3 What s New in Excel 2007

Transcription

1 3 What s New in Excel Overview of Excel 2007 Microsoft Office Excel 2007 is a spreadsheet program that enables you to enter, manipulate, calculate, and chart data. An Excel file is referred to as a workbook, which is a collection of worksheets. Each worksheet is comprised of rows and columns of data on which you can perform calculations. It's these calculations that make Excel such a powerful tool. You can use Excel for a wide variety of purposes, from calculating payments for a loan, to creating a personal budget, to tracking employee sales and calculating bonuses for your business. Like Word 2007, the Excel 2007 interface has been redesigned to help you work more productively. The Excel Ribbon consists of seven tabs Home, Insert, Page Layout, Formulas, Data, Review, and View. The Home Tab The Home tab displays by default and includes all the basic tools for entering, editing, and formatting data. Figure 1 The Home Tab The Clipboard group is almost identical to the same group in Word It contains the commands for copying, cutting, and pasting. The Paste button includes all the paste options for Excel (pasting formulas, values only, etc.). The Font group includes all the commands for formatting text data and adding borders and shading to cells. The Alignment group contains the commands for changing the alignment of cells, including the Merge & Center button. The Number group provides quick access to all the number formatting options. The Styles group includes new commands for formatting the cells in your workbook, including tools for visualizing data through conditional formatting and new cell styles. The Cells group is where you will find the commands to insert and delete cells, rows, and columns. The Editing group contains the AutoSum, Fill, and Clear buttons as well as the sorting and filtering commands. The Insert Tab From the Insert tab you can insert complex, desktop publishing elements to your workbooks. What s New in Excel

2 Figure 2 The Insert Tab Some of these elements in the Illustrations, Links, and Text groups are very similar to what you will find in the Word 2007 Ribbon. The WordArt options in the Text group are the same as WordArt used in PowerPoint The Tables group includes new Excel 2007 features for defining and managing tables in your workbook and creating PivotTables. The Charts group provides access to the new chart features. The Page Layout Tab The Page Layout tab gives you access to commands for formatting your overall workbook. Figure 3 The Page Layout Tab Like other Office 2007 applications, Excel includes a Themes group. In Excel, the workbook theme controls fonts, colors, and cell styles. From the Page Setup and Scale to Fit groups you can control printing options such as margins, orientation, size, print area, page breaks, and scaling. The Sheet Options group provides quick access for hiding gridlines and sheet headings. The Arrange group allows you to modify the layout of graphic elements such as charts and pictures. The Formulas Tab The Formulas tab makes working with formulas easier than in previous versions of Excel. From the Formulas tab, you can quickly access the Function Library group or any of Excel s auditing tools in the Formula Auditing group. Commands for working with named ranges are included in the Formulas tab, in the Defined Names group. The Calculation group allows you to turn automatic calculation updating on and off, and manually update calculations if necessary. Figure 4 The Formulas Tab 2 What s New in Office 2007

3 The Data Tab The Data tab provides all the tools for data analysis. Figure 5 The Data Tab The Get External Data and Connections groups allow you to import and manage data from other sources. The Sort & Filter group includes some of the same sorting and filtering commands available from the Home tab. The Data Tools group provides access to data analysis tools such as Goal Seek and Scenario Manager (under the What-If Analysis button). Commands for grouping and ungrouping data and inserting subtotals are found in the Outline group. Data analysis tools for charts are available from the Chart Tools Layout tab (one of the contextual tabs available when you create a chart). The Review Tab The Review tab includes all the commands for reviewing your workbook. The groups on this tab are similar to those in Word The Proofing group includes the Spelling command and access to the Research task pane tools. The Comments groups allows you to add and manage comments. Excel 2007 does not include a separate Protect group. Instead, the Protect Sheet and Protect Workbook commands are included in the Changes group along with workbook sharing commands. The Track Changes feature is only available once you enable workbook sharing. Figure 6 The Review Tab The View Tab The View tab allows you to view your workbook in a number of different ways. Figure 7 The View Tab What s New in Excel

