Problem solving cases in microsoft access and excel

This is an electronic version of the print textbook Due to electronic rights restrictions, some third party content may be suppressed Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience The publisher reserves the right to remove content from this title at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it For valuable information on pricing, previous editions, changes to current editions, and alternate formats, please visit www.cengage.com/highered to search by ISBN#, author, title, or keyword for materials in your areas of interest PROBLEM-SOLVING CASES IN MICROSOFT® ACCESS™ AND EXCEL® This page intentionally left blank PROBLEM-SOLVING CASES IN MICROSOFT® ACCESS™ AND EXCEL® Ninth Annual Edition Ellen F Monk Joseph A Brady Gerard S Cook Australia • Brazil • Japan • Korea • Mexico • Singapore • Spain • United Kingdom • United States Problem-Solving Cases in Microsoft® Access™ and Excel®, Ninth Annual Edition Ellen F Monk, Joseph A Brady, Gerard S Cook Publisher: Joe Sabatino Senior Acquisitions Editor: Charles McCormick, Jr © 2012 Course Technology, Cengage Learning ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act—without the prior written permission of the publisher Senior Product Manager: Kate Mason Development Editor: Dan Seiter Editorial Assistant: Courtney Bavaro Marketing Director: Keri Witman Marketing Manager: Adam Marsh Senior Marketing Communications Manager: Libby Shipp Marketing Coordinator: Suellen Ruttkay Content Project Management: PreMediaGlobal Media Editor: Chris Valentine Senior Art Director: Stacy 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trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries Course Technology, a part of Cengage Learning, is an independent entity from the Microsoft Corporation, and not affiliated with Microsoft in any manner The programs in this book are for instructional purposes only They have been tested with care, but are not guaranteed for any particular intent beyond educational purposes The author and the publisher not offer any warranties or representations, nor they accept any liabilities with respect to the programs Course Technology, a part of Cengage Learning, reserves the right to revise this publication and make changes from time to time in its content without notice Cengage Learning is a leading provider of customized learning solutions with office locations around the globe, including Singapore, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, and Japan Locate your local office at: www.cengage.com/global Cengage Learning products are represented in Canada by Nelson Education, Ltd To learn more about Course Technology, visit www.cengage.com/ coursetechnology Purchase any of our products at your local college store or at our preferred online store www.cengagebrain.com Printed in the United States of America 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 To Joe and Gerry, for their hard work and clever ideas EFM To all the world’s problem solvers JAB To Ellen and Joe, for inviting me to join a winning team, and to my wife Rita, for her love and support GSC This page intentionally left blank BRIEF CONTENTS Preface ix P a r t : D a t a b a s e C a s e s U s i n g Ac c e s s Tutorial A Database Design Tutorial B Microsoft Access Tutorial 13 Case Preliminary Case: Veggie Box Delivery 51 Case Internet Jets Reservation System Database 56 Case The Intramural Sports Database 62 Case T-shirts etc Order Database 68 Case The Precious Metal Depository Database 74 P a r t : D e c i s i o n S u p p o r t C a s e s U s i n g Ex c e l S c e n a r i o M a n a g e r Tutorial C Building a Decision Support System in Excel 87 Case Future Cars Inc Product Strategy Decision 124 Case The Health Care Coverage Decision at Big Dog Collars 134 viii Brief Contents P a r t : D e c i s i o n S u p p o r t C a s e s U s i n g th e E x c e l S o l v e r Tutorial D Building a Decision Support System Using Excel Solver 145 Case Kuhlman’s Department Store Media Problem 181 Case Green Jeans, LLC Sales and Operations Plan 193 P a r t : D e c i s i o n S u p p o r t C a s e U s i n g Ba s i c E x c e l F u n c t i o n a l i t y Case 10 The College Return on Investment Analysis 209 P a r t : I n t e g r a t i o n Ca s e s U s i n g Ac c e s s a n d Ex c e l Case 11 The Baseball Offensive Performance Analysis 221 Case 12 The Brewery Index Calculation 228 P a r t : A d v a n c e d S k i l l s U s i n g Ex c e l Tutorial E Guidance for Excel Cases 237 Part 7: Presentation Skills Tutorial F Giving an Oral Presentation 253 Index 272 262 Tutorial F The chart contains a great deal of information Putting the $100,000 loan payments and $150,000 payments in the same “cluster” may confuse the readers They would probably find it easier to understand one chart that summarizes the $100,000 loan (see Figure F-12) and a second chart that covers the $150,000 loan Payments on $100,000 Loan $900 $800 $700 $600 $500 $400 $300 $200 $100 $0 6.00% 6.10% 6.20% 6.30% 6.40% 6.50% Interest Rate 360 Payments 180 Payments FIGURE F-12 Good balance of information You could then