Most computer-friendly people out there today know that MS Excel is a spreadsheet program that you can use to record data, mathematical charts, and equations. However, it seems that the people who are familiar with it or that have used it before aren't aware of all that MS Excel can do. Maybe that's you. You'd probably be surprised about the things that you can do using Excel that you're currently doing by hand or using inappropriate software (such as the familiar sibling to Excel, MS Word). But that's okay.

The first thing we need to do is dispel the myths that MS Excel 2003 is complicated to use, or to use the mathematical functions and capabilities that you must be good at math. Worse yet, that you must know some complicated sequence to make it work for you. The truth is, most people like you that use MS Excel use it for a defined reason. Because there are so many options and features with the software, they don't take the time to explore and to realize just how many other things they can actually use it for!

Let's take a minute and list some of the things that you can do with MS Excel 2003.

You can:

• Organize, sort, and record data.
• Enter in text and mathematical data.
• Keep statistics
• Keep records.
• Create mathematical equations and functions to accurately keep records, statistics, and data.

Listen, you can use Excel to balance your checkbook, calculate the dollar amount you're spending on interest rates for credit cards or mortgages, or to track your corporate spending account! But you can also turn around and use Excel for something as simple as listing who is bringing what to the next family reunion. MS Excel can be used for the most complex or simplest of tasks… but all tasks can be done quite easily using MS Excel.

But telling you how convenient and easy MS Excel 2003 is to use isn't enough. We're going to show you. And to do that, it's best just to delve right in.

Opening MS Excel 2003

Let's start with the basics of MS Excel 2003: finding it on your computer and opening a file.

MS Excel 2003 is represented by this icon: . To open it, either right click your mouse on the icon and select open or simply double click on the icon. A new workbook will open on your desktop.

If you want to open an existing spreadsheet using Excel, you have two options.

You can double click on the spreadsheet file. If the file was created in MS Excel, it will automatically open on your desktop.

You can right click on the file, if the spreadsheet wasn't created using MS Excel, and select Open With. Scroll down the list and find MS Excel 2003 and select it to open the file.

Navigating MS Excel 2003

In order to be able to use MS Excel 2003 efficiently, it's important to know your way around the program. Knowing where the title bar is or where a certain menu item is located will be important. It's useless to know how to use a program if you can't navigate and find what you need.

That said, let's start with the layout of MS Word 2003 and identify (and be able to locate) the major components. We'll start at the top.

When you open MS Excel 2003, you'll see a workbook in front of you. At the very top, is a bar going across the screen that reads "Microsoft Excel – Book1." This bar is called the title bar. It's pictured below.

The title bar will always tell you the name of the file you have open. The default file name for all Excel workbooks is Book1. If you have more than one new, unsaved file open, then Excel will assign each a number, in chronological order. Book1, Book2, Book3, etc.

To the far right on the title bar, there are three buttons that allow you to minimize the screen , maximize the screen , and close out MS Excel 2003 .

Below the title bar is what's termed the menu bar. See the screenshot below.

The menu bar consists of the following menus:

• File
• Edit
• View
• Insert
• Format
• Tools
• Data
• Window
• Help

On the right side of the menu bar, you'll see a window that reads, "Type a question for help," as pictured below.

Anytime you're using MS Excel and have a question about where to find a command or how to do a task, you can type your question in that box. The search results will appear in a box on the right side of the screen.

All toolbars for MS Excel 2003 will appear below the menu bar.

Depending on how many toolbars you have showing, your toolbar area may show more or less than the snapshot above.

Then, of course, below the toolbar area are the spreadsheets that you'll use in MS Excel 2003. A picture of a new file in MS Excel 2003 is shown below.

Customizing the MS Excel 2003 Toolbars

To access all the toolbars that MS Excel 2003 provides, go to View on the menu bar and select Toolbars.

Any toolbars with a checkmark beside them appear below the menu bar. You can select or deselect toolbars that you want to see below the menu bar.

You can also customize each toolbar so that you only see the commands you frequently use. This makes it quicker and easier to use the toolbars, especially if you have several of them displayed.

We'll use the Standard toolbar as the example in this part of the article.

In the picture above, you see the Standard toolbar. The pictures on it represent different commands and actions that are available for your use. However, these are not all of the commands and actions available on the Standard toolbar. To see all the commands available click the downward arrow located on the right side of the toolbar. It looks like this: .

When you click that arrow, this is what you will see:

Select Add or Remove Buttons>Standard. When you do, you'll see the screen below with all the commands available to you.

All the items with checkmarks beside them currently appear on the toolbar. You can remove items so they no longer appear on the toolbar or select additional items.

Cells, Rows, and Columns

Below the toolbar area, you'll see a blank worksheet (if you opened a new Excel file). Worksheets are comprised of cells. One cell is simply one block on your screen. See the highlighted box below for an example.

Individual cells are organized into rows and columns. Columns are cells that go horizontally across the screen. Rows are vertical.

Columns are labeled with letters. If we use the above picture once again for an example, the cell in column A is highlighted.

In MS Excel 2003, rows are listed by number. In the picture above, the cell in row 1 is highlighted.

You can use this to coordinate the exact locating of a cell. The exact coordinates of the cell above is A1.

To discover the coordinates of a cell, or the name of a cell, simply look above column A. You'll see a box (using the example above) that has A1 inside it. This is the Name Box. A closer snapshot is below.

Formulas

The formulas and equations that you enter will be entered in and displayed in the Formula Bar. It is located to the right of the Name Box.

The Formula Bar as the fx to the left of it.

Sheet Tabs

Each new file that you open in MS Excel 2003 is comprised of three worksheets. These three worksheets comprise a workbook. You can add or subtract worksheets, as you'll learn later. For now, it's important to know how to access the sheets.

At the bottom of your spreadsheet in MS Excel 2003, you'll see Sheet Tabs.

In the picture above, Sheet 1 is in white and the other two sheets on in gray because we have Sheet 1 open on the screen. If we wanted to view Sheet 2, we'd just click on it, etc.