4 When you are working in Excel, you are usually in Normal view. Excel 2007 introduces the Page Layout View in the Workbook Views group to help you prepare your workbook for printing. From the Show/Hide group, you can show and hide workbook elements such as gridlines and the formula bar. The Zoom group includes tools to view your workbook at different zoom levels. Through the Window group, you can manipulate the appearance of your workbooks creating split views or freezing rows or columns. If you have multiple workbooks open, you can arrange them in a single window. You can use the synchronous scrolling feature to simultaneously scroll two workbooks to view differences between the two. If you have multiple workbooks open, you can use the Switch Windows command to quickly display any open workbook. If you have a complex task that you want to automate with one command, you can create and run a macro from the Macros group. In this chapter, you will learn about the top 10 things you need to know about Microsoft Excel 2007, including: Increased capacity Improved charts Table creation and formatting Easier-to-use PivotTables Visualizing data with conditional formatting Sorting and filtering Page Layout view Better named range management AutoComplete for formulas Improved formula auditing 3.2 Increased Capacity Excel 2007 can hold more than 1,000,000 rows and 16,000 columns of data, and while the previous version of Excel was limited to one gigabyte of memory, Excel can now utilize as much of your computer s memory as Windows will allow. The average Excel user probably won t notice this increase, but for serious number-crunching power-users, the expanded capacity is significant. 3.3 Improved Charts Excel 2007 makes it easy to create professional, exciting charts. The underlying charting engine is the same for Word 2007, Excel 2007, and PowerPoint 2007, so no matter which application you are working in, you have access to the same high-quality charting tools. 4 What s New in Office 2007

5 To create a chart: 1. Select the data you want to use in your chart. 2. Click the Insert tab. 3. In the Charts group, click the button for the type of chart you want. 4. Click the style you want from the Chart Gallery. Figure 8 The Charts Group from the Insert Tab Tips and Tricks To see all the available chart types at once, click the the Insert Chart dialog. button in the Charts group to launch When you insert a chart, Excel displays three contextual tabs providing easy access to all the chart design, layout, and formatting tools. The Design tab allows you to quickly change the chart type or style. A glance at these contextual tabs will show you the dramatic changes in chart presentation and formatting. Figure 9 A Chart with Contextual Tabs What s New in Excel

6 To change the chart style: 1. Click the Design tab under Chart Tools. 2. In the Chart Styles group, click the style you want to use. Notice that chart colors coordinate with the workbook theme. 3. To see more chart styles, click the More button. Figure 11 The Chart Tools Design Tab The Design tab also includes a Chart Layout Gallery from which you can select a premade Quick Layout. To apply a Quick Layout Style to your chart, click the Quick Layout button and select one of the layout styles. The Layout tab allows you to change the individual elements of the chart layout, such as the appearance of the legend or chart title. Once you have applied one of the Quick Layout Styles to your chart, use the tools in the Layout tab to modify elements further. Figure 10 Chart Layout Styles Figure 12 Chart Tools Layout Tab The Format tab allows you to change the individual formatting elements of the chart, such fill and outline. 6 What s New in Office 2007

7 Figure 13 Chart Tools Format Tab 3.4 Table Creation and Formatting When you define data as a table (previously known as a list), Excel provides a robust tool set for formatting and analyzing the data. In the table, the header row automatically includes filtering and sorting. When you add new data to the right of the table, Excel automatically includes the column in the table. To define data as a table: 1. Select the data for your table. 2. Click the Insert tab. 3. Click the Table button. 4. Excel will automatically populate the Insert Table dialog with the selected data range. 5. Be sure to check the My table has headers check box if appropriate. 6. Click OK to create the table. Figure 14 Using Column Names in a Formula What s New in Excel

