Short course of work in excel. Learning to work in excel

The Microsoft Office Excel program is a spreadsheet editor in which it is convenient to work with them in every possible way. Here you can also set formulas for elementary and complex calculations, generate graphs and diagrams, program, creating real platforms for organizations, simplifying the work of an accountant, secretary and other departments dealing with databases.

How to learn to work in excel on your own

The excel 2010 tutorial describes in detail the interface of the program and all the features available to it. To start working independently in Excel, you need to navigate the program interface, understand the taskbar, where commands and tools are located. To do this, you need to view the lesson on this topic.

At the very top of Excel, we see a ribbon of tabs with thematic sets of commands. If you move the mouse cursor over each of them, a tooltip appears, describing in detail the direction of action.

Under the ribbon of tabs is the line "Name", where the name of the active element is written and the "Formula Bar", which displays formulas or text. When performing calculations, the string "Name" is converted into a drop-down list with a set of default functions. All you have to do is select the option you need.

Most of the excel program window is occupied by the workspace, where tables, graphs are actually built, calculations are made . Here the user performs any necessary actions, while using commands from the ribbon tabs.

At the bottom of excel on the left side, you can switch between workspaces. Additional sheets are added here if it is necessary to create different documents in one file. In the lower right corner there are commands responsible for convenient viewing of the created document. You can select the workbook view mode by clicking on one of the three icons, as well as change the scale of the document by changing the position of the slider.

Basic concepts

The first thing we see when we open the program is a blank sheet, divided into cells, which are the intersection of columns and rows. Columns are indicated by Latin letters, and rows by numbers. It is with their help that tables of any complexity are created, the necessary calculations are carried out in them.

Any video tutorial on the Internet describes how to create tables in Excel 2010 in two ways:

To work with tables, several types of data are used, the main of which are:

• text,
• numerical,
• formula.

Text data is left-aligned by default, while numbers and formulas are right-aligned.

To enter the desired formula in a cell, you must start with an equal sign, and then by clicking on the cells and putting down the necessary signs between the values ​​​​in them, we get the answer. You can also use the drop-down list with functions located in the upper left corner. They are fixed in the "Line of Formulas". It can be viewed by making a cell with a similar calculation active.

VBA in excel

To simplify the work with complex arrays of data or repetitive functions in Excel, the programming language built into the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) application allows. The programming manual can be downloaded from the Internet for free.

In Microsoft Office Excel 2010, VBA is disabled by default. In order to enable it, you need to select the "Options" item in the "File" tab on the left panel. In the dialog box that appears on the left, click "Customize the Ribbon", and then on the right side of the window, check the box next to the "Developer" item so that such a tab appears in Excel.

When you start programming, you need to understand that an object in Excel is a worksheet, a workbook, a cell, and a range. They are subordinate to each other, therefore they are in a hierarchy.

Application plays a dominant role . Followed by Workbooks, Worksheets, Range. Thus, you need to write the entire path of the hierarchy to refer to a specific cell.

Another important concept is properties. These are the properties of the objects. For Range, this is Value or Formula.

Methods are specific commands. They are separated from the object by a dot in the VBA code. Often, when programming in Excel, the Cells (1,1) command is needed. select. In other words, you need to select a cell with coordinates (1,1), that is, A 1.

Any person who uses a computer in everyday work, one way or another, has come across the Excel office application, which is included in the standard Microsoft Office package. It is available in any version of the package. And quite often, starting to get acquainted with the program, many users are wondering if they are in Excel on their own?

What is the Excel program?

First, let's define what Excel is and what this application is for. Probably, many have heard that the program is a spreadsheet editor, but the principles of its operation are fundamentally different from the same tables created in Word.

If in Word the table is more like an element in which a text or an Excel table is displayed, then a sheet with an Excel table is, in fact, a unified mathematical machine that is capable of performing a variety of calculations based on specified data types and formulas that will be used to perform one or another mathematical or an algebraic operation.

How to learn to work in Excel on your own and is it possible to do it?

