Using Multiple Excel Worksheets and Workbooks

Using Multiple Worksheets

Analyzing and consolidating large amounts of data is one of Excel’s strongest features. By combining several related worksheets into a single workbook, you can restructure your data and organize it more efficiently. By default, a new workbook contains three worksheets; however, a workbook can contain as many as 255 worksheets or as few as one worksheet.

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Scrolling Through Sheet Tabs

When you only have a few worksheets, it’s easy to move from worksheet to worksheet by clicking the sheet tabs. However, as you add more worksheets, you may discover that the sheet tabs for all of the worksheets are not always visible. To make them visible, you use the tab scrolling buttons, shown in Figure 1-1. The tab scrolling buttons only bring sheet tabs into view. If you want to use a worksheet, you still need to select it.

Figure 1-1: The Tab Scrolling Buttons

Tab Scrolling Buttons	Function
	Brings the first/last sheet tab into view
	Brings the next sheet tab to the left into view
	Brings the next sheet tab to the right into view
	Insert new worksheet

Method

To scroll through sheet tabs:

1. Click the desired tab scrolling button.

Exercise

In the following exercise, you will view multiple sheet tabs.

1. Open the Latham College workbook. [The Enrollment by Seminar worksheet is active].
2. Click the button if this button is to the left of the tabs the first sheet is displayed if the button is to the right the last sheet is displayed. [The first/last sheet tab in the workbook comes into view].
3. Click the Print Marketing sheet tab. [The Print Marketing worksheet is active].
4. Click the Left scrolling button. [The first sheet tab in the workbook comes into view].
5. Click the Right scrolling button. [The next sheet tab on the right side comes into view].
6. Click the Enrollment by Seminar sheet tab. [The Enrollment by Seminar worksheet is active].

Coloring Sheet Tabs

You will probably find that one of the easiest ways to keep track of your different sheets is to color the tabs for quick reference (as shown below in Figure 1-2).

Figure 1-2: Workbook with colored tabs

Method

To scroll through sheet tabs:

1. Right-click the tab you want to color code.
2. Select Tab Color.
3. Select a color and click OK.

Exercise

In the following exercise, you will view multiple sheet tabs.

1. Open the Fashion Passion workbook. [The Catalogue Sales worksheet is active].
2. Right-click the fifth tab (overdue accounts). [The pop up menu shows tab options].
3. Choose Tab Color...[The color palette opens].
4. Click the Red color box. [The color is highlighted in the palette].
5. Choose OK. The dialog box closes.
6. Click a tab other than the overdue accounts tab. [The overdue accounts tab is red].
7. Color the other tabs in your choice of colors.
8. Color the other tabs in your choice of colors.

For more on working with Multiple workbooks please click here.