8 One of the most useful features of tables is the ability to reference table column names in formulas. When you enter a formula in a table, you can reference column names by enclosing the column header text in brackets: [column name here]. For example, to calculate the value of the Total Spent column divided by the Visits column, you would enter the formula =[Total Spent]/[Visits]. To enter a formula referencing column names: 1. Click the first cell in the table column where you want to use a formula. 2. Begin typing the formula. When you are at the point in the formula where you want to reference a column name, type a [ character. Excel automatically presents a list of available column names. 3. Double-click the column you want to add to the formula. 4. When you are finished entering the formula, press Enter. Excel automatically copies the formula to the remaining cells in the table column. Tips and Tricks You cannot create a table in a shared workbook. If your workbook contains a table, you will need to convert the table to a named range before sharing the workbook. When you are working with a table, use the Table Tools Design tab to format your table. This contextual tab is available when you select any cell in your table. Use the check boxes in the Table Style Options group to add header and total rows and add banding to rows or columns. If you want to add more formatting to your table, use one of the premade table styles: 1. Click anywhere in your table. 2. Click the Table Tools Design tab. 3. Click the Quick Styles button in the Table Styles group to display all the table styles available. (Depending on the width of your window, you may see some of the quick styles displayed as part of the Ribbon.) 4. Click the style you want from the gallery. Figure 15 Table Tools Design Tab 8 What s New in Office 2007

9 Figure 16 Table Styles Gallery Figure 17 Table Styles on the Ribbon 3.5 Easier to Use PivotTables PivotTables are powerful data analysis tools, but in previous versions of Excel, they may have seemed complicated and difficult to create. Once you have defined a table in Excel 2007, it is easy to create a PivotTable report. 1. Click anywhere in the table. 2. In the Tools group on the Table Tools Design tab, click the Summarize with PivotTable button. 3. In the Create PivotTable dialog, the table you selected is already listed in the Table/Range: box. What s New in Excel

10 4. The New Worksheet radio button is selected by default, to place the pivot table in a new worksheet. If you want to place the pivot table on another sheet, you can click the Existing Worksheet button, and then select the sheet from the Location: drop-down list. 5. Click OK. The PivotTable Field List pane appears automatically. From this list, it is easy to add fields to the PivotTable report. 1. Click the check box(es) for the field(s) you want to summarize in the report. 2. If you want to include a filter, click the field and drag it to the Report Filter box. Figure 18 A PivotTable When you are working with a pivot table, there are two contextual tabs available. The Options tab provides tools for working with the data in the pivot table. The Design tab gives you quick access to design tools, including a gallery of pivot table styles (similar to the style gallery available for tables). Figure 19 PivotTable Tools Design Tab 10 What s New in Office 2007

11 Try It You can also create a PivotTable report from the Insert tab. Click the PivotTable button in the Tables group, then enter the appropriate information in the Create PivotTable dialog. 3.6 Visualizing Data with Conditional Formatting Excel 2007 s new conditional formatting options are powerful tools for representing data visually. Figure 20 Applying Conditional Formatting to a Table To apply conditional formatting to your data: 1. Select the data you want to apply conditional formatting to. 2. In the Styles group on the Home tab, click the Conditional Formatting button. 3. From the menu, select the formatting type you want. Highlight Cells Rules Define formatting for cells that meet specific numerical or text criteria (e.g., greater than a specific value or containing a specific text string). Top/Bottom Rules Highlight cells that are in the top or bottom 10 values, within the top or bottom 10% of values, or above or below the average value. Data Bars Display a color gradient representing the cell value in comparison to other values (cells with higher values show more of the color gradient). What s New in Excel

