Finalzas Con Excel Avanzado

CHAPTER 1

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Spreadsheet Basics

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
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Explain the basic purpose of a spreadsheet program. Identify the various components of the Excel screen. Navigate the Excel worksheet (entering, correcting, and moving data within the worksheet). Explain the purpose and usage of Excel’s built-in functions and macro functions. Creategraphics and know how to print and save files in Excel.

The term “spreadsheet” covers a wide variety of elements useful for quantitative analysis of all kinds. Essentially, a spreadsheet is a simple tool consisting of a matrix of cells that can store numbers, text, or formulas. The spreadsheet’s power comes from its ability to recalculate results as you change the contents of other cells. No longerdoes the user need to do these calculations by hand or on a calculator. Instead, with a properly constructed spreadsheet, changing a single number (say, a sales forecast) can result in literally thousands of automatic changes in the model. The freedom and productivity enhancement provided by modern spreadsheets presents an unparalleled opportunity for learning financial analysis.

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CHAPTER 1: Spreadsheet Basics

Spreadsheet Uses
Spreadsheets today contain built-in analytical capabilities previously unavailable in a single package. Users often had to learn a variety of specialized software packages to do any relatively complex analysis. With the newest versions of Microsoft Excel, users can perform tasks ranging from the routine maintenance offinancial statements to multivariate regression analysis to Monte Carlo simulations of various hedging strategies. It is literally impossible to enumerate all of the possible applications for spreadsheets. You should keep in mind that spreadsheets are useful not only for financial analysis, but for any type of quantitative analysis whether your specialty is in marketing, management, engineering,statistics, or economics. For that matter, a spreadsheet can also prove valuable for personal uses. With Excel it is a fairly simple matter to build a spreadsheet to monitor your investment portfolio, do retirement planning, experiment with various mortgage options when buying a house, keep a mailing list, etc. The possibilities are quite literally endless. The more comfortable you become with thespreadsheet, the more valuable uses you will find. Above all, feel free to experiment! Try new things. Using a spreadsheet can help you find solutions that you never would have imagined on your own.

Starting Microsoft Excel
Before you can do any work in Excel, you have to run the program. In Windows, programs are generally started by double-clicking on the program’s icon. The location of the Excelicon will depend on the organization of your system. You may have the Excel icon (left) on the desktop. Otherwise, you can start Excel by clicking the Start button and then choosing Microsoft Excel from the All Programs menu. For easier access, you may wish to create a Desktop or Taskbar shortcut. To do this right-click on the Excel icon in the All Programs menu and either choose Create Shortcutor drag the icon to the Desktop or Taskbar. Remember that a shortcut is not the program itself, so you can safely delete the shortcut if you later decide that you don’t need it.

Excel 2002 Icon

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Parts of the Excel Screen

Parts of the Excel Screen
FIGURE 1-1 MICROSOFT EXCEL 2002

The Title Bar
The title bar is the area at the very top of the Excelscreen. It serves a number of functions: • • • Identifies the program as Microsoft Excel and displays the name of the currently active workbook. Appears brightly colored when Excel is the active program. Can be “grabbed” with the mouse to move the window around within the Windows environment, if the window is not maximized.

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Spreadsheet Basics

CHAPTER 1: Spreadsheet Basics

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