Microsoft Excel Basics: Building a Daily Sales Tracker and Using Formulas

Overview

This video tutorial introduces beginners to Microsoft Excel on Windows 10, demonstrating how to construct a practical daily sales tracking sheet for a small retail shop. The instructor demonstrates launching Excel through the Windows Start menu, structuring basic columns, and configuring auto-calculating totals using formulas. The demonstration starts with simple cell addition before expanding the table into a multi-column sales log containing transaction dates, product quantities, and individual prices for items like salt and sugar. The tutorial teaches the use of arithmetic formulas combining multiplication and addition (=B4*C4+D4*E4) to compute line totals, followed by using the autofill handle to copy formulas down columns. Finally, the tutorial covers summary calculations using the =SUM() function to compute overall monthly sales, applies formatting such as centering, bolding, cell borders, and currency styling (Ugandan Shillings / UGX), and finishes with saving the workbook to the local desktop.

Opening Microsoft Excel in Windows 10

00:00

To start working in Microsoft Excel on Windows 10, open the Start menu by clicking the Windows logo icon. Browse through 'All apps' or scroll down the application list to locate the 'Microsoft Office' folder. Click on 'Microsoft Excel' to launch a new spreadsheet workbook. Excel is introduced as an essential application for numerical calculations and structured data entry in business environments.

• Access Excel via the Windows 10 Start menu under Microsoft Office.
• Excel serves as a calculation and record-keeping tool for small businesses.

Basic Addition and Autofill in Excel

01:53

The presenter sets up initial columns for items such as Salt and Sugar alongside a Total column. To add values from two cells, an equal sign (=) is entered to initiate formula mode. By typing or selecting the relevant cell references (such as =C4+B4) and pressing Enter, Excel computes the sum. To apply the same calculation across multiple rows without retyping, hover over the bottom-right corner of the cell until the cursor becomes a crosshair (+) autofill handle, then click and drag down.

• All Excel formulas must begin with an equal sign (=).
• Cell references (e.g., C4 and B4) are combined using standard operators like +.
• The autofill drag handle copies formulas down across multiple rows.

=C4+B4

Building a Multi-Item Sales Formula (Quantity × Price)

05:00

To create a realistic sales tracker, new columns are inserted by right-clicking existing column headers and selecting 'Insert'. The spreadsheet is structured with Date, Quantity (QTY), Price per item (Salt), Quantity, Price per item (Sugar), and line Total. To compute the full daily revenue across multiple products, the instructor writes a combined arithmetic formula: =(Quantity1 * Price1) + (Quantity2 * Price2), represented as =B4*C4+D4*E4. Pressing Enter calculates the revenue for that date, and dragging the autofill handle copies the calculation down the remaining rows.

• Right-click a column header and choose 'Insert' to add new columns.
• Multiply quantity by unit price using the asterisk (*) operator.
• Add product subtotals in the line total formula using the plus (+) operator.

=B4*C4+D4*E4

Summary Totals with SUM, Formatting, and Saving

07:15

To compute aggregate sales across all logged days, a summary cell is created using the =SUM() function. By selecting a target cell and entering =SUM(F4:F20) (or dragging down across the entire totals range), Excel computes the grand monthly revenue. The instructor then applies visual formatting: merging and centering header cells, making labels bold, applying 'All Borders' to the table grid, and opening the Format Cells dialog to apply the Ugandan Shillings (UGX / USh) currency format with zero decimal places. Finally, the workbook is saved via File > Save As to the Desktop with a descriptive filename.

• Use =SUM(range) to calculate aggregate totals over a series of cells.
• Enhance table readability using Merge & Center, bold styling, and All Borders.
• Configure custom or regional currency formatting via Format Cells > Currency.
• Save the project via File > Save As.

=SUM(F4:F20)