In this chapter the key concepts are all about commands in Excel. The first step is to load the Data Analysis Tool pak. The standard data structure used throughout this book consists of rows of...

In this chapter the key concepts are all about commands in Excel. The first step is to load the Data Analysis Tool pak. The standard data structure used throughout this book consists of rows of observations and columns of variables. Some of the basic functionality will be introduced to familiarize you in navigating through Excel spread sheets. In this chapter the emphasis is on the basic Excel procedures to allow you to successfully analyze and chart you data. These basic procedures will form the framework for future chapters that have more complicated Excel functionalities. The instructions are provided in a detailed step-by-step process so make sure you do not skip steps. One of the most common frustrations is Excel refusing to compute or complete your graph and usually it is because a vital step has been ignored by the user. There are many versions of Excel for various types of computers under various operating systems. This book has been compiled using Excel 2010 running under the Microsoft® Windows operating system. However the instructions and flow remain very similar regardless of the Excel version you may be using. These Excel functions and charts will provide a useful companion to your business applications in the workplace or to your business statistics textbook applications in the classroom.