As the heroine of the film “Office Romance” said, you can teach a hare to smoke. Basically, nothing is impossible. Let's try to understand the elementary principles of the application and focus on understanding its main features.

Of course, the reviews of people who are versed in the specifics of the application suggest that, for example, you can download some kind of tutorial for working in Excel, however, as practice shows, and especially the comments of novice users, such materials are very often presented in a too abstruse form, and it can be quite difficult to figure it out.

It seems that the best training option will be to study the main features of the program, and then apply them, so to speak, "by the method of scientific poke." It goes without saying that you first need to consider the main functional elements of Microsoft Excel (the lessons on the program testify to this) in order to get a complete picture of the principles of work for yourself.

Key elements to pay attention to

The very first thing that the user notices when starting the application is a sheet in the form of a table, in which cells are located, numbered in different ways, depending on the version of the application itself. In earlier versions, columns were denoted by letters, and rows by numbers and numbers. In other releases, all markings are presented exclusively in digital form.

What is it for? Yes, only in order to always be able to determine the cell number to specify a certain calculation operation by the type of how coordinates are set in a two-dimensional system for a point. Later it will be clear how to work with them.

Another important component is the formula bar - a special field that has an “f x” icon on the left. It is here that all operations are set. At the same time, the mathematical operations themselves are denoted in exactly the same way as is customary in the international classification (equal sign "=", multiplication "*", division "/", etc.). Trigonometric quantities also correspond to international designations (sin, cos, tg, etc.). But this is the simplest. More difficult operations will have to be mastered with the help of the help system or specific examples, since some formulas may look quite specific (exponential, logarithmic, tensor, matrix, etc.).

Above, as in other office programs, there is the main panel and the main menu sections with the main points of operations and quick access buttons to a particular function.

and simple operations with them

Consideration is not possible without a key understanding of the types of data entered in table cells. Immediately, we note that after prescribing some information, you can press the enter button, the Esc key, or simply move the rectangle from the desired cell to another - the data will be saved. Editing a cell is called by double-clicking or pressing the F2 key, and upon completion of data entry, saving occurs only when the Enter key is pressed.

Now a few words about what you can enter in each cell. The format menu is invoked by right-clicking on the active cell. On the left there is a special column indicating the type of data (general, numeric, text, percentage, date, etc.). If the general format is selected, the program, roughly speaking, itself determines what exactly the entered value looks like (for example, if you enter 01/01/16, the date will be recognized as January 1, 2016).

When entering a number, you can also use the indication of the number of decimal places (by default, one character is displayed, although when entering two, the program simply rounds the visible value, although the true value does not change).

When using, say, the text data type, whatever the user enters, it will be displayed exactly as what is typed on the keyboard, without changes.

Here's what's interesting: if you hover over the selected cell, a cross will appear in the lower right corner, pulling which while holding the left mouse button, you can copy the data to the following cells in order. But the data will change. If we take the same date example, the next value would be January 2nd, and so on. Such copying is useful when setting the same formula for different cells (sometimes even with cross calculations).

If we talk about formulas, for the simplest operations, you can use a double approach. For example, for the sum of cells A1 and B1, which should be calculated in cell C1, you need to place a rectangle exactly in field C1 and set the calculation using the formula "=A1+B1". You can do otherwise by setting the equality "=SUM(A1:B1)" (this method is more useful for large gaps between cells, although you can use the automatic sum function, as well as the English version of the SUM command).

Excel program: how to work with Excel sheets

When working with sheets, you can perform many actions: add sheets, change their name, delete unnecessary ones, etc. But the most important thing is that any cells located on different sheets can be interconnected by certain formulas (especially when large arrays of information of various types are entered).

How to learn to work in Excel on your own in terms of use and calculations? It's not all that simple here. As the reviews of users who once mastered this spreadsheet editor show, it will be quite difficult to do this without outside help. You need to read at least the help system of the program itself. The easiest way is to enter the cells in the same formula by selecting them (this can be done both on the same sheet and on different ones. Again, if you enter the sum of several fields, you can write "= SUM", and then simply select one by one while holding down the Ctrl key desired cells.But this is the most primitive example.

