Fifthly, Excel enables us to use functions such as “IF”, “SUM”, “AVERAGE”, and “COUNTIF” so, for example, if I wanted to use the IF function, all I would have to do is insert it into a formula. This wouldn’t be possible in Word.
Furthermore, in Excel, I could validate data by using “Data Validation”. For example, if by mistake I typed in 345 in the “Rate per Hour” column, Excel would restrict the value to be entered in the cell. So basically it is there to prevent any errors occurring in the spreadsheet, it keeps figures in range.
In addition, I could also use “Conditional Formatting” to compare things. For example, it only takes a glance to compare worker productivity, sales figures, product performance, or other measures that are important to your business. Excel makes it easier than ever to apply rich conditional formatting.
Also, it is easier to make graphs. You enter the data, highlight it, go on graphs and choose which 1 is most suitable.
However, there are some bad points about Excel. When an error occurs and column/row is too small for the error to be shown or the information in the cell is too small to show like a number being too big, Excel displays it as “####” . This is a disadvantage because we immediately think the “##”s mean an error when it might not be one. So if the person deleted the information on that cell, the whole spreadsheet might not work.
Furthermore, it is too complicated to get to the “Absolute Cells Reference” stage. We have to type the $ sign and fix the cell into place. What if Excel had already made a function based on “Absolute Cells Reference”? This would’ve made the whole process much easier to get across.
Beside this, there is another point: Microsoft Office 2007 is out now and the layout of Excel seems to be extremely different to 2003’s Excel. This is the new layout;
It looks much more upgraded and easier as well as more accessible to get through the things we usually need. However, because of the new layout, settings and the whole new concept on the way getting round to Excel has changed, it could prove difficult. This is because the instructions might differ, for example, in 2003’s Excel, to do “Conditional Formatting” you’d have to go follow a set of directions before getting to it, whereas in 2007’s version, “Conditional Formatting” is the “Home” page.
More or less, nearly everything is alright with using Excel, except the “##”s. The cell should not show hash signs, it should increase the size of the column/row giving an option of “Yes/No” to the person who’s using Excel if they want to continue with the increasing of the cells. Or, there should be a setting, allowing the users to make the option for the columns/rows automatically being increased so that it is easier and less time consuming.
I found using Excel really quite simple at first, but as it progressed in to more and more detail; it got harder to keep up with the intensity of using the spreadsheet effectively. I specially found working out the right formulas for each of the Sub-headings quite difficult because it was hard to figure out how the formulas were meant to come across and where they should be placed. For example, I made a mistake in my spreadsheet, because I inserted the formula =C10-$B$22 which was actually supposed to be =C10-(C10*$B$22). So another improvement for Excel could be to make settings for the user to have a choice or getting informed if something does not look right.
