Data Entry Form in MS Excel

It can be daunting and more than a bit frustrating when the CEO of your company dumps a ton of data on your desk and expects you to hastily turn it into an MS Excel database.

But it doesn't have to be daunting any longer -- it can even be easy using the Data Entry Form in MS Excel. This handy feature will allow you to enter an entire row of date all at one time, rather than entering each little bit of data one at a time. Sounds a lot better already doesn't it?

So we have now established that data entry forms in MS Excel definitely bear investigating eh?

Follow the steps below to learn how.

• To start, you must have column headings for the data table you are working with.   Select a cell in the first row of the data table.  
   
• If you are working with an older version of MS Excel, you will click on Data | Form.  
   
• If you are using the latest version of MS Excel (2007), it is a bit more difficult. You will need to add the Form button to your Quick Access Toolbar (QAT). To do so, click the down arrow to the right of the toolbar and select More Commands.  
   
• Set the Choose commands from field to All Commands.  
   
• Scroll down and select Form.  
   
• Click the Add button in the center.   This will place a button for the Form command into the list on the right, which is a list of items that will appear in your QAT.  
   
• Click OK to return to Excel.  
   
• Click the Form button in the QAT. Regardless of which version of MS Excel you are working with, click OK when the warning pops up.   The Data Entry Form will then open, allowing you to enter the data for an entire row.  
   
• You can navigate from field to field using the Tab key. When you have completed one set of data, use the Enter key to enter the data into the worksheet and at the same time, create new record.  
   
• When you have entered all of your data, click the Close button.

You should then be returned to your worksheet where you will find all your newly entered data in its proper place and you didn't have to go to the trouble of hopping from cell to cell to do it.

If you find you need to enter more data at a later time it's not a problem. The same method applies. You can use the vertical scroll in the middle of the window to move through data already entered or, if you need a new records, click the New button.