Re: Benefits of upgrading to Excel2003
From: Norman Harker (njharker_at_optusnet.com.au)
Date: 03/25/04
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- In reply to: Davis: "Benefits of upgrading to Excel2003"
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Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 01:03:32 +1100
Hi Davis!
You probably don't have access to Excel 2002 and excel 2003 so I've
copied and pasted what Microsoft say about the new features in those
two editions.
Here's What's new in Excel 2002 (Followed by What's new in 2003)
Key new features in Microsoft Excel
Importing data:
Querying data from Web pages Now it's even easier to get refreshable
data from the Web into Excel for viewing and analysis. Use the new
browser-like interface to visually select tables on Web pages for
import into Excel, or copy data from a Web page and create a
refreshable query. Web queries included with Excel provide fast,
accurate information such as stock quotes for your spreadsheets. You
can also create
Web queries to Extensible Markup Language (XML) files.
Importing data Getting data where you need it and when you need it
is as easy as choosing an option and finding your data source in the
Select Data Source dialog box. If you want to import data from a
remote data source, use the Data Connection Wizard to locate and
import data from sources as varied as Microsoft SQL Server, Open
Database Connectivity (ODBC), and Online Analytical Processing (OLAP)
data sources. Microsoft Office data connection (.odc) files are
shareable.
Formulas and functions
ScreenTips for function arguments Type a function in a cell and a
convenient screen tip appears showing all of the arguments for the
function, along with a link to the Help topic for the function.
Recommended functions in the Function Wizard Type a natural language
query, such as "How do I determine the monthly payment for a car
loan", and the Function Wizard returns a list of recommended functions
you can use to accomplish your task.
Cut-and-paste function reference examples If you've wondered how to
translate Help examples into meaningful worksheet data, you'll find
the cut-and-paste function examples in Excel Help useful and time
saving.
Task-based formula help Real-life examples for real-life numeric
problems make powerful additions to the Help you've come to count on.
Watch window Keep track of cells and their formulas on the Watch
Window toolbar, even when the cells are out of view. This moveable
toolbar tracks cell properties including workbook, worksheet, name,
cell, value, and formula.
Expanded AutoSum functionality The practical functionality of
AutoSum has expanded to include a drop-down list of the most common
functions. For example, you can click Average from the list to
calculate the average of a selected range, or connect to the Function
Wizard for more options.
Formula evaluator You can see the various parts of a nested formula
evaluated in the order the formula is calculated by using a simple
dialog box on the Formula Auditing toolbar.
Trace precedent and dependent cells with Formula Auditing Use the
Formula Auditing toolbar to graphically display, or trace, the
relationships between cells and formulas with blue arrows. You can
trace the precedent cells or the dependent cells.
Formula error checking Like a grammar checker, Excel uses certain
rules to check for problems in formulas. These rules can help find
common mistakes. You can turn these rules on or off individually.
Worksheet and workbook formatting
Color-coded worksheet tabs Organize your work by adding color to
your worksheet tabs.
Control automatic changes with smart tags Buttons that appear
automatically on your worksheet can help you with tasks such as
automatic correction options, paste options, automatic fill options,
insert options, and formula error checking. With a click of a button
you can choose from options related to your task without leaving the
worksheet or the cells you're working on.
Unmerge on the toolbar No more searching for a way to unmerge cells.
Now unmerge is conveniently located on the Format toolbar.
Retain column widths If you have worksheets with specified column
widths, now you can paste information from another worksheet without
losing that formatting by clicking the Paste Options button, and then
clicking Keep Source Column Widths.
Border drawing A new border drawing tool allows you to outline
complex borders with little effort.
More new features in Excel
Everyday tasks
Find and replace Finding and replacing data in Excel includes great
new options to match formats and search an entire workbook or
worksheets.
Links management Changes to the Edit Links dialog box allow you to
check the status of the links in your worksheet and make changes. A
new workbook option allows you to control whether to update links in
your workbook automatically.
