Types of Data in Excel Worksheet and Formulas

Formulas add intelligence to a workbook.  With the help of formulas, you could manipulate values (dates, text or numbers), perform complex or simple calculations, and display different results based on the logical tests. The formula could be as simple as a reference to another cell, or it could go on for hundreds of different characters, with as many as seven functions included within other functions; in spite of of its complexity, but, a formula should begin with an equal sign (=). If you start the formula with the minus sign (-)  or plus sign (+) , Excel adds the equal sign to the starting of the formula.

There are four types of data you can enter in an Excel worksheet.

• Labels: You use text to label a cell or a range of cells. A label provides context and explanation for numeric data. You can format and align the text in many ways.

• Values: A value is a number you enter, and it changes only if you modify it.

• Formulas: A formula makes Excel a powerful tool. When you enter a formula into a cell, it automatically calculates and displays the result in that cell. What actually gets calculated depends on what you write in the formula itself? For example, =Al+Bl is a formula.

• Functions: A function is a pre-designed formula that performs specific combinations of math operations more easily than using a plain math formula. For example, =AVERAGE {A1:E1} is easier lo write than = (A1-B1+Cl+Dl+El)/5.  Excel provides more than 200 different functions.

To enter something into a cell, select the cell (either by clicking it or by using the arrow keys to move the cell cursor to it) and then just start typing. A formula or a function always begins with an equal sign (-). When you are finished entering data into the cell, press Enter or press one of the arrow keys to move to a different cell. If you decide not lo enter data into the cell after all, press Esc to cancel the entry. When you place a formula or function in a cell, the cell itself displays the result of that calculation. When the cell is selected, the original formula or function you entered appears in the formula bar above the worksheet grid, as shown in

Questionnaire:

• What are the four types of data that could be entered in Excel?