Excel is a spreadsheet program that is part of Microsoft's Office Suite of software. Along with Word, PowerPoint and Outlook (called Entourage in the Macintosh version), it makes up part of the most popular and iconic software packages. Excel allows users to have multiple spreadsheets in a workbook (which is a single file), and can be referenced by other workbooks using formulas, macros and common links.
Excel was formally debuted in 1985 (replacing an earlier version, the DOS-based Multiplan), during the era in which Lotus 1-2-3 ruled the spreadsheet world. Because Lotus was slow to develop a Windows version, Microsoft took matters into its own hands and created Excel, essentially leapfrogging Lotus' ability to compete on this new platform.
Workers and computer users at every level work with Excel in virtually every type of business, and Excel workbooks can run the full gamut of size and complexity. These range from simple lists to multi-document, macro-leaden files that contain charts, graphs, graphics and multiple "what if" scenarios.
Like most other applications in the Microsoft Office suite (as well as virtually every other software package), Excel is full of features that warrant several full-length books and "missing manuals."
Identification
Their distinctive icon is what identifies Excel files on the desktop or in a directory. The traditional file suffix for Excel documents has always been .xls, though versions introduced in 2007 (Office 2007--Windows) and 2008 (Office 2008--Macintosh) append the file name with the suffix .xlsx. However, the default can be changed for saved versions to be backwards-compatible.
Being proficient in Excel is a requirement for many office positions, so it's in the best interest of job seekers to learn how to use it. While Excel most users "know what they know" when it comes to Excel, a bit of research and experimentation is recommended, particularly for those users who reside on the tech-savvy side of the street.
Microsoft Excel is a useful program for tracking numerical data and other information that requires organization. Such documents are called workbooks. Often...
A "workbook" is a Microsoft Excel file. Each workbook can hold many "worksheets" (individual spreadsheets). Use multiple worksheets to group related data....
The Office suite
