Multiple references must be enclosed in an extra set of parentheses. The Excel AREAS function returns the number of areas in a given reference. SUM allows you to sum any number of columns or rows by selecting them or typing them in, for example, =SUM(A1:A8) would sum all values in between A1 and A8 and so on. The sum function is the most used function when it comes to computing data on Excel. To help you get started, here are 5 important Excel functions you should learn today. What is the formula for volume in Excel?.What is the most useful Excel function?.What are the most important Excel skills?.How do you remove extra spaces in Excel?.