augment the charts with text that summarizes the main differences between the payments for each loan amount In that fashion, the reader is led step by step through the analysis Excel no longer has a Chart Wizard; instead, the Insert tab includes a Charts group Once you create a chart and click it, three chart-specific tabs appear under a Chart Tools heading in the Ribbon to assist you with chart design, layout, and formatting If you are unfamiliar with the charting tools in Excel, ask your instructor for guidance or refer to the many Excel tutorials on the Web Creating PowerPoint Presentations PowerPoint presentations are easy to create When you open PowerPoint, it starts a new presentation for you You can select from many different themes, styles, and slide layouts by clicking the Design tab If none of PowerPoint’s default themes suit you, you can download theme “templates” from Microsoft Office online When choosing a theme and style for your slides, such as background colors or graphics, fonts, and fills, keep the following guidelines in mind: • • • • In older versions of PowerPoint, users were advised to avoid pastel backgrounds or theme colors, and to keep their slide backgrounds dark Because of the increasing quality of graphics in both computer hardware and projection systems, most of the default themes in PowerPoint will project well and be easy to read If your projection screen is small or your presentation room is large, consider using boldface type for all of your text to make it readable from the back of the room If you have time to visit the presentation site beforehand, bring your PowerPoint file, project a slide on the screen, and look at it from the back row of the audience area If you can read the text, the font is large enough Use transitions and animations to keep your presentation lively, but not go overboard with them Swirling letters and pinwheeling words can distract the audience from your presentation It is an excellent idea to animate the text on your slides with entrance effects so that only one bullet point appears at a time when you click the mouse (or when you tap the screen using a touchsensitive board) This approach prevents your audience from reading ahead of the bullet point being discussed and keeps their attention on you Entrance effects can be incorporated and managed using the Add Animation button in PowerPoint 2010, as shown in Figures F-13 and F-14 Giving an Oral Presentation FIGURE F-13 The Add Animation button on the Ribbon in PowerPoint 2010 FIGURE F-14 Add Entrance Effect window 263 264 Tutorial F NOTE —DIFFERENCES IN POWERPOINT ANIMATION TOOLS—2010 VS 2007 The structure of the animation tools has changed considerably from PowerPoint 2007 to the 2010 version The Custom Animation button and pane are both gone Most of the custom animation tools are now incorporated using the Add Animation button in PowerPoint 2010 The look and feel is different, but the interface is more intuitive and easier to use You can still use an animation pane to organize and edit your animations within a slide • Consider creating PowerPoint slides that have a section for your notes You can print the notes from the Print dialog box by choosing Notes Pages from the “Print what” drop-down menu, as shown in Figure F-15 Each slide will be printed at half its normal size, and your notes will appear beneath each slide, as shown in Figure F-16 FIGURE F-15 Printing notes pages Giving an Oral Presentation FIGURE F-16 Sample notes page • Finally, you should check your PowerPoint slides on a projection screen before your presentation Information that looks good on a computer display may not be readable on the projection screen Using Visual Aids Effectively Make sure you choose the visual aids that will work most effectively, and that you have enough without using too many How many is too many? The amount of time you have to speak will determine the number of visual aids you should use, as will your target audience A good rule of thumb is to allow at least one minute to present each PowerPoint slide Leave a minimum of two minutes for audience questions after a 10-minute presentation, and allow up to 25 percent of your total presentation time to address questions after longer presentations (For example, for a 20-minute presentation, figure on taking five minutes for questions.) For a 10-minute talk, try to keep the body of your presentation to eight slides or less Your target audience will also influence your selection of visual aids For instance, your slides will need more graphics and animation if you are addressing a group of teenagers than if you are presenting to a board of directors Remember to use visual aids to emphasize your main points, not to detract from them Review each of your slides and visual aids to make sure it meets the following criteria: • • • • • • • The font size of the text is large enough to read from the back of the presentation area The slide or visual aid is as perfect as possible, and does not contain misleading graphics, typographical errors, or misspelled words—the quality of your work is a direct reflection on you The