Introduction
You could say that I'm an accountant by training. Like a carpenter has a hammer, I have a spreadsheet. I think accountants come from the womb grasping a trusty copy of Excel. For some reason, spreadsheets seem to come naturally to accountants. In my experience, they don't come naturally to those in other areas of business...sales, human resources, marketing... did I mention sales?
These web pages are a tutorial on Excel Basics. The tutorial isn't intended to make you an Excel super-star, just give you a basic set of skills so you can create a semi-intelligible spreadsheet. The tutorial is not long, and is divided into 9 sections:

    1—Introduction
    2—Navigating
    3—Copying & Pasting
    4—Rows & Columns
    5—Deleting Data
    6—Formatting
    7—Formulas
    8—Text in Excel
    9—Printing

Sections 1–5 are Excel fundimentals. Those with experience using Excel or other spreadsheets might find these sections too basic, but they are essential concepts to master before moving on. Given this, the sections above are meant to be read in order, but you may want to jump ahead if you are familiar with spreadsheet fundimentals.
A couple initial comments. To be successful with spreadsheet you need to always be thinking in rows and columns. Be logical and consistent when you prepare spreadsheets and you will have more luck. Excel is not like Photoshop. Remember, Excel is not a typewriter. If you have lots of words, use Microsoft Word. Remember also that Excel is not a database. If you have lots and lots of data, use a database program like Microsoft Access. Within Excel, like most Windows programs, there are usually two or three different ways to accomplish the same task. This write-up generally only explores one way of accomplishing a given task.


[On to Navigating]





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