Hyperlink navigation Selecting a cell with a hyperlink is improved.
Click the hyperlink once to follow it. Click and hold to select the
cell.
Sending a range Sending out mid-month reports and summaries just got
easier. Select a range on your worksheet, click E-mail on the
Standard toolbar, type an introduction to the report, and then send it
without spending extra time on the task.
Insert and delete columns while filtering You can insert and delete
columns with AutoFilter turned on in Excel. You can even undo the
action and preserve any applied filtering.
Speech playback An option to have a computer voice play back data
after every cell entry or after a range of cells has been entered
makes verifying data entry convenient and practical. You can even
choose the voice the computer uses to read back your data. This
feature is available in Chinese, Japanese, and English (U.S.) only.
Printing You've asked for the ability to insert graphics and file
names in headers and footers, and with Excel you can. You'll also find
a handy A4 paper resizing option on the International tab under Tools
menu, Options command, which will scale the worksheet you formatted
for A4 paper if you have letter-size paper in your printer.
Smart tags By turning on smart tags, you can type a U.S. financial
symbol and use Smart Tag Actions to insert a stock quote in your
worksheet, find out more about the company you're doing business with,
and more. You can also type the name of someone you've recently sent
an e-mail message to into a cell, and then use smart tag options to
schedule a meeting or add the name to your contacts list, all without
leaving your worksheet.
Item properties in PivotTables Online Analytical Processing (OLAP)
is a powerful tool for aggregating numeric information, and now you
can annotate your data with item properties to make your data
warehouse even more valuable.
AutoRepublish Anyone who frequently publishes Excel data to the Web
will appreciate additional Web publishing features that allow you to
automatically republish items to Web pages whenever you save a
workbook with previously published items.
Open and save XML With Excel, you can open and save Extensible
Markup Language (XML) files, save entire workbooks in the XML
Spreadsheet format, and create queries to XML source data.
Digital Dashboard and Web Parts Use Excel to create Web Parts to
include on your company's new Digital Dashboard. For example, you
might create an updateable sales chart to highlight your division's
contributions to the company's bottom line.
Worksheet protection Excel adds power and flexibility to protect
your data from changes to worksheets and cells. You can protect cell
values and formulas, and allow the cell to be formatted. You can also
ensure that only specific users are allowed to change cells.
Language-specific features
If you are not using the specific language version of Microsoft Office
for which one of these features is designed, then the feature is only
available if you have installed the Microsoft Office XP Multilingual
User Interface Pack or Microsoft Office XP Proofing Tools for that
language. In addition, you must enable support for the language
through Microsoft Office XP Language Settings.
Multilingual editing With Excel you can edit spreadsheets in any
language, including right-to-left language editing in Arabic and
Hebrew. Excel automatically links fonts so you don't have to figure
out the language of a particular font.
IME support If you have an Input Method Editor (IME) installed, you
can edit Asian language spreadsheets in any language version of Excel.
Worldwide number formats You can format numbers for a specific
location in all language versions of Excel.
New Microsoft Office features
Everyday tasks
Office task panes The most common tasks in Office are now organized
in panes that display in place with your Office document. Continue
working while you search for a file using the Search task pane, pick
from a gallery of items to paste in the Office Clipboard task pane,
and quickly create new documents or open files using the New File task
pane that appears when you start an Office program. Other task panes
vary in each Office program.
New look Microsoft Office XP has a cleaner, simpler look to its
interface. Softer colors also contribute to this updated feel.
More convenient access to Help Get the full power of the Answer
Wizard in an unobtrusive package. When you enter a question about an
Office program in the Ask a Question box on the menu bar, you can see
a list of choices and read a Help topic whether you are running the
Office Assistant or not.
Control paste options and automatic changes with smart tags New
in-place buttons called "smart tags" let you immediately adjust how
information is pasted or how automatic changes occur in your Office
programs. For example, when you paste text from Microsoft Word into
Microsoft PowerPoint, a button appears next to the text. Click the
button to see a list of choices for fine-tuning the formatting of the
pasted text. Smart tags and their associated choices vary in each
Office program.
