Unit-2

Electronic Spreadsheet (Advanced)

• Libre Office Calc is a Open source spreadsheet program which can create , edit, format
functions and formulas to perform calculations.

• Libre Office Calc as a database program to organize, sort, filter, and analyze lists of
data.

• You can create a variety of database lists in Calc to manage sales contacts, inventory,
household valuables and much more.
FIELDS: Fields are typically the columns you use to define each part of your list in
Calc.
RECORDS: Database entries are called records. Each row represents one record in the
database.
TABLES: A table is an entire database list of information. In Calc, you can create many
tables.
FORM: You can use Data Form to enter records into a database list very quickly. The
Data Form is a special dialog box consisting of all the fields in your table.

I. Data Validation
• It helps to setup database table to control exactly what kind of data is allowed in the
cells.

• It allows right kind of data to enter after assigning data validation rule.
Steps for Data Validation
1. Select the column you need to validate.
2. Click on the Data menu.
3. Click on Validity.
The Validity dialog box appears.
4. Click on the Criteria tab.
5. Click on Allow drop-down box and select the option you want to apply.
6. Select the option in the Data drop-down box.
7. Define the data type perimeter by entering the value.
8. Click on the Input Help tab.
 9. Check the Show input help when cell is selected box.
10. Type the message title in the Title box.
11. Type the message in the Input help box.
The input box appears when a user selects a cell in the range.
12. Click on the Error Alert tab.
13. Type the title for the error message in the Title box.
14. Type instructions in the Error message box to help the user rectify the mistake.
15. Click on OK.
II. Filtering Records with AutoFilter

• Filtering is a feature in Calc that allows setting of conditions so that only certain data
is displayed. It is done to make it easier to focus on some specific information in a large
database.

• Auto filter is used to view selective data that satisfies some conditions.
• Steps for Filtering Records
1. Select the cells.
2. Click on the Data menu.
3. Click on AutoFilter.
Calc displays AutoFilter button () for each field.
4. Click on the AutoFilter button
of the field label for the data you want to filter.
5. Check the box next to any item you want to be filtered out.
After you apply the filter, only those records that match the checked items will remain.
6. Click on OK.
Sorting Records
Sorting is a feature in Calc that allows arranging of data in a specific order. Data can be sorted
on the basis of text, numbers, and combinations of text and numbers. Data can be arranged
either in ascending order (A-Z) or descending order (Z-A).
1. Click on the AutoFilter button of the field you want to sort.
2. Click on Sort Ascending or Sort Descending

Analyse data using Scenarios and Goal Seek

Introduction:
Data Analysis is the process to extract useful information for making effective decisions. The
spreadsheet is one of the best software used for data analysis. The spreadsheet component in
LibreOffice known as Calc includes several tools for data analysis.
III. Consolidating Data
Consolidate is a function used to combine information from multiple sheets of the spreadsheet
into one place
to summarize the information.
We need to check the following before consolidating data
1. Data types of the data which we want to consolidate should be same in all spreadsheet.
2. We should match the labels from all the sheets which are used for consolidating.
3. The first column should be same in all spreadsheet on the basis of which the data is to
be consolidated.
Steps to consolidate the data are as follows:
1. Open the spreadsheet which has the data to be consolidated.
2. Open the consolidate dialog box by Clicking Data > Consolidate.
3. Choose the required function from the drop-down list. like Sum, Average etc.
4. Add the ranges from the sheets which is to be consolidated.
5. Select the cell under ‘Copy results to’ where we want to display result.
6. Select the appropriate checkboxes under options and click on OK button.
Consolidate by’ has two options Row labels and Column labels. Check row label or column
label or both if you want to consolidate it by matching the label.
If Link to source data is checked, then it will keep on updating the data of the Consolidate sheet
automatically if there is any change made in the selected ranges.
IV. Subtotals
The Subtotal tool in Calc creates the group automatically and applies common functions like
sum, average on the grouped data. We can use any type of function for each column as per the
requirement of data analysis.
Steps for applying Subtotal are given below:
1. Open the spreadsheet and Click on Data menu and choose Subtotals.
2. Choose the column in the Group by list which is to be used for grouping the data.
3. Select the column by clicking the checkbox under Calculate subtotals for to create
subtotals.
 4. Select the desired function. (By default function is Sum)
5. Click on OK button.
NOTE: Columns should have label(column heading) on which we are applying Subtotal.