content of your visual aid is relevant to the key points of your presentation The slide or visual aid does not detract from your message Your animations, pictures, and sound effects should support the text Your visuals should look professional A visual aid should look good in the presentation environment If possible, rehearse your PowerPoint presentation beforehand in the room where you will give the actual presentation Make sure you can read your slides easily from the back row of seats in the room If you have a friend who can sit in, ask her or him to listen to your voice from the back row of seats If you have trouble projecting your voice clearly, consider using a microphone for your presentation All numbers should be rounded unless decimal places or pennies are crucial For example, your company might only pay fractions of a cent per Web hit, but this cost may become significant after millions of Web hits Slides should not look too busy or crowded Many PowerPoint experts have a “6 by 6” rule for bullet points on a slide, which means you should include no more than six bullet points per slide and no more than six words per bullet point Also avoid putting too many labels or pictures on a slide Clip art can be “cutesy” and therefore has no place in a professional business presentation A wellselected picture or two can add emphasis to the theme of a slide For examples of a slide that is too busy versus one that conveys its points succinctly, see Figures F-17 and F-18 265 266 Tutorial F FIGURE F-17 Busy slide FIGURE F-18 Slide with appropriate number of bullet points and a supporting photo You may find that you have created more slides than you have time to present, and you are unsure of which slides you should delete Some may have data that an audience member might ask about Fortunately, PowerPoint lets you “hide” slides; these hidden slides will not be displayed in Slide Show view unless you “unhide” them in Normal view Hiding slides is an excellent way to keep detailed data handy in case your audience asks to see it Figure F-19 shows how to hide a slide in a PowerPoint presentation Click the slide you want to hide, right-click the mouse, and then click Hide Slide in the menu to mark the slide as hidden in the presentation To unhide the slide, click it, right-click the mouse, and click Unhide Slide from the menu Click the slide to display it in Slide Show view Giving an Oral Presentation FIGURE F-19 Hiding a slide in PowerPoint PRACTICING YOUR DELIVERY Surveys indicate that public speaking is the greatest fear of most people However, fear or nervousness can be channeled into positive energy to a good job Remember that an audience is not likely to think you are nervous unless you fidget or your voice cracks Audience members want to hear what you have to say, so think about them and their interests—not about how you feel Your presentations for the cases in this textbook will occur in a classroom setting with 20 to 40 students Ask yourself: Am I afraid when I talk to just one or two of my classmates? The answer is probably no In addition, they will all have to give presentations as well Think of your presentation as an extended conversation with several classmates Let your gaze move from person to person, making brief eye contact with each of them randomly as you speak As your focus moves from one person to another, think to yourself: I am speaking to one person at a time As you become more proficient in speaking before a group, your gaze will move naturally among audience members Tips for Practicing Your Delivery Giving an effective presentation is not the same as reading a report to an audience You should rehearse your message well enough so that you can present it naturally and confidently, with your slides or other visual aids smoothly intermingled with your speaking The following tips will help you hone the effectiveness of your delivery: • • • • • • Practice your presentation several times, and use your visual aids when you practice Show your slides at the right time Luckily, PowerPoint makes this easy; you can click the slide when you are ready to talk about it Use cues as necessary in your speaker’s notes Maintain eye and voice contact with the audience when using the visual aid Do not turn your back on your audience It is acceptable to turn sideways to glance at your slide A popular trick of experienced speakers is to walk around and steal a glance at the slide while they are moving Refer to your visual aids in your talk, and use hand gestures where appropriate Do not ignore your own visual aid, but not read it to your audience—they can read for themselves Keep in mind that your slides or visual aids should support your presentation, not be the presentation Do not try to crowd the slide with everything you plan to say Use the slides to illustrate key points and statistics, and fill in the rest of the content with your talk Check your time, especially when practicing If you stay within the time limit when practicing, you will probably finish a minute or two early when you actually give the presentation You will be a little nervous and will talk a little