Microsoft KB Archive/11937

Excel In Business PSS ID Number: Q11937 Article last modified on 10-13-1986 PSS database name: PRESS

EXCEL IN BUSINESS by Douglas Cobb Price: $22.95 Pages: 720 ISBN: 0-914845-61-6 Pub. Date: December 18, 1986

Microsoft Press and Douglas Cobb invite You to EXCEL IN BUSINESS

Microsoft Press Publishes the Definitive Guide to Microsoft Excel

“We compared Excel to Jazz, and to 1-2-3, version 2 on the IBM PC, and we put Excel on the top of the heap.” - Infoworld, November 11, 1985 “Most staunch IBM supporters will not notice Excel until it is available for their machines. But other micro users should take a serious look at this package, as it should finally legitimize the Macintosh in the business environment.” - Computerworld, November 11, 1985 “Considering the ease of use and the capabilities of both Excel and 1-2-3, I have no reservations in recommending Excel over any other spreadsheet on the market - especially if serious number crunching is of importance. In fact, you may want to seriously consider Excel as an alternative to any combination of individual programs that combine graphics, database and spreadsheet.” - Business Computer Systems, November 1985

Since its release in September, Microsoft Excel - a multifunction software package combining a powerful spreadsheet with graphics and database capabilities - has received glowing praise from reviewers, and is fast becoming the top-selling software program for the Apple Macintosh. This December, Microsoft Press will publish EXCEL IN BUSINESS, the definitive guide to this standard-setting software package. Douglas Cobb, author of the best selling Mastering Symphony, and co-author of the classic Using 1-2-3, has brought his extensive experience in explaining the intricacies of complex software programs to this authoritative book. Microsoft Press will support EXCEL IN BUSINESS with a major promotional campaign. In addition, A+ magazine will run an excerpt of the book in March. Doug Cobb worked closely with Excel’s development team to make EXCEL IN BUSINESS a complete source of detailed, inside information. The heart of Excel is its large spreadsheet, and the book provides a thorough section on maximizing its powers. The author covers the basics, from formatting and editing entries, to using windows and built-in functions, to printing out a finished worksheet. In addition, the author gives full instructions on how to easily and efficiently link information from a worksheet into another worksheet, or into a chart or database. Its superior charting features make Microsoft Excel an even more valuable and versatile business tool. EXCEL IN BUSINESS details how to create, format, and save a variety of charts, including column, area, bar, pie, line, and scatter diagrams. In addition, Cobb explains how to plot more than one data series, and offers techniques that will help readers take full advantage of Excel’s graphing capability. EXCEL IN BUSINESS also offers a comprehensive tour of Excel’s database manager. After detailing how to set up a simple database, Doug Cobb provides examples to explain Excel’s set of database commands. In addition, Cobb demonstrates methods for manipulating and sorting data using Excel’s special database statistical functions. Microsoft Excel’s macro feature has set new benchmarks for its power and ease of use. (Macros are mini-programs that enable the user to repeat complicated set of commands with a few keystrokes.) EXCEL IN BUSINESS thoroughly explores the fundamentals of macro use, and provides easily referenced information on Excel’s library of over 100 macro functions. In addition, the author details how to automate spreadsheets by creating custom functions. The advantages and limitations of Microsoft Excel’s macro recorder are also discussed in depth. A thorough Appendix discusses exporting Excel worksheets to other programs - and importing worksheets from other sources into Excel, including LOTUS WKS files. The author also shows how to use the Switcher to quickly shift to other application programs. Throughout the book, Doug Cobb provides EXCEL TIPS - inside information that will help readers to master this extraordinary program. Douglas Cobb received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Economy from Williams College, and a Master of Sciences degree in Accounting from New York University. He is president of The Cobb Group, a company that specializes in writing and publishing high-quality support materials for business software products, including books, journals, and workbooks. Microsoft Corporation, based in Bellevue, Washington, develops and sells a wide range of operating systems, languages, applications programs, and hardware products, as well as books, for the microcomputer marketplace.

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1986.