Emma Christian SPREADSHEETS !

Emma Christian Spreadsheets (P1) What are they? They are a Brilliant way of organising and analysing data for all sorts of different things. Also to sort and search through. Can also model situations so that you can ask, what if I did this? They can perform all kinds of complicated calculations in a click of a button, update themselves automatically, be graphically pleasing and they can also sort data by different categories. Also used to produce charts, and mind maps. Can format data, and make tables. Another thing they can do is create drawings, and are brilliant for accountants as they can format the cells to fit their needs. There is an almost unlimited amount of columns A, B, C and rows 1, 2, 3 available for usage and all the separate cells have different cell references. For example C4 for the cell directly below Column C, and across from row 4. Can use formulas to reference two different cells and put the total in there, or the difference. Could be used by teachers, Scientists, engineers, business managers! (To control Finances, keep track of experiments, Calculate marks and grades, to work out business plans, test whether structures are strong enough, Even a canteen worker.

Emma Christian How is it used? (P1) Use formulas to work sums out, and perform all sorts of complicated calculations at a click of several buttons. If button to set terms, can work out averages, min-max too. Can store data in a flat file database using two dimensional excel worksheets. Can import data from other programs, and export too. Manipulate data in different ways to make it as easy to understand as possible. For example putting it in tables or sorting from a-z. Or putting things in all sorts of different charts using chart wizard! (or graphs) Can also colour bars or lines in to make them more noticeable and set them apart from the other data. Also font, colour and texture. Drawing functions so you can create suitable pictures to make the slightly dull spreadsheets easier to analyse. Two different levels really, the level of the actual data, and then the layout. Calculations and Functions. It can also recalculate things quickly when the data changes, rather like responding in real life, from a problem. Control if the cells are set as numbers, text or other. Then changes them to match. For example if it was currency you can put decimal places in and put the symbol of the currency. Or if it was text it would leave it alone, or if it needed a decimal place, or putting as a fraction it could do that too.

Emma Christian Multiple Sheets (P1) You can make another workbook, or you could just create another sheet and swap over. There is also chart style sheets where charts can be on their own. Has lots of different options such as inputting other excel spreadsheets from other workbooks, or inputting different types of spreadsheets including macro workbooks and premade layouts.

Emma Christian Different functions for cells (P1) Font Border Shading Patterns Italics/Bold/Highlight/Underling/Strikethrough Merge cells Alignment Size Wrap Symbols Superscript Tab Y/n Auto sum References

Emma Christian Relative Referencing (P1) Cells are relative by default which means they share a relationship with the other cells. When a formula containing relevant references is copied into a different cell, it maintains the reference. This recognises cell placement, and looks at the relationship positions of each cell. To maintain the relationship it looks at the new cell, and changes its previous settings with a modifier. This makes the spread sheet dynamic, and can help when say all the cells are moved to the right, or moved to the bottom of the sheet.

Emma Christian Budget Control (P1) Could put in all the data, and work out what the budget cap is, then work out if they have enough money for everything, and if not work out a plan where it does work out. Could also plan how long it would take to get the extra items. Also could look at data for the company and analyze the budget.. Perhaps look at the good, and compare it to someone else's total prices to see where they should go cheaper and where they can afford to up the price. They could also see the total list of expenses to see where they are going wrong, for example buying too many or unnecessary items, or if they can afford to add something. Perhaps work out how much something costs per year, or per day rather than in the current format. For example if they need to be X amount of hot food each day, they could work out how much it costs per customer, or how much it costs over a year… or Put all of this into a nice analytical graph. Spot patens and trends in their gains and losses, then work out how to provide for the losses, and replicate the gains.

Emma Christian Sales Forecasting & Cash Flow Forecasting (P1) A table/chart would be brilliant for this. The data for the past year could be inputted into the program, and then used to analyse the previous data to figure out all the weaknesses and strengths. It can then be used to predict what will happen in the next month/year and operate accordingly. The forecasting can be if there is a problem, for example if they are not making as much money as they need to each August because the children are off from school, and then they can work out where they can stretch the budget to cover that time, or work out how to gain enough profit during that time. They could also predict how much stock they will need, and when they will need it. (The cash flow/sales forecast) – What they will sell, and how much they will sell it for. Complex calculations and graphs can be used to illustrate this, and tables and input data can be used to set the data.

Emma Christian Data Mining (P1) This is the process of extracting information and patterns from data. Since data is useless without context, this helps to give it one. Brilliantly used for Forecasting and all sorts of other things, like budget control for example. Could be used to regain perspective on business practices this is done in both difficult and easy ways. For one thing the data can be mined simply by setting up a table, perhaps even a chart to immediately sort out data and perhaps an instant analysis. Also it could be done manually by asking people to put their ideas down, copying the information into a word, then picking out the key words, inserting into a database, and then working out what is the most wanted.

