Today it is hard to imagine the world of work without Excel: With Excel you can create lists and diagrams in order to manage them. According to abbreviationfinder.org, the application is also frequently used in the private sector. Therefore Microsoft Excel is one of the standard programs on almost every PC. It was first developed in 1985. Since 1987, the offering has been geared towards the Windows operating system.
- Excel is part of the Microsoft Office software suite
- With the program you create tables
- Calculations and formulas can be carried out easily
- With Excel you present your results graphically
What is excel
The Excel program is part of the Microsoft Office software and helps with spreadsheets. Along with the word processing program Word, the e-mail manager Outlook and the presentation program PowerPoint, it is one of the brand’s most important offers. With Excel, you create tables and perform calculations according to certain formulas and functions.
How is Excel structured?
You can use Excel to create workbooks. These folders consist of tabs – and in each tab you will find cells that are created by dividing the workbook into rows and columns. Each cell has a designation, which is determined from the letter of the column and the number of the assigned row. A1 is the first field in the top left.
The files in the tables always have the extension
- .xls
- .xlsx
- .xlsm
What can you do with Excel?
Compiling formulas, developing and displaying data – this is possible with the Excel spreadsheet program. Define predefined links, calculate sums or determine statistical values by entering numbers. The calculated values can be sorted or grouped. You can also have them output as a graphic. How to design charts and diagrams for the workbook or a presentation.
What is Excel used for in Office?
In the office, many users rely on Excel, as the program can be used to easily pass on predefined links. The analyzes and calculations with Excel allow you to optimize processes and find solutions faster.
Use Excel for private expenses
Excel is also used in the private sector, for example when it comes to recording expenses in a budget book. You write down the information from bills and receipts in a table and use certain categories such as food, energy costs, other expenses and rent. You can also use a formula to find out the deductible expenses and VAT. The sum formula indicates the total expenditure. Anyone who records this information on a monthly basis can easily identify trends by comparing them.
Create phone lists with Excel
Another option: You can use Excel to create a telephone list with friends or club colleagues. In the first column write down names, in the remaining columns the telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Use background colors and frames to make the table clear
What shouldn’t you use Excel for?
Many experts strongly advise against creating a password table in Excel. It is true that the individual secret data can be easily listed and is therefore quickly at hand, but they are not adequately protected against unauthorized access. Even beginners can easily bypass the password protection of Excel and then have direct access to your data.
What does Excel cost?
You can buy Excel as a complete package as part of Microsoft Office. For example, you can choose the box in stores. The student price for the offer is set at 149 euros, in the business version you pay 279 euros. In addition to Excel, the package also includes Word, PowerPoint and OneNote. The business model also has Outlook.
Get Excel cheaply
Office 365 also includes Excel. In this case, you lease the programs – until the latest versions are on the market. With this model you are much cheaper to travel: you pay around 60 euros a year for the home version.
Buying Excel individually is not recommended. The price for the program is 135 euros.
Tip: In order to get to Excel particularly cheaply, it is advisable to buy a previous version of the latest Office offers. These are often available at low prices. And the innovations are often limited from version to version.