faster to a live audience 267 268 Tutorial F • • • • Use numbers effectively When speaking, use rounded numbers; otherwise, you will sound like a computer Also make numbers as meaningful as possible For example, instead of saying “in 83 percent of cases,” say “in five out of six cases.” Do not extrapolate, speculate, or otherwise “reach” to interpret the output of statistical models For example, suppose your Excel model has many input variables You might be able to point out a trend, but often you cannot say with mathematical certainty that if a company employs the inputs in the same combination, it will get the same results Some people prefer recording their presentation and playing it back to evaluate themselves It is amazing how many people are shocked when they hear their recorded voice—and usually they are not pleased with it In addition, you will hear every um, uh, well, you know, throat-clearing noise, and other verbal distraction in your speech If you want impartial feedback on your presentation, have a friend listen to it If you use a pointer, be careful where you wave it It is not a light saber, and you are not Luke Skywalker Unless you absolutely have to use one to point out crucial data on a slide, leave the pointer home Handling Questions Fielding questions from an audience can be tricky because you cannot anticipate all of the questions you might be asked When answering questions from an audience, treat everyone with courtesy and respect Use the following strategies to handle questions: • • • • • • Try to anticipate as many questions as possible, and prepare answers in advance Remember that you can gather much of the information to prepare these answers while drafting your presentation The Notes section under each slide in PowerPoint can be a good place to enter anticipated questions and your answers Hidden slides can also contain the data you need to answer questions about important details Mention at the beginning of your talk that you will take questions at the end of the presentation, which helps prevent questions from interrupting the flow and timing of your talk In fact, many PowerPoint presentations end with a Questions slide If someone tries to interrupt, say that you will be happy to answer the question when you are finished, or that the next graphic answers the question Of course, this point does not apply to the company CEO—you always stop to answer the CEO’s questions When answering a question, a good practice is to repeat the question if you have any doubt that the entire audience heard it Then deliver your answer to the whole audience, but make sure you close by looking directly at the person who asked the question Strive to be informative, not persuasive In other words, use facts to answer questions For instance, if someone asks your opinion about a given outcome, you might show an Excel slide that displays the Solver’s output; then you can use the data as the basis for answering the question In that light, it is probably a good idea to have computer access to your Excel model or Access database if your presentation venue permits it, but avoid using either unless you absolutely need it If you not know the answer to a question, it is acceptable to say so, and it is certainly better than trying to fake the answer For instance, if someone asks you the difference between the Simplex LP and GRG solving methods in Excel Solver, you might say, “That is an excellent question, but I really don’t know the answer—let me research it and get back to you.” Then follow up after the presentation by researching the answer and contacting the person who asked the question Signal when you are finished You might say that you have time for one more question Wrap up the talk yourself and thank your audience for their attention Handling a “Problem” Audience A “problem” audience or a heckler is every speaker’s nightmare Fortunately, this experience is rare in the classroom: Your audience will consist of classmates who also have to give presentations, and your instructor will be present to intervene in case of problems Giving an Oral Presentation Heckling can be a common occurrence in the political arena, but it does not happen often in the business world Most senior managers will not tolerate unprofessional conduct in a business meeting However, fellow business associates might challenge you in what you perceive as a hostile manner If so, remain calm, be professional, and rely on facts The rest of the audience will watch to see how you react—if you behave professionally, you make the heckler appear unprofessional by comparison and gain the empathy of the audience A more common problem is a question from an audience member who lacks technical expertise For instance, suppose you explained how to enter data into an Access form, but someone did not understand your explanation Ask the questioner what part of the explanation was confusing If you can answer the question briefly and clearly, so If your answer turns into a time-consuming dialogue, offer to give the person a oneon-one explanation after the presentation Another common problem is receiving