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A lot of
people I know say they do not like Microsoft because their software is not
reliable and has lots of bugs, but I do not think that is fully accurate. Even
though I only use two types of software by Microsoft, I can say that
Office 2003 is one of the best office application out today. I use it
both at home and work. The professional version has Access,
Excel,
Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher,
Word 2003, and InfoPath 2003.
ACCESS 2003 :
Access 2003 is a powerful tool that is sophisticated enough for professionals,
yet easy to learn for new users. You can create or use powerful database
solutions that make organizing, accessing, and sharing information easier than
ever.
I use Access from work for an airline to input repair information. The airline
has created a database with graphical user interface to input data and keep
track of preventative Maintenance (PMI) schedules. We access it through a Citrix
neighborhood connection over the internet. The application is very reliable, but
is a bit slow due to my system limitations. Access is also great for personal
databases like inventory or DVD/CD databases and more. My company use to create
expense reports using Access, but then we switched to Excel for a much simpler
interface for some of the non-computer savvy employees (my boss). We recently
upgraded from Microsoft Office 2000 just because we had to get it for another
office of ours.
The built-in wizards help a lot with creating a new database quickly and easily.
If you as me, I personally do not prefer to use Access for my database needs;
instead I just make my own customized application since I am a programmer.
EXCEL 2003
:
Excel 2003 enables you to turn data into information with powerful tools to
analyze, communicate, and share results. It can help you work better in teams,
and help protect and control access to your work.
I use Excel everyday at work and sometimes at home too. At work I mostly use it
for our expense reports, record keeping, tracking PMI’s, providing our customers
with up-to-date status of their equipment, employee time sheets and much more.
There are so many things we can use Excel that it is hard to remember them all.
Sometimes we use it to create estimates or invoices to email to our customers
and prospective customers. I have learned a lot about Excel after using it for
more than nine years now. I have used Microsoft Office since version 96 came out
and I have noticed a lot of changes and upgrades since then. Excel provides us
with a fast solutions to our reporting needs with its ability to customize to
everyone’s needs.
The built-in functions help a lot with calculations and text manipulations. It
even allows me to create my own functions to use. I use a lot of the built-in
function, but sometimes I have to create my own to do complicated calculations
like automatically updating the date on the weekly time sheets so I do not have
to do it myself every week.
OUTLOOK 2003 :
Outlook 2003 provides an integrated solution for managing and organizing e-mail
messages, schedules, tasks, notes, contacts, and other information. It delivers
innovations you can use to manage your communications, organize your work, and
work better with others, all from one place. Outlook also comes with Business
Contact Manager Update available as part of the Small Business and Professional
Edition. It is designed to help small businesses manage customer information and
sales opportunities within Outlook 2003.
I use Outlook at work for my emails and to manage my contacts. I usually order
parts, pay invoices over the phone, or email customers so I use Outlook to do
all of this quickly and easily. It blocks all unnecessary emails and sends them
to the bulk mail folder and archives all of my messages so I do not loose
anything ever. I can easily search through my contact quickly if I need it.
POWERPOINT 2003 :
PowerPoint 2003 includes new tools to help you create, present, and collaborate
on presentations that have more impact.
I have used PowerPoint to create presentations for school and even presentations
that were later converted to slideshows on DVD’s. I have created some photo
slideshows using PowerPoint and other software to convert and burn it to a DVD.
I have not noticed any major enhancements on this version of PowerPoint but can
only assume that Microsoft fixed a lot of bugs.
PUBLISHER 2003 :
Publisher 2003 is a complete business publishing and marketing materials
solution. It can help you reach out to customers, is easier than ever to design,
create, and publish professional marketing and communication materials in-house.
I use publisher sometimes when I need to create greeting cards, flyers, or cover
pages. I used publisher for school projects and some work related projects as
well. I recently updated our company flyer that shows our services and contact
information. Publisher is a great tools for everyday professional or home use
and can help your creativity come to life.
WORD 2003
:
Word 2003 is the latest version of Microsoft’s best word processor. It takes
customer experience and feedback to deliver innovations you can use to create
impressive-looking documents and help you work better with others.
