There are methods for calculating and saving multiple versions of your model assumptions. One tool is scenarios, but more useful for the business school are two commands: goal seek and data tables.
All posts by Jeff Rummel
General Screen Layout
The general layout of the Excel user interface has these subsections:
- The shortcut bar at the top of the window
- The menu bar (or ribbon) that collects the commands available
- The cell editing bar
- The worksheet view – this is the majority of the window
- Controls for the view of the spreadsheet are located at the very bottom of the window
Shortcut Bar
The top bar of the window can be customized to include frequently used commands.
File Structure
An Excel spreadsheet is normally saved with the extension .xlsx, and other spreadsheet programs will often read and write this format. The basic picture of a spreadsheet is one of rows and columns, the file format offers a more complex set of building blocks that are important to understand.
Here are the general categories that comprise the file structure:
Cells
Cells are the building blocks of spreadsheets. Each is labeled with the row (letters) and columns (numbers), so B3 is the second row and the third column. Surprisingly complex things can be stored in cells, and there are quite a few formatting options.
Drawing Layer
Most things are stored inside cells, but there is also the ability in Excel to have items that float above the cells. Graphs and drawings can be placed here.
Worksheets
The collection of cells and the drawing layer above the cells is collected into a structure called a worksheet. Worksheets are named Sheet1 and so on by default, but can be renamed. There can be a large number of worksheets, so it is possible to create a 3-D set of cells.
Workbooks
The collection of worksheets plus other structures (such as macros) is called a workbook. This corresponds to the file saved on your computer MyExcelFile.xlsx.