Computersight -

Usually, the only people that seem to know what Excel® is and why it is used are office workers. Excel® can also be used out of the office to save time by automating various tasks. Often it is perceived as a spreadsheet program that requires a lot of complicated formulas and computer knowledge. Sometimes that is the case, but not always.

 Excel® can also be used by people who are not office workers. It can be used to create commonly used lists, such as: grocery, guest, packing, “to do,” lists etc. Moreover, it can be used to store contact information, birthdays, passwords, to keep track of information such as weight and measurement changes, and so much more. The data that is input can be sorted, filtered (to just see relevant information) and possibly exported to another program (for example to a greeting card company that sends out cards to everyone on a list). It can also be “protected” with a password, so that others can’t access private information.

 In addition, the data can be saved in a workbook (a collection of worksheets) which can be neatly organized and saved in a folder right in a computer. When the information is needed in the future, it can easily be accessed, changed, and/or printed. This can be very handy with packing lists, especially for those who travel frequently. A different worksheet, within the same workbook, could be created for each season, for example. So, if someone tends to pack the same things when they go to a “winter” destination, he/she could just click on the appropriately labeled worksheet tab and voila the packing list would be right there. Of course, it could be modified at any time to meet the traveler’s needs.

 Also, Excel® eliminates the need for an external adding machine. Getting back to the example of the traveler, a potential travel expense report could easily be created prior to a trip to get an idea of how much the trip is going to cost. Excel® will calculate the total in an instant and will adjust itself if any changes have been made to any of the numbers used to come up with the grand total. The days of using adding machines are gone! Furthermore, different columns can be created, with headings to categorize various items. For example, a spreadsheet in Excel® can be made to total cash receipt amounts such as: fuel, car rental expenses, toiletries, meals, etc. This might come in handy, at a later time, to use for income tax filing preparation.

If the data is being used in an office setting, it can easily be converted to professional looking reports that can be stored or shared. Colorful charts and diagrams can also be added.

 So, to answer the original question…Excel® is a great tool for just about anyone who has access to a computer who wants to easily organize just about any kind of data.