I used and still use Word daily for my personal and professional work. I use it
for fax cover sheets, proposals, reviews, school work, and much more. I think
everyone knows that there a many uses for a word processor.
INFOPATH 2003 :
Gather information flexibly and efficiently in rich, dynamic forms and more
effectively share, reuse, and repurpose information throughout your team or
organization. InfoPath 2003 helps improve collaboration and decision-making to
positively impact your business. Information collected with InfoPath can be
integrated with a broad range of business processes because it supports any
customer-defined Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema and integrates with Web
services. As a result, InfoPath 2003 can help you connect directly to
organizational information and then act on it, which leads to greater business
impact.
I have played around with InfoPath a little bit, but have no real experience to
share yet. All I know is that is it like or maybe better than Adobe Acrobat. You
can create forms and you can also fill those forms right on your computer. It is
an easy way to keep electronic records such as applications, personal data,
employee data, and so on.
DEVELOPER TOOLS :
Microsoft Office 2003 has the capability to add customized functions using
Visual Basic syntax and Excel’s built-in functions. I have come to enjoy
creating my own functions to do just about anything I want.
So far the most sophisticated functions I have created are on the time sheet
file. This file has functions that decide which week it is with a click of a
button and matches the appropriate date with the days; this was tough because
our pay period is from Fridays to Thursdays. But now I have written 500 line
piece of code that performs this task automatically. You can even create
customized dialogs with this utility.
If you know how to program a little with Basic syntax, then you will have no
problem creating your own functions.
LOOK AND FEEL :
This version of Microsoft Office looks and feels a lot like its predecessor
Office XP but with a lot of improvements and eye candy. If you are just a
beginner you may not even notice the difference from the previous 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 “Reading Layout” which
allows you to read any document easily and without the need to scroll a lot. It
shows two pages at a time on the screen; somewhat like the print preview feature
but with edit capability.
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 to 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 your open new, recent, or work with
templates. I think this is one of the best additions to the application.
WHAT’S NEW?
Microsoft has a web page that shows exactly what is new in the 2003 version of
the Office suite with explanations, but here are some of the most useful
updates. Please visit:
http://www.microsoft.com/office
Access 2003
New features include “Improved Error Checking,” “Field Property Changes,” and
more…
Excel 2003
New features include “Visual XML Mapping Tool,” and more…
Outlook 2003
New features include “Shared Attachments,” “Synchronize Contacts,” “E-Mail
Desktop Alerts,” “E-Mail Reading Pane” and more…
PowerPoint 2003
New features include “Enhanced Statistical Functions,” “Smart Tag Support,”
“enhanced Multimedia Support,” and more…
Publisher 2003
New features include “Create CD/DVD Labels,” “E-mail Wizards,” “Advanced Print
Settings,” “Web View,” and more…
Word 2003
New features include “Markup Balloons,” “Editing Restrictions,” and “Document
Workspace,” “Reading Layout View,” “Workspace Sharing,” and more…
InfoPath 2003
This is a new tool for the office suite so all features are new.
THE INSTALLATION :
The installation on my computer takes about ten to fifteen minutes to complete.
Most of the times I do not even have to restart the computer after installation.
The hard part is the installing the updates after the installation; this process
takes a lot of time.
Microsoft has simplified the installation process to make everyone’s lives a bit
easier. The setup process is designed so that you will not need any help for
anyone for installation. You can get help about the installation from
Microsoft’s website if needed, but the setup is so simple that you probably will
have no need for it.
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.
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.
Templates:
http://office.microsoft.com
HELP & UPDATES :
Microsoft has made things easier by making “Office Updates” similar to “Windows
Update” on their website. This update will allow you to get the latest service
packs and security updates quickly and easily.
One thing I do not enjoy about the online update is that it does take up a lot
of bandwidth when it is downloading 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.
FINAL THOUGHTS :
I have been using Microsoft’s office suite applications 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 office applications, but I can proudly say that there is no
comparison between them and this office suite. |
