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Intro

In lesson 3 of the Microsoft Excel 2007 Beginner series, you will learn about using functions such as sum, average, count, max, and min, as well as how to work with styles and themes to format your spreadsheets. The tutorial also covers page layout options including margins, orientation, and print area, plus how to insert illustrations like pictures, shapes, SmartArt, and WordArt. This lesson builds on skills from previous levels and guides novice users through practical steps to enhance their Excel spreadsheets.

Transcript

Welcome to Excel 2007, Basic Level 3, brought to you by ExcelLearningZone.com. I am your instructor, Richard Rost.

In today's class, we are going to learn about functions – what they are, how they work, and how to use them. We'll cover some of the basic functions, such as sum, average, count, max, and min.

Then we'll learn about styles and themes, and how they are used to format your spreadsheets. We'll learn about page layout, including page size and margins. We'll also learn how to insert illustrations such as pictures, clip art, smart art, and more.

This class is designed to be used with Microsoft Office Excel 2007. If you're working with an older version of Excel, you should visit my website at ExcelLearningZone.com and look for my older Excel 2000 and 2003 tutorials.

This class follows Excel 2007 Basic Level 2. In that class, we cover cut, copy, and paste, autofill, cell formats, working with rows, columns, and sheets, sorting data, conditional formatting, and using find and replace. If you don't know how to do any of that, I suggest you take Excel 2007 Basic Level 2 before taking this course.

This is the Basic Level 3 course for Microsoft Excel 2007. This class is for the novice user who has little or no experience with Excel beyond my level 1 and 2 classes.

Our courses are broken up into four groups: Basic, Expert, Advanced, and Developer. Our basic courses are designed for novice users who have little or no experience with Microsoft Excel. You will learn one good method for accomplishing most tasks. We'll save all the extraneous details for later classes.

Our Expert series is designed for users who are already comfortable with Excel. Expert classes will teach you more about the standard features of Excel that most people use from day to day. We'll cover all the options, alternatives, shortcuts, tips and tricks, and really cover all of the features of Excel exhaustively.

Our Advanced classes are designed to go beyond the Expert level and teach you things like recording macros, working with user forms, creating your own templates, and more advanced features that not everyone uses, but they really add extra functionality to your spreadsheets. These are the kinds of features reserved for power users to really add extra professionalism to your spreadsheets.

Finally, our Developer series is designed to teach you how to program in Visual Basic for Applications with Microsoft Excel. This will allow you to create Excel-based programs for your users and to integrate Excel tightly with other applications.

Each of our series is broken down into different levels. Each level represents about an hour's worth of training. For example, the Basic series starts off with level 1, then is followed by levels 2, 3, and so on. Each level will teach you new and different topics in Microsoft Excel, building on the lessons learned in the previous levels. When you're finished with all the levels in the Basic series, you're ready to move up to the Expert level series.

Now let's take a more detailed look at exactly what's covered in today's class.

In lesson 1, we're going to learn about functions. What is a function, what are the benefits of using functions, and we'll see how the sum function works.

In lesson 2, we'll learn about some other functions like average, count, max, and min.

In lesson 3, we're going to practice with some of the functions that we just learned. We'll build a new sample sheet with some sales data in it.

In lesson 4, we're going to learn how to make our spreadsheets a lot easier to edit using styles and themes.

In lesson 5, we're going to learn a lot more about page setup, page layout view, setting your margins, your page orientation, and page size. We'll specify the print area, insert page breaks, add a sheet background, and display the gridlines and headings.

In lesson 6, we'll move to the Insert tab and start learning about illustrations. In part 1, we'll learn how to insert a picture or a piece of clip art, and we'll learn about the Format Picture tab.

In lesson 7, we'll continue with illustrations. We'll insert a shape, format the shape with its many different options, add text to that shape, and format the text.

In lesson 8, we're continuing with illustrations. We'll cover inserting smart art diagrams and word art.