Updated Clip Organizer Hundreds of new clips, an easy task pane
interface, as well as the same abilities to organize clips and find
new digital art on the Web are part of the updated Clip Organizer
(formerly Clip Gallery).
Conceptual diagrams Word, Excel, and PowerPoint include a new
gallery of conceptual diagrams. Choose from diagrams such as Pyramid
for showing the building blocks of a relationship, Radial for showing
items in relation to a core element, and more.
Voice commands and dictation In addition to mouse and keyboard
methods, you can now select menu, toolbar, and dialog box items by
speaking. You can also dictate text. This feature is available in the
Simplified Chinese, English (U.S.), and Japanese language versions of
Office, and has some special hardware requirements.
Support for handwriting You can use handwriting recognition to enter
text into an Office document. You can write by using a handwriting
input device - such as a graphics tablet or a tablet-PC - or you can
write using your mouse. Your natural handwriting is converted to typed
characters. In Word and Microsoft Outlook, you can also choose to
leave text in handwritten form.
Improved fidelity of pictures and drawings In Office XP, Word,
Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft FrontPage, and Microsoft Publisher are
using an improved graphics system (GDI+). With this new graphics
system, shapes and WordArt have smoother outlines and adjustable
levels of transparency with true blending. Digital pictures stay
sharper and clearer when you resize them.
Accessibility Office XP programs support Microsoft Active
Accessibility 2.0. This technology makes accessibility aids, such as
screen readers or screen enlargers, more effective.
Find printers If your organization uses Microsoft Windows 2000 and
the Active Directory directory service, you can search for printers
across your network from the Print dialog box in Office XP programs.
Storing documents with Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 You can store
Microsoft Office documents on Exchange Server 2000 and access them
through the File Open, File New, and File Save dialog boxes, as you
would any other Office document.
Web documents and Web sites
Target your Web publishing efforts Save your Office documents as Web
pages for versions 3.0 - 6.0 of various Web browsers and give your
readers the best possible viewing experience.
Share your Office documents over the Web From any Office program,
you can save documents to Web sites on MSN. This gives you an instant
collaboration space where you can share files with other people.
Save a Web site as a single file A special Web archive file format
is available in Microsoft Access, Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint,
Microsoft Publisher, and Microsoft Word. This file format lets you
save all the elements of a Web site, including text and graphics, into
a single file.
Open Office Web pages for editing from the browser Office programs
recognize the HTML pages that they generate. You can open an Office
document that you've saved as a Web page in the program it was created
in, right from Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Error prevention and recovery
Document recovery and safer shutdown Documents you are working on
can be recovered if the Office program encounters an error or stops
responding. The documents are displayed in the Document Recovery task
pane the next time you open the program.
Office Safe Mode Microsoft Office XP programs can detect and isolate
startup problems. You can bypass the problem, run your Office program
in safe mode, and keep doing your work.
Office crash reporting tool Diagnostic information about program
crashes can be collected and sent to your company's information
technology department or to Microsoft, allowing Product Support
Services (PSS) experts to correct these problems so they don't
interrupt you again.
Security
Digital signatures You can apply a digital signature to Microsoft
Word, Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint files to confirm that the file
has not been altered.
Increased protection against macro viruses Network administrators
can remove Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications, the programming
language of Microsoft Office, when deploying Office. This can decrease
the possibility of viruses spreading via Office documents.
Language-specific features
If you are not using the specific language version of Microsoft Office
for which one of these features is designed, then the feature is only
available if you have installed the Microsoft Office XP Multilingual
User Interface Pack or Microsoft Office XP Proofing Tools for that
language.
In addition, you must enable support for the language through
Microsoft Office XP Language Settings.
Improvements to changing the language of the user interface and Help
More components across Microsoft Office support changing the language
of their user interface. In addition, terms on the interface match the
terms in Help, even when the main text of Help is in a different
language than the interface. This feature is only available with the
Office XP MUI Pack and a volume licensing agreement.
