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Create and share spreadsheets with ease with this 2010 version of the iconic Microsoft program

Create and share spreadsheets with ease with this 2010 version of the iconic Microsoft program

Vote: (1,736 votes)

Program license: Paid

Developer: Microsoft

Version: 2010

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(1,736 votes)

Paid

Developer

Version

Microsoft

2010

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • • Powerful spreadsheeting
  • • Compatibility with other programs

Cons

  • • Learning curve

Microsoft Excel 2010 is the most sophisticated spreadsheet software on the market.

A spreadsheet is a computer program that lets you store, organize and analyze data. You can maintain your budget in a spreadsheet or track all of the finances for a small business. That is what a spreadsheet is at its most basic, but Microsoft has never been delivering on basic expectations. Excel is an aspect of its Office suite, and the company has usually done a good job of exceeding expectations with Office.

With each new iteration of Excel comes new features. Some of these features are seldom used. Some of these features even get dropped in future iterations of the package. But may of these features change the way users use spreadsheets and do so, in fact, to such a degree that these become the expectations. Other spreadsheet developers often struggle to live up to these new standards.

Excel 2010 lets you organize data by columns and rows. You can also create new data using thousands of built functions. Column C, for instance, can represent the sum of column A and B, and whenever the data in a cell in either A or B changes so will the data in the corresponding cell in C. This is just a basic scenario. Real-world usage is often much more sophisticated. Changes result in a complex cascading of updates, and Excel really stands up in the industry when it comes to speed and efficiency in this regard.

Excel also supports a number of programming languages. Even though inline functions can include other functions and get quite sophisticated, sometimes they fall short. In those instances, the code that you can create can allow achieve results that would not otherwise be possible. You can even compile your functions and then call out to them from cells.

Microsoft also provides excellent integration with the other Office programs, such as Access. Access is a database program. It can store data more efficiently. Your spreadsheet then can reflect a query run on your Access database. A workbook can contain multiple spreadsheets and thus multiple queries.

Perhaps the biggest downside to Excel is that it is not particularly welcoming to new users. Microsoft all but did a way with tutorials, and while there is help, the beginner is often better yet searching the Web for guides and examples. That is not to say that the learning curve is not worth it. It is if you will make use of the application, but it may not be worth it if your goals are much simpler.

Note that at the time of this writing Excel 2010 is no longer the newest version of this software. Excel 2010 is still very worthwhile if you have access to it. The user interface may seem a bit outdated, but it is still quite powerful and you may not even need the features provided by the newer versions.

Pros

  • • Powerful spreadsheeting
  • • Compatibility with other programs

Cons

  • • Learning curve