Interpet with Formulas

• 1). Open a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that contains data you wish to interpret using formulas.
  
  
• 2). Click in a cell where you wish to build a formulaic interpretation of the Excel data.
  
  
• 3). Identify a series of numerical data on the spreadsheet that warrant interpretation. A list of product orders, for example, may contain the product subtotals in each row. You may wish to determine the average cost of an order by interpreting these rows using a formula.
  
  
• 4). Type an equal sign ("="). All formulas in Excel begin with an equal sign.
  
  
• 5). Type the word "Average" followed by an open parenthesis.
  
  
• 6). Input the cell range of the data you wish to average. If the first cell is cell C2, for example, and the last cell in the series is C200, then this range is denoted as "C2:C200". Note that the double quotes are not included in the actual typed range. You can also enter the range by dragging your mouse over the series.
  
  
• 7). Type a closing parenthesis and then press "Enter." The cell will now show the average cost of an order.
  
  

Interpet with Charts

• 1). Open an Excel spreadsheet containing data. Click on a column letter that contains the information you wish to interpret using an Excel chart. The entire column will become selected. This is useful if you wish to create a chart interpretation of order costs, for example, that are organized across many rows but always entered into the same column.
  
  
• 2). Click the "Insert" menu and choose "Chart" from the list. Alternately, press the "Chart" button on the Excel toolbar. A pop-up window will appear. Click on the type of chart you wish to create. Click the "Next" button two times to proceed to Step three.
  
  
• 3). Enter titles for the chart and its two axes if desired. These are optional. Press "Next" when done.
  
  
• 4). Select the location for the chart. The chart can be placed inside the current spreadsheet or added to a new spreadsheet of its own. Press "Finish" when complete. The desired chart type appears inside the Excel window. It offers a visual interpretation of the data in your spreadsheet.