12 Color Schemes Color the cells according to one of the color scales (e.g., red to green (bad/low to good/high) or blue to red (cold/low to hot/high). Icon Sets Display a graphic in the cell representing the cell value in relation to other values. To remove conditional formatting: 1. Select the cells you want to remove the formatting from. 2. In the Styles group on the Home tab, click the Conditional Formatting button. 3. Point to Clear Rules, and click the option you want from the menu: Clear Rules from Selected Cells Clear Rules from Entire Sheet Clear Rules from This Table Clear Rules from This PivotTable (available if the selected cell is part of a pivot table) Through the Conditional Formatting Rules Manager, you can view all of your conditional formatting rules at one time and add, modify, or delete rules. Open the Conditional Formatting Rules Manager from the Manage Rules... option at the bottom of the Conditional Formatting menu. Figure 21 Conditional Formatting Rules Manager If one of the pre-built conditional formatting options does not suit your needs, you can specify your own format through the New Formatting Rule dialog. This dialog is accessible from the New Rule... option in the Conditional Formatting menu or from the More Rules... option at the bottom of each of the formatting submenus. 12 What s New in Office 2007

13 1. Click the type of rule you want to create from the Select a Rule Type: box. 2. Each rule type has its own set of rule description values. Enter the criteria for the rule type you selected. 3. Each rule type has its own formatting options. Select the format you want to use for the cells that meet the criteria you entered. 4. Click OK. Tips and Tricks Conditional formatting is one of the coolest new features in Excel However, you should resist the temptation to overuse it. Conditional formatting should be used to highlight important data or data trends, not colorize the entire worksheet. 3.7 Sorting and Filtering Excel has always included sorting and filtering tools. With Excel 2007, the sorting and filtering options have been expanded to work with Excel s data visualization tools. If you have any of Excel s conditional formatting or cell styles applied to data in a table, you can sort and filter by color. To sort data by color. 1. Click the arrow at the top of the column you want to sort. 2. Point to Sort by Color to expand the menu. 3. Click the color or icon you want to appear at the top of the column. Figure 22 Sorting by Color If you want to organize the column so that a certain cell color or cell icon appears at the top and another appears at the bottom, click the Custom Sort... option at the bottom of the Sort by Color menu. In the Sort dialog, you can add sorting levels. For Cell Color or Cell Icon, the Order options are On Top or On Bottom. What s New in Excel

14 Figure 23 Sorting by Two Colors with the Custom Sort Option You can also filter a table by cell color or cell icon: 1. Click the arrow at the top of the column that contains data matching the criteria you want to filter for. 2. Point to Filter by Color to expand the menu. 3. Click the color or icon you want to filter by. To clear the filter: 1. Click the arrow at the top of the column that you filtered by. In an Excel 2007 table, when filtering is enabled, the column header includes a filter icon. 2. Click the Clear Filter option from the menu. Try It You can also clear the filter from the Sorting & Filtering group on the Home tab. 1. Click the Sort & Filter button. 2. Click the Clear Filter button. 3.8 Page Layout View Excel 2007 includes a new view to help you prepare your worksheets for printing. From Page Layout view, you can view and add headers and footers and easily see where page breaks occur. To switch to Page Layout view: 1. Click the View tab. 2. In the Workbook Views group, click the Page Layout button. 14 What s New in Office 2007

15 You can also use the view icons at the bottom right of the Excel window to switch views. Figure 24 Page Layout View Tips and Tricks Page Layout view is not compatible with freezing panes. If you switch to Page Layout view, any frozen panes will be unfrozen. Figure 25 Header & Footer Tools Design Tab In Page Layout view, you can add headers and footers without going through the Page Setup dialog. To add a header to your worksheet: 1. Switch to Page Layout view. 2. At the top of your worksheet, click the text Click to add header. 3. The Header & Footer Tools Design tab appears. 4. Click the Header button to add one of the default headers. If you do not want to use one of the predefined headers, you can: What s New in Excel

16 a. Click the area where you want the header information to appear. Excel headers and footers have three areas left, center, and right. b. Click the element(s) you want to add from the Header & Footer Elements group. Tips and Tricks The Options group may appear collapsed as a single Options button if your window is not wide enough to display all the header and footer options. Try It You can also insert headers and footers from the Insert tab: 1. Click the Insert tab. 2. Click the Header & Footer button in the Text group. 3.9 Better Named Range Management Named ranges are one of the most important features in Excel. Rather than using a range of cells in your formulas, you can give the range a name. That name will always refer to the cells, even if their position in the worksheet changes. Excel 2007 makes managing your named ranges easier with the Name Manager. To open the Name Manager: 1. Click the Formulas tab. 2. Click the Name Manager button. Figure 26 Name Manager 16 What s New in Office 2007

