Number 299 - April 2008

Introduction to Spreadsheets & Ways To Use Them You Probably Didn't Know About - Part 1
by Ron Hirsch, Boca Raton Computer Society (Source: Boca Bits, December 2007. Used with permission.)
My monthly articles are usually on the very basics of understanding and using your computer. In a survey last year, I had several people ask about spreadsheets. So, this month I'm going to offer some information on a subject that most of you will find very alien -spreadsheets. But, I feel strongly that you are completely overlooking something which can be very useful, once you understand what a spreadsheet is.    A number of years ago, I had several articles in Boca Bits on this topic. This article is a revisit to this subject, and hopefully will open up new vistas to those of you just getting started with computers. And also all those who may be experienced users who have never entered the world of spreadsheets.This article is the first of two parts. Some background    In early 1987, when I bought my first computer, I was told that I also had to buy some software, or the computer wouldn't do anything. Even knowing virtually nothing about personal computers then, that seemed to be a reasonable statement. It's like buying a power saw. It gives you the capability to saw, but if you don't buy some lumber, you can't make anything.    The two main types of programs available back then were word processors and spreadsheets, and there were very few of either to choose from. So, I asked the salesman what was the difference between the two. He told me that word processors were for letter writing, and spreadsheets were for "number crunching" such as financial reports and the like. I accepted this simplistic statement, but have learned otherwise since then. Both spreadsheets and word processors are far more powerful than most people recognize.    Since programs were mostly standalone then, and cost $300-400, I decided to go with the spreadsheet, Lotus 1-2-3 ver. 2.01 as my starting point. I bought WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS a year later. That's when I really got my start with the personal computer.    A few years later, I switched from Lotus 1-2-3 to Quattro Pro, back in the early DOS days, and have followed along with it through today's version 12, which is part of the Corel WordPerfect Suite. Many of you may already have Excel, as it may have come preinstalled on your computer as part of Microsoft Office. But most people I know tend to regard Quattro Pro or Excel as something that they neither understand, nor use. They are missing out on a remarkable capability. The purpose of this article is to introduce you to spreadsheets such as Quattro Pro and Excel. Since I use Quattro Pro, I will generally be referring to it. But Excel is similar in most areas, and once you understand the basic principles, you can readily adapt to either.    Today's word processors and spreadsheets have come a long way since 1987, with many areas of overlapping capabilities. But, there are still people who think that these two types of programs do only what the salesman told me back in 1987. It's probable that more people have been exposed to a word processor than a spreadsheet. Therefore, the thrust of this article will be to introduce you to the tremendous power available in spreadsheets. Hopefully, you will then have a better feeling about just what a spreadsheet is, and how you can use it. This article is not intended to be a tutorial, but hopefully an eye opener for those who really don't understand what spreadsheets are, and how they can be used to perform amazing tasks. If you've never gotten into spreadsheets, you will be very surprised at some of things that you can do. Later on, in part 2, I mention a few of the activities other than plain number crunching where I use Quattro Pro. Maybe some of them will be useful to you. Spreadsheet basics & number crunching    First, let's define what a spreadsheet is. A spreadsheet basically consists of a ]arge number of individua] cells, arranged in rows and columns. The user can enter text strings, values, or formulas into the cells. These cells can be sized in both width and height.	In a Quattro Pro 12 spreadsheet, one can have up to 18,728 "pages," 18,278 columns and 1,000,000 rows available. That's a lot of room to do a lot of things. This is mainly for PR purposes, as it is unlikely that most people will eventually get close to these numbers. To be practical, if one created a spreadsheet that large, no existing PC could really handle it.    The columns are designated by letters, and the rows by numbers. Therefore, the upper left corner cell is a1. While this is "one page" of a modem spreadsheet, don't confuse the page term here with the printed output paper pages. One spreadsheet page could actually contain hundreds of "paper" printed pages.    For now, we won't get into the using of multiple pages in spreadsheets. Let's just say that each page is like another spreadsheet, and can actually be just that if desired.    The earliest use for spreadsheets was for manipulation of numbers. By establishing relationships between various cells, basic arithmetic can be automated. Number manipulation example    For example, let's enter into cell a1 the unit price of widgets, and b1 for the number of widgets. In column C1, we want the extended total dollars, which is the product of the two previous amounts. So, we enter +a1*b1 into cell C1.    The asterisk is the multiplication sign in spreadsheets, as it is in a typical electronic calculator.    Once we have entered numbers into al and b1, the total dollars automatically show in C1. And, whenever we change a1 or b1. C1 immediately changes. Human math errors are eliminated. and instant updating of calculated or linked information results.    This simple example is just that--simple. In actual use. very complex arithmetic, and mathematics can be performed instantly.    Remember the first electronic calculators--they were just four function devices--adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. Then came the "fancy" calculators with exponents, roots, trig functions, log functions etc. Today's spreadsheets have everything all built in, and offer a mind-boggling array of features.    While the four common arithmetic functions are the soul of spreadsheets, the available functions and commands run into the thousands. Virtually every mathematical function you can think of is available to the user. And, once the basic information has been put in place, the user can format things in endless ways with lines, fonts, colors, sizes, and shapes. Of course, one doesn't have to use any of these--but they are there for the using.    Quattro Pro also has a very large series of @functions, which are designed to execute all types of special computations/actions for the user. Furthermore, included with Quattro Pro, there are a variety of pre-made template spreadsheets which can do things such as providing the full information of a mortgage/loan payout, month by month, with principal, interest, etc., all displayed. There are many such templates, already formatted, and presented so that any user can take advantage of them. These alone could be worth the price of the suite. Most users I've talked to don't even know they are there. Conclusion    This concludes part 1 of the spreadsheet discussion. Next month wll be part 2 of this article. In the interim, if you have Excel or Quattro Pro on your computer, and you've never used it, why not run the program, and do a little "browsing" around to introduce yourself to the wonderful world of spreadsheets.
Number 299 - April 2008