Preface

This textbook is designed to be a comprehensive introduction to Microsoft Excel and is specifically developed for students in higher education and users of Microsoft Excel. It is intended for those who are new to Excel and want to learn how to use it effectively, as well as for those who have some experience with the software but want to deepen their understanding of its features and capabilities.

This textbook differs from other Excel textbooks in several ways:

• It is free and online, making it accessible to a broad audience.

• Topics are developed to accomplish a specific task and achieve mastery of that task, nothing more and nothing less. This approach has resulted in concise, step-by-step tasks without extraneous information that might cause distractions. In the chapters, these tasks are clearly indicated by titles beginning with “Task:”, making it evident what action is required.

• The textbook includes interactive elements that students can use for self-directed learning. This requires a browser with JavaScript support.

• Most chapters conclude with a series of exercises. The title of each exercise begins with a unique code followed by a brief description.

• The content of the tasks and exercises is primarily determined by the competencies and skills that higher education demands. Many of the problems are derived from students’ experiences in professional practice during internships and graduation projects.

Organization of the textbook

Content of the chapters.

• 1  Starting with Excel: Introduction to spreadsheets and Excel. If you are already familiar with Excel, you can skip this chapter.

• 2  The Worksheet: Using worksheets.

• 3  Data Entry and Editing: Entering data and the difference between content and formatting of cells.

• 4  Formatting Worksheet and Data: Formatting worksheets and cells, including conditional formatting.

• 5  Modeling Calculations: Formulas, absolute and relative cell references, copying and naming ranges, and setting up calculation models.

• 6  Formulas and Functions: Built-in functions.

• 7  Tables: Tables and operations.

• 8  Array Formulas: Array formulas and dynamic arrays.

• 9  Charts: Creating charts.

• 10  Chart Types: Chart types.

• 11  Scenarios: Scenarios.

• 12  Data Tables: Data tables.

• 13  PivotTables: Pivot tables, pivot charts, slicers and timelines.

• 14  Goal Seek: Goal Seek.

• 15  Solver: Solver.

• 16  Macros: Macros.

• 17  Measurements: Processing measurement results and linear relationships.

Software

This textbook is written for Excel 365, a product that is constantly evolving, with new features added in each release. A key feature is the introduction of dynamic arrays and functions in the July 2020 release. This update differentiates Excel 365 from other Excel versions, including the 2016 and 2019 versions. Dynamic arrays are not compatible with all other Excel versions.

Does this mean you cannot use this textbook with Excel 2016 and later? No. Only the array chapter is unsuitable; all other chapters are compatible. This compatibility largely extends to older Excel versions like 2010 and 2007.