Tech Tip #2 - Intro to Functions in Excel

You can look through the "functions" available in Excel to do many powerful, time-saving tasks.

Excel is an amazingly powerful tool, partly due to its large number of functions. A "function" in Excel is a command that does specific tasks to the input you give it and outputs the result in the cell where it is typed. For example, to calculate the sum of a group of numbers, you click on the cell where you want the sum to appear, and type

=sum(


and then use the mouse to select the group of cells that contain the numbers you want to sum,


then type

)


to close the group of input, then hit the "enter" key. Notice in the pictures that a light brown/tan box (called a "Tool Tip") appears below the cell. This gives you guidance as to what to put in the parentheses to make the function do what you want. In the example here, it basically is asking for the numbers you want to sum.

While many of us will use more basic functions most of the time (e.g., SUM, AVERAGE, etc.), there are a large number of functions available in Excel that can be very useful. You can look through the list of them, by going to the menu item "Insert->Function"

From this new window, you can browse the types of functions available or type a phrase to search for a function.


In future Tech Tips, I will go through some functions that are personal favorites.