Spreadsheet Savvy

 

Here’s a structured learning path for mastering Microsoft Excel, from beginner to advanced level: --- Phase 1: Excel Basics Goal: Get familiar with Excel’s interface and basic functionalities. 1. Introduction to Excel Understanding the Ribbon, Toolbar, and Navigation. Workbook vs. Worksheet. Understanding rows, columns, and cells. 2. Basic Functions Data entry and formatting (font, alignment, borders, and colors). Basic arithmetic functions (SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX). 3. Managing Data Inserting, deleting, and resizing rows/columns. Using the Fill Handle for series and patterns. Saving and sharing Excel files. 4. Basic Charting Create basic charts like Column, Line, and Pie charts. Customizing chart titles, labels, and colors. --- Phase 2: Intermediate Skills Goal: Enhance productivity and learn intermediate data manipulation. 1. Intermediate Functions Logical functions: IF, AND, OR. Text functions: CONCATENATE/TEXTJOIN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEN, TRIM. Date/Time functions: NOW, TODAY, YEAR, MONTH...

1. Open a Workbook Launch Microsoft Excel . Either: Create a new workbook: Select Blank Workbook . Open an existing file: Go to File > Open , then locate your file. 2. Data Entry Examples Let’s work with an example of a Sales Data Sheet : A B C D Date Item Quantity Price 12/12/2024 Laptop 5 800 12/12/2024 Mouse 10 20 13/12/2024 Keyboard 7 50 Steps to Enter Data: Click cell A1 and type "Date" , then press Tab to move to B1 . Continue entering data row by row. For example, enter "Laptop" in cell B2 , 5 in C2 , and 800 in D2 . Use the Enter key to move to the next row when finished with a row. 3. Types of Data Each column in the sales sheet above demonstrates different types of data: Text (Labels) : “Date”, “Item” (used for descriptions). Numbers : “5”, “800” (used for calculations). Dates : “12/12/2024” (used for time-sensitive records). 4. Formatting Examples Formatting makes your data visually appealing and easier to interpret. A. Applying Number Formats Se...