ENTERING, EDITING, AND MANAGING DATA

ENTERING DATA

You will begin building the workbook shown in Figure 1.1 by manually entering data
into the worksheet. The following steps explain how the column headings in Row 2
are typed into the worksheet:

1. Click cell location A2 on the worksheet.

2. Type the word Month.
3. Press the RIGHT ARROW key. This will enter the word into cell A2 and activate
the next cell to the right.
4. Type Unit Sales and press the RIGHT ARROW key.
5. Repeat step 4 for the words Average Price and then again for Sales Dollars.

Figure 1.15 shows how your worksheet should appear after you have typed the
column headings into Row 2. Notice that the word Price in cell location C2 is not
visible. This is because the column is too narrow to fit the entry you typed. We will
examine formatting techniques to correct this problem in the next section.

Figure 1.15 Entering Column Headings into a Worksheet

1. Click cell location B3.
2. Type the number 2670 and press the ENTER key. After you press the ENTER key,
cell B4 will be activated. Using the ENTER key is an efficient way to enter data
vertically down a column.
3. Enter the following numbers in cells B4 through B14: 2160, 515, 590, 1030, 2875,
2700, 900, 775, 1180, 1800, and 3560.
4. Click cell location C3.
5. Type the number 9.99 and press the ENTER key.
6. Enter the following numbers in cells C4 through C14: 12.49, 14.99, 17.49, 14.99,
12.49, 9.99, 19.99, 19.99, 19.99, 17.49, and 14.99.
7. Activate cell location D3.
8. Type the number 26685 and press the ENTER key.
9. Enter the following numbers in cells D4 through D14: 26937, 7701, 10269, 15405,
35916, 26937, 17958, 15708, 23562, 31416, and 53370.
10. When finished, check that the data you entered matches Figure 1.16.
Figure 1.16 shows how your worksheet should appear after entering the data. Check
your numbers carefully to make sure they are accurately entered into the worksheet.

Figure 1.16 Completed Data Entry for Columns B, C, and D

EDITING DATA
Data that has been entered in a cell can be changed by double clicking the
cell location or using the Formula Bar. You may have noticed that as you were
typing data into a cell location, the data you typed appeared in the Formula
Bar. The Formula Bar can be used for entering data into cells as well as for
editing data that already exists in a cell. The following steps provide an
example of entering and then editing data that has been entered into a cell
location:

1. Click cell A15 in the Sheet1 worksheet.

2. Type the abbreviation Tot and press the ENTER key.
3. Click cell A15.
4. Move the mouse pointer up to the Formula Bar. You will see the pointer
turn into a cursor. Move the cursor to the end of the abbreviation Tot and
left click.
5. Type the letters al to complete the word Total.
6. Click the checkmark to the left of the Formula Bar (see Figure 1.17). This
will enter the change into the cell.

Figure 1.17 Using the Formula Bar to Edit and Enter Data
7. Double click cell A15.
8. Add a space after the word Total and type the word Sales.
9. Press the ENTER key.

AUTO FILL
The Auto Fill feature is a valuable tool when manually entering data into a worksheet.
This feature has many uses, but it is most beneficial when you are entering data in a
defined sequence, such as the numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, and so on, or nonnumeric data
such as the days of the week or months of the year. The following steps demonstrate
how Auto Fill can be used to enter the months of the year in Column A:

1. Click cell A3 in the Sheet1 worksheet.

2. Type the word January and press the ENTER key.
3. Activate cell A3 again.
4. Move the mouse pointer to the lower right corner of cell A3. You will see a small
square in this corner of the cell; this is called the Fill Handle (See Figure 1.18)
When the mouse pointer gets close to the Fill Handle, the white block plus sign
will turn into a black plus sign.
Figure 1.18 Fill Handle

Left click and drag the Fill Handle to cell A14. Notice that the Auto Fill tip box
indicates what month will be placed into each cell (see Figure 1.19). Release
the left mouse button when the tip box reads “December.”
Figure 1.19 Using Auto Fill to Enter the Months of the Year

Once you release the left mouse button, all twelve months of the year should
appear in the cell range A3:A14, as shown in Figure 1.20. You will also see
the Auto Fill Options button. By clicking this button, you have several options
for inserting data into a group of cells.
Figure 1.20 Auto Fill Options Button
1. Click the Auto Fill Options button.
2. Click the Copy Cells option. This will change the months in the range
A4:A14 to January.
3. Click the Auto Fill Options button again.
4. Click the Fill Months option to return the months of the year to the cell
range A4:A14. The Fill Series option will provide the same result.

