Elements of MS Excel : MS Excel is a spreadsheet program that allows you to store, organise, and analyze information. While you may believe Excel is only used by certain people to process complicated data, anyone can learn how to take advantage of the program’s powerful features. Whether you are keeping a budget, organizing a training log or creating an invoice, Excel makes it easy to work with different types of data.
Elements or Terminology of MS Excel
There are number of elements in Microsoft Excel Application which facilitates a user a user friendly environment. Here are the following elements :
Workbook : A workbook is the collection of worksheets where the user works. A workbook and contain maximum 225 sheets to work in. Whenever a workbook opens it displayed three worksheets by default.
Worksheet : A a worksheet is a sheet made up of rows and columns. It is the place where the user works and performs arithmetical and functional calculations. It is used for planning a project or financial documents of an organization. A worksheet is always stored in a workbook. By default it is named as Sheet1, Sheet2, Sheet3, etc. A sheet can be renamed too.
Row : A row os the horizontal block of the worksheet or the table which moves from left to right. A row is named as the numbers 1, 2, 3… etc.
Column : A column is the vertically situated in the worksheet or the table which flows from top to bottom. It is named as A, B, C… etc in Excel application.
Cell : A cell is a intersection of a row and a column. When you select a cell by clicking it with the mouth, or moving to it using the keyboard it becomes the active cell. It is a place where the user work and perform the task.
Functions : Functions are the built in commands to perform a specific task. A function is system defined reserve words with specific arguments to perform a certain task. They are used to simplify the formulas that perform lengthy or complex calculations.
Formulas : Formulas are equations that perform calculations on values in your worksheet. It is an order of values, names, cell references, functions and operations the cell that together give a new values. A formula always begins with = (equal) sign.
Formula Bar : it is the bar where we write formulas and functions according to our requirement. We can even edit formulas and functions in it.
Name Box : The name box is at the left end of the formula bar that gives the address of each cells.
Scroll Bar : The scroll bar appears at the left for vertical scrolling and at the bottom right for horizontal scrolling.
Active Worksheet : The worksheet on which we are presently working.
Inactive Workbook : A window that contains Excel information. It is not affected by commands. Such a window has a grey title bar and is behind the active workbook window.
Sheet Tab : A tab is near to the bottom of a workbook window that displays the name of a sheet. Click the sheet tab to move to the next sheet. To display the shortcut menu, right click the sheet tab. To scroll through the sheet tabs, use the tab scrolling button.
Advantage of MS Excel
The advantages of MS Excel are as follows :
- In Excel, many build-in function do the complex calculations easily.
- Large volume of data can be handled easily.
- A graphical representation of data is possible. With the help of graph and charts data can been interpreted easily.
- Useful information can be imported or exported from/to other software packages, such as MS Word and MS PowerPoint.
- If entry is a changed, then formulas automatically calculate the new result.
Disadvantage of Excel
The disadvantage of MS Excel are as follows :
- It requires very large memory of a computer to perform complicated calculation and to plot graph.
- It has limited number of rows and columns in one worksheet. If user has more data to enter then he has to shift data in another worksheet that may create confusion.
- It requires skilled user because small mistake in formula will give absurd results.
Applications of MS Excel
MS Excel are mainly used to solve complex calculations easily. They can be used for graphical representation of large volume of data. So MS Excel are used in the following applications :
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Scientific research
- Financial accounting
- Income tax and sales tax applications
- Annual report
- Portfolio analysis
- Determine the break even points in sales
- Sales and purchase applications or in business applications
- Statical analysis of database
- Job estimation and cost accounting
Parts of MS Excel Spreadsheet
- Row header : There are 1,048,57 rows in a sheet. These are numbered as 1, 2, 3 up to 1,048,576.
- Column header : There are 16,384 columns in a sheet. These are labeled as A, B, C, up to IV.
- Cell : Intersection of a row and a column is called cell. Each cell has a unique address. The cell address consists of the column header and a row number. A thick black border indicates the active cell (Current cell).
- Current cell : The present working cell is called the current cell.
- Name box : The name box displaces the address of the current cell.
- Formula bar : It displays the cell content well as formula.
