Introduction to Excel for Data Analysis
Introduction to Excel for Data Analysis
DATA ANALYSIS
+234813157393
1
Introduction to Excel for Data Analysis
This lesson introduces students to the basic features, terminology, and structure of Microsoft
Excel. It sets a solid foundation for using Excel in data analysis by explaining its components,
purpose, and practical usage.
Lesson Objectives:
What is Excel?
🔎 Explanation:
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Why Excel for Data Analysis?
📌 Key Benefits:
💡 Practical Tip:
Use Excel when working with structured tabular data (like sales records, customer lists, etc.),
especially when rapid analysis and visualization are needed.
Limitations of Excel
⚠️ Important to Know:
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💡 Best Practice:
Use Excel for moderate-sized data sets. For larger datasets (e.g., millions of records), consider
using Power BI or databases like SQL.
Component Description
Ribbon Toolbar with commands like Insert, Formulas, Data, Review, etc.
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🖼️ Activity:
● Open Excel.
● Click on different cells and watch the Formula Bar reflect their content.
📘 Workbook
A file containing one or more worksheets. Think of it as the container for your entire project.
Example: “SalesData.xlsx” could contain multiple sheets like "Q1 Sales", "Q2 Sales", etc.
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📘 Worksheet
The tab inside the workbook, consisting of rows (numbers) and columns (letters).
📘 Cell
The intersection of a column and a row (e.g., B4). Each cell stores data.
📘 Cell Reference
The unique identifier of a cell, combining column letter and row number.
Example: The top-left cell is A1; the 3rd column and 2nd row cell is C2.
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📘 Active Cell
Try This: Use arrow keys or mouse to move to a different cell and observe the border
change.
📘 Range
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📘 Formula
Example:
=A1 + B1
=SUM(A1:A10)
=AVERAGE(B2:B6)
📘 Formula Bar
Located above the worksheet, next to the fx symbol. It displays or edits formulas and cell
values.
Activity:
● Press Enter.
● Observe the result in the cell and the formula in the Formula Bar.
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Loading Workbooks in Excel
Lesson Objective:
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Background:
Being able to load and explore a workbook is a foundational skill before you clean, sort, or
analyze the data.
Scenario:
You are given a historical stock price dataset for Google (GOOG). The data is saved in an Excel
workbook named:
1_1_loading_workbooks.xlsx
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. Open Excel.
5. Click Open.
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✅ Step 2: Access the Worksheet
● Once the file opens, locate and click the tab labeled:
● Click on the letter “A” at the top of the first column. This highlights all the values in
Column A (including the header).
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Step 4: Count the Rows in Column A
After selecting Column A, look at the bottom of the Excel window (in the status bar). Excel
may show a count of the selected rows, or you can use this method:
1. Scroll to the bottom of the data in Column A using the scroll bar.
2. Note the last row number that contains a value (including the header row).
📌 Expected Outcome:
✅ 121
This means:
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Working with Data
🎯 Objective:
Learn how to manually input data, copy data from another workbook, format columns, and
improve spreadsheet readability using a real-life dataset.
Workbook to Load:
Open 1_2_working_with_data.xlsx from the Workbooks folder on your local computer.
✅ This file will be your main working file for the rest of the exercise.
👉 Task:
📝 Instructions:
1. At the bottom of Excel, click the “+” sign twice to add two new sheets.
To rename a sheet, simply double-click the tab name and type your new name.
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✍️ STEP 3: Enter Data Manually
👉 Task:
📝 Instructions:
● Type “Name” in cell A1, “Location” in B1, and “Orders Placed” in C1.
✅ This helps you get comfortable with keyboard data entry and cell selection.
👉 Task:
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Copy data from another Excel file and paste it as values.
📝 Instructions:
To paste as values:
Right-click → Paste Special → Choose Values or use shortcut: Alt + E + S +
V + Enter
👉 Task:
📝 Instructions:
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○ In the Cells group, click on Format.
○ In the dialog box that appears, enter a value (e.g., 15) and click OK.
