Undoubtedly, you will not have time to enter data cell to cell, then what would you do?
Did you ever think about Excel data entry formats? How these formats are made and how do they work?
A big thanks to Excel once again who never let you down in any situation. In Excel, you can find a hidden data entry form that lets you enter data in the sheet smoothly. And you will not have to suffer from laborious efforts.
How Excel Data Entry Format Made in Excel
When you have a fully functional Excel table only then you can use a data entry form. For this, you need to enter data in a table and click on the Form button. Follow the steps given below:
- Put the column heading in the worksheet’s uppermost row. You can skip this step if you need an input form for an existing dataset.
- Choose a cell from the dataset and press CTRL + T. It will choose the data all at once and converts the data into the table.
- Put the cursor anywhere and click on the Form button.
- Once you click on the Form button, it will make a data entry form by default for the table with fields in the column.
You can clearly see the Excel input form contains many buttons. Each button has some explanation:
Other than these buttons, you can even use the following key navigations:
- To get an earlier field:
Press SHIFT + Tab
- To get to the next field:
Press Tab
- To save the recent record and start a new one:
Press Enter
Data Entry Form Importance:
Most of the time, users don’t know anything about Data entry forms. However, if data entry is the routine work of your tasks, you must learn this feature. When we talk about Excel data entry format, two main issues you may have to face:
Time-Consuming:
Once the data is entered into one cell, you have to move on to the next cell for putting data into the other cell. Sometimes, while entering data you may have to go up to check which column it is and what data comes next. Or else you may have to go right and left to see where your data is missing and in which cell you need to add data.
Error-Prone:
When the dataset is large enough, suppose you need to add 40 values, it might be possible that you accidentally enter something wrong that you don’t intend to add.
An Excel data entry format lets you work faster and makes fewer errors.
Parts of the Data Entry Form:
You will notice a data entry form contains many different buttons. Each button has its explanation, let’s see:
New: Using this button, you can clear recent data in the form and it also lets you make a new record.
Delete: With this button, you can delete the current record.
Restore: With this button, you can simply get back the previous data in the form. It is used while editing an existing entry.
Find Prev: With this button, you can find the previous entry.
Find Next: With this button, you will be able to find the next entry.
Criteria: This button lets you find certain records.
Close: As the name implies, it will close the form.
Scroll Bar: This button lets you use the scroll bar to look into the records.
To Sum Up
Today, you have learned about a hidden feature of Excel Data entry format. This feature is not used separately because it is not the only feature Excel is famous for. Despite this fact, this feature is available in Excel to use whenever you need it.
