Excel

Excel

Microsoft Excel 2013

Microsoft Excel is an essential part of the Microsoft Office software. It has revolutionized the way the world handles correlating data. Unlike a word processor, a Microsoft Excel document is made up of columns and rows of data, which create individual cells. Each of these cells can hold a value related to the column and row that created it. It can contain either text-based or numeral-based values that can be created or manipulated using functions. Here are just a few of Microsoft Excel’s various ingenious features:

Data Types and Formats

Microsoft Excel can accept many different types of data. Some of the most common data types are Integer (whole numbers), Floating Point (numbers with decimal points, Currency, String, Boolean and Date. Each data type is treated according to its unique characteristics and is assigned formatting options in the same way. For example, any data classified as Currency will have options for various currency symbols and any data classified as Date will have options for commonly accepted ways of writing out calendar dates (i.e. dd/mm/yyyy or yy-mm-dd, etc.).

Calculations and Formulas

Microsoft Excel truly shines in its ability to perform advanced calculations that can be executed alone by themselves or combined with other formulas. Composite mathematical expressions can also be written using cells as variables. Changing the value of a referenced cell will adjust all formulas that referenced it and results for your formula will self-adjust. Microsoft Excel also has pre-programmed functions that can performed operations using the data it is fed. Some of the most popular functions include SUM(…) which will add up the values of all cells referred to between the brackets, PMT(…) calculates a loan payment given the number of payments, the interest rate and the principal amount, UPPER(…) returns text in all uppercase letters, etc. The functions included cover subjects like Financial, Logical, Text, Math, Engineering and so much more. Microsoft even helps you with syntax as you type.

Data Handling

With Microsoft Excel, data can be manipulated and presented to many ways. It can be sorted so that it is displayed in a certain order, as specified, with just a few mouse clicks, no matter how many rows of data your spreadsheet holds. Data can be temporarily filtered to show only those rows that meet the stipulated criteria. There are also data tools for removing duplicates in columns, data validation and consolidation. Some of Microsoft Excel’s most useful features are the Forecasting tools. You can use these tools to easily create scenarios based on your data or make projections based on the trends showing in your existing data.

Microsoft Excel is the smartest choice if you're looking for a program that offers extensive functionalities related to what an organization really needs. It is guaranteed to catapult your organization's productivity to new levels.