]

Excel formulas is another part of Excel that help us a lot!

Before entering a formula we have to know the basic steps:

1. Click the cell where we want to enter the formula

2. Click the formula bar

3. Enter the equal sign (very important), because otherwise Excel thinks that we are entering text or number, not a formula

4. Enter the formula or select it from the ribbon and pay attention when select the cell address.

In this course are basic things that, probably, we all already knew…or, at least, we should to. What I find new is:

-          creating a cell range name that is useful because we can avoid entering cell addressing references every time we have to calculate something. It’s a different option and it’s also kind of difficult to use it, especially when you didn’t faced with it before

-          I also discovered a new button (3-D reference). It seems that we can use data from different worksheets in a formula…pretty complicated, but also useful if we want to save more time

-          I find out what is a trace precedents button, function arguments etc

-          And many many information about how to type a formula without doing something wrong

! Below I added a site  I've descovered recently with lessons(demo) about Excel for the beginners...it's a good one so when you have time just take a look :)

[Automatic subtotaling]

• I have to admit that for my shame I didn’t knew much about subtotaling until I read in the laboratory and I practiced. It’s kind of easy, but we have to keep in mind several things if we don’t want to make mistakes: we first have to sort the data as we want and only after that to start the subtotaling...

[Comments]

·         About comments… I learned that I can insert comments to my worksheet. Comments can be used for many things like inform, remind or explain the content of a cell or range of cells or to offer tips to users, including adding reminders for ourselves.

·         There are numerous ways we can insert a cell Comment, the method used is entirely up to us (the easiest one I guess is to push Shift + F2) and after that we can decide how and where we would like to display that comment, when to print it and whether to delete it.

·         Once we have a comment in a cell we can edit it in much the same way as we can format a cell and/or its content. This means we can nominate the type of text, the color of the text and/or the comment itself, its size, its outline and even its shape.

Excel has a lot to offer all we have to do is search and try… J

[What can we do in Excel?]

             Well...here are some examples of which are the most important things to do in Excel:

·         Inserting new columns (*new columns are always inserted to the left of the selected cell), new rows (*new rows are always inserted above the selected cell)             

·         Delete, merging and spitting cells

·         Hiding and unhiding rows and columns

·         Deleting, moving, copying, naming worksheets, changing its orientation or view (* I found out that new for Excel 2007 is Page Layout view, in this type of view we ca add headers and footers to our workbook and clearly see where page breaks occur and even more, if we add headers and footers we cannot freeze panels after, those ones are not compatible)

·         Setting the Print Area and also setting up margins for the worksheet

·         Adding comments to workbooks and so on...

! To do the same thing, operation, we can use different methods, tips and tricks, so you have the advantage to choose the one that likes you most.

[First lesson: Introduction to Excel]

      So in the first lesson...what did i learned? Well first thing that we notice is the difference between excel 2003 and 2007, it’s explained in detailes why the last  one is better than the previous one, which are the differences and the benefits from this radically change of interface and so on. We can also find new things that in microsoft excel 2003 didn’t exist or it was different and therefore it was even more complicated to work in excel 2003. The changes made give us more choices regarding tables, charts, formulas…

Among the new elements we find right on the ribbon we can include dialog box launchers, contextual tabs, drop-down buttons, all the task combination that make working with excel easier enough.

     The course it great for everyone who didn’t faced the excel new look and it’s also a good opportunity for the ones who knew already Microsoft excel to resume their knowledge

    All in all, I found Excel 2007 pretty ok and I am planning to learn more from the next courses

[Gmail...]

     What can I say, is more complicated...I use it with that extreme caution as it was a glass floor and if I do one wrong step it will broke into million peaces. When you get used to yahoo messenger from childhood, gmail will look for you as it was the bad fairy from the fairytales. I can't even find how to add friends. Can anybody help me?

[Just an observation]

      I've noticed that if we calculate something in a cell and after we change the number or we delete some row the result is changing by itself which means that we don't have to redo the calculations every time we have to modify something, so Microsoft Office is doing the job for us by its automatically adjusts. This is a big plus for Microsoft Office 2007 .
       I thought that working with excel is not that difficult and  my knowledge are more than enough to manage with any kind of problem or question about excel, but today I find out that is not that simple...not like I thought. I know a lot of stuff, but in a ridiculous way it seems I have no idea about banal things like the previous one, so I decided to read more about what our teacher bring us at the lab:).