Excel Project

Although I thought I was pretty proficient at Microsoft Excel, I was in for a rude awakening. This ISM Excel project was based on heart rate data during a 20 minute excercise regiment. With this information I was required to add columns and perform simple formulas within the spreadsheet. Also, the project required me to perform two pivot tables. I initially thought that the beginning formulas that helped me organized the information would be the easiest part of the project; however, I soon found that little errors can cause epic problems in a matter of seconds. This was a great lesson for me to learn from this project because it showed me just how easy it is to make one minor mistake which could jeopardize an entire report. Upon graduation, I will be working in merchandising and my job will require me to utilize huge spreadsheets and analyze the data. This basic training has made me concentrate harder on the task at hand because minor mistakes in the workplace could potentially get me demoted or fired.

I utilized the Excel help function a few times in order to figure out what formula to use next, which proved very helpful. Although the help window did not explicitly train me how to draw up a function, it was a great starting point. As I mentioned before, I thought that the pivot tables would be harder to navigate than the raw data formulas. Once I gained concentration on the pivot table tasks it was easy to manipulate the data, but I realized quickly that my information didn't make too much sense considering the data. After looking through my raw data sheet multiple times and feeling frustrated, I found one miniscule error in one of my larger formulas. Without catching this error, I would have ruined all the data I had about the excercise and heart rates. The error I made was " =IF(F3>=E3,"Yes", "No")," which seemed correct to me, but i realized that I needed to add in extra paranthesis to allow the spreadsheet to realize that there was only one formula in that strand of information. So my correct formula is "=IF((F3>=E3),"Yes","No")." This jogged my memory to remember that my CGS teacher my freshman year would always remind us to add in extra parentheses as an extra precaution. Once I fixed this formula and refreshed my pivot tables, everything fell into place.

This Excel project has been one of the most valuable projects I have done throughout my college career. Not only have I learned a lot about Excel, but I have picked up great tips about excel processing that I will carry with me into the real world. I now realize that I must be very careful with my formulas and add extra parentheses when necessary!