Hangul/Hanja converter improvements Over 20,000 new characters are
supported by this converter for Korean language documents. The
converter automatically uses new fonts that have the proper glyphs for
the new characters.
Full support for Windows 2000 language features Office programs now
support all the languages that Microsoft Windows 2000 does. Office
also supports the latest extensions to Chinese character encoding via
Unicode, including support for almost 70,000 Chinese characters.
East Asian character support on non-East Asian systems Now you can
enter characters from East Asian languages in all Office programs,
even if your system software is a non-East Asian language version.
(This was previously only supported in Microsoft Word and Microsoft
Outlook, or when running Windows 2000.) For example, on a computer
running English (U.S.) Microsoft Windows 98, you can enter Japanese
characters in Excel.
What's new in Excel 2003:
List functionality:
In Microsoft Office 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.
Every column in the list has AutoFilter enabled by default in the
header row which allows you to quickly filter or sort your data.
The dark blue list border clearly outlines the range of cells that
compose your list.
The row in the list frame that contains an asterisk is called the
insert row. Typing information in this row will automatically add data
to the list.
A total row can be added to your list. When you click on a cell within
the total row, you can pick from a drop-down list of aggregate
functions.
You can modify the size of your list by dragging the resize handle
found on the bottom right corner of the list border.
Integration with Windows SharePoint Services
Excel lists allow you to collaborate the information contained within
a list with seamless integration with Windows SharePoint Services. You
can create a SharePoint list based on your Excel list on a SharePoint
site by publishing the list. If you choose to link the list to the
SharePoint site, any changes you make to the list in Excel will be
reflected on the SharePoint site when you synchronize the list.
You can also use Excel to edit existing Windows SharePoint Services
lists. You can modify the list offline and then synchronize your
changes later to update the SharePoint list.
Improved statistical functions
Aspects of the following statistical functions, including rounding
results, and precision have been enhanced:
BINOMDIST
CHIINV
CONFIDENCE
CRITBINOM
DSTDEV
DSTDEVP
DVAR
DVARP
FINV
FORECAST
GAMMAINV
GROWTH
HYPGEOMDIST
INTERCEPT
LINEST
LOGEST
LOGINV
LOGNORMDIST
NEGBINOMDIST
NORMDIST
NORMINV
NORMSDIST
NORMSINV
PEARSON
POISSON
RAND
RSQ
SLOPE
STDEV
STDEVA
STDEVP
STDEVPA
STEYX
TINV
TREND
VAR
VARA
VARP
VARPA
ZTEST
Note The result of the preceding functions may be different than in
previous versions of Microsoft Excel.
XML support:
Industry-standard XML support in Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft
Office Excel 2003, and Microsoft Office Access 2003 streamlines the
process of accessing and capturing information between PCs and
back-end systems, unlocking information, and allowing for the creation
of integrated business solutions across the organization and between
business partners.
With XML 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.
Smart documents:
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 Office 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. They can even interact with other Microsoft Office
applications. For example, you can use smart documents to send e-mail
messages through Microsoft Outlook, all without leaving the workbook
or starting Outlook.
Document Workspaces:
Use Document Workspaces to simplify the process of co-authoring,
editing, and reviewing documents with others in real-time through
Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Office Excel 2003, Microsoft
Office PowerPoint 2003, or Microsoft Office Visio 2003. A Document
Workspace site is a Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services site that is
centered around one or more documents. People can easily work together
on the document- either by working directly on the Document Workspace
copy or by working on their own copy, which they can update
periodically with changes that have been saved to the copy on the
Document Workspace site.
Typically, you create a Document Workspace when you use e-mail to send
a document as a shared attachment. As the sender of the shared
attachment, you become the administrator of the Document Workspace,
and all the recipients become members of the Document Workspace, where
they are granted permission to contribute to the site. Another common
way to create a Document Workspace is to use the Shared Workspace task
pane (Tools menu) in a Microsoft Office 2003 program.