a question that you have already answered The best solution is to give the answer again, as briefly as possible, using different words in case your original answer confused the person If someone persists in asking questions that have obvious answers, you might ask the audience, “Who would like to answer that question?” The questioner should get the hint PRESENTATION TOOLKIT You can use the form in Figure F-20 for preparation, the form in Figure F-21 for evaluation of Access presentations, and the form in Figure F-22 for evaluation of Excel presentations FIGURE F-20 Preparation checklist 269 270 Tutorial F FIGURE F-21 Form for evaluation of Access presentations Giving an Oral Presentation FIGURE F-22 Form for evaluation of Excel presentations 271 INDEX Note: Page numbers in boldface indicate key terms * (asterisk), 57, 63 ` (back quote), 117 {} (curly braces), 20 (decimal point), 18, 91, 92, 116–117, 139, 265 = (equal sign), 93, 119 () (parentheses), 20, 29 # (pound sign), 132 [] (square brackets), 18, 30 ~ (tilde), 117 A Access (Microsoft) See also database design; queries creating reports with, 37–42 exiting, 13 importing data with, 43–45 integration cases and, 221–234 reservation systems database case and, 56–61 terminology, 3–11 tutorial, 13–50 veggie box delivery case and, 51–55 actions, enabling, 50 Add button, 104 Add Constraint dialog box, 166 Add-Ins dialog box, 146–147 advertising, 181–182 Analysis group, 146, 155, 165, 188 Analysis ToolPak, 146–147 Analysis ToolPak VBA, 146–147 AND operator, 115, 118–119 animations, for presentations, 262–264, 265 Answer Report, 161–162, 165, 168–171, 179, 188, 201–202 append queries, See also queries April Bills report, 55 arguments, entering, 98, 100 asterisk (*), 57, 63 attributes described, looking for, overview, audiences See also presentations analyzing, 253 drafting reports for, 254 tips for handling, 268–269 AutoFilter window, 240 AutoSum button, 153–154 AutoSum function, 153–154 AVERAGE function, 232, 233, 244, 246–247 Average operator, 22, 241–242 B back quote (`), 117 Band Member table, 7–9 bar (column) charts, 258–262 baseball performance analysis case, 221–227 Best Customers query, 71–72 Best Selling Product query, 71 Bill of Materials section, 172–173 Bookings table, 9–10 borders for cells, 116 for tables, 116, 150–151 Borders menu, 116, 150–151 Boxes table, 52 brewery index calculation case, 228–234 bullet points, “6 by 6” rule for, 265–266 business descriptions, entities in, identifying, C calculated field(s) See also fields activating, 18 avoiding errors with, 19–20 creating queries with, 55 data redundancy and, 57 described, 10 join operations and, 21–22 overview, 17–18 properties, 18–19 troubleshooting, 49, 50 Calculations section, 89–91, 93–94, 99–102, 112, 127–129, 137–138, 149–154, 173, 184–185, 212 cardinality, cell(s) aligning, 115 borders, 116 changing, 156–157, 161, 175–177, 186–187 copying/pasting, 92, 94, 96, 100–101 displaying formulas in, 117 formatting, 91, 115, 117 NA (Not Applicable) indicator in, 91, 139 optimizing, 156–157, 161 references, 92, 104, 166 sum of, 153–154 updating, 164–165 Change Constraint dialog box, 166, 176 charts, 109, 114, 190–191, 203–204 bar (column), 258–262 flip, 257 pie, 258 pivot, 224, 226–227, 242–243 in presentations, 257–262 types, selecting, 215–216 circular reference errors, 118 Clipboard, 109–110, 117 Close button, 14 Close Database command, 13 college return on investment case, 209–218 column(s) See also fields charts (bar charts), 258–262 described, sum of, 153–154 pivot tables and, 243 widths, 196 compound primary key(s) described, fields, setting, 15 Constants section, 89, 91, 110–111, 117, 126, 136, 148–149, 151, 171–172, 183–184, 187, 195–202 constraint(s) changing, 165–166 defining/entering, 157–163, 176 overconstrained models and, 175–176 restarting Excel Solver with new, 177–178 selecting, 165–166 Copy command, 92, 94, 96 CORREL function, 233, 234 Cost of Attending College section, 212–213 Cost section, 151, 163–164, 197–199 Count operator, 22, 23–24 Count Totals operator, 49 COUNTIF function, 227, 244, 247–248 Create button, 13 Create Report option, 37 Create tab, 14, 46 Create Table window, 238 curly braces ({}), 20 Index Currency data type, 8, 18–19, 28, 50 overview, 116–117 Scenario Manager and, 91 Customers table, 52 D data analyzing sets of, 224–225 entry errors, 16, 49, 93 gathering, 190–191, 203–204, 214–218, 224 importing, 43–45, 232–234 redundancy, 10, 57 sorting, 38, 239–240 tables, 224–225, 237–243 Data tab, 103, 146, 155, 165 Data Tools group, 103 data types Currency data type, 8, 18–19, 28, 50, 91, 116–117 described, double data type, 18 Numerical data type, Text data type, 8, 44 database(s) See also database design; relational databases common problems with, troubleshooting, 48–50 creating, 13, 63, 69, 75–76 saving, 13, 48 database design See also databases concepts, 4–5 guidelines, 57 overview, 1–83 practice problem, 11 printing, 63 rules, 5–10 terminology, 3–4 tips, 63 Database window, 13–15 Datasheet view, 13 date/time, of sporting events, 65 Date() function, 27–28 Debt Owed section, 139 December Hours query, 81, 82, 83 