A screenshot of a video that I watched today on the difference between relative and absolute referencing in Microsoft Excel:
Everything that I learned today could fit three categories: visual functions, data display features, and data tools. Note that these are not formal categories; I am simply classifying the different tools and features that I learned as such for the purposes of simplification in this blog post.
For visual functions, I primarily learned about how I could customize tables in my spreadsheet. There are several other formatting features in Microsoft Excel, such as templates, styles, and conditional formatting. These are neat tools that save time when one wishes to make a spreadsheet look aesthetically and visually pleasing. I would categorize a formatting tool as a “visual function” because these tools have nothing to do with how data is presented in a workbook; they instead give the spreadsheet a nice look and feel.
For data display features, I learned about grouping data together and consolidating data of the same type. This allows me to easily see categories of data, which can help me quickly find data that I’m looking for. Table and chart tools are methods of displaying data in a way that can be easily visualized and understood more quickly. One can also manage lists and add filters to a group of data, commanding the spreadsheet to only return data that meets criteria that the user specifies. These are “data display” features because they visually help me find and rearrange data. These features do not analyze or change the data; rather, they change how data is presented or found, making it easier to find or understand them.
There are several types of data tools. Most of these are either functions or formulas. Formulas take data, either using them for computing or converting them into a different form. More often than not, formulas perform calculations that require multiple steps. Formulas are constructed using functions. Functions generally perform one calculation, and can be combined with other functions to perform a larger, more complex calculation. Some common functions include addition, average, minimum, and maximum (there are also useless functions like =ROMAN, which converts numbers written in Arabic numerals into Roman numbers, because everyone uses Roman numbers in a spreadsheet). Functions can be used for several different purposes, such as finance, dates, or even trigonometry. There are also other data tools besides functions and formulas, such as the what-if analysis, which can model situations and find an answer for the user, or even proofing tools that can even help check one’s work.
Even though I got to do all of this from home, today was probably my most difficult day so far. It wasn’t easy sitting all day in front of my laptop, trying to learn a complicated program with very little background knowledge about the program. I had to take a lot of mental breaks every now and then. The tools that I learned to use today were not easy to write about, either.
Although today was rather difficult, learning the basics of Microsoft Excel is important. Even though I didn’t like every minute of it, I have to admit that some things that I learned today can be applied to even the life of a normal person. For example, a person planning a budget for a party (or anything that would incur expenses) could use Microsoft Excel to group data together, add numbers and find totals, and make sure that the expenses remain within the budget that the party planner sets. But I know that all of this will eventually help me when I begin building the model with Mrs. Spurgeon, which will hopefully be next week.
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