Microsoft Office Tutorials and References
In Depth Information
1 Creating a Worksheet and
an Embedded Chart
What Is Microsoft Ofﬁ ce Excel 2007?
Microsoft Ofﬁ ce Excel 2007 is a powerful spreadsheet program that allows users to
organize data, complete calculations, make decisions, graph data, develop professional
looking reports (Figure 1–1), publish organized data to the Web, and access real-time data
from Web sites. The four major parts of Excel are:
• Workbooks and Worksheets Workbooks are a collection of worksheets.
Worksheets allow users to enter, calculate, manipulate, and analyze data such as
numbers and text. The terms worksheet and spreadsheet are interchangeable.
• Charts Excel can draw a variety of charts.
• Tables Tables organize and store data within worksheets. For example, once a user
enters data into a worksheet, an Excel table can sort the data, search for speciﬁ c data,
and select data that satisﬁ es deﬁ ned criteria.
• Web Support Web support allows users to save Excel worksheets or parts of a
worksheet in HTML format, so a user can view and manipulate the worksheet using
a browser. Excel Web support also provides access to real-time data, such as stock
quotes, using Web queries.
This latest version of Excel makes it much easier than in previous versions to
perform common functions by introducing a new style of user interface. It also offers the
capability of creating larger worksheets, improved formatting and printing, improved
charting and table functionality, industry-standard XML support that simpliﬁ es the sharing
of data within and outside an organization, improved business intelligence functionality,
and the capability of performing complex tasks on a server.
In this chapter, you will create a worksheet that includes a chart. The data in the
worksheet and chart includes sales data for several stores that a company owns and operates.
The process of developing a worksheet that communicates speciﬁ c information requires
careful analysis and planning. As a starting point, establish why the worksheet is needed.
Once the purpose is determined, analyze the intended users of the worksheet and their
unique needs. Then, gather information about the topic and decide what to include in the
worksheet. Finally, determine the worksheet design and style that will be most successful at
delivering the message. Details of these guidelines are provided in Appendix A. In
addition, each project developed in this topic provides practical applications of these planning
Project — Worksheet with an Embedded Chart
The project in this chapter follows proper design guidelines and uses Excel to create the
worksheet shown in Figure 1–1. The worksheet contains sales data for Walk and Rock
Music stores. The Walk and Rock Music product line includes a variety of MP3 music
players, called Rock-It MP3, including players that show pictures and video, as well as
a complete line of headphones and other accessories. The company sells its products at
kiosks in several malls throughout the United States. By concentrating its stores near