Datasheet

Formatting your data
Of course you want to make your data look all spiffy and shiny. Bosses like
that. Is the number 98.6 someone’s temperature? Is it a score on a test? Is it
ninety-eight dollars and sixty cents? Is it a percentage? Any of these formats
is correct:
98.6
$98.60
98.6%
Excel lets you format your data in just the way you need. Formatting options
are on the Home Ribbon, in the Number category.
Figure 1-12 shows how formatting helps in the readability and understanding
of a worksheet. Cell B1 has a monetary amount and is formatted with the
Accounting style. Cell B2 is formatted as a percent. The actual value in cell B2
is .05. Cell B7 is formatted as currency. The currency format displays a nega-
tive value in parentheses. This is just one of the formatting options for cur-
rency. Chapter 5 explains further about formatting currency.
Besides selecting formatting on the Home Ribbon, you can use the familiar (in
previous versions) Format Cells dialog box. This is the place to go for all your
formatting needs beyond what’s available on the toolbar. You can even create
custom formats. You can display the Format Cells dialog box two ways:
Figure 1-12:
Formatting
data.
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Part I: Putting the Fun in Functions
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