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This is a
brief introduction to a very powerful and helpful business management tool
which resides on your PC NOW!.
MS Excel is a simple software program
(part of your Microsoft Office suite) that works like a sophisticated calculator capable of handling many
mathematical functions at the same time. The system works as a grid
of connected 'boxes' or CELLS, all of which can have numbers and
mathematical formulae entered into them to help calculate and simplify a wide range of
number crunching tasks. The 'grid' is called a spreadsheet, and is
made up from ROWS (numbered 1 => 50,000+ down the page) and COLUMNS
(Lettered A => ZZZ across the page), and where a ROW intersects with a
COLUMN is a CELL that is identified by both the ROW number and column
letter - e.g. A5, G16, S35, Z85, AA106 and so on.
The beauty of spreadsheets is that once
you have set up the format (what you want the sheet to do and how) and
saved it, the computer does the work exactly as instructed until you
change the math rules in the sheet.
This then allows you to leave constant numbers, text or formulae
untouched while changing certain other numbers (variables) that will
give a range of different answers.
No more rubbing out and changing penciled in numbers, then working out
new answers on your calculator and putting those into a ledger page
every time you want to update your calculations! In this
brief lesson we will show you how to do some simple tasks related to your
business and will assume you have not used MS EXCEL before.
The Business
Solutions Shop has wide experience in using MS EXCEL for financial and
business analysis, a brief example of which you may have seen on our
website (the Profit and Loss Performance Tutor). We will start by describing the opening EXCEL 'page', or
a spreadsheet as it is more commonly called.
Across the
top, all the COLUMNS are identified by letters of the alphabet. Down the
side, all the ROWS are identified by successive numbers. This is important
as this 'grid' system allows us to identify or 'name' and use
mathematically, any particular CELL.
This is the operating logic for MS EXCEL - CELLS containing data [numbers]
are operated on by data in other CELLS, carrying out particular mathematical
functions on those numbers.
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