Excel: build a spreadsheet you can trust
Keep one record per row and one field per column. Convert a range to a table, name it Sales, and check that dates and amounts have consistent types. Practice: build a five-row sales table with Date, Region and Revenue.
Excel: build a spreadsheet you can trust
Workbooks and clean tables
Keep one record per row and one field per column. Convert a range to a table, name it Sales, and check that dates and amounts have consistent types. Practice: build a five-row sales table with Date, Region and Revenue.
Formulas and references
A formula begins with =. Relative references move when copied; $A$1 remains fixed. Practice: calculate revenue as Quantity * UnitPrice, then use SUM and SUMIF to compare regions.
Summaries with PivotTables
A PivotTable groups records without changing the source. Put Region in Rows and Revenue in Values; check the aggregation is SUM. Refresh after adding rows, then reconcile the grand total to your source.
Your next step
Try the exercises with a small dataset. Write down your assumptions, check the results against the source, and explain one thing you would improve.