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Well since
I wrote a general review about
Microsoft Office 2003 Pro I decided to break it
up and explain more about some of the included software. I doubt I will cover
every single feature but I will do my best to bring out what is important for
daily use. I want to do this because Microsoft does offer each of the software
included in the professional version separately. This review is about
Excel 2003; please refer to the What's New? section to get more details.
INSTALLATION :
The installation on my computer takes about five to ten minutes for the
"typical" setup. But if you want, you can go in and customize the installation
and add or remove components to your needs. Most of the times I do not even have
to restart the computer after installation. The hard part is the installing the
updates or service packs after the installation; this process takes a lot of
time. To make your life easier, I suggest using a broadband Internet connection
for downloading and installing the updates and service packs.
Microsoft has simplified the installation process to make our lives a bit
easier. The setup process is designed so that you will not need any help from
anyone to get yourself started quickly. But if you need to, you can get help
about the installation from Microsoft&’s website.
A down side to the installation is the new "Activation" process. Even though
this helps Microsoft reduce piracy, it also produces more work for us. Once you
do activate it, you will never have to deal with it again; unless of course you
re-install.
LOOK AND FEEL :
This version of Excel 2003 looks and feels a lot like its predecessor Excel 2002
or XP but with a lot of improvements and eye candy. If you are just a beginner
you may not even notice a difference from the preview version. All of the
improvements and enhancements are either for professionals or business users.
One feature that I think we all need and use is the "Page Break" view which
allows you to see your contents only instead of seeing everything. It shows a
blue border that surrounds your contacts and grays out everything else (blank
space).
The toolbar buttons are easy to work with if you are upgrading but you might
have to get used to it if you are new to this; just move your mouse over the
buttons and it will tell you what it is. If you want to figure out what a
certain button does, just look it up in the help contents or click it and see
for yourself.
The menus are almost the same as the previous version except for the newly added
features. The menus will show you the options you use the most first and if you
want everything else. You can customize all of the tools to your needs and they
will happily comply with you.
Another amazing feature I like about it is the "Getting Started" bar attached to
the right side of the window. This bar helps you open new or recent documents,
or work with templates. I think this is one of the best additions to the
application.
WHATS NEW? (gathered from online and offline help contents)
In Microsoft Excel 2003, you can create lists in your worksheet to group and
act upon related data. You can create a list on existing data or create a list
from an empty range. When you specify a range as a list, you can easily manage
and analyze the data independent of other data outside of the list.
Additionally, information contained within a list can be shared with others
through integration with Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services. A new user
interface and a corresponding set of functionality are exposed for ranges that
are designated as a list.
With XML (Extensible Markup Language) support in Excel, your data can be exposed
to external processes, in a business-centric XML vocabulary. XML enables you to
organize and work with workbooks and data in ways that were previously
impossible or very difficult. By using your XML schemas, you can now identify
and extract specific pieces of business data from ordinary business documents.
You can attach a custom XML schema to any workbook. Then, you use the XML Source
task pane to map cells to elements of the schema. Once you have mapped the XML
elements to your worksheet, you can seamlessly import and export XML data into
and out of the mapped cells.
Using one workbook to view changes made by multiple users can be difficult, but
a new approach to comparing workbooks is now available— comparing workbooks side
by side. Comparing workbooks side by side (using the Compare Side by Side)
allows you to see the differences between two workbooks more easily, without
having to merge all changes into one workbook. You can scroll through both
workbooks at the same time to identify differences between the two workbooks.
The new research task pane offers a wide variety of reference information and
expanded resources if you have an Internet connection. You can conduct research
on topics using an encyclopedia, web search, or by accessing third-party
content.
Smart documents are documents that are programmed to extend the functionality of
your workbook by dynamically responding to the context of your actions.
Several types of workbooks, such as forms and templates, work well as smart
documents. Smart documents work especially well for workbooks that are part of a
process. For example, your company may have a process for filling out annual
employee expense forms, and you may already use a Microsoft Excel 2003 template
for this purpose. If that template is turned into a smart document, it can be
connected to a database that automatically fills in some of the required
information, such as your name, employee number, manager's name, and so on. When
you complete the expense report, the smart document can display a button that
allows you to send it on to the next step in the process. Because the smart
document knows who your manager is, it can automatically route itself to that
person. And, no matter who has it, the smart document knows where it is in the
expense review process and what needs to happen next. Smart documents can help
you reuse existing content. For example, accountants can use existing
boilerplate when creating billing statements. Smart documents can make it easier
to share information. They can interact with a variety of databases and use
BizTalk for tracking workflow.