17 In the Name Manager, you see an icon next to each name, indicating the type of name it is (a defined name that you created or a table name that Excel created automatically ), the name, the current value(s), the cell(s) the name refers to, the scope (workbook or worksheet), and any comments that you have added. You can filter the list of names by scope or type. You can also filter to show named ranges with or without errors. Finding the named ranges with errors is a great tool for troubleshooting your workbook. Through the Name Manager, you can add, edit, and delete named ranges. You can also add comments to your named ranges: 1. In the Range Manager, click the name you want to add a comment to. 2. Click the Edit... button. 3. Type your text in the Comment: box. 4. Click OK. Tips and Tricks Tables are automatically named Table1, Table2, etc. You can give your table a more meaningful name: 1. Click anywhere in the table to activate the Table Tools Design tab. 2. Click the Table Tools Design tab. 3. In the Properties group, type the name for your table in the Table Name: box. 4. Press Enter AutoComplete for Formulas Excel 2007 has added a feature to help you avoid typographical errors in your formulas. When you are typing a formula, Excel will try to anticipate which function, named range, or table to want. As you type, Excel offers a list of items that match the character(s) you ve typed. As you type more characters, the list of potential matches gets shorter. To use AutoComplete for formulas: 1. Type an = sign to begin the formula. As you type alphabetical characters, Excel will offer name suggestions. 2. Click each suggestion to see a full description of the function. 3. When you find the name you want, double-click it. 4. Excel inserts the name. What s New in Excel

18 Figure 27 Using Formula AutoComplete Try It Excel will also offer AutoComplete options when you type a display trigger. Display triggers are characters specifically used in formulas, such as brackets (used when referencing table columns) or commas (used to separate function arguments) Improved Formula Auditing Excel 2007 s Ribbon interface makes formula auditing tools more accessible than in previous versions of Excel. Whereas these powerful tools used to be hidden in menus and submenus, they are now available directly from the Formulas tab. Many Excel users are not familiar with the Watch Window feature, because it was buried under the old Tools menu. Now this button is prominently displayed on the Formulas tab of the Ribbon. You can add cells to the Watch Window and watch the effects on the cells as you make changes to your workbook. 1. Click the cell(s) you want to watch. 2. Click the Watch Window button. 3. Click the Add Watch... button. Figure 28 The Formula Auditing Group 4. Confirm that the cell(s) you want are listed in the Add Watch dialog, then click Add. 5. The Watch Window stays open on top of your workbook. Notice that how values change as you make changes to your workbook. 18 What s New in Office 2007

19 Figure 29 The Watch Window To check your worksheet for errors: 1. Click the Formulas Tab. 2. In the Formula Auditing group, click the Error Checking button. 3. If Excel finds errors in your workbook, you will have the opportunity to review each error and fix or ignore it. To troubleshoot the formula in a specific cell: 1. Click the cell that contains the formula you want to troubleshoot. 2. Click the Formulas Tab. 3. In the Formula Auditing group, click the Evaluate Formula button. 4. In the Evaluate Formula dialog, click the Evaluate button to begin walking through the formula step-by-step. 5. Keep clicking the Evaluate button to see the values for each reference in your formula. If the formula includes references to other formulas, click the Step In button to evaluate the nested formula. Click the Step Out button to return to the parent formula. 6. When you are finished, click the Close button. What s New in Excel

20 Figure 30 The Evaluate Formula Dialog with Multiple Nested Formulas Tips and Tricks Did you know there is an easy way to show all the formulas in your worksheet at once? Just click the Show Formulas button in the Formula Auditing group. 20 What s New in Office 2007