Additional features

But in the program, you can not only create tables with different types of data. On their basis, in a couple of seconds, you can build all kinds of graphs and charts by setting either a selected range of cells for automatic construction, or specifying it manually when entering the corresponding menu.

In addition, the program has the ability to use special add-ons, executable scripts based on Visual Basic. You can insert any objects in the form of graphics, video, audio or something else. In general, there are enough opportunities. And here only a small fraction of everything that this unique program is capable of is affected.

What can I say, with the right approach, it can calculate matrices, solve all kinds of equations of any complexity, find, create databases and connect them with other applications like Microsoft Access and much more - you just can’t list everything.

Outcome

Now, probably, it is already clear that the question of how to learn how to work in Excel on your own is not so easy to consider. Of course, if you master the basic principles of working in the editor, it will not be difficult to set the simplest operations. User reviews testify that you can learn this in a maximum of a week. But if you need to use more complex calculations, and even more so, work with database bindings, no matter how much anyone wants it, you simply cannot do without special literature or courses. Moreover, it is very likely that you will even have to tighten up your knowledge of algebra and geometry from the school course. Without this, the full use of the spreadsheet editor can not even be dreamed of.

There are some things you can live without. For example, an electric can opener, or a sausage cutter. This list could be continued indefinitely, however, the meaning is probably already clear. In ordinary life, they are simply not needed. Of course, there is a certain degree of probability that someday they will also find a use.

For example, you expect a large number of guests and you need to open 10 cans of green peas, and then cut 20 loaves of sausage into thin slices. Certainly, under such circumstances, the above things will be very useful. But these are special cases. In the usual routine, it is easier for us to open a can of canned food in the usual way, as well as cut off a couple of slices of sausage for a sandwich.

The same is true with computer programs. Learning them just for general development, in the hope that someday they will be needed, would be a waste of time. Of course, during the training, in any case, you improve your general computer skills. For example, hold the mouse more confidently in your hands, start typing faster and faster, navigate unfamiliar interfaces more freely ... Nevertheless, first of all, it is worth mastering programs that will really help you in your work or personal life.

MS Excel program is a universal tool and will suit almost any person who, on duty, has to calculate something, maintain databases, build diagrams, and the like. Moreover, the word "calculate" often scares ordinary people. Something like a transposition of a matrix or differential equations immediately appears.

In fact, even in ordinary life there is a place for calculations. Let's look at a few simple examples.

The first is the most banal: you need to keep a table of expenses and income. If you are not lazy and write down at least large expenses there, you can draw conclusions about the structure of expenses and correct them.

Second: you need to make a diagram according to the existing table. In Excel, this is done in just a few minutes (of course, if you know how).

Fourth: it is necessary to maintain a small database of the company's customers.

All these and many other tasks become easy to solve if you use Microsoft Excel.

By the nature of my work, I constantly have to analyze digital data. This used to take a lot of time, because I preferred to work with a regular calculator. However, when the boss once again hinted at the presence of constant errors in the calculations and asked to expedite the provision of reports with the results of business trips, "bad" thoughts began to creep into my head that it was time to shake the old days and start training.

How can you learn Excel

Everyone comes to Excel in their own way. However, few people manage to master the program on their own, using textbooks. The thing is, there is usually no time for that. The authorities don't really care that you have to learn something. He wants a result.

Therefore, you have to deal with snatches. In free time. Buying books at your own expense.

There is another tactic: you can endlessly terrorize your colleagues by asking them question after question, asking them to show how this or that operation is done. Colleagues are different. Some people try to help you at first. Others immediately come up with a way to make you "get rid" yourself. For example, giving advice in a deliberately dismissive tone, showing with all your appearance that you are an impenetrable dumbass, and without any hope of correction.

Alas, self-learning is usually slow. Sometimes a person simply falls into a stupor, because tightly rests on an insurmountable barrier. Day after day, nothing happens, and there is no one to ask especially. Colleagues, seeing you approaching their table, immediately take on such a puzzled look that they simply do not dare to ask them questions.

