CHAPTER 1 Spreadsheet Basics

1 CHAPTER 1

Spreadsheet Basics

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Explain the basic purpose of a spreadsheet program. 2. Identify the various components of the Excel screen. 3. Navigate the Excel worksheet (entering, correcting, and moving data

within the worksheet). 4. Explain the purpose and usage of Excel's built-in functions and macro

functions. 5. Create graphics and know how to print and save files in Excel.

The term "spreadsheet" covers a wide variety of elements useful for quantitative analysis of all kinds. Essentially, a spreadsheet is a simple tool consisting of a matrix of cells that can store numbers, text, or formulas. The spreadsheet's power comes from its ability to recalculate results as you change the contents of other cells. No longer does the user need to do these calculations by hand or on a calculator. Instead, with a properly constructed spreadsheet, changing a single number (say, a sales forecast) can result in literally thousands of automatic changes in the model. The freedom and productivity enhancement provided by modern spreadsheets presents an unparalleled opportunity for learning financial analysis.

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Spreadsheet Basics

CHAPTER 1: Spreadsheet Basics

Spreadsheet Uses

Spreadsheets today contain built-in analytical capabilities previously unavailable in a single package. Users often had to learn a variety of specialized software packages to do any relatively complex analysis. With the newest versions of Microsoft Excel, users can perform tasks ranging from the routine maintenance of financial statements to multivariate regression analysis to Monte Carlo simulations of various hedging strategies.

It is literally impossible to enumerate all of the possible applications for spreadsheets. You should keep in mind that spreadsheets are useful not only for financial analysis, but for any type of quantitative analysis whether your specialty is in marketing, management, engineering, statistics, or economics. For that matter, a spreadsheet can also prove valuable for personal uses. With Excel it is a fairly simple matter to build a spreadsheet to monitor your investment portfolio, do retirement planning, experiment with various mortgage options when buying a house, keep a mailing list, etc. The possibilities are quite literally endless. The more comfortable you become with the spreadsheet, the more valuable uses you will find. Above all, feel free to experiment! Try new things. Using a spreadsheet can help you find solutions that you never would have imagined on your own.

Starting Microsoft Excel

Excel 2002 Icon

Before you can do any work in Excel, you have to run the program. In Windows, programs are generally started by double-clicking on the program's icon. The location of the Excel icon will depend on the organization of your system. You may have the Excel icon (left) on the desktop. Otherwise, you can start Excel by clicking the Start button and then choosing Microsoft Excel from the All Programs menu.

For easier access, you may wish to create a Desktop or Taskbar shortcut. To do this right-click on the Excel icon in the All Programs menu and either choose Create Shortcut or drag the icon to the Desktop or Taskbar. Remember that a shortcut is not the program itself, so you can safely delete the shortcut if you later decide that you don't need it.

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Parts of the Excel Screen

Parts of the Excel Screen

FIGURE 1-1 MICROSOFT EXCEL 2002

The Title Bar The title bar is the area at the very top of the Excel screen. It serves a number of functions:

? Identifies the program as Microsoft Excel and displays the name of the currently active workbook.

? Appears brightly colored when Excel is the active program. ? Can be "grabbed" with the mouse to move the window around

within the Windows environment, if the window is not maximized.

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Spreadsheet Basics

CHAPTER 1: Spreadsheet Basics

? Contains the system menu (left corner) and the minimize, maximize, and close buttons (right corner). The system menu provides choices for moving the window or changing its size as well as the ability to switch to or run other programs. The minimize button will collapse the window down to an icon at the bottom of the Windows screen where it is still active, but out of the way. The maximize button causes the program to occupy the entire screen. The close button will exit the program.

? When double-clicked, the title bar duplicates the functioning of the maximize button.

The Menu Bar

FIGURE 1-2 THE EXCEL 2002 MAIN MENUS

The main menu bar in Excel provides access to nine menus, each of which leads to further choices. There are two ways to select a menu: click on the menu of choice with the mouse, or use the Alt key in combination with the underlined letter in the menu name. For example, to choose the File menu, you could either click on the word "File" or press Alt+F on the keyboard. Either method will lead to the File menu dropping down, allowing you to make another choice.

In Windows, menus are persistent, meaning that they stay visible on the screen until you either make a selection or cancel the menu by pressing the Esc key. While the menu is visible, you may use either the arrow keys or the mouse to select a function.

At times, some menu selections are displayed in a light gray color (grayed). These options are not available for selection at the time that the menu is selected. For example, if you have not cut or copied a cell, the Paste option from the Edit menu has nothing to paste, so it is grayed. Only the menu options displayed in black may be selected.

Refer to Appendix A for a short description of each menu selection.

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