2. Fix column headers:
○ Ensure the first letter is uppercase, and the rest are lowercase.
✅ These formatting steps improve visual clarity and prepare your data for
analysis.
Q: What was the runtime for the movie "The Shawshank Redemption" in
minutes?
📝 Instructions:
3. Look in the Runtime column (likely one of the columns labeled as such).
✅ Answer: The runtime for "The Shawshank Redemption" is 142 minutes (may
vary slightly depending on the dataset version).
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Creating Your First Formula
🎯 Objective:
Learn how to create and copy Excel formulas to perform arithmetic operations, and use basic
functions to summarize data.
Workbook to Load:
Open 1_3_creating_your_first_formula.xlsx from the Workbooks folder on your
local computer.
👉 Task:
📝 Instructions:
● At the bottom of the Excel window, click on the Google Monthly Stock Price tab to
open it.
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👉 Task:
📝 Instructions:
✅ This new column will calculate the difference between the Close and Open
stock prices.
👉 Task:
📝 Instructions:
= E2 - B2
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● B2 is the Open price.
👉 Task:
Copy the formula from cell G2 to all rows down to row 121.
📝 Instructions:
● Hover over the bottom-right corner of the cell until you see a small + (plus) sign.
This will apply the same calculation for all 120 months of stock data.
👉 Task:
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📝 Instructions:
● You may apply a color fill or bold font to highlight the calculated values.
👉 Task:
Find the average of all the values in the Open vs Close column.
📝 Instructions:
1. Click an empty cell below the data or in any blank area (e.g., G122).
=ROUND(AVERAGE(G2:G121), 2)
✅ This calculates the average difference and rounds it to two decimal places.
📌 Final Answer:
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Working with Tables
🎯 Lesson Objectives:
In Excel, even though your data might look like a table (rows and columns), it is not a true
Excel table unless you explicitly format it as one.
● Excel doesn't treat standard data ranges as related unless it's turned into a table.
● Tables help group data logically, making it easier to analyze and manage.
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✅ To create a table: Select your data ➜ go to the Insert tab ➜ click Table ➜
make sure "My table has headers" is checked, or use Ctr +T short cut key
combination.
✅ Structured References
✅ Dynamic Ranges
● Apply rules to ensure only valid data is entered (e.g., restrict to dates, numbers only).
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● Promotes consistent and clean data entry.
Go to Table Design tab when your table is selected for these options.
You can also apply cell-level formatting inside your table to customize:
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● Conditional formatting (highlight values >1000, top 10%, etc.)
In large datasets (e.g., 10,000+ rows), filtering helps you focus only on the data you need.
🔍 Filtering Features:
📊 Sorting Options:
✅ To sort or filter: click the drop-down arrow on the column header in your table.
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Working with Structured Cell References
🎯 Lesson Objectives:
● Understand what structured cell references are and how to use them.
● Learn to add new calculated columns in Excel tables using structured references.
Adventure Works is a global retail company selling bikes, parts, and accessories. You're
working as a Data Analyst helping management better understand sales data from 2017.
In Excel tables, instead of using regular cell references like C2 - A2, you can use structured
references, which refer to column names directly.
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✅ Benefits of Structured References:
Time
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🧩 Step 3: Enter a Formula Using Structured References
=[@DeliveryDueDate] - [@OrderDate]
This uses structured references to subtract the OrderDate from the DeliveryDueDate for each
row.
If Excel displays a date, that’s because it's assuming the result is a date. We
need to fix the data type.
Now the column will display the number of days it takes for each order to be delivered.
● Select any cell below the table or in the Totals Row (if enabled).
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● Use the formula:
=AVERAGE(Sales[OrderToDelivery])
✅ This will calculate the average number of days it takes for Adventure Works to
deliver an order.
📊 Interpretation:
The result is 6 days, meaning that It takes about 6 days on average for Adventure Works to
deliver once a customer has placed an order.
Summary Table
Task Action
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Filtering and Sorting Data
🎯 Lesson Objectives:
As an Analyst supporting Adventure Works, your task is to help identify sales made within
September 2017 and organize them based on customer country and order date.