What to do, you think, and decide to look for some MS Excel courses.

MS Excel courses

Here, as they say, whoever is lucky. If you are lucky enough to find a good teacher who really works with the program in practice, and did not study it from books a month before the start of your courses, consider that half the battle is done.

If your boss agrees to let you go to study during working hours, it will be even better. And if he also comes down to paying for your education, then you can consider yourself a real darling of fate.

What if everything turns out the other way around?

You will drive to the training center after work, when your head is already boiled from production tasks. You will pay for the Excel course a considerable amount out of your own pocket. And with all this, you will come across a teacher who can talk about the program only within the framework of the Excel for Dummies book. Any question "aside" from the general line will confuse him.

As a result, after graduation, you will be completely convinced that Excel is one of the most complex programs in the world, and you yourself are one of the most stupid students, a shame for the training center and the teacher who released you personally. How can one not return to the good old calculator, causing the anger of the authorities and the smirks of more advanced colleagues.

Even if this sad “second option” doesn’t happen to you, still drive half a city to classes at the end of the working day, waste time on traffic jams, sit in a stuffy classroom under a flickering neon light, adjust to the speed of the slowest student in the group - is it really Is this how learning should be done in the 21st century?

Online MS Excel lessons

Of course not! I immediately dismissed face-to-face courses and started looking for online learning options. In general, there are a lot of completely free ones on the Internet. materials for mastering Excel. At first I was delighted and started, it was, to look through them, but over time it became clear that the free lessons are very scattered, it is difficult to find a continuation, etc.

Sometimes the quality of the presentation of information left much to be desired.

However, at some point I discovered two courses that seemed to me successful. Alas, one of them was not complete enough and contained only the most. It was suitable only for the most novice users. The second course was thorough, serious. Most of all, it was bribed that the analysis of the program's functions was not a simple abstract enumeration, but specific examples.

Although these were examples not entirely from my field, they helped me master the capabilities of the program, get my hands on it, and absorb the techniques of work. All this made it possible to take subsequent independent steps, acting by analogy.

Online learning versus classic courses

There are disciplines where online learning is powerless. Everything is built on the live interaction between the mentor and the student. However, if we are talking about mastering a new computer program, then a video lesson will work more successfully than a regular one when both the teacher and the student are in the classroom at the same time.

If we work with video lessons, then we are not tied to a specific time and place of study. You can practice when you have time. The main thing is not to throw. This rule is very important! Many people who criticize distance learning turn out to be undisciplined slobs. Having paid for the course, they believe that they will learn anyway and are very surprised when month after month passes, and somehow knowledge is not added at all.

Nothing surprising. On weekdays, they usually have no time to study - work, fatigue, TV. And when they sit down for lessons on the weekend, what they mastered a week ago is already almost forgotten. You have to endlessly go back, re-watch the video tutorials that have already been completed. And not just to watch, but to do all the actions yourself. And then there are tasks for independent work.

Another problem is passively watching video tutorials without any attempt to do the suggested exercises with your own hands. Indeed - why do they carry out, when everything is clear anyway. Let's move on...

As a result, without getting practical skills day after day, just looking through the lessons during the lunch break with a cup of coffee in hand, a person does not study, but wastes time. Not surprisingly, some people have developed a strong antipathy towards distance learning.

Yes, it's not for slackers. If you want to learn something, watch and learn.

Excel Lessons by Andrey Sukhov

As I said, I liked the course. All topics are discussed with specific examples that are much better remembered. I liked the fact that the author recorded not one big video lesson covering the whole section of the course, but broke it into several short videos.

Watching a short video covering a specific situation and its solution is much more convenient. It is very easy to rewind the video if you listened to something. You are constantly being asked to do something on your own. So not only the head, but also the hands remember the sequence of operations.

It is valuable that the author offers to watch the first, introductory part of the course without setting any conditions. It deals with the most basic information and skills, which, nevertheless, are sufficient for solving simple, non-special tasks.

At the same time, there is an opportunity to listen to how the author teaches lessons. Are there any problems with diction, is the pace of presentation of the material normal, are the examples clear, etc.