DELETING DATA AND THE UNDO COMMAND

There are several methods for removing data from a worksheet, a few of
which are demonstrated here. With each method, you use the Undo
command. This is a helpful command in the event you mistakenly remove
data from your worksheet. The following steps demonstrate how you can
delete data from a cell or range of cells:

1. Click cell C2 by placing the mouse pointer over the cell and clicking the
left mouse button.
2. Press the DELETE key on your keyboard. This removes the contents of
the cell.
3. Highlight the range C3:C14 by placing the mouse pointer over cell C3.
Then left click and drag the mouse pointer down to cell C14.
4. Place the mouse pointer over the Fill Handle. You will see the white block
plus sign change to a black plus sign.
5. Click and drag the mouse pointer up to cell C3 (see Figure 1.21). Release
the mouse button. The contents in the range C3:C14 will be removed.
Figure 1.21 Using Auto Fill to Delete Contents of Cell

1. Click the Undo button in the Quick Access Toolbar (see Figure 1.2). This should
replace the data in the range C3:C14.
2. Click the Undo button again. This should replace the data in cell C2.
Figure 1.22 Clear Command Drop-Down Menu
ADJUSTING COLUMNS AND ROWS
There are a few entries in the worksheet that appear cut off. For example, the
last letter of the word September cannot be seen in cell A11. This is because
the column is too narrow for this word. The columns and rows on an Excel
worksheet can be adjusted to accommodate the data that is being entered
into a cell. The following steps explain how to adjust the column widths and
row heights in a worksheet:

1. Bring the mouse pointer between Column A and Column B in the Sheet1
worksheet, as shown in Figure 1.23. You will see the white block plus sign
turn into double arrows.
2. Click and drag the column to the right so the entire word September in cell
A11 can be seen. As you drag the column, you will see the column width
tip box. This box displays the number of characters that will fit into the
column using the Calibri 11-point font which is the default setting for
font/size.
3. Release the left mouse button.

Figure 1.23 Adjusting Column Widths

You may find that using the click-and-drag method is inefficient if you need to
set a specific character width for one or more columns. Steps 1 through 6
illustrate a second method for adjusting column widths when using a specific
number of characters:

1. Click any cell location in Column A by moving the mouse pointer over a
cell location and clicking the left mouse button. You can highlight cell
locations in multiple columns if you are setting the same character width
for more than one column.
2. In the Home tab of the Ribbon, left click the Format button in the Cells
group.
3. Click the Column Width option from the drop-down menu. This will open
the Column Width dialog box.
4. Type the number 13 and click the OK button on the Column Width dialog
box. This will set Column A to this character width (see Figure 1.24).
5. Once again bring the mouse pointer between Column A and Column B so
that the double arrow pointer displays and then double-click to activate
AutoFit. This features adjusts the column width based on the longest entry
in the column.
6. Use the Column Width dialog box (step 6 above) to reset the width to 13.

Figure 1.24 Column Width Dialog Box

Steps 1 through 4 demonstrate how to adjust row height, which is similar to
adjusting column width:

1. Click cell A15 by placing the mouse pointer over the cell and clicking the left
mouse button.
2. In the Home tab of the Ribbon, left click the Format button in the Cells group.
3. Click the Row Height option from the drop-down menu. This will open the Row
Height dialog box.
4. Type the number 24 and click the OK button on the Row Height dialog box. This
will set Row 15 to a height of 24 points. A point is equivalent to approximately
1/72 of an inch. This adjustment in row height was made to create space
between the totals for this worksheet and the rest of the data.

Figure 1.25 shows the appearance of the worksheet after Column A and Row 15 are
adjusted.
Figure 1.25 GMW Sales Data with Column A and Row 15 Adjusted
HIDING COLUMNS AND ROWS
In addition to adjusting the columns and rows on a worksheet, you can also hide
columns and rows. This is a useful technique for enhancing the visual appearance of
a worksheet that contains data that is not necessary to display. These features will
be demonstrated using the GMW Sales Data workbook. However, there is no need
to have hidden columns or rows for this worksheet. The use of these skills here will
be for demonstration purposes only.

1. Click cell C1 in the Sheet1 worksheet by placing the mouse pointer over the cell
location and clicking the left mouse button.
2. Click the Format button in the Home tab of the Ribbon.
3. Place the mouse pointer over the Hide & Unhide option in the drop-down menu.
This will open a submenu of options.
4. Click the Hide Columns option in the submenu of options (see Figure 1.26). This
will hide Column C.

Figure 1.26 Hide & Unhide Submenu

Figure 1.27 shows the workbook with Column C hidden in the Sheet1 worksheet. You
can tell a column is hidden by the missing letter C.

