Datasheet

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Chapter 1: Tapping into Formula and Function Fundamentals
This starts the Help system. From there you can search on a keyword or
browse through the Help Table of Contents. Later on, when you are working
with Excel functions, you can get help on specific functions directly by click-
ing the Help on this function link in the Insert Function dialog box. Chapter 2
covers the Insert Function dialog box in detail.
Figure 1-13:
Using the
Format
Cells dialog
box for
advanced
formatting
options.
Gaining the Upper Hand on Formulas
Okay, time to get to the nitty-gritty of what Excel is all about. Sure, you can
just enter data and leave it as is, and even generate some pretty charts from
it. But getting answers from your data, or creating a summary of your data, or
applying what-if tests — all of this takes formulas.
To be specific, a formula in Excel calculates something, or returns some
result based on data in the worksheet. A formula is placed in cells and must
start with an equal sign (=) to tell Excel that it is a formula and not data.
Sounds simple, and it is.
All formulas should start with an equal (=) sign. An alternative is to start a for-
mula with a plus sign (+). This keeps Excel compatible with Lotus 1-2-3.
Look at some very basic formulas. Table 1-1 shows a few formulas and tells
you what they do.
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