At one time, I also first subscribed to the first free part, and then paid for the full course. It cost 1800 rubles. On the one hand, it seems to be expensive. On the other hand, full-time courses are much more expensive. If you buy a textbook, the savings will be very doubtful. Indeed, there are inexpensive books, but training is greatly stretched over time.

The result of learning and implementing Excel

Now the authorities are quite pleased with me. I have fewer errors and I submit reports on time. Yes, there are bosses! I myself am completely delighted. After all, once I compiled and debugged the table, and then all the work consisted only in adding fresh actual numbers to several cells. The program instantly performed the calculation and produced ready-made numbers.

If earlier the compilation of a damned report was a real hard labor, now it has turned into a holiday. Everything is done quickly and without errors. Almost on its own :)

Who there said the phrase: "Manual labor on the shoulders of machines?" This is exactly what happened in my case. The time spent learning has paid off handsomely. Thanks to Microsoft for such a useful program and Andrey Sukhov for an understandable and useful one.

Microsoft Excel is still popular, although the number of data processing programs is increasing every year, this program is still one of the leaders in its field.

The section of the site is dedicated to the Excel program - training for beginners. Data processing using Excel is of interest to both beginners ("dummies") and experienced users.

This is also evidenced by the many job postings that require knowledge related to how to work with Excel spreadsheets, including positions of sales representatives, logisticians, business analysts, accountants, project managers, managers or employees of the banking or administrative sector.

It seems that everyone knows a little about how to work with tables in Excel, but it is often impossible to perform more complex tasks and calculations, processing large amounts of data.

Working with Excel tables as a data analysis tool

Although the awareness of Excel's capabilities is relatively high, the use of this program is often limited to using the simplest functions, such as:

• the average,
• sum or difference
• multiplication or division is the so-called work with Excel tables for dummies.

Meanwhile, it is worth knowing that the program allows you to perform even very complex calculations, as well as their automation, which is why learning to work in Excel is so important. Well-prepared data can become the basis for analyzing the economic situation in the company. This, in turn, makes it possible to simplify many processes occurring in the enterprise. The more familiar we are with Excel, the more effectively we will analyze the data, and the time saved will be devoted to debriefing and planning actions.

Create your own data tables in Excel with Excel lessons.

Excel also works great for collecting and storing data in almost any industry. Thanks to working with Excel spreadsheets, we can create sheets containing information about customers, actions taken by competitive companies or enterprises with which we intend to cooperate. After completing our training, you will be able to freely format the data table, which allows us to quickly receive the data that we are interested in at the moment. Many financial, accounting, manufacturing or logistics programs allow you to export data to Excel format, which saves us from tedious input. Working with Excel tables greatly simplifies our work and saves time.

Data visualization with Excel - training for beginners.

The basis for any professional presentation is the skillful presentation of data. Tables are only good for a small amount of information. And it happens that the numbers are not very well perceived visually. Graphs, time data or trendy infographics are much easier to read. And Excel offers many such data visualization solutions:

• conditional formats,
• pivot tables;
• charts from simple bar and pie charts

In addition, with each new version of Excel, it becomes more intuitive and supports the user in creating graphic elements.

Examples like the ones above could of course be continued, it is clear that most office workers have to deal with Excel, so there is no doubt that it is worth knowing its functionality. People who don't have any experience with spreadsheets can take advantage of our Spreadsheet for Beginners course, which includes accessible and easy Excel lessons. Become a pro with affordable Excel spreadsheet training.

Excel is one of the most powerful applications in the entire Office suite. It is used not only by accountants and economists, but also by ordinary people. The program is designed to work with numbers and tables, it makes it possible to present information in the most favorable form for perception: as diagrams and graphs. Here you can carry out complex calculations and perform various mathematical operations. In addition, the user does not need special knowledge, it is enough to learn how to work in Excel.

What is this office application?