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1. Click anywhere inside the sales data table.
✅ The table now shows only sales orders made in September 2017.
You will now sort the filtered data using two levels of priority:
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4. In the Sort dialog box:
5. Click OK.
✅ Your table is now filtered to September 2017 and sorted by country, then by date.
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Formatting Tables for Data Integrity
🎯 Lesson Objectives:
You are continuing your work as an Analyst for Adventure Works. This time, your focus is to
apply consistent formatting to the sales table to improve clarity and ensure data types are
correctly interpreted in Excel.
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Remove Existing Filters
3. Click Sort.
5. Click OK.
Apply Formatting
💰 Format as Currency
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● ItemCost
● ItemPrice
Steps:
● SalesOrderLineKey
● OrderQuantity
● OrderToDelivery
Steps:
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4. Set Decimal Places to 0 in the format options.
To avoid issues like Excel interpreting codes or numbers incorrectly (e.g., removing leading
zeros), format all remaining columns as Text.
Steps:
3. Select Text.
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Managing and Formatting Data
🎯 Lesson Objectives
● Manage data effectively using named ranges, subtotals, and data validation.
1. Introduction
Excel is a powerful tool for managing, organizing, and formatting data. This lesson explores best
practices and built-in features that make data management efficient and reliable.
Excel stores data in tabular format by default (rows and columns), which makes it easy to
manage even manually entered data. Several features can enhance this process:
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3. Named Ranges
✅ Benefits:
🔧 How to Use:
➕ 4. Subtotals
Definition: Subtotals are automated calculations (sum, count, average, etc.) applied to grouped
data within a column.
✅ Benefits:
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● Provides quick summaries.
🔧 How to Use:
✅ 5. Data Validation
Definition: Data validation restricts the type of data or values users can enter into a cell.
✅ Benefits:
🔧 How to Use:
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● Set criteria (e.g., Whole numbers between 1 and 100).
6. Formatting Data
7. Custom Formats
Custom formats help you display data exactly the way you want.
🔧 How to Use:
● Under the Number tab → Select Custom to define formats (e.g., #,##0.00 for
thousands separator with 2 decimal places).
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8. Conditional Formatting
Definition: Conditional formatting allows you to apply formatting rules based on specific
conditions.
✅ Benefits:
Features:
🔧 How to Use:
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Summary Table
Naming Ranges
🎯 Lesson Objective
To learn how to define and use named ranges in Excel for simplifying formulas and enhancing
readability, especially when dealing with large datasets.
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1. What Are Named Ranges?
Named ranges allow you to assign meaningful names to specific groups of cells (such as a
column of prices or quantities) so that you can easily reference them in formulas instead of
using traditional cell addresses (like E2:E1202).
🔧 Steps:
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○ Name the range: item_price.
○ Select C2 to C1202.
🧮 Steps:
=item_price * quantity
2. Press Enter, then copy the formula down to row 1202 to apply it for all data rows.
To find the average Order Line Price across the entire dataset:
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In an empty cell (e.g., R1204), enter the formula:
=AVERAGE(R2:R1202)
1. Result (rounded to 2 decimal places):
3216.59 (based on your uploaded file).
🎯 Lesson Objective
The Subtotal feature in Excel allows you to automatically calculate grouped totals (Sum,
Average, Count, etc.) for data that is sorted by a specific column.
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2. Practical Exercise: Subtotal by Country
🔧 Steps to Follow:
● Open 2_2_sub_totals.xlsx.
● Duplicate the worksheet (right-click the sheet tab → "Move or Copy" → check Create a
copy).
● Add filters to your table (use Home → Sort & Filter → Filter).
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➕ Step 3: Apply the Subtotal Feature
This inserts subtotal rows after each country with the average number of days
from order to delivery.
Once Subtotals are added, notice the numbers 1, 2, 3 on the top-left corner of the worksheet.
These control data grouping levels:
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✅ Question: What is the average order-to-delivery time for customers in
Germany?
Answer: 6 days
This value is shown on the subtotal row for Germany when collapsed to Level 2 view.