December Hours report, 82, 83 decimal point (.), 18, 91, 92, 116–117, 139, 265 Decrease Decimal button, 116 delete queries, 4, 29–32, 66 Delete Withdrawal query, 81 Deliveries by Type and Shape query, 78–79 Deliveries form, 76–77 Delivery by Zip Code query, 53 department store case, 181–192 Design button, 45 Design tab, 18, 22, 38, 41, 46, 238 Design view, 13, 24, 46, 48 Disabled Mode, 31 Distance/Demand table, 150, 163 documentation See also memorandums Documents folder, 13, 48, 115 double data type, 18 DSS (Decision Support Systems) See also Microsoft Excel Solver basics, 87–103 brewery index case and, 228–234 building, 86–123, 145–147 college return on investment case and, 209–218 creating spreadsheets for, 183–189 department store case and, 181–192 evaluating outcomes and, 103–110 health care case and, 134–141 house purchase case and, 110–114 integration cases and, 221–237 model, organization of, 88 overview, 87 product strategy case and, 123–133 sales/operations plans case and, 193–218 using basic Excel functionality, 209–218 workbooks for, 189–191 E Edit Scenario dialog box, 104 employee IDs, 7, 14–18, 20–24, 32–33, 39 Employee table, 20–22, 29, 31–32, 46–48 Enter Parameter Value message, 49 entities database design rules and, 6–7 described, identifying, overview, EPS (earnings per share) ratio, 230–233 EPS query, 230–233 equal sign (=), 93, 119 equals (=) operator, 176 errors calculated fields and, 19–20 circular reference, 118 data entry, 16, 49, 93 Excel Solver and, 200 “fatal,” 179 join operations and, 20 evaluation forms, 270–271 Excel (Microsoft) See also Excel Solver (Microsoft) advanced skills using, 237–249 basic functionality of, DSS using, 209–218 importing data from, 43–45 number formats, 116–117 overview, 114–123 printing cell formulas with, 179 saving work with, 114–115 status bar, 159–160 versions of, 155 Excel Scenario Manager (Microsoft) analysis, 113 borrowing calculations, 121–122, 123 cash flow calculations, 120–121 defining a scenario with, 103–104 gathering data with, 132–134 health care coverage case and, 134–141 house purchase case and, 110–114 manipulating summary sheets with, 108–110 overview, 86–141 product strategy case and, 123–133 repayment calculations, 122, 123 rerunning, 108 worksheets, printing, 114 Excel Solver (Microsoft) See also DSS (Decision Support Systems); Excel (Microsoft) adding, to the Ribbon, 145–147 defining/entering constraints with, 157–163 department store case and, 181–192 “fatal” errors in, 179 help, 155 installation, 145–146 iteration limits, 179 optimizing/changing cells with, 156–157, 161 overview, 145–147 reinstalling, 180 restarting, with new constraints, 177–178 running, 186–188, 199–202 setting up, 155–163, 186–188, 199–202 spreadsheet skeleton, 148–154 troubleshooting, 174, 179–180 Exit command, 13 F “fatal” errors, 179 Favorite Colors query, 71–73 field(s) See also calculated fields; columns described, linked, 49 moving, in Layout view, 41–42 names, 20, 27, 49, 57 properties, 18–19, 46 redundant, avoiding, 10 selecting, 15 Field Properties window, 18–19 File tab, 13, 14, 146, 179 flip charts, 257 See also charts fonts, in spreadsheets, 183 foreign keys data redundancy and, 10 described, form(s) See also objects creating, 46–48, 51–55, 58–60, 62–83 described, evaluation, 270–271 sub-, 46–47, 58–59, 64 273 274 Index Forms group, 46 Format Painter, 117 formula(s) circular reference errors and, 118 copying/pasting, 100, 152–153, 249 displaying, in cells, 117 entering, 125, 152–153 Excel Solver and, 152–155, 164, 179, 197 filling in, 91–100 performance analysis and, 226 printing, 179 Scenario Manager and, 91–99, 100, 117–118, 125 updating, 164 Function Arguments dialog box, 98, 131 functions See also functions (listed by name) built-in, 244–249 queries and, 27–28 functions (listed by name) See also functions AutoSum function, 153–154 AVERAGE function, 232, 233, 244, 246–247 CORREL function, 233, 234 COUNTIF function, 227, 244, 247–248 Date() function, 27–28 IF function, 97–98, 100, 102 IRR function, 123, 130–132 MAX function, 244, 245 MIN function, 244, 245 NPV function, 213–218 OR function, 118–119 PMT (Payment) function, 95–96, 112 RANDBETWEEN function, 244, 249 ROUND function, 244, 246–247 ROUNDUP function, 244, 246–247 G Game Times query, 65 graphs, for presentations, 257–262 GRG Nonlinear method, 156, 200, 201 H handouts, 257 headings, changing, 24 health care coverage case, 134–141 Hires section, 197–199 Home tab, 13, 16 Hours Worked table, 14–17, 37–41 house purchase case, 110–114 I IF function, 97–98, 100, 102 IF statements, 115, 118–120, 226 images, in reports, 41 Import Spreadsheet Wizard, 43–45 Income and Cash Flow Statements section, 89–92, 96–99, 112–113, 129–130, 138–139 Income Statement section, 174, 185–186 Increase Decimal button, 116 Inputs section, 89, 111, 127, 136, 210–214 Insert Function dialog box, 97, 131 integer(s) See also numbers changing cells and, 175, 176–177 formats, 116–117 optimality settings, 159, 178 integration cases, 221–234 interest rates, 94–96, 102 intramural sports database case, 62–67 IRR function, 123, 130–132 iteration limits, 179 J Job Assignments