IT Application and Tools in Business

Prelims (Microsoft Excel Basic Operations/Spreadsheet)

Basic Operation of MS Excel

a. Uses a grid of cells arranged in numbered rows and letter-named columns to organize

data manipulations like arithmetic operations. 
b. It has a battery of supplied functions to answer statistical, engineering and financial
needs.
c. It can display data as line graphs, histograms and charts and with a very limited
three-dimensional graphical display. 
d. It allows sectioning of data to view its dependencies on various factors from
different perspectives.
e. It has a programming aspect, Visual Basic for Applications, allowing the user to
employ a wide variety of numerical methods.
f. It has a variety of interactive features allowing user interfaces that can completely
hide the spreadsheet from the user.

MS Excel in Using External Data

DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) - Uses the message passing mechanism in Windows to allow
data to flow between Excel and other applications.

Network DDE (Network Dynamic Data Exchange) - Extended the protocol to allow
spreadsheets on different computers to exchange data. 

RTD (Real Time Data) - although in many ways technically superior to DDE, has been slow to
gain acceptance, since it requires non-trivial programming skills, and when first released was
neither adequately documented nor supported by the major data vendors.

*** Programmers have produced (Application Programming Interface) APIs to open Excel

spreadsheets in a variety of applications and environments other than Microsoft Excel. These
include opening Excel documents on the web using either ActiveX controls, or plugins like
the Adobe Flash Player. ***
Spreadsheet - is the computer equivalent of a paper ledger sheet. It consists of a grid made
from columns and rows. It is an environment that can make number manipulation easy and
somewhat painless.

Spreadsheets are made up of:

a. Columns
b. Rows
c. Cells

Types of Data in a Cell

a. Text (Labels)
b. Number Data (Constants)
c. Formulas (Mathematical Equations that do all the Work)

Column - is defined as the vertical space that is going up and down the window. Letters are
used to designate each Column’s location.

Row - is defined as the horizontal space that is going across the window. Numbers are used
to designate each Row’s location.

Cell is defined as the space where a specified row and column intersect. Each Cell is assigned a
name according to its Column letter and Row number.

Labels - are text entries. They do not have a value associated with them.

Constants - are entries that have a specific fixed value. 

Formulas - are entries that have an equation that calculates the value to display. 

*** When we are entering formulas into a spreadsheet we want to make as many references
as possible to existing data. If we can reference that information we don't have to type it in
again. and more importantly if that other information changes, we do not have to change the
equations. ***

Selecting cells - in an equation is a very important concept of a spreadsheet. We need to

know how to reference the data in other parts of the spreadsheet. 

Sum function - takes all of the values in each of the specified cells and totals their values.

The syntax is:

  =Sum(first value, second value, etc)

Average function- finds the average of the specified data (adding all of the indicated cells
together and dividing by the total number of cells).

 The syntax is:

 =Average (first value, second value, etc.)

Maximum Function - This will return the largest (max) value in the selected range of cells.

The syntax is:

 =max (first value, second value, etc.)

Minimum Function - This will return the smallest (min) value in the selected range of cells.

The syntax is:

 =min (first value, second value, etc.)

Counting Function - This will return the number of entries (actually counts each cell that
contains number data) in the selected range of cells.

The syntax is:

 =count (first value, second value, etc.)

CountA Function - This will return the number of entries (actually counts each cell that
contains number data or text data) in the selected range of cells.

The syntax is:

 =countA (first value, second value, etc.)

IF function - will check the logical condition of a statement and return one value if true and a
different value if false.

The syntax is:

 =If (condition, value-if-true, value-if-false)

PMT (Payment) function - returns the periodic payment for an annuity 

The syntax is:

 =PMT(rate, NPER, PV, FV, type)