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The entire collection of data cells is often referred
to as a matrix or an array. When you enter data, you
don’t need to enter it in alphabetical or numerical order;
the software package will normally arrange the data in
whatever sequence you desire.
Features of Spreadsheet Software
Spreadsheet software packages normally include
ways to do the following things:
l Enter labels (non-numeric data), values
(numeric data), and formulas (to perform
calculations, analyses, comparisons, and
projections);
Notice in figure 8-17 that each individual has only
one record, and each record (row) contains seven
columns (or data cells) of information. There just as
easily could have been 20, 50, or 75 columns of
information per record. The number of data cells is
limited only by the parameters of the spreadsheet
software and the amount of available memory. To give
you some idea of a spreadsheet’s size, the worksheet
you see in figure 8-17 might be only a small portion of
the entire worksheet—the amount that can be displayed
at one time. There appear to be only 20 rows and 7
columns of information. However, depending upon the
software package you are using, there could
conceivably be as many as 8,192 rows and 256 columns
of information, totaling more than 2 million data cells.
A spreadsheet of this size would be equivalent to a piece
of paper approximately 21 feet wide by 130 feet long.
Try spreading that out on a table.
* Insert and delete columns and rows;
l Copy and move ranges of data cells or records
from one area of a worksheet to another;
l Erase part or all of a worksheet;
l Change the way values are represented on part
or all of a worksheet;
l Split the viewing screen to allow you to view two
parts of a worksheet simultaneously;
l Save, retrieve, rename, erase, and copy files;
and
l Print a worksheet.
Figure 8-18 is an example of a printed spreadsheet
showing the labels, titles, and values a user entered and
the values the computer calculated. Notice that all the
subtotals and totals were calculated by the computer.
By using spreadsheet software, you need only enter a
new price when the price changes and direct the
computer to recalculate the subtotals and totals.
Interacting with Spreadsheet Software
Like other software packages, spreadsheet software
has cursor movement keys, function keys, and
commands to tell the software what to do. The
following list contains some of the more common
features that allow you to interact with a spreadsheet
software package:
Many of the available spreadsheet software
packages will interact directly with other programs,
such as database and word processing applications.
Some spreadsheet packages integrate (or combine)
several programs into one, such as a spreadsheet
program, a graphics program, and a database
management program.
l Cursor movement (or arrow) keys— Allow
you to move the cursor one cell at a time in one
of four directions-up, down, left, or right.
Other keys, such as PgUp and PgDn, move the
cursor up or down one full page. Still others,
when used in conjunction with other keys, allow
you to move the entire worksheet in a specific
direction.
DATABASE PACKAGES
Before we get too involved in database packages,
let’s first define what a database is. The term database
conjures up different images for different people.
However, the concept is about as nontechnical and easy
to envision as a filing cabinet full of file folders. The
filing cabinet and its contents are the database. The
ability to retrieve the data and calculate statistics
quickly and easily without regard to which folder or
drawer contains the information makes the database
system much more powerful than a comparable filing
cabinet system.
l Function key— Allow you to display HELP
screens, edit entries, display range names, enter
absolute formulas, move back and forth between
screens or windows, perform range and global
recalculations, and so on.
e Spreadsheet commands— Allow you to use
commands to tell the software what to do.
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