The Excel program works with files that form a kind of book, consisting of separate sheets. Letters, symbols and numbers are entered into table cells. They can be copied, moved or deleted. If necessary, various operations are carried out with them: text, mathematical, logical and others. Beginners who are just learning how to work in Excel should know that any information can be displayed in the form of graphs or charts.

How to create a file?

First of all, you need to open the document. To create it, you need to click on the program shortcut or go to the application through the "Start".

The default name is Book 1, but you can enter any name in the File Name field. When working, it is worth periodically saving data to avoid losing information in the event of a computer crash or freeze.

You can easily switch between sheets by clicking on the corresponding inscription at the bottom of the page. If there are a lot of tabs, it is better to use the arrow keys on the keyboard. To insert a sheet, you need to find the item "Insert" in the "Home" menu. All possible actions applicable to sheets, such as add or delete, will be displayed there. You can also move tabs around.

"Face" of the program

Before you figure out how to work in Excel, it's worth learning the interface. The tools are located at the top and bottom of the window, and the rest of the area is occupied by rectangles, which are cells. A feature of spreadsheets is that actions can be performed in some cells, and the result can be displayed in others.

Each table has columns, which are denoted by letters of the English alphabet. Lines are numbered on the left. Thus, any cell has its own coordinates. In each cell, you can enter both data and formulas. Before entering the latter, you must put the symbol "=".

Each cell has its own characteristic

To understand how to learn how to work in Excel correctly, the user must know that before entering values, it is necessary to set the dimension of a column or cell. It will depend on how the data is measured. To do this, right-click on the selected range and select "Format Cells" in the dialog box.

If the input number is greater than 999, you must set the split by digits. You don't have to enter spaces yourself.

To correctly display data, you cannot enter more than one single value in one cell. Also, do not enter enums separated by commas or other characters. Each value must have its own cell.

How to enter data?

It will not be difficult for users who know to enter data. To do this, click on the cell and type letters or numbers on the keyboard. To continue working, you must press "Enter" or TAB. A line break is performed using the ALT + "ENTER" combination.

When entering a month or a number in order, it is enough to write the value in the initial cells, and then drag the marker to the required range.

Text wrap

Most often, users are interested in how to learn how to work with text in Excel. If necessary, it can be transferred word by word. To do this, you need to select certain cells and in the "Home" tab you need to find the "Alignment" option, and then select "Text Wrap".

If you want to automatically change the width and height of the cell according to the entered text, you should do the following: go to the "Home" tab and select the "Format" item in the "Cells" group. Next, you need to choose the appropriate action.

Formatting

To format numbers, you need to select the cell and in the "Home" tab find the "Number" group. After clicking on the arrow next to the "General" item, you can select the desired format.

To change the font, you need to select a specific range and go to the "Home", "Font" menu.

How to create a table?

Knowledge of how to work in the Excel program is unlikely to be useful to the user if he does not know how to create a table. The easiest way is to select a certain range and mark the borders with black lines by clicking on the corresponding icon at the top of the page. But often a non-standard table is required for forms or documents.

First of all, you need to decide how the table should look in order to set the width and length of the cells. With the range selected, go to the Format Cells menu and select Alignment. The "Merge Cells" option will help remove unnecessary borders. Then you need to go to the "Borders" menu and set the required parameters.

Using the Format Cells menu, you can create different variations of tables by adding or removing columns and rows, as well as changing borders.

Knowing how to work in an Excel spreadsheet, the user will be able to create headings. To do this, in the "Table formatting" box, you need to check the box next to the "Table with headers" item.

To add elements to the table, you must use the "Designer" tab. There you can select the required options.

What are macros for?

If a user often has to repeat the same actions in a program, knowledge of how macros work in Excel will be useful to him. They are programmed to perform actions in a specific sequence. The use of macros allows you to automate certain operations and facilitate monotonous work. They can be written in different programming languages, but their essence remains the same.

To create a macro in this application, you must enter the "Tools" menu, select the "Macro" item, and then click "Start Recording". Next, you need to perform those actions that are often repeated, and after finishing work, click "Stop Recording".

All these instructions will help a beginner figure out how to work in Excel: keep records, create reports, and analyze numbers.