Page 33 - Computer Class 07

Spreadsheets make ideal business tools as they offer an easy way of producing

accounts, sales analysis, stock analysis, product lists and much more. Once you have
data in a spreadsheet it can be changed to give reports in various different ways
shown as either a table or in a graph. Spreadsheets can be used to easily alter data

files from one business system into a format readable by a different system. Data from
different system can also be easily reconciled against using each other with the use of

formulas to check for errors, especially useful if you are migrating to a new system.

Advantages of Spreadsheet

Some of the main advantages of using a spreadsheet package are:

Presenting Data

Spreadsheet programs such as Excel contain visualisation tools. This means you can

select a data set and transform it into a graphical display. The type of display you use
in any individual case depends on the nature of the data. In Excel, users can choose
from a wide range of options including bar charts, line charts, pie charts, scatter

charts and bubble charts among many others. When you create a chart, you can
configure display options such as colour and labeling.

Formulas

The greatest advantage to spreadsheets comes from their most useful tool —
mathematical formulas. Spreadsheet cells can be set up with formulas which can

calculate information based on the contents of other cells. These formulas enable you
to instantly calculate financial information or other important figures. These
calculations can also be adjusted on the formula level, which will in turn adjust all

calculated results instantly. A teacher preparing final result of a class can easily adjust
the result by just entering new marks in a subject of a student after any correction. A

formula also takes human errors out of calculations as long as there are no errors in
the formula itself.

Portability
Digital spreadsheets are also extremely easy to transport, copy or share. They can be

sent over the internet to colleagues and clients in seconds or minutes, while hard
copies can take hours, days or even weeks when being sent internationally.

Spreadsheets can also be viewed on a number of devices with desktops, laptops,

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