🎯 Lesson Objective
Custom formatting allows you to define how values are displayed—beyond Excel's default
options.
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○ Select the entire dataset.
○ This applies a thousand separator, 0 decimal places, and a dollar sign after
the number.
● Repeat the same steps and apply the same custom format #,### $.
Data validation helps control what values users can enter into specific cells. This improves
data quality and prevents input errors.
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🛠️ Step-by-Step: Validate the OrderQuantity Column
● Set:
○ Minimum: 0
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❓ Test Your Validation
Question: If you entered the value 0 in cell C1203, would you get an error?
✅ Answer: Yes
Because the validation rule requires the number to be greater than 0, entering 0 violates the
rule and will trigger the error message.
🎯 Lesson Objectives
● Use aggregate functions (like AVERAGE, SUM, MIN, MAX, and COUNT) to summarize
data.
● Apply functions with cell ranges, column references, or structured table references.
Before performing any arithmetic in Excel, it's important to understand the sequence in which
operations occur.
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✅ The PEDMAS Rule:
P Parentheses (2+3)*4 =
20
E Exponents 2^3 = 8
D Division 10/2 = 5
M Multiplication 5*2 = 10
A Addition 5+3 = 8
S Subtraction 5-2 = 3
Division, multiplication, addition, and subtraction are done left to right when they
appear together without parentheses.
📌 Example Calculation:
Expression:
=20*2 + 10/2*4 - 20
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4. Then addition/subtraction left to right
2. Arithmetic in Excel
Excel uses the PEDMAS rule just like manual calculations but also incorporates:
● Concatenation (&)
● Negation (-)
Functions are built-in formulas that automate tasks such as mathematical, logical, and text-
based operations.
🔧 Function Categories:
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● Logical: IF, AND, OR
Aggregate functions are used to summarize groups of values into a single output. They are
helpful in identifying trends, understanding distributions, and performing quick analysis.
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5. Example: Student Test Scores
Let's say you're a lecturer and want to analyze student test scores.
🧮 Using AVERAGE:
=AVERAGE(B2:B11)
● Result: 74.2
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● Total Score: =SUM(B2:B11)
Summary Table
🎯 Lesson Objectives
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● Use aggregate functions like MIN, MAX, AVERAGE, and SUM.
Navigate to a new summary section starting from cell S2, and input the following labels:
Cell Description
S5 "Total Sales"
S6 "Total Profit"
This will help organize your calculations and make your worksheet easier to understand.
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➗ 2. Calculating Aggregate Values
Now enter formulas in column T to calculate the required values based on the dataset:
=MIN(Sales[ItemPrice])
=MAX(Sales[ItemPrice])
=AVERAGE(Sales[ItemPrice])
Formatting Tip:
Select cells T2 to T4, right-click → Format Cells → Choose Currency with 2 decimal places.
Final Result
Summary Table
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Metric Function Used Example Formula
🎯 Learning Objectives
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1. Calculating Total Sales
👉 In Cell T5:
Since each order has a quantity of 1, ItemPrice alone represents the revenue for each
transaction.
Formula:
=SUM(Sales[ItemPrice])
✅ Formatting:
👉 In Cell T6:
Since quantity = 1 for all rows, cost is simply the sum of the ItemCost column.
Formula:
=SUM(Sales[ItemPrice]) - SUM(Sales[ItemCost])
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✅ Formatting:
👉 In Cell T7:
Formula:
=T6/T5
✅ Formatting:
✅ Final Result:
Question:
What is the profit margin ratio?
Answer: 40%
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Interpretation:
“For every $100 in sales, the business keeps $25 as profit after covering all
costs.”
