This course is part of the Digital Skills training, and it also serves as an introduction to the Microsoft Excel 365 office training.
Lesson Duration: 40 min
Level: Beginner
Objectives:
Ergonomics
The 4 Basic Rules
General Usage Principles
A spreadsheet is software that allows you to organize and use data in worksheets:
- Data is organized into tables;
- Calculations can be automated;
- Data analysis and graphical representation are made easier.
The workbook is the basic file in a spreadsheet. It’s called a workbook because it contains multiple worksheets.
The worksheet is a grid made up of rows and columns. Each cell is called a cell.
The cell is the basic area that can contain information.
Worksheets
A worksheet makes up your Excel workbook, allowing you to classify your calculations and link them together.
You can navigate from one to another without restrictions.
The 4 Basic Rules
Cell Reference
Columns are identified by one or more letters, and rows by a number.
Columns 1 through 26 are identified by the letters A, B, C, …, Z; starting from column 27, numbering restarts with two letters: AA, AB, AC, …, AZ, BA, BB, etc., and then with three letters. Each cell is identified by its reference made up of the column and row.
A3 refers to the cell located in the third row of the first column.
Always work with cell references (like in Battleship: B6, C12, H789…etc.)
Mathematical Rules Remain Unchanged:
Calculation order: * / has priority over + –. Calculations within parentheses proceed from the innermost to the outermost, eliminating them as calculations progress. Parentheses management: Every opened parenthesis must close.
Where I want to display the result, I note my calculation (for B4 + C4 = Result)
I go to D4 and enter my calculation
All calculations must start with =
Cell Range
A cell range is a group of cells.
- If the cells are contiguous, simply indicate the references of two opposite corners of the range separated by “:”. Select this to that or from point A to point B.
- If the cells are not contiguous, indicate the references of the cells or ranges separated by “;”. Select this and that, point A, then point B, then point C, etc.
A1:B3 or B1:A3 refers to the six cells contained within the rectangle from A1 to B3. A1;B3 refers to the two cells A1 and B3.
You can combine these operators to specify more complex cell ranges. A1:A3; C1:C3 refers to the six cells A1, A2, A3, C1, C2, and C3.
=SUM(A1:B4) means adding all cells from A1 to B4, totaling 8 cells
= SUM(A1;B4) means adding only the cells A1 and B4, totaling 2 cells
Incremental Copy
I use Incremental Copy to automatically replicate a calculation by shifting cell references
To lock a cell in my calculation, I use absolute reference (F4 key or $$).
The absolute reference answers the question, “What is the common point in the calculation I’m replicating?”
To go further in Excel, refer to the full Microsoft Office training course.
