Navigating the ribbon and menus in Excel - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a new employee learning to use Excel for your daily tasks.

📋 Request: Your manager wants you to create a simple sales report and format it using Excel's ribbon and menus.

📊 Data: You have a small table of sales data with columns: Product, Units Sold, and Price per Unit.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a formatted sales report that shows total sales per product and apply basic formatting using the ribbon and menus.

Sample Data

Product	Units Sold	Price per Unit
Apples	30	0.5
Bananas	45	0.3
Cherries	25	1.2
Dates	40	1.5
Elderberries	20	2.0

1

Step 1: Select the cell next to the first product in the table to calculate total sales.

Enter formula: =B2*C2

Expected Result

15 (30 units * $0.5)

2

Step 2: Copy the formula down the column for all products.

Drag the fill handle from the first formula cell down to the last product row.

Expected Result

Total sales calculated for each product: Bananas=13.5, Cherries=30, Dates=60, Elderberries=40

3

Step 3: Use the ribbon to format the header row with bold text.

Select header row cells, then click 'Home' tab > 'Bold' button (B).

Expected Result

Header row text becomes bold.

4

Step 4: Adjust the column widths to fit the content.

Select all columns with data, then double-click the right edge of any selected column header.

Expected Result

Columns resize to fit the longest content.

5

Step 5: Apply currency format to the Price per Unit and Total Sales columns using the ribbon.

Select the Price per Unit and Total Sales cells, then click 'Home' tab > 'Number Format' dropdown > 'Currency'.

Expected Result

Prices and totals display with a dollar sign and two decimal places.

6

Step 6: Add a bottom border to the header row using the ribbon menus.

Select header row, then 'Home' tab > 'Borders' dropdown > 'Bottom Border'.

Expected Result

A line appears below the header row.

Final Result

Product     Units Sold     Price per Unit     Total Sales
---------------------------------------------------------
Apples          30              $0.50             $15.00
Bananas         45              $0.30             $13.50
Cherries        25              $1.20             $30.00
Dates           40              $1.50             $60.00
Elderberries    20              $2.00             $40.00

✓Total sales per product are calculated correctly.

✓Headers are clearly visible with bold text and bottom border.

✓Currency formatting makes prices easy to read.

✓Columns are adjusted for neat presentation.

Bonus Challenge

Use the ribbon to insert a simple bar chart showing total sales per product.

Show Hint

Select the product names and total sales columns, then go to 'Insert' tab > 'Charts' group > 'Bar Chart'.