These new features are some great additions to this new version which help
create professional looking documents quickly and easily. Since I work in an
office environment everyday, I get to use most of these new features to make my
work better in quality and style.
TEMPLATES :
You can download templates easily from the “Getting Started” bar by clicking a
link that will take you to Microsoft’s templates page. There you can search and
download the templates you need. I have personally used this feature a lot and
it really does come in handy if you are in a hurry and do not have the time to
create something from scratch. So go ahead and take full advantage of it and
make your life a bit less stressful.
Excel Templates:
http://office.microsoft.com
HELP AND UPDATES :
Microsoft has made things easier by making "Office Updates" similar to "Windows
Update" on their website. This update feature will allow you to get the latest
service packs and security updates quickly and easily without too much
interaction from you.
One thing I do not enjoy about the online update is that it does take up a lot
of bandwidth when it downloads the updates. It also uses a lot of system
resources when installing the downloaded updates. Most of the time, I even have
to restart my computer to complete the update installation. If they only made it
work without restarting my computer, I would be very happy.
SOME CONS :
One of the features I have come to hate a lot is the "Help Assistants" who are
very annoying for me. I always opt out from installing this feature. I really
think that they are more of a distraction than a source for help when creating
important proposals which require a lot of thought. I do not have any other cons
to list about Excel 2003 yet, but if I do find more I will definitely update
this section.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE :
I have been using Excel for about nine years now and I am still figuring out new
ways to make my spreadsheets better. I usually create expense reports, automated
employee time records, and invoices for my PC Repair services. I like to make
everything look nice and neat so I use customized borders (thickness, and type),
and a lot of built in functions.
Most of all I like to create my own functions using the built-in "Microsoft
Visual Basic Editor.” The Visual Basic Editor is integrated into all office
suite applications but I only use it for Excel. Just click on the Tools menu,
select Macro, and click on Visual Basic Editor or just press Alt + F11 together.
You can use Visual Basic syntax and Excel function together to make your
spreadsheets better.
I also use the cell merge feature a lot for my sheet titles and I mix that with
nice colors and smooth fonts to make my spreadsheets even more attractive. I
also like to keep things in order by sorting them, so I use the sort feature a
lot also.
I downloaded a template of an invoice from Microsoft’s website and use it to
write my invoices for my customers.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS :
Computer and Processor:
Personal computer with an Intel Pentium 233-MHz or faster processor (Pentium III
recommended)
Memory:
128 MB of RAM or greater
Hard disk:
150 MB of available hard-disk space; optional installation files cache
(recommended) requires an additional 200 MB of available hard-disk space
Drive:
CD-ROM or DVD drive
Display:
Super VGA (800 � 600) or higher-resolution monitor
Operating System:
Microsoft Windows 2000\XP, or later
Other:
Microsoft Exchange Server is required for certain advanced functionality in
Microsoft Office Outlook; Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 running Microsoft
Windows SharePoint™ Services is required for certain advanced collaboration
functionality; certain inking features require running Microsoft Office on the
Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition; speech recognition functionality
requires a Pentium II 400-MHz or faster processor and a close-talk microphone
and audio output device; Information Rights Management features require access
to a Windows 2003 Server running Windows Rights Management Services.
Internet Connection:
Internet functionality requires dial-up or broadband Internet access (provided
separately); local or long-distance charges may apply
FINAL THOUGHTS :
I have been using Microsoft Excel for about nine years now and have gotten so
used to it that I cannot stand to use any other. I have tried many other
spreadsheet software, but I can proudly say that there is no comparison between
them and Excel. This latest 2003 version has some very useful additions and
enhancements that are worth purchasing.
I would recommend Excel over any other spreadsheet program because it is easy to
use and I learned to use it first so I am comfortable with it. I would not say
that it is the best of the best, but it is worth a try. I like the little
features the best that make my life a bit easier; like the nice Windows XP like
look, the quick keyboard shortcuts that make performing certain tasks faster,
and the page layouts views that improve any kind of view. The side bar that
helps open a new or saved document, allows you to work with templates, and
provides online help is one of the best features in this version. I have also
noticed that some tasks perform a bit faster than the older version, such as
saving, and other tasks that used to take longer. Just give it a try and I bet
that if you forget for a second that Microsoft made it, you will enjoy using it.
Microsoft does offer a trial version at their website if you would like to try
it before you buy it. |