After performing subtotal, you can see outline to the left of the row numbers. This outline
shows the hierarchical structure where we can expand or collapse the data by clicking on ‘+’
or ‘-‘ sign respectively.
If you want to remove the outline feature then click on Data > Group and Outline > Remove
Outline.
V. What-if Scenarios
What-if scenario is a set of values that can be used within the calculations in the spreadsheet.
It can be used in the beginning of any project to optimise the output. This tool is used to predict
the output while changing the inputs and thus one can choose the best plan.
Steps to create scenario are given below:
1. Select the cells which contains values in the sheet that needs to be changed.
2. Choose Tools>Scenarios.
3. Enter a name for the new scenario.
4. Click on OK button
 VI. What-if Analysis Tool
What-if tool uses Data > Multiple Operations and is a planning tool for what-if questions.
The Multiple Operations tool creates a formula array to display the list of results on a list of
values used in the formula.
This tool uses two arrays of cells, one array contains the input values and the second array uses
the formula and display the result. What-if analysis tool is very helpful to know how much
profit we earn for a particular product for a series of selling units.
Following steps are used for what-if analysis tool:
1. Enter the data in the cells and then enter a formula to calculate a result from the data
entered.
2. Create an array of input values on the basis of which the output is to be generated.
3. Select the cell range of input array and output array.
4. Click on Data>Multiple Operations
5. Enter the cell address where we applied formula in the dialog box.
6. Enter the address of variable cell.
7. Click on OK
VII. Goal Seek
In general, we fill in the values in the cells and then create formula on these values to get the
required result. Goal seek helps in finding out the input for the specific output. for example
A student has received marks in 4 subjects and has to appear for the 5th subject and plans an
aggregate as 70. So, he can use goal seek tool to check how many marks he has to score in the
5th subject to get the required percentage.
Steps for Goal Seek are given below:
1. Enter the values and write the formula in the cell.
2. Choose Tools > Goal Seek.
3. Enter the address of cell in the “formula cell” box.
4. Enter the address of cell whose value is to be predicted or unknown in “Variable cell”
box.
5. Enter the target value and click on OK.

VIII. Using Macros in Spreadsheet

It is a set of recorded actions that can be replayed to automate repetitive tasks.
A macro is a single instruction that executes a set of instructions. These set of instructions can
be a sequence of commands or keystrokes that can be used for any number of times later.
By default, the macro recording feature is turned off when LibreOffice is installed on our
computer.
Macro recording can be enabled by selecting Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Advanced.
Observe the Optional Features. There are two options which are not check marked. Put the
checkmark on the option “Enable macro recording”.
Steps given below to record a macro
1. Click on Tools > Macros and then click on the Record Macro.
2. Now start taking actions that will be recorded.
3. Click on “Stop Recording” button to stop the recording of actions.
4. Basic Macros dialog window open to save the Macro.
5. Select the object in the Save Macro to list box.
6. Type the name of the macro and click on Save button.
NOTE: By default the name of the macro is Main and is saved in the Standard Library in
Module1. A Library is a collection of modules which in turn is a collection of macros.
Rules for naming a Macro, Module or a Library:
While naming a Macro, Module or a Library the name should :
1. Begin with a letter
2. Not contain spaces
3. Not contain special characters except for _ (underscore)
Running a Macro
To run a macro we need to perform the following steps.
 1. Click Tools > Macros > Run Macro
2. Macro Selector dialog box will open.
3. Select the library that contains the macro then select the macro under ‘Macro name’.
4. Click on Run to run the macro.
Code of a Macro
The action recorded by a macro is recorded as instructions in a programming language called
BASIC. It is also possible to view and thus edit the code of a macro. But remember, it is advised
to edit a macro only if you have knowledge of the language.
Creating and Organising a Simple Macro
Steps to organize the macro.
1. Click on Tools > Macros > Organize Macros > Basic
2. Basic Macro Dialog window open.
3. Click Organizer to open the Basic Macro Organizer dialog.
4. Click on Library > New to create library to store macro.
5. Click on Module tab and then New to create Module to store macro.

Macro as a Function
Suppose we need to perform the same calculation again and again on different sheets and there
is no predefined function for it. In such a situation it will be convenient to create a macro that
performs the calculations. It will save our effort of remembering and typing the formulas.
It is possible to do so if we use Macro as a function. Instead of writing instructions in between
Sub and End Sub, we can write instructions in between Function and End Function. A function
is capable of accepting arguments or values.

Linking Spreadsheet Data

IX. Inserting New Sheet in Spreadsheet
In LibreOffice Calc, by default there is only one sheet but we can insert multiple sheets. There
are three ways to insert new sheet.
1. To add a new sheet in the spreadsheet, click on the Add new sheet icon(+) sign located on
the Sheet tab of the spreadsheet
2. Right click anywhere on the sheet tab and select Insert sheet option from the drop-down list.
Insert Sheet dialog box will open as shown below. It gives us a choice to put the new sheet,
after current sheet or before current sheet or assign the name of the sheet etc.

