Take some time to familiarize yourself with this screen. Figure 1.2 shows a blank workbook after starting Excel. Excel will assign a file name to the workbook, such as Book1, Book2, Book3, and so on, depending on how many new workbooks are opened. When you see this icon, it means we are providing information specific to Mac users.Ī workbook is an Excel file that contains one or more worksheets (referred to as spreadsheets). We have attempted to provide alternate screenshots and instructions for the Mac version when the differences are significant. The screenshots and step-by-step instructions in this textbook are specific to Excel for Windows.

There are also a few features that are not available in the Excel for Mac version. There are, however, some differences with the Excel interface. Most of the features, tools and commands are available in both versions. The Excel for Windows and Excel for Mac software versions are very similar.

Click the first option “Blank Workbook”.

Click Microsoft Excel to launch the Excel application where you are presented with workbook options to help get you started.

The worksheet data can help a retailer analyze the business and determine the number of salespeople needed for each month for example. The information shown in this worksheet contains sales data for a hypothetical merchandise retail company. We will demonstrate how you can use Excel to make these decisions and many more throughout this text.įigure 1.1 shows a completed Excel worksheet that will be constructed in this chapter. With respect to personal decisions, you can use Excel to determine how much money you can spend on a house, how much you can spend on car lease payments, or how much you need to save to reach your retirement goals. For example, employees can use Excel to determine how much inventory to buy for a clothing retailer, how much medication to administer to a patient, or how much money to spend to stay within a budget. The information produced in Excel can be used to make decisions in both professional and personal contexts. These computations ultimately convert that quantitative data into information. Taking a very simple view, Excel is a tool that allows you to enter quantitative data into an electronic spreadsheet to apply one or many mathematical computations. This chapter provides an overview of the Excel application along with an orientation for accessing the commands and features of an Excel workbook. No matter which career path you choose, you will likely need to use Excel to accomplish your professional objectives, some of which may occur daily. Microsoft Excel is perhaps the most versatile and widely used of all the Office applications. Microsoft® Office contains a variety of tools that help people accomplish many personal and professional objectives.

Become familiar with the features in the Excel Help window.

Become familiar with the Excel workbook.

Examine the value of using Excel to make decisions.

Data analysis tab in excel mac