Microsoft Excel has the basic features of all spreadsheets,[3] using a grid of cells arranged in numbered rows and letter-named columns to organize data manipulations like arithmetic operations. It has a battery of supplied functions to answer statistical, engineering and financial needs. In addition, it can display data as line graphs, histograms and charts, and with a very limited three-dimensional graphical display.
Microsoft Excel is a commercial spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications. It has been a very widely applied spreadsheet for these platforms, especially since version 5 in 1993, and it has almost completely replaced Lotus 1-2-3 as the industry standard for spreadsheets. Excel forms part of Microsoft Office. The current versions are 2010 for Microsoft Windows[1] and 2011 for Mac OS X.[2]
Contents
1 Basic operation
2 VBA programming
3 Charts
4 Using other Windows applications
5 Using external data
6 Quirks
6.1 Statistical functions
6.2 Excel MOD function error
6.3 Date problems
6.4 Filenames
7 Numeric precision
8 History
8.1 Excel 1.0, 1.5, 2.x
8.2 Excel 5.0
8.3 Excel 95
8.4 Excel 97
8.5 Excel 2000
8.6 Excel XP
8.7 Excel 2003
8.8 Excel 2007
8.9 Excel 2010
8.10 Excel 2013
9 Versions
9.1 Microsoft Windows
9.2 Apple Macintosh
9.3 OS/2
10 Number of rows and columns
11 File formats
11.1 Binary
11.2 XML Spreadsheet
11.3 Standard file-extensions
11.4 Office Open XML
12 Password protection
13 Export and migration of spreadsheets
14 See also
15 References
16 General references
17 External links
Basic operation
Main article: Spreadsheet
Microsoft Excel has the basic features of all spreadsheets,[3] using a grid of cells arranged in numbered rows and letter-named columns to organize data manipulations like arithmetic operations. It has a battery of supplied functions to answer statistical, engineering and financial needs. In addition, it can display data as line graphs, histograms and charts, and with a very limited three-dimensional graphical display. It allows sectioning of data to view its dependencies on various factors for different perspectives (using pivot tables and the scenario manager).[4] It has a programming aspect, Visual Basic for Applications, allowing the user to employ a wide variety of numerical methods, for example, for solving differential equations of mathematical physics,[5][6] and then reporting the results back to the spreadsheet. It also has a variety of interactive features allowing user interfaces that can completely hide the spreadsheet from the user, so the spreadsheet presents itself as a so-called application, or decision support system (DSS), via a custom-designed user interface, for example, a stock analyzer,[7] or in general, as a design tool that asks the user questions and provides answers and reports.[8][9][10] In a more elaborate realization, an Excel application can automatically poll external databases and measuring instruments using an update schedule,[11] analyze the results, make a Word report or Power Point slide show, and e-mail these presentations on a regular basis to a list of participants.