- Range : It is the group of cells formatting a rectangular block.
- Sheet tabs : It lies at the bottom of the spreadsheet. It displays the sheet name.
Description of tabs in Excel
| Home tab tools | Description |
| Clipboard | This tool group contains the command which are used to cut, copy and paste a certain selected text or range of text or values. |
| Font | This group of tools is used for font formatting of a selected text or values like changing font, size and colour of text values and making them bold, Italic or underline. |
| Alignment | This group of tools is used to manipulate a paragraph or sentence in the workbook like setting alignment, paragraph indent, wrapping the text etc. |
| Number | This group of tools is used to take use of functions and formulas in the cells of worksheet. |
| Styles | This contains the worksheet or cell formatting tools help formatting of a cell or worksheet as per the need. |
| Cell | This contains the tools used to manipulate the cells in the worksheet like insertation, deletion and formatting of a cell. |
| Editing | This group of tool is used to take use of commands like Find & Replace, Data Validation, Sorting & Filtering etc. |
| Insert tab tools | Description |
| Table | This group of tool is used to manipulate the table in the worksheet and using Pivot table. |
| Illustration | Illustration as per the name contains the command used to insert picture, clip art, Shapes & SmartArt etc. |
| Charts | Charts are the pictorial representation of data facts and record. This group contains variety of charts to be used in the worksheet. |
| Hyperlink | Hyperlink redirects the user to the specified page or network following by Ctrl key + Click. |
| Text & Link | These groups of commands are used to manipulate the word in the cell of the worksheet like Header & Footer, WordArt, Symbol, Signature Line and object etc. |
| Page Layout tools | Description |
| Themes | These commands are used to set theme and editing a theme colour, effects in the cell of a worksheet. |
| Page Setup | This group contains the commands to set the page property like paper size, margin, orientation and page section breaks etc. |
| Scroll to fit | This contains scaling tools like Setting Height & Width and scaling values in percentage etc. |
| Sheet Options | This group contains the command or tools to sure hide Heading view and Gridlines and allowing certain heading or the gridline to be printed or not. |
| Arrange | This contains commands set the order of a certain entity in the worksheet and alignment & rotation of that etc. |
| Formulas tab tools | Description |
| Function Library | As per the name, this contains the bizarre of functions to be used in the worksheet like Logical functions, Text functions, Date & Time functions etc. |
| Defined Names | This group of commands is used to take use of Name Manager which that are used in the functions & Formulas in the worksheet. |
| Formula Auditing | This group contains the commands related to formula auditing like showing, Checking & evaluating the formulas etc. |
| Calculation | This contains the commands who take part in the calculation in the worksheet and provide the calculate options. |
| Data Tab Tools | Description |
| Get External Data | These group of tools is used to import external database to the Excel sheet for the data to be used like MS Access, Text file, from Web or from some other sources. |
| Connections | This group of tools is used to establish or validate the connections with other databases used the excel file. |
| Sort & Filter | This group of tools has the commands to sort & filter the data from the database imported or used in the sheet. |
| Data Tools | Group of tools are used to validate, consolidate the data used or imported in the sheet. |
| Outline | The group of tools at the Data Tab are used to Group, Ungroup, Subtotal and even Show/hide the details of that etc. |
| Review Tab Tools | Description |
| Proofing | Proofing tools are used to do research with data like Spelling Checking, Thesaurus, Translate etc. |
| Comments | This group of tools put Comments to a particular section or Page area and Navigating with them as well. |
| Changes | This group of tools as per the name changes few attribute of the worksheet like Protection, Sharing, Track changing and many more. |
| View Tab tools | Description |
| Workbook Views | This group as per the name contains several views of the workbook to be used like Normal, Page Layout, Page Break Preview etc. |
| Show/Hide | Bunch of tools are used to change the Show and Hide of Ruler, Formula Bar, Gridlines, Headlines etc. |
| Zoom | Tools related to Zoom or preview bigger or smaller the worksheet. |
| Windows | Windows management tools like Split, Hide, Cascade, Arrange All etc. |
| Macro | Macro tools are the tools used to do a Macro expansion in the workbook like event recording, Scripting etc. |