table, 28–29 join operations, 3, 20–22 July Order Summary query, 55 L LastYearsData query, 223 Layoffs section, 197–199 Layout view, 41–42 library databases, 11 logos, in reports, 41 M many-to-many relationships, 5, 6, 10 MAX function, 244, 245 Members table, 58–59 memorandums, 141, 191, 204, 218, 227, 234, 237 Microsoft Access See also database design; queries creating reports with, 37–42 exiting, 13 importing data with, 43–45 integration cases and, 221–234 reservation systems database case and, 56–61 terminology, 3–11 tutorial, 13–50 veggie box delivery case and, 51–55 Microsoft Excel See also Microsoft Excel Solver advanced skills using, 237–249 basic functionality of, DSS using, 209–218 importing data from, 43–45 number formats, 116–117 overview, 114–123 printing cell formulas with, 179 saving work with, 114–115 status bar, 159–160 versions of, 155 Microsoft Excel Scenario Manager analysis, 113 borrowing calculations, 121–122, 123 cash flow calculations, 120–121 defining a scenario with, 103–104 gathering data with, 132–134 health care coverage case and, 134–141 house purchase case and, 110–114 manipulating summary sheets with, 108–110 overview, 86–141 product strategy case and, 123–133 repayment calculations, 122, 123 rerunning, 108 worksheets, printing, 114 Microsoft Excel Solver See also DSS (Decision Support Systems); Excel (Microsoft) adding, to the Ribbon, 145–147 defining/entering constraints with, 157–163 department store case and, 181–192 “fatal” errors in, 179 help, 155 installation, 145–146 iteration limits, 179 optimizing/changing cells with, 156–157, 161 overview, 145–147 reinstalling, 180 restarting, with new constraints, 177–178 running, 186–188, 199–202 setting up, 155–163, 186–188, 199–202 spreadsheet skeleton, 148–154 troubleshooting, 174, 179–180 Microsoft PowerPoint, 257, 262–265 See also presentations notes from, printing, 264 Scenario Manager and, 109–110, 133 versions of, 262, 264 Microsoft Visual Basic, 87 Microsoft Word, 109–110, 133, 140, 191 MIN function, 244, 245 Most Popular Pilot query, 60 Move or Copy command, 187 Move or Copy dialog box, 187 N navigation pane, 15 NCP (Net Cash Position), 120–122, 123, 139 negative/fractional answers, 175 New Worksheet option, 243 Index November Hours query, 79–82 November Hours report, 82 NPV function, 213–218 number(s) See also integers; Numerical data type in changing cells, 175 formats, overview, 116–117 handling large, 196 in presentations, 265 whole, 175 Number of Jets Reserved query, 59 Number of Students on Teams query, 65–66 Numerical data type, See also integers; numbers O object(s) See also forms described, saving, 14, 16 one-to-many relationships, one-to-one relationships, Options button, 31 Options dialog box, 159, 178 OR function, 118–119 OR operator, 115 Order Line Item table, 70 Orders table, 52–55, 70 overhead transparencies, 257 P Page Setup dialog box, 202 parameter(s) changing, 188–189, 202 queries, 32, 33, 53–54, 71 Parameter Query field, 20 parentheses, 20, 29 PE (price earnings) ratio, 230–231, 233–234 PE ratio query, 231, 233–234 PeopleSoft, 87 pie charts, 258 PINs (personal identification numbers), pivot tables, 224, 226–227, 242–243 See also tables PivotTable tool, 242–244 PMT (Payment) function, 95–96, 112 Popular Deliveries query, 77 Popular Withdrawals query, 77 pound sign (#), 132 PowerPoint (Microsoft), 257, 262–265 See also presentations notes from, printing, 264 Scenario Manager and, 109–110, 133 versions of, 262, 264 precious metal depository case, 74–83 preparation checklist, 269 presentations Access and, 61, 67, 73, 83 animations for, 262–264, 265 bullet points in, 265–266 drafting, 254–256 effective use of, 265–267 evaluation forms, 270–271 Excel Solver and, 191–192, 204 explaining databases, 61 fonts for, 265 graphics supporting, 255–267 handling questions during, 268 planning, 253–256, 269 practicing, 267–269 preparation checklist, 269 purpose of, 253 repetition in, 254–255 Scenario Manager and, 133, 141 skills, 253–271 time limits for, 255 tips for, 61 toolkit, 269–271 transitions in, 254–255, 262 Price Increase Notification query, 55 primary key fields defining tables and, 14–15 described, duplicate key field values and, 48 importing data and, 45 primary keys, designing, See also primary key fields Print dialog box, 264 product strategy case, 123–133 projection systems, 257 pseudo-headings, 24 Q QBE (Query by Example) See also queries duplicate rows and, 49 grid template, 33–37 join operations and, 20–21 Parameter queries and, 32–33 Totals queries and, 22–23 Update queries and, 30–31 queries See also QBE (Query by Example); queries (listed by name); reports append, creating, 17–42, 51–55, 58–60, 62–83, 231 data arithmetic and, 27–28 delete, 4, 29–32, 66 described, functions and, 27–28 importing, 224–227, 232–234 integration cases and, 223 join operations and, 20–22 output, 19, 21, 22 overview, 3–4, 17–83 practice, 33–37 running, 19 time arithmetic and, 28–29 troubleshooting, 48–50 updating, 29–32, 37 using calculated fields in, 17–18 queries (listed by name) See also queries Best Customers query, 71–72 Best Selling Product query, 71 December