How-To Geek’s A to Z of Key Microsoft Excel Jargon

Have you learnt the distinction between an array and a variety? How about differentiating between a operate and a formulation? Excel has a whole lot of key phrases, and a few are extra intuitive than others. Understanding a number of the jargon will go a protracted approach to serving to you perceive different features of this system.

Microsoft has its personal Excel glossary containing a whole lot of phrases and definitions. Nonetheless, on this article, we’ve chosen a number of the extra regularly used phrases that may get you in your manner, whether or not you are studying an Excel How-To Geek guide otherwise you’ve applied for a job that requires Excel knowledge. Briefly, this can be a must-know listing, not a complete listing.

A

Energetic: An Excel worksheet, its content material, or a cell is lively when chosen. The title of the lively worksheet will seem as a daring tab on the backside of your window, and the lively cell can have a daring border.

Add-in: Instruments that you simply set up in your laptop to create further features in Excel, reminiscent of a translation or a calendar add-in.

Array: A set of information inside a variety of cells. For instance, if cells A1 to A20 comprise knowledge, A1:A20 is the vary, and the info inside these cells is the array. An array formulation is used to carry out a number of calculations on the identical time.

B

Border: A line that’s added to the skin of a cell or object. Cells can have high, backside, left, or proper borders, or a mix of any of those. Whereas gridlines don’t print by default, borders do.

C

Cell (reference): A cell is an Excel field that’s distinguished by the gridlines, and every cell edge is a row or column line. Every cell comprises its personal knowledge and has its personal reference. A cell reference is its column and row location (for instance, cell B2 is in column B, row 2).

Conditional Format: Formatting that’s routinely utilized to a cell primarily based on particular situations. For instance, all cells containing the phrase “DONE” might need a inexperienced background on account of conditional formatting guidelines which were utilized to these cells. Excel provides preset conditional formatting guidelines, or you possibly can outline particular parameters. Click on Dwelling > Conditional Formatting.

Standards: Also called situations, standards decide which cells are filtered, evaluated, or counted. For instance, an Excel formulation containing the COUNTIF function will rely the cells containing sure standards.

D

Information Validation: When utilized (by way of Information > Information Validation), knowledge validation limits what will be entered right into a cell. For instance, you possibly can outline a cell to comprise solely complete numbers or dates. You possibly can create an error message that seems when the unsuitable sort of information is inserted right into a cell, and you may also add a message that seems when a person clicks the cell containing the rule. Information validation may also be used to create a drop-down listing of choices to seem within the cell.

Drop-down: An inventory of decisions that seems when a set off is clicked. For instance, a drop-down listing can seem while you click on an choice on the ribbon, a filter button in a cell, or a cell containing data validation rules.

E

Embed: You possibly can embed a snippet of one other file into an Excel worksheet (by way of Insert > Object). You may also embed a chart inside a worksheet, moderately than creating a brand new Excel chart sheet.

F

Fill deal with: The small, black dot within the bottom-right nook of a cell, which you’ll click on and drag to use the identical formulation to different cells in a variety. You may also use the fill deal with to make Excel continue a sequence that you have begun throughout a variety of cells.

Filter: Filters allow you to show solely the values in a column that meet the situations you set. You may also use the FILTER function to filter data by multiple criteria.

Method (bar): A formulation is a mix of features, cell references, values, operators, and names that, when used collectively following the equals (=) signal, create a brand new worth. For instance, =SUM(A1:D11) is a formulation that provides the values in cells A1 to D11, and produces the result within the cell the place the formulation is entered. Whereas the result seems within the cell, the associated formulation seems within the formula bar at the top of the Excel window, the place you possibly can edit the formulation.

Function: A pre-defined formulation that performs a calculation when utilized in a formulation. For instance, the AVERAGE function finds the imply of the referenced values or cells.

G

Gridlines: Non-printing strains that symbolize boundaries between cells. You may also add gridlines to charts to make studying the info simpler.

H

Historical past: You possibly can view an Excel workbook’s version history to see the adjustments which were made, or revert to a earlier model.

L

Legend: In a chart, a legend tells the viewer what every shade or sample refers to. For instance, totally different colours might symbolize totally different days in a chart, and the legend makes this clear.

M

Merge: Merging adjoining cells removes their separating gridlines and combines them structurally to create a bigger cell.

N

Identify (field): A name is a word or combination of words that represent a cell reference, table, or formula. A reputation can be utilized in a formulation to keep away from having to reference a person cell or vary of cells. The name box, located to the left of the formulation bar on the high of the Excel window, shows the names utilized in a workbook and can be utilized to rapidly soar to a named merchandise.

O

Operator: A logo that identifies and dictates a calculation to be carried out. These embody arithmetic operators (reminiscent of + and -), logical operators (reminiscent of AND and OR), comparison operators (reminiscent of = and >), and extra.

P

Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts: Pivot tables and charts allow you to visualize knowledge in a bespoke manner, that means you possibly can summarize knowledge and determine patterns rapidly.

Energy Question: A instrument that permits you to import and shape data from different sources, after which load the info onto a worksheet.

Protect: Defending a workbook or a worksheet means you possibly can forestall others from performing sure actions—reminiscent of deciding on sure cells, altering the formatting, and others—by including a password.

R

Vary: Two or extra cells on a worksheet. Cells in a variety will be adjoining (contiguous) or non-adjacent (non-contiguous).

S

Collection: An array of information in a variety that’s entered right into a chart to be visualized graphically.

Type: You possibly can rearrange data in a column or desk primarily based on worth, formatting, or conditional formatting.

T

Table: Formatting knowledge as a desk by way of the Dwelling tab signifies that all of the rows and columns are linked collectively, the vary will be named to be used in formulation, and extra knowledge will be simply added.

V

View: There are 4 totally different workbook views. The Regular view is the default view through which you do most of your Excel work, the Page Break view reveals you the place the web page boundaries might be while you print your worksheet, the Web page Structure view is the place you possibly can see the web page measurements and add headers and footers, and the Customized Views can help you outline what you see in your display when utilizing Excel.

W

Workbook: An Excel file containing a number of worksheets.

Worksheet: A person spreadsheet inside a workbook the place knowledge is added. A single workbook can have a number of worksheets which can be created, eliminated, named, and ordered by way of the tabs on the backside of the workbook window.

Now that you have picked up some important Excel jargon, take a look at the most useful Excel keyboard shortcuts that may assist you work far more effectively.