If you need help with Microsoft Excel, you can post your questions in our student forums. If you're watching this course using our custom video player software or online in our theater, then you should see the student forums pop up right next to the video window. Here you will see all the questions and comments that other students have had regarding each lesson, as well as my responses to them. Feel free to join in the discussion and post any questions that you might have.

To get the most out of this course, I recommend you sit back, relax, and watch each lesson through completely once, without trying to do anything on your computer. Then watch the lesson again a second time, following along with my examples. Actually create the document that I create in class. Build the spreadsheet along with me step by step.

If you get stuck or don't understand something, re-watch the video again from the beginning, or rewind to any point in the video at which you feel comfortable. Remember, you can always post your questions in the student forums if you really need help.

Most importantly, keep an open mind. Learning something new can be confusing at first. If there's something you don't understand at first, that's okay. Just be patient and it will come to you eventually. Try your best, and again, if you still have questions, post them in our student forums.

Now just sit back and relax and get ready for lesson 1.

Quiz

Q1. What is the primary focus of Excel 2007 Basic Level 3?
A. Advanced VBA programming
B. Introduction to functions, styles, themes, and basic formatting
C. Data analysis with PivotTables
D. Creating complex macros

Q2. Which of the following basic functions will you learn in this course?
A. VLOOKUP
B. IFERROR
C. SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, MAX, MIN
D. CONCATENATE

Q3. What is the purpose of learning about styles and themes in this class?
A. To run advanced queries
B. To format your spreadsheets for easier editing and consistent appearance
C. To create relational databases
D. To perform statistical analysis

Q4. What page layout topics are covered in this course?
A. Data validation and drop-down lists
B. Page size, margins, print area, page breaks, sheet backgrounds, gridlines, and headings
C. Exporting spreadsheets to PDF
D. Protecting worksheets with passwords

Q5. Which of the following illustration types will you learn to insert in this class?
A. Hyperlinks and hyperlinks to email
B. PivotCharts and Sparklines
C. Pictures, clip art, shapes, smart art, and word art
D. External SQL queries

Q6. Who is the intended audience for the Excel 2007 Basic Level 3 course?
A. Expert Excel users only
B. Novice users who have completed Level 1 and 2 classes
C. Professional software developers
D. Data analysts

Q7. What is suggested if you do not understand cut, copy, paste, or cell formats before taking this course?
A. Skip those features
B. Take Excel 2007 Basic Level 2 first
C. Jump to the Expert series
D. Focus on macros instead

Q8. What is the recommended way to get the most out of this course?
A. Only watch the video once and take notes
B. Watch each lesson, then follow along step-by-step, recreating the examples yourself
C. Read the textbook only
D. Memorize the lesson summaries

Q9. What should you do if you have questions or get stuck during the course?
A. Stop the course and try a different tutorial
B. Rewatch the video, rewind as needed, and post in the student forums if necessary
C. Only contact Microsoft support
D. Ignore the issue and continue

Q10. How are the ExcelLearningZone.com courses structured?
A. Only in one comprehensive level
B. Divided into Basic, Expert, Advanced, and Developer series, with multiple levels in each
C. Focused solely on VBA
D. Organized by color-coded chapters only

Answers: 1-B; 2-C; 3-B; 4-B; 5-C; 6-B; 7-B; 8-B; 9-B; 10-B

DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks.

Summary

Today's video from Excel Learning Zone begins with an introduction to Excel 2007 at the basic level, specifically Level 3. In this session, I will be guiding you through several fundamental concepts in Excel.

We will start by exploring functions. I will explain what functions are, how they help you work with data, and walk you through using basic functions like sum, average, count, max, and min. These functions allow you to perform calculations easily and accurately in your spreadsheets.

After understanding functions, we will move on to styles and themes. I will show you how these tools can enhance the appearance of your spreadsheets and make them more readable and visually appealing. From there, we will look at page layout, including how to adjust page size and margins to prepare your documents for printing. I will also cover how to insert illustrations, such as pictures, clip art, and smart art, which can add more meaning and professionalism to your workbooks.