Summary Table:
SUM(Sales[ItemCost])
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Other Functions in Excel
🎯 Learning Objectives
● Be able to apply Text, Date & Time, Maths & Trig, and Statistical functions
● Know practical use cases for each function in real data analysis
○ Text
○ Statistical
○ Logical
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● Out of Scope:
○ Financial
○ Cube
○ Engineering
○ Web
○ Information
○ Compatibility
Text Functions
📍 a. LEFT(text, num_chars)
Example:
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=LEFT("DataCamp", 4) → "Data"
📍 b. RIGHT(text, num_chars)
Example:
=RIGHT("DataCamp", 4) → "Camp"
📍 c. UPPER(text) / LOWER(text)
Example:
=UPPER("excel") → "EXCEL"
=LOWER("EXCEL") → "excel"
Example:
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=DATE(2025, 6, 19) → 19-Jun-2025
📍 b. DAY(date) / YEAR(date)
Example:
=DAY("2025-06-19") → 19
=YEAR("2025-06-19") → 2025
📍 a. ROUND(number, num_digits)
Example:
=ROUND(-1.475, 2) → -1.48
📍 b. ROUNDUP / ROUNDDOWN
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📍 c. ABS(number)
Example:
=ABS(-2) → 2
📍 d. SUM(range)
Example:
=SUM(A1:A5)
Statistical Functions
Already covered:
● AVERAGE(range)
● COUNT(range)
● MIN(range)
● MAX(range)
These are part of the Statistical category. More advanced statistical functions will be covered in
future lessons.
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📝 Summary Table:
Product Profiles
🎯 Learning Objectives
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Context: Why This Matters
In data analytics, data is not always clean or formatted the way we want. We often need to:
● Create new fields (e.g., order identifiers) for sorting or joining with other tables
This lesson focuses on preparing a clean and structured product profile table using Excel
formulas.
File: 3_1_product_profiles.xlsx
Open the workbook in Excel from your Workbooks folder.
Steps:
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3. In the first row of the new column (assume row 2 if headers are in row 1), enter the
formula:
=UPPER(L2)
📖 Function Used:
● UPPER(text)
Converts all letters in a text string to uppercase.
Objective: Extract the last 5 characters from each Order Number to create a simplified ID.
Steps:
=RIGHT(A2, 5)
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📖 Function Used:
● RIGHT(text, num_chars)
Returns the last n characters in a text string.
🔍 Check Result
You can use the Filter tool or manually check the OrderID column to match 43698, then read
the corresponding CustomerName.
🧠 Key Takeaways
Extract from Text RIGHT() Creates short-form IDs from long codes
Column Insertion Right-click > Insert Adds new field next to related data
These operations help clean, structure, and prepare your data for efficient reporting and future
analysis.
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Profit Performance
🎯 Learning Objectives
To do this effectively, we use date functions to extract time components from full date values.
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Steps to Complete the Task
Workbook: 3_2_profit_performance.xlsx
Open the file in Excel from your Workbooks folder.
Steps:
2. Name it OrderYear.
3. In the first row (assuming headers are in row 1), enter the formula:
=YEAR([@OrderDate])
Goal: Extract the month number (1 = Jan, 9 = Sep, etc.) from the same OrderDate.
Steps:
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2. Name it OrderMonth.
=MONTH([@OrderDate])
Goal: Calculate the average item cost for orders placed in September.
Steps:
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Excel Lesson Note: Formatting with Functions
🎯 Learning Objectives
● Use ROUNDUP() and ROUND() to clean up and present numeric data more clearly.
Excel provides functions like ROUNDUP(), ROUNDDOWN(), and ROUND() to achieve this.
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Steps to Complete the Task
Workbook: 3_3_formatting_with_functions.xlsx
Open it from the Workbooks folder if not already loaded.
Before proceeding:
○ Go to the Data tab and click Clear in the Sort & Filter group.
Look for the following existing values (assumed to be in column T, starting from row 2):
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✅ 3. Apply Rounding Functions
Tip: After entering formulas, press Enter, and format cells as Currency (optional) to
maintain clarity.
Functions Used
Function Description
num_digits) place
num_digits)
● Use ROUNDUP when prices or costs should never be underestimated (e.g., financial
proposals).
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● Use ROUND when you want to present data in a balanced, readable format.
● These practices make dashboards, reports, and summaries cleaner and more
effective for decision-making.
✅ Final Question:
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