Emma Christian What IF (P1) Scenarios is a set of values that excel can store, and then substitute automatically into the worksheet. What if is if you do something, what would happen? For example if you sold X number of goods, you would get Y Profits, and if you sold another X, you would get B Profits. Can also be used to speedily update the sheet by only changing a few cells rather than the entire thing. Can be used for predicting outcome, and such things as material testing and first time sales. Can also be used to summarise data even if you have written the summary first. The previous data could be linked to the sheet so when you change it on Excel, it also changes on word to correct your number.

Emma Christian Graphs (D1) A brilliant way of doing a lot of different things, such as manipulating, analysing and easily comparing and referencing different bits of data at the same time is a graph. Because there are a lot of different graphs such as bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, flow charts then vastly different data can be processed in exactly the right way to get as much information, in the most simple (and effective) format as possible. An organisation may be trying to sell computers, and want to see how well they did one month on everything, as opposed to how well they did last month (in every aspect). Since people take in data much quicker in visual form that written form (in the amounts I am speaking of anyway) a small packed chart would be much easier than shoving a 10000word report at them, and if they are working for the company, they have to be slightly intelligent, so why not let them draw their own conclusions rather than boring them to death by explaining the complex analysis of the presenters own. Charts would possibly inspire people into voicing these interpretations, and a genius idea may be formed! In a chart people can easily see that for example selling profits of “” are __ in relation to the profits of “”, or that there is a Patten between “” and “”. In a wordy word document that could easily be missed. But a visual Patten on a visual clear graph? Could only be ignored if they were actively trying to do so. This can also be used to spot unexpected happenings, such as corrupt or unlikely data, and other such out of pattern data. This could be used to spot fraud, or a department that is doing worse than another one. In the assignment excel worksheets one of the charts makes it clear how many boys and girls are in each course, this could be used to check for such things as funding allowance or trends and patterns. This could be used to check out different things like this too. The charts can also be filtered, to filter out or filter in certain information, this can be used to increase focus, or compare one data set to another, without the third in the way.

Emma Christian Statistical Functions (D1) Functions make things easier. Using this for data mining is one of its many uses, along with making it much easier to separate and analyse data, which can then be used to make super secret plots and forecasts. This can be used to sum up data or work out on average how much something does something. One of the things that the functions do are make it much easier to spot trends too. For example if every selling prices has an average of 34, and all the selling prices are around that number then you can easily see that all the data is basically the same, or a very unlikely coincidence. This is actually another way to spot unlikely data trends and embezzlement. Comparison of totals is also made possible. Then the totals could be further modified to work out certain problems.

Emma Christian Pivot Tables (D1) These work exactly like charts except they are less graphically based. They still work on filtering and information, and do everything that a chart does, except have as interesting professional looking colours. They are also limited to one or two basic layouts of formatting rather than the many the graphs have. They do all the same things though, and can achieve such things as comparing totals, analysing data and trends, easily manipulating massive amounts of data at the click of a button, and can also be used by businessmen or others in presentations to support (or create) ideas, and back plans. Almost as ideal as a Graph for brain storming.

Emma Christian Filter Charts and lookup (D1) They work a little like pivot tables except that all fields can be modified, and that they can be applied to any old data sheets. This makes a brilliant way to single out single items of data, or segments, or even certain trends. You can see how useful this would be for a company if they had millions of customers and were only looking to send information to say students, they could then filter the chart, and input it into separate documents via something like a mail merge… ‘Manipulating complex data’. Lookup works the same way, except by always looking up a certain thing rather than say a data set. Also instead of being restricted to a certain document it can go wherever it is linked to in all the worksheets. It can also cause links to pages (making for easily analysed data) and other such things. Lookup is also used to link data together, if one page is changed, so is another. This means that if the name is put into a master spreadsheet, whenever anyone wishes to change it, or a certain element (in college spreadsheets this could be used if someone wishes to change their name) then the data is changed on not only that page, but on all the linked pages too. You can see how this would save time and reduce errors. This ‘could’ be used to analyse data, and is certainly a method of interpretation (which is why I have added it in).

Emma Christian Input Forms (D1) Input forms are used to.. Input data! (Put in). This can be used to make everything more pretty, or to make it easier to view and understand a lot of different sections of data in the same place. Also makes it much easier for someone to put in a new data such as in a college if a new student arrives, they will need to be put into the form (see ‘Input Form’). Instead of writing it all out in a spreadsheet, they can instead just open the form in a separate program possibly attached to the student records, and then the input form will automatically enter it into such things as an enrolment form, and the student database, and such. This increases efficiency, manipulating complex data, and can eventually be used to interpret and analyse data later.