Hours query, 81, 82, 83 Delete Withdrawal query, 81 Deliveries by Type and Shape query, 78–79 Delivery by Zip Code query, 53 EPS query, 230–233 Favorite Colors query, 71–73 Game Times query, 65 July Order Summary query, 55 LastYearsData query, 223 Most Popular Pilot query, 60 November Hours query, 79–82 Number of Jets Reserved query, 59 Number of Students on Teams query, 65–66 PE ratio query, 231, 233–234 Popular Deliveries query, 77 Popular Withdrawals query, 77 Price Increase Notification query, 55 Students without Physical Exam query, 64–65 ThisYearsData query, 224 Totals query, 22, 23–26, 49–50, 54 Query Design button, 26 query generators calculated fields and, 10, 17–18 duplicate rows and, 49 R RANDBETWEEN function, 244, 249 records adding, 15–18 deleting, 66 summarizing data from multiple, 22–26 relational databases See also databases intramural sports case and, 62–67 precious metal depository case and, 74–83 setting up, 51–55 t-shirt order case and, 68–73 veggie box delivery case and, 51–55 relationships described, looking for, many-to-many, 5, 6, 10 one-to-many, one-to-one, overview, 275 276 Index report(s) See also queries; reports (listed by name) creating, 37–42, 51–55, 58–60, 62–83 drafting, 254–256 Excel Solver and, 168–171 generating, 55 grouped, 37–41 logos/images in, 41 printing, 41, 50 Scenario Manager and, 103–110 Report view, 41 Report Wizard, 50 reports (listed by name) See also reports Answer Reports, 161–162, 165, 168–171, 179, 188, 201–202 April Bills report, 55 December Hours report, 82, 83 November Hours report, 82 Reservations by Customer report, 60 reservation systems case, 56–61 Reservations by Customer report, 60 Reservations table, 58–59 Reset options warning message, 177–178 Results section, 149–154 Results window, 168 return on investment case, 209–218 Return on Sales section, 139 Ribbon accessing the Solver pane from, 155 adding Excel Solver to the, 145–147 Scenario Manager and, 103, 115 ROUND function, 244, 246–247 ROUNDUP function, 244, 246–247 row(s) See also records deleting, 49 described, duplicate, 49 formatting, 238 S sales and operations plans case, 193–218 Sales table, 48 SAP, 87 Save As dialog box, 115 Scenario Manager analysis, 113 borrowing calculations, 121–122, 123 cash flow calculations, 120–121 defining a scenario with, 103–104 gathering data with, 132–134 health care coverage case and, 134–141 house purchase case and, 110–114 manipulating summary sheets with, 108–110 overview, 86–141 product strategy case and, 123–133 repayment calculations, 122, 123 rerunning, 108 worksheets, printing, 114 Scenario Manager dialog box, 105, 108 Scenario Summary dialog box, 105–107 Scenario Values dialog box, 105 “scratch areas,” 33 searching, for files, 48 Security Content button, 50 select queries, Show Tables dialog box, 26 Show/Hide group, 18, 22, 31 Simplex LP method, 200, 268 single primary key field, Slide Show view, 266 slide shows See presentations solutions, creating new, 188–189 Solver Options dialog box, 178–179 Solver pane, 155–156 Solver Parameters window, 155–163, 177, 200–202 Solver Results dialog box, 160, 161 sorting data, 38, 239–240 spaces, inserting, 49 spreadsheet(s) See also Excel (Microsoft); worksheets creating, 125–132, 183–189, 194–203, 210–214 DSS basics and, 87–103 gathering data with, 132–134, 140–141 house purchase case and, 110–114 importing, 43–45 models, construction of, 90–91 printing, 114 setting up, 171–172 skeletons, 148–154, 183, 196 titles, 148, 171–172 square brackets ([]), 18, 30 Start button, 48 status bar, 159–160 stock exchange case, 228–234 Students table, 64 Students without Physical Exam query, 64–65 Subform/Subreport dialog box, 47 Subform/Subreport icon, 46–47 Sum operator, 22, 49, 241 Summary of Key Results section, 89–92, 105–106, 111, 127, 136–137, 140, 211–212 summary sheet(s) data, copying, 109–110 manipulating, 108–110 T table(s) adding records to, 15–18 borders for, 116, 150–151 creating, 13–15, 52, 51–55, 58, 62–83 data tables, 224–225, 237–243 database design rules and, date/time displays, 27–29 defining, 13–14 described, documenting, 57 entities and, relationship of, 4–5 join operations, 3, 20–22 time arithmetic, 49–50 transaction, 57, 63 talent agency case, 5–6 Team Members table, 64 Text data type, 8, 44 ThisYearsData query, 224 ThisYearsStat table, 222 tilde (~), 117 time arithmetic, 28–29, 49–50 Total Sales Dollars calculations, 100–101, 118–119 Totals query, 22, 23–26, 49–50, 54 transaction tables, 57, 63 t-shirt order database case, 68–73 U update queries, 4, 29–32, 37, 50, 71 USB thumb drives, 114–115, 181 V Var operation, 22 veggie box delivery case, 51–55 Vehicle Loading section, 151–155, 163–165 Visual Basic (Microsoft), 87 W Wage data table, 14, 16, 20–22, 29, 31 What-If Analysis icon, 103 What-If Analysis menu, 103 what-if scenarios, 103, 140 whiteboards, 257 Withdrawals form, 77 Withdrawals table, 81 Word (Microsoft), 109–110, 133, 140, 191 workbooks See also spreadsheets; worksheets gathering data with, 203–204 saving, 188 worksheet(s) See also spreadsheets; workbooks copying, 187 printing, 114, 202 renaming, 187 skeletons, 90–91 Y Yes/No variables, 16