Windows Vista offers great features for small businesses. Learn more.
www.Microsoft.com/Windows
Maximize the value of your spreadsheet data – the easy way.
www.filemakertrial.com
Create Excel reports in minutes! Download a Free Excel Report tool.
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Award-Winning Shareable Database from Intuit QuickBase. Free Trial.
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Spreadsheet Templates to meet your needs. Visit
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Links to articles, blogs and other spreadsheet resources, by JWalk and Associates.
www.j-walk.com
Maker of Mariner Calc, a spreadsheet program for use on the Mac OS.
www.marinersoftware.com
Free Excel templates for accounting, budgeting, human resources, payroll, invoices, and sales and inventory.
office.microsoft.com
Download Excel templates, calendars, mortgage and loan calculators, budget spreadsheets, and timesheets, for home and business.
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Windows Vista offers great features for small businesses. Learn more.
www.Microsoft.com/Windows
Maximize the value of your spreadsheet data – the easy way.
www.filemakertrial.com
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Guide to Spreadsheet Software
Finding the right spreadsheet software for your businessFor many users, the chief attribute of spreadsheet software is that it allows users to lay out complex financial data including business costs, income, taxes, and other expenses on one easy-to-read "page."
Before you make a purchase, ask yourself the following questions and be sure to research spreadsheet software information to help you determine the answers:
- Is your work style best served by a web-based spreadsheet application or a desktop spreadsheet software product?
- What spreadsheet software best serves your computer's operating system?
- Would you prefer a standalone spreadsheet software product or software that's part of an office suite?
- Can the spreadsheet software import other file formats?
- Can the spreadsheet software easily integrate charts and graphs, or can the user create the graphic elements within the application? Will you need to use charts or graphs for your business? Can the software create a combination chart that might include several types of charts such as a pie chart, a flow chart, and a bar chart?
- What's the maximum number of rows, columns, and cells that the software can display on a spreadsheet?
- If you're more technically oriented, does the program allow you to create your own spreadsheet calculation formulas?
- Does the spreadsheet software offer special print control functions?
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Review frequently-asked-questions (FAQs) that best explain what the spreadsheet software does
Because there are many different types of spreadsheets, there may be specific spreadsheet software info that you'll need to know to differentiate one product from another. Some spreadsheet programs are simple and straightforward. Others have a much steeper learning curve. If you're new to spreadsheet software, you may want an intelligent overview of what these products have to offer.
I recommend:
John Walkenbach, or J-Walk, former PC World Magazine spreadsheet software expert, has a website that includes The Spreadsheet Page which is a brief history of spreadsheets and a list of links to spreadsheet software information. Additionally, John includes links to a variety of Excel software user tips as well as resources for other spreadsheet applications.
Visit official product websites to find out more about specific spreadsheet software
While Excel software is the market leader, other spreadsheet applications offer their own unique features. See which one of the many free Excel templates or free downloads of spreadsheet software demos best suits your business needs.
I recommend:
Download the free 60-day trial of the Microsoft Excel program in its Office Professional suite. Lotus 1-2-3 is one of the original spreadsheet software products. You can search for more information on this IBM product and others in the Lotus SmartSuite user forums. Corel offers an online resource called CorelTUTOR which includes free online tutorials for its Quattro Pro spreadsheet application (part of the WordPerfect Office suite). OpenOffice Calc is an open-source free spreadsheet software application developed by Sun Microsystems as part of their OpenOffice business suite, competing directly against Excel. With OpenOffice, you can create budget spreadsheets for home office and business office and the full OpenOffice.org suite is available to download for free.
Visit websites oriented toward online collaboration using specific spreadsheet programs
If distance collaboration is part of your business, online spreadsheets may be right for your business.
I recommend:
With EditGrid, you can upload existing spreadsheets for online collaboration with colleagues. Take an online tour of the Google spread sheet software called Google Docs, an easy-to-use collaborative spreadsheet application. Another available online spreadsheet is Jotspot Spreadsheets, which includes an importable cut-and-paste Excel sheet function.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide- Because spreadsheets can become densely populated with entered values, there are spreadsheet comparison software products available that can compare two spreadsheets which seem to be identically populated, and can immediately identify conflicting entries.
- Selecting the right spreadsheet software for your business can be a highly subjective decision depending on your business's individual criteria and your personal bookkeeping and brainstorming style.
