CORE CONCEPTS IN EXCEL

"Data is the new oil. It's valuable, but if unrefined it cannot really be used." - Clive Humby

In research we work with various types of data:

  • Species counts
  • Environmental measurements (temperature, salinity, pH)
  • Geospatial data
  • Temporal data (time series)
  • Many more...

Excel provides a user-friendly platform to:

  • Input and organize raw data
  • Clean and preprocess datasets
  • Perform basic statistical analyses
  • Create visualizations (charts and graphs)
  • Collaborate with colleagues

Anatomy of a Spreadsheet (Part 1)

  1. Workbook: An Excel file (with a .xlsx extension) that contains your datasets. Think of it as a book that holds all your research data.
  2. Worksheet: Individual 'tabs' within a workbook. Dedicate each worksheet to specific parts of your research or different datasets.

Anatomy of a Spreadsheet (Part 2)

  1. Cells, Rows, and Columns: The building blocks of Excel's grid structure.
    • Cells: Individual data points where rows and columns intersect.
    • Rows: Horizontal arrangements of cells (numbered).
    • Columns: Vertical arrangements of cells (lettered).
  2. Functions and Formulae:
    • Functions: Pre-built operations in Excel (e.g., SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT).
    • Formulae: Custom expressions you create using functions, cell references, and operators.

for more basics - click down

File Formats:

  • .xlsx is Excel's native format but is not open-source.
  • Comma-Separated Values (CSV) files are plain text, making them more accessible across different platforms and software. but they lack formatting and multiple-sheet capabilities of .xlsx files.
  • Consider saving final datasets as .csv for improved transparency and compatibility

Other notes

Excel vs Google sheets:

  • While Google Sheets offers collaborative features, Excel is preferred for research due to
    • superior handling of large datasets
    • More robust statistical and analytical functions
    • Better integration with other scientific software
    • Enhanced data protection and privacy controls

Advanced Tools for Data Analysis:

  • While Excel is valuable for initial data management, limitations emerge with complex analyses or large datasets. These are better handled by specialized software like R, Python, or MATLAB.
  • Basic Arithmetic Operations
    • Addition: = A1 + B1
    • Subtraction: = A1 - B1
    • Multiplication: = A1 * B1
    • Division: = A1 / B1
  • SUM 
    • Adds a range of cells: = SUM(A1:A10)
  • AVERAGE 
    • Calculates the average of a range of cells: =AVERAGE(A1:A10)
  • COUNT
    • ​Counts the number of cells that contain numbers: =COUNT(A1:A10)

Commonly Used Excel Functions (Part 1)

 

  • COUNTA 
    • Counts the number of cells that are not empty: =COUNTA(A1:A10)
  • IF 
    • Returns one value if a condition is true and another if it is false: =IF(A1 > 10, "Yes", "No")
  • VLOOKUP 
    • Searches for a value in the first column of a range and returns a value in the same row from another column: =VLOOKUP(A1, B1:D10, 3, FALSE)

scroll down for more about VLOOKUP

Commonly Used Excel Functions (Part 2)

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Commonly Used Excel Functions (Part 3)

  • HLOOKUP 
    • Searches for a value in the first row of a range and returns a value in the same column from another row: =HLOOKUP(A1, B1:F3, 2, FALSE)
  • CONCATENATE (or CONCAT)
    • Joins two or more text strings into one: =CONCATENATE(A1, " ", B1)
  • TODAY 
    • Returns the current date: =TODAY()
  • SUMIF 
    • Adds the cells specified by a given condition or criteria: =SUMIF(A1:A10, ">10")
  • COUNTIF 
    • Counts the number of cells that meet a criterion: =COUNTIF(A1:A10, ">=10")

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By Lauren Olinger

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