How to Store and Retrieve Data in Microsoft Excel for the iPad

Create and manage worksheets

Workbooks provide structure for the storage of information, but you store the information on worksheets within the workbook. A worksheet provides a seemingly simple cellular structure that can store more than 17 billion data points.

You don’t have to store all your data on one worksheet. You can organize information on separate worksheets so that the content of each worksheet is easier to review and manage. You don’t even have to store all related data on the same worksheet—you can easily reference data on other worksheets for purposes such as performing calculations or creating reports. You can also reference data in other workbooks, so it isn’t necessary to have a copy of a worksheet that you reference from multiple workbooks in each of those workbooks.

Add, rename, and remove worksheets

A new, blank Excel workbook contains one worksheet named Sheet1. You can add more worksheets to the workbook for the purpose of storing or displaying data, and give each worksheet a meaningful name. If you want to use an existing worksheet as a starting point for another, you can make a copy of the worksheet, rename the copy, and then modify the data on the copy. The data on the copy is not linked to the data on the original worksheet.

To select or display a worksheet

1. In the sheet tab area, tap the worksheet tab.

To add a worksheet to a workbook

1. In the sheet tab area, to the right of the existing worksheet tabs, tap the Insert Worksheet button, which is labeled with a plus sign (+).

To create a copy of a worksheet

1. Display the worksheet that you want to copy.
2. Tap the active worksheet tab to display the shortcut bar.
3. On the shortcut bar, tap Duplicate.

To rename a worksheet

1. Display the worksheet that you want to rename.
2. Double-tap the active worksheet tab to activate the worksheet name for editing and display the on-screen keyboard.

3. Enter the new worksheet name, and then do one of the following:

   • Tap anywhere on the worksheet.
   • On the on-screen keyboard, tap Done or tap the Keyboard key.

To delete a worksheet from a workbook

1. Display the worksheet that you want to delete.
2. Tap the active worksheet tab. Then on the shortcut bar, tap Delete.

Move and hide worksheets

Many workbooks contain multiple worksheets. The data you store or display on individual worksheets might exist independently or interact with content on other worksheets. For example, you might:

• Store data for individual time periods or projects on separate worksheets.
• Store static information such as resources, list options, and holiday dates on one worksheet and reference that information in calculations on several other worksheets.
• Display a chart on a worksheet that is separate from the data that supports it.
• Display data from multiple worksheets on a summary worksheet.

You can organize worksheets in a workbook by reordering them.

If you don’t need to have the information on a worksheet immediately available, or if you want to protect or conceal a worksheet, you can hide it. Hiding a worksheet removes the worksheet tab from the sheet tab area on the status bar but doesn’t remove any data.

To move a worksheet within a workbook

1. Display the worksheet that you want to move.
2. In the sheet tab area, tap and hold the active worksheet tab, and then drag it to its new location.

To hide a worksheet

1. Display the worksheet that you want to hide.
2. In the sheet tab area, tap the active worksheet tab. Then on the shortcut bar, tap Hide.

To unhide a worksheet

1. Tap the active worksheet tab.
2. On the shortcut bar, tap Unhide to display a list of the hidden worksheets in the workbook.
3. In the list, tap the name of the worksheet that you want to unhide.

Show and hide worksheet elements

Data stored in an Excel worksheet is organized in columns and rows. The junction of each column and row is a cell, and this is where you enter data.

An empty worksheet resembles a piece of graph paper, with each cell outlined so you can easily locate it. Lettered headings across the top of the worksheet identify specific columns, and numbered headings down the left side of the worksheet identify specific rows. Worksheet tabs at the bottom of the window identify worksheets within the workbook.

You can hide all these user interface elements to display more of a worksheet or to focus on the worksheet content. You can also hide the Formula Bar when it isn’t required, so that it appears only temporarily while you edit cell content.

Hiding the Formula Bar or worksheet tabs affects all the worksheets in a workbook. Hiding the gridlines or headings affects only the active worksheet. Excel preserves the gridline and heading settings, so if you exit and reopen a workbook the gridlines and headings on each worksheet will be as you left them.

To hide Excel user interface elements

1. On the View tab, tap the Formula Bar, Gridlines, Headings, or Sheet Tabs slider to change its background to white.

To temporarily display the Formula Bar

1. Double-tap a worksheet cell to activate it for editing.

To permanently redisplay Excel user interface elements

1. On the View tab, tap the Formula Bar, Gridlines, Headings, or Sheet Tabs slider to change its background to green.