Spreadsheet Software Key Terms

Learning spreadsheet software key terms can help your bottom line
By Rose Bricker, Freelance Writer A spreadsheet is made up of cells and you can enter data into each of them. This data is either numbers, letters or formulas. You can then format the data depending on how you want to see it. You can add or remove places after the decimal point, adding a dollar sign or a negative sign, and make letters all caps or small letters.
 

Sometimes you need to do the same task repeatedly; for these tasks, you can create macros. Finally, if you need to do the same thing each week or month you can make worksheets, which will make your job easier.

Although Microsoft Excel isn’t the only spreadsheet software, it dominates much of the spreadsheet information you'll find. This isn’t to say that you can’t use the information for other spreadsheets. However, most of the information in this guide is about Microsoft Excel.

Cells

A cell is a block that is designated by a row and column, such as A1 in a spreadsheet. A1 is the cell in the first row of the first column on a blank spreadsheet.
Try: GuidesandTutorials.com describes a cell in detail. The site shows you an example of a cell, how to select a cell and how to edit it.

Toolbars

Toolbars are the buttons or icons you will commonly use when making or editing your spreadsheet. You can customize them to work for you.
Try: Adept Science provides information on customizing toolbars.

Formulas

A formula is what you use when you want to do an arithmetic function with a cell such as addition, subtraction, multiplication or division.
Try: Microsoft provides examples of frequently used Excel formulas

Formatting

Formatting is what you do to a cell to customize it. You can put in a dollar or cents, center the data or put the data in all caps, to name a few options. In fact, there are many ways to format your cell.
Try: Tech Republic shows you an easy to way to highlight rows and columns in Excel.

Macros

An Excel macro is a set of commands that can be triggered by a keyboard shortcut, toolbar button or an icon in a spreadsheet. Macros are used to remove the necessity of repeating the steps of common tasks over and over. You can create a macro and perform it when you want to complete a task quickly.
Try: Anthony's VBA Page has a tutorial that walks you through macros.

Data

Data is the information you enter in each cell. It can be a number, a label or a formula. Often, you can import and export data sets in and out of the program.
Try: Using Technology in Education shows how to enter and manipulate data in a spreadsheet.