Figure 1.27 Hidden Column

To unhide a column, follow these steps:

1. Highlight the range B1:D1 by activating cell B1 and clicking and dragging
over to cell D1.
2. Click the Format button in the Home tab of the Ribbon.
3. Place the mouse pointer over the Hide & Unhide option in the drop-down
menu.
4. Click the Unhide Columns option in the submenu of options. Column C
will now be visible on the worksheet.
The following steps demonstrate how to hide rows, which is similar to hiding
columns:

1. Click cell A3 in the Sheet1 worksheet by placing the mouse pointer over the cell
location and clicking the left mouse button.
2. Click the Format button in the Home tab of the Ribbon.
3. Place the mouse pointer over the Hide & Unhide option in the drop-down menu.
This will open a submenu of options.
4. Click the Hide Rows option in the submenu of options. This will hide Row 3.

To unhide a row, follow these steps:

1. Highlight the range A2:A4 by activating cell A2 and clicking and dragging over to
cell A4.
2. Click the Format button in the Home tab of the Ribbon.
3. Place the mouse pointer over the Hide & Unhide option in the drop-down menu.
4. Click the Unhide Rows option in the submenu of options. Row 3 will now be
visible on the worksheet.
INSERTING COLUMNS AND ROWS
Using Excel workbooks that have been created by others is a very efficient way to
work because it eliminates the need to create data worksheets from scratch.
However, you may find that to accomplish your goals, you need to add additional
columns or rows of data. In this case, you can insert blank columns or rows into a
worksheet. The following steps demonstrate how to do this:

1. Click cell C1 in the Sheet1 worksheet by placing the mouse pointer over the cell
location and clicking the left mouse button.
2. Click the down arrow on the Insert button in the Home tab of the Ribbon (see
Figure 1.28).
Figure 1.28 Insert Button (Down Arrow)

3. Click the Insert Sheet Columns option from the drop-down menu (see
Figure 1.29). A blank column will be inserted to the left of Column C. The
contents that were previously in Column C now appear in Column D. Note
that columns are always inserted to the left of the activated cell.

Figure 1.29 Insert Drop-Down Menu

4. Click cell A3 in the Sheet1 worksheet by placing the mouse pointer over the cell
location and clicking the left mouse button.
5. Click the down arrow on the Insert button in the Home tab of the Ribbon (see
Figure 1.28).
6. Click the Insert Sheet Rows option from the drop-down menu (see Figure 1.29).
A blank row will be inserted above Row 3. The contents that were previously in
Row 3 now appear in Row 4. Note that rows are always inserted above the
activated cell.
MOVING DATA
Once data are entered into a worksheet, you have the ability to move it to different
locations. The following steps demonstrate how to move data to different locations
on a worksheet:

1. Highlight the range D2:D15 by activating cell D2 and clicking and dragging down
to cell D15.
2. Bring the mouse pointer to the left edge of cell D2. You will see the white block
plus sign change to cross arrows (see Figure 1.30). This indicates that you can
left click and drag the data to a new location.

Figure 1.30 Moving Data

3. Left Click and drag the mouse pointer to cell C2.

4. Release the left mouse button. The data now appears in Column C.
5. Click the Undo button in the Quick Access Toolbar. This moves the data
back to Column D.
DELETING COLUMNS AND ROWS
You may need to delete entire columns or rows of data from a worksheet. This need
may arise if you need to remove either blank columns or rows from a worksheet or
columns and rows that contain data. The methods for removing cell contents were
covered earlier and can be used to delete unwanted data. However, if you do not
want a blank row or column in your workbook, you can delete it using the following
steps:

1. Click cell A3 by placing the mouse pointer over the cell location and clicking the
left mouse button.
2. Click the down arrow on the Delete button in the Cells group in the Home tab of
the Ribbon.
3. Click the Delete Sheet Rows option from the drop-down menu (see Figure 1.31).
This removes Row 3 and shifts all the data (below Row 2) in the worksheet up
one row.

Figure 1.31 Delete Drop-Down Menu

4. Click cell C1 by placing the mouse pointer over the cell location and
clicking the left mouse button.
5. Click the down arrow on the Delete button in the Cells group in the Home
tab of the Ribbon.
6. Click the Delete Sheet Columns option from the drop-down menu (see
Figure 1.31). This removes Column C and shifts all the data in the
worksheet (to the right of Column B) over one column to the left.
7. Save the changes to your workbook by clicking either the Save button on
the Home ribbon; or by selecting the Save option from the File menu.