Excel Data Entry Tips

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November 21, 2005

Control Excel data entry with these fivepowerful tips

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By Mary Ann Richardson

Hide cells in Excel to make data entry easierYou can use Microsoft Excel's split pane feature to edit or compare values in large spreadsheets. However, thesplit-pane method involves some scrolling before you can line up the values with their corresponding labels. Aquicker method uses shortcut keys to hide the cells you don't need to see (see Figure A). For example, at theend of a semester you wish to compare the students' final grades which are listed in Column P with their nameslisted in Column A. Follow these steps:

1. Click and drag the mouse to select columns B through O.2. Press [CTRL][0].

After viewing the grades, you can "unhide" the cells by selecting columns A and P and pressing[CTRL][SHIFT][0].

This method will also work when comparing or editing data across rows. For example, if you want to comparemonthly income shown in row 100 whose labels are listed across row 4, follow these steps:

1. Click and drag the mouse to select rows 5 through 99.2. Press [CTRL][9].

Pressing [CRTL][SHIFT][9] unhides the rows.

Figure A
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Control Excel data entry with these five powerful tips

Prevent Excel users from scrol ling outside data areaDo you find that users frequently scroll outside the data range and onto blank areas of their worksheet? You cancreate a macro that will automatically prevent them from moving outside the used range on a worksheet. Followthese steps:

1. Activate the worksheet.2. Right-click the sheet name tab on which you want to limit scrolling and select View Code.3. Enter the following code (see Figure B):

Pri vat e Sub Worksheet _Act i vat e( )Me. Scrol l Ar ea = Range( Me. UsedRange, Me. UsedRange( 2, 2) ) . Addr ess

End Sub

4. Press [Alt][Q] and save the workbook.

Each time you activate the worksheet, this macro will run automatically to prevent scrolling outside the usedrange.

When you need to enter data outside the used range, you will need to reset the scroll area. You can create ashortcut key that activates a macro to do just that. Follow these steps:

1. Press [Alt] [F11]2. Select Insert | Module and enter the following code at the prompt:

Sub ResetScr ol l Ar ea( )Act i veSheet . Scr ol l Ar ea =' 'End Sub

3. Press [ALT][Q]4. Press [ALT][F8] and Select ResetScrollArea.5. Click Options and assign a shortcut key.

Figure B




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Enter Excel data in multiple worksheets simultaneouslyWhen you have a Microsoft Excel workbook that contains the same data on two or more worksheets, you couldtype the data first on one sheet, and then copy it on to the others. But a better method would be to use Excel'sGrouping function. For example, suppose you are setting up your grade and attendance worksheets for the newsemester. You will need to list each student's name on each worksheet. Follow these steps:

1. Press [Ctrl] while clicking the sheet name tabs of the Attendance and Grades worksheets.2. Type the name of each student on the Attendance worksheet. As the data is typed, it will automatically be

entered on the Grades worksheet.3. Right-click on any Sheet Name tab and select Ungroup Sheets.

Be sure to ungroup your worksheets before entering data that is not common to both worksheets.

Figure C




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Increase Excel data entry accuracy with drop-down listsGiving users the option to select data from lists rather than type it manually can help eliminate many data entryerrors. But you don't need to create the actual lists to ensure accuracy.

After users enter an item once, Microsoft Excel automatically includes it in a drop-down list of entries that userspreviously typed in the column.

For example, to access the list of vendors previously typed in the Vendors column of an Orders spreadsheet,

follow these steps:1. Select the cell under the Vendors column for the next order.2. Press [Alt] and the down arrow (see Figure D).3. Select the vendors name from the list, and press [Enter] or [Tab] to move to the next cell.

If the vendors name is not on the list, users must type it manually. Excel will include the name the next timesomeone accesses the list.

Figure D




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Create a list box in Excel to ensure data entry accuracyA list box makes it easier for Microsoft Excel users to avoid errors. For example, a State field requires users toknow the two-letter abbreviation for each state. To ensure accuracy, let users select from a list.

To create a list for the State field cells, follow these steps:

1. Select all the cells in the State column.2. Go to Data | Validation.

3. On the Settings tab, select List from the Allow drop-down list.4. In the Source text box, enter the allowable entries separated by commas as follows: NJ, NY, PA, DE, etc.5. Select the In-cell Dropdown check box (see Figure E).6. Click OK.

Figure E

When users move to a cell in the State column, Excel displays a drop-down arrow. Clicking the arrow reveals alist of allowable states users can select for that cell (see Figure F). If users attempt to type an entry that's not onthe list, Excel displays an error message.

Figure F




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