Microsoft Excel is now one of the most widely accepted spreadsheet programs anywhere in the world. The first version was in 1985. The current version is 2007 and it will be released soon, 2010.
Excel has extensive graphing capabilities. There are several other spreadsheet programs on the market. If all you need is to do some simple formulas, you might consider WordPerfect’s Open Office or Quattro Pro, and there are others. Do a Google search for Excel clones. From my experience you will not find a more robust program like excel. If you need Macros, or to share data with other database programs, you should look to Excel
One thing that makes Excel Powerful is that it includes Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), a programming language based on Visual Basic that adds the ability to automate tasks in Excel. While writing macros in Excel, you are actually writing in VBA.
Now you can fine thousands of templates for Excel. Some of the templates can be used without any modification. All templates can be customized to your needs. Finding a template for your needs is a great way to get started. Build on top of the template and design it to fit your needs. In most cases, you don’t need to start from scratch unless you want to. A good way to learn how some of the formulas work is to download a free template and take it apart. Microsoft has a complete list on the website. Just go to the Microsoft website and search for excel and then templates. Remember that templates are designed for specific versions of Excel, as they all have different features available.
For more Excel tips, visit www.excel101.biz