This class is specifically designed for Microsoft Office Excel 2007. If you are using an older version, I recommend checking my website for tutorials that are tailored for Excel 2000 or 2003.

This course is a continuation of Excel 2007 Basic Level 2. In that previous class, we tackled important skills like cut, copy, and paste, using autofill, formatting cells, managing rows, columns, and sheets, sorting data, applying conditional formatting, and using find and replace. If you are not comfortable with any of these topics, I suggest you complete Level 2 before proceeding with this class.

This Level 3 course is ideal for users who have minimal experience with Excel beyond what was covered in Level 1 and 2. Our course offerings are divided into four groups: Basic, Expert, Advanced, and Developer. The Basic series, which this class belongs to, is intended for beginners. Here, you will learn straightforward methods for accomplishing everyday tasks in Excel. We leave more detailed options and alternative methods for later courses.

The Expert series is for those who are comfortable with Excel and want to learn more about its main features, including all the options, shortcuts, and tips that can make daily use more efficient. The Advanced classes focus on features such as recording macros, working with user forms, creating templates, and adding advanced functions that can set your spreadsheets apart. These are intended for users who want to incorporate professional-level functionalities. Finally, our Developer series teaches you how to work with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), which enables you to program Excel-based solutions and integrated tools.

Each series is divided into levels, with each level covering about an hour of training. Levels are designed to build upon each other. For example, after you complete all the levels in the Basic series, you are ready to move on to the Expert level.

Let me outline what we will cover in this class, lesson by lesson:

Lesson 1 introduces functions, explaining their use and benefits, with a focus on the sum function.

Lesson 2 covers additional functions, including average, count, max, and min.

Lesson 3 provides practice with these functions using sample sales data.

Lesson 4 explains how to use styles and themes to streamline spreadsheet editing and improve appearance.

Lesson 5 explores page setup, looking at page layout views, margin adjustments, setting orientation and page size, specifying print areas, inserting page breaks, adding backgrounds, and displaying gridlines and headings.

Lesson 6 focuses on the Insert tab, and you will learn to add pictures and clip art, as well as use the Format Picture tab.

Lesson 7 continues with illustrations, where you will insert and format shapes, add text to shapes, and apply various formatting options.

Lesson 8 covers smart art diagrams and word art, extending your ability to create dynamic visuals in your workbooks.

If you need help at any stage, you can participate in our student forums. If you are watching this course in our custom video player or through our online theater, the forums are available right next to the video window. Here, you will find questions and discussions from other students, along with my responses. I encourage you to join in and ask any questions you might have.

To get maximum benefit from this course, I recommend that you watch each lesson through completely before trying anything on your own computer. Then, watch the lesson a second time and follow along step by step, creating the document in Excel as I do. If you get stuck, do not hesitate to re-watch sections of the video or review the entire lesson again. Remember, the student forums are always there if you need further clarification.

Most importantly, maintain an open mind as you learn. It is perfectly normal to feel confused at first when learning something new, so be patient with yourself and the understanding will come with time. If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask them in our forums.

Now, get comfortable and prepare to start with lesson 1.

You can find a complete video tutorial with step-by-step instructions on everything discussed here on my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends.

Topic List

What is a function in Excel
Using the SUM function
Using the AVERAGE function
Using the COUNT function
Using the MAX function
Using the MIN function
Practicing functions with sales data
Creating a sample spreadsheet with functions
Using styles to format spreadsheets
Applying themes to spreadsheets
Page setup and layout view
Setting margins and page orientation
Adjusting page size
Specifying print area
Inserting page breaks
Adding a sheet background
Displaying gridlines and headings
Inserting pictures and clip art
Using the Format Picture tab
Inserting and formatting shapes
Adding and formatting text in shapes
Inserting smart art diagrams
Inserting word art