When you use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Visio to open a local copy of
the document on which the Document Workspace is based, the Office
program periodically gets updates from the Document Workspace and
makes them available to you. If the changes to the workspace copy
conflict with changes you've made to your copy, you can choose which
copy to keep. When you are finished editing your copy, you can save
your changes to the Document Workspace, where they are available for
other members to incorporate into their copy of the document.
Information Rights Management:
Today, sensitive information can only be controlled by limiting access
to the networks or computers where the information is stored. Once
access is given to users, however, there are no restrictions on what
can be done with the content or to whom it can be sent. This
distribution of content easily allows sensitive information to reach
people who were never intended to receive it. Microsoft Office 2003
offers a new feature, Information Rights Management (IRM), which helps
you prevent sensitive information from getting into the hands of the
wrong people, whether by accident or carelessness.
Authors use the Permission dialog box (File | Permission | Do Not
Distribute or Permission on the Standard toolbar) to give users Read
and Change access, as well as to set expiration dates for content.
Authors can remove restricted permission from a document, workbook, or
presentation by simply clicking Unrestricted Access on the Permission
submenu or by clicking Permission again on the Standard toolbar.
Additionally, administrators for companies can create permission
policies that are available in Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft
Office Excel 2003, and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 on the
Permission submenu and define who can access information and what
level of editing or Office capabilities users have for a document,
workbook, or presentation.
Users who receive content with restricted permission simply need to
open the document, workbook, or presentation just as they would with
content that doesn't have restricted permission. If users don't have
Office 2003 or later installed on their computer, they can download a
program that allows them to view this content.
Note You can create content with restricted permission using
Information Rights Management only in Microsoft Office Professional
Edition 2003, Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Office Excel 2003,
and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003.
Compare workbooks side by side:
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 with command on the Window menu)
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.
More new features:
New look for Office Microsoft Office 2003 has a new look that's
open and energetic. Additionally, new and improved task panes are
available to you. New task panes include Getting Started, Help, Search
Results, Shared Workspace, Document Updates, and Research.
Tablet PC support On a Tablet PC, you can quickly provide input
using your own handwriting directly into Office documents as you would
using a pen and a printout. Additionally, you can now view task panes
horizontally to help you do your work on the Tablet PC the way you
want to do your work.
Research task pane 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.
Microsoft Office Online Microsoft Office Online is better
integrated in all Microsoft Office programs so that you can take full
advantage of what the site has to offer while you work. You can visit
Microsoft Office Online directly from within your Web browser or use
the links provided in various task panes and menus in your Office
program to access articles, tips, clip art, templates, online
training, downloads, and services to enhance how you work with Office
programs. The site is updated regularly with new content based on
direct feedback and specific requests from you and others who use
Office.
Improving quality for the customer Microsoft strives to improve
quality, reliability, and performance of Microsoft software and
services. The Customer Experience Improvement Program allows Microsoft
to collect information about your hardware configuration and how you
use Microsoft Office programs and services to identify trends and
usage patterns. Participation is optional, and data collection is
completely anonymous. Additionally, error reporting and error messages
have been improved so that you are provided with the easiest approach
to reporting errors and the most helpful information about alerts at
the time you encounter a problem. Finally, with an Internet
connection, you can give Microsoft customer feedback about an Office
program, help content, or Microsoft Office Online content. Microsoft
is continually adding and improving content based on your feedback.
-- Regards Norman Harker MVP (Excel) Sydney, Australia njharker@optusnet.com.au Excel and Word Function Lists (Classifications, Syntax and Arguments) available free to good homes. "Davis" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:1328501c4125a$701cf8c0$a501280a@phx.gbl... > Are there major benefits upgrading from Excel 2000 to 2003?
- Next message: Mark Graesser: "RE: Percentages"
- Previous message: Dennis: "? Object, Method, Property to evaluate cell contents"
- In reply to: Davis: "Benefits of upgrading to Excel2003"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
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