4. Click on Sheet>insert sheet to open Insert sheet dialog box which will help us to insert
a new sheet.
X. Creating Reference to Other Sheets by Using Keyboard and Mouse
In this section we will learn how to reference cells in other sheets using mouse and keyboard.
Let we understand this by doing the following practical.
Creating reference using Mouse
Create the ‘Sheet1’ and ‘Sheet2’ in LibreOffice Calc as shown below:

Now we want the total marks in another Sheet named ‘Result’

To calculate the final marks for English in ‘Result’ sheet, follow the following steps.
1. First copy the Student Name and subject Name from ‘Sheet1’ to ‘Result’ sheet.
2. Type =SUM() in a cell and click between the brackets.
3. Now click on the ‘Sheet1’ sheet and click the English Marks for the first student and write
(+) for the next value. Now click on the ‘Sheet2’ sheet and click the English Marks for the first
student as shown below

4. Press Enter key, the total marks of subject English will be displayed in cell B2 of ‘Result’
sheet.
5. Then use fill handle to fill the cells up to the last student’s data. You can copy the same
formula for other subjects.
Creating reference using Keyboard
To refer to a cell in another sheet precede the cell reference with a ‘$’ sign. It is then followed
by the name of the sheet in ‘ ’ (single quotes) followed by a . (dot) and then the cell address.
For example, to refer a cell B2 of sheet named Sheet1 we will type: $‛Sheet1’.B2
In above practical, we can directly type the following formula in cell B2 of Sheet named
‘Result’ and then drag the formula to calculate the sum of the marks
=SUM($’Sheet1′.B2 + $’Sheet2′.B2)
OR
=SUM($Sheet1.B2 + $Sheet2.B2)
XI. Hyperlinks to the Sheet
Hyperlinks can be used in Calc to jump to a different location from within a spreadsheet to
other parts of the same file or to different files or even to web sites.
Relative and Absolute Hyperlinks
A hyperlink can be either absolute or relative. An absolute hyperlink stores the complete
location where the file is stored. So, if the file is removed from the location, absolute hyperlink
will not work. For example: C:\Users\ADMIN\Downloads\try.ods is an absolute link as it
defines the complete path of the file.
A relative hyperlink stores the location with respect to the current location. For example:
Admin\Downloads\try.ods is a relative hyperlink as it is dependent on the current location. If
the complete folder containing the active spreadsheet is moved the relative link will still be
accessible as it is bound to the source folder where the active spreadsheet is stored.
Creating Hyperlinks
Suppose, you have to hyperlink a “Sheet1” of “Result-X-A” spreadsheet document in the
“Result-X-B” spreadsheet document, then follow the following steps:
1. Open the “Result-X-B” spreadsheet document.
2. Click on Insert > Hyperlink. An Hyperlink dialog box will open.

3. Click on the Document on the left pan of dialog box. Click on the button located after
the Path. Select the document “Result-X-A”
4. Then click on the Target button to choose the sheet which is to be hyperlinked. Here in
our case we will select the sheet “Sheet1” as shown above.
5. Click on Apply and Close button.
6. Enter the text in the Text box to assign the hyperlink to that text.
7. Click on Apply and Close button.

Editing Hyperlinks
To edit an existing link, place the cursor anywhere in the link. Right click and choose
Edit Hyperlink…, the Hyperlink dialog box will be displayed, where we can do required
changes in the hyperlink.
On clicking the Remove Hyperlink option, the link will be removed from the text.

XII. Linking to External Data

Internet is a rich source of information, which is stored in the form of web pages. The
versatility of a spreadsheet allows us to insert tables from HTML documents into Calc.
The steps for the same are given below
1. Open the spreadsheet where external data is to be inserted.
2. Select Sheet > External Links…
3. The External Data dialog box will open.

4. Type the URL of the source document and press enter.

5. A dialog box is displayed to select the language for import. Selecting Automatic
shows data in the same language as in the webpage.
 6. From the Available Tables/Ranges list, choose the desired table and click OK. (as
shown below)

7.Table will be inserted in the spreadsheet.

XIII. Linking to Registered Data Sources
Libre Office Calc allows us to link spreadsheet documents with databases and other data
sources. The data source needs to be registered with LibreOffice.
The extension of LibreOffice Base is .odb. To register a data source that is in *.odb format,
follow the steps given below.
1. Select Tools > Options > LibreOffice Base > Databases. The Options – LibreOffice Base-
Databases dialog box appears.
2. Click the New button to open the Create Database Link dialog box.
3. Click Browse to open a file browser and select the database file.
4. Type a name to use as the registered name for the database and click OK.
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