This tutorial has been written by NCBI IT Trainer Roisin Mulligan.
MICROSOFT EXCEL
What is excel?
Microsoft Excel is part of the Microsoft Office Suite and is used for:
* Data storage and analysis
* Calculation and sorting of data
* Chart generation
Each Excel file has the extension .xlsx and is also called a WORKBOOK.
Each workbook consists of three WORKSHEETS by default. These are named
sheet1, sheet2 and sheet3. These can be deleted or extra sheets can be added
to a workbook.
To navigate between worksheets without a mouse use the shortcut key CTRL +
PG up and PG DOWN.
Each workbook consists of vertical columns and horizontal rows.
Each column is denoted by a letter and each row is denoted by a number.
A cell is the name given to a single box, which is the intersection of a row
and column. E.g. A1 S9 or AA23
A range is the name given to a rectangular group of cells. Each range is
named from the top left cell to the bottom right cell with a : between, e.g.
A1:a5
B3 : h3
C9: f12
BASIC NAVIGATION WITH SHORTCUT KEYS
HOME
Moves to the A column in th ecurrent row
CTRL + HOME
Moves to the first cell (A1)
CTRL + arrow key
Will move to the last cell with content in that direction
SIMPLE CALCULATIONS
After typing the = key any simple calculation can be carried out using
numbers or the contents of cells:
= 231*7
=A1*3
=B2/B3
=c1^2 (the contents of C2 will be squared)
To edit the formula in any cell press F2 key when the cell is active.
SIMPLE FUNCTIONS
After the = sign the function name is given and in () the cell or range to
be used is given
=sum(a1:a5)
=average(b2:e2)
=max(d1:d6)
=min(f7:l7)
=count(a1:a4)
The IF function
=if(condition,then,else)
=if(a1>10,"Above ten","below ten")
=if(a2=5,b2*3,b2*9)
OPERATORS
OPERATOR
MEANS
=
Equals
<
Less than
=
= 85
=70
=55
=40
