Spreadsheet Software

Spreadsheet software is used to store numeric data and to perform numeric functions on this data. The spreadsheet is made up of columns and rows, with the intersections known as cells. These cells store the individual units of data. Storing information in spreadsheets makes the process of performing numeric functions like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division simple. Most spreadsheets also allow for more complex functions to be performed on the data such as finding means, counts or establishing standard deviation etc. Spreadsheets allow for numeric data to be displayed in a user-friendly manner, usually in the form of graphs and charts (pictorial representations of the data).

Microsoft Excel is the most widely utilised spreadsheet application. It is often bundled as part of the Microsoft Office suite of applications. Microsoft obtained market dominance for spreadsheet software in the mid 1990’s when it took over from Lotus 1-2-3 as the market leader. This overtake was largely due to Microsoft’s ability to produce its own software for its new Windows operating system. The lead-time for Lotus to produce a Windows-compatible application was just too long for it to remain competitive with Microsoft.

An Open Source and free alternative to Microsoft Excel is ‘Calc’ part of the OpenOffice applications suite. Calc has many of the features of Microsoft’s Excel, as well as providing some unique functions such as the ability to automatically define series for graphs based upon the layout of the sheet. Calc also has the capability to save the spreadsheet directly in the Adobe PDF format, making the sheet more accessible and more easily shared across networks or the Internet. For more information about Calc or any of the other OpenOffice suite applications, please visit: OpenOffice.org.

The cells of the worksheet can contain either data directly entered by the keyboard or they can contain formulae that can calculate values based on the values of other cells. For example, cells A1 and A2 could contain the values 1 and 4, cell A3 could contain the function “=A1+A2” resulting in A3 containing a value of 5. More complex formulae can be constructed using the data from many other cells, but the basic premise remains the same. The Calc program allows users to enter formulae in natural language e.g. “sales – costs” meaning the learning curve is much sharper, and new users can be very productive with the application in a short time. Calc also incorporates a number of wizards that guide the user through more complex functions.

Both Calc and Excel are multidimensional packages, meaning that different spreadsheets can be linked together using formulae. This can have the advantage of only having to update values in one spreadsheet and having others automatically update. Originally described as a replacement to the accountants’ ledger book, spreadsheets are now utilised by a wide variety of individuals for all kinds of applications from producing invoices to organising a list of their DVD collection. Google offers an online facility to import or create new spreadsheets (and word processed documents) on its site http://docs.google.com. Since using packages is sometimes the best way to understand them, give Google’s online application a try.