Excel is a powerful tool for building bespoke template-based spreadsheets for use in business, for analysis of data and for presenting data graphically. We have helped many clients use it in their business to great effect, but here are the benefits of Excel according to Microsoft:

Click the links in the list below to see Microsoft's version of each of the advantages of Excel in a little more detail

• Spreadsheets for organising and analysing your data with a huge range of calculation functions at your fingertips.
• Charts/graphs for turning your data into instantly readable information.
• Part of Microsoft 365 (Microsoft Office) so fully integrates with other packages.
• Tables for handling and managing database-type data
• Pivot tables for cross-tabulating and summarising your data easily
• Sophisticated conditional formatting to create heat maps and see anomalies or trends in your data instanantly
• Full multi-user, shared access via the online 365 version
• Link to other data sources, including SQL server, to easily analyse and present data without having to export/import it.

What are you looking for?

• Benefits of using Microsoft Excel
• What's new in Microsoft Excel 2019 (Standard or 365)
• What's new in Microsoft Excel 2016
• What's new in Microsoft Excel 2013
• What's new in Microsoft Excel 2010
• What's new in Microsoft Excel 2007
• Advice about whether Microsoft Excel is right for my business. (We offer free advice - talk to us here)

Find the tools you want when you need them using the results-oriented Office Fluent user interface. Based on the job you need to accomplish, whether it’s creating a table or writing a formula, the new versions present the appropriate commands when you need them.

Work with massive amounts of data, which supports spreadsheets that can be up to 1 million rows by 16,000 columns. In addition to the bigger grid, Excel supports multicore processor platforms for faster calculation of formula-intense spreadsheets.

Build professional-looking charts faster with fewer clicks using charting tools in the Office Fluent user interface. Apply rich visual enhancements to your charts such as 3-D effects, soft shadowing, and transparency. Create and interact with charts the same way, regardless of the application you are using, because the charting engine is consistent in Microsoft Office Word and Microsoft Office PowerPoint.

Create, format, expand, filter, and refer to tables within formulas because the support for tables has been greatly improved. When you’re viewing data contained in a large table, Excel keeps table headings in view while you scroll.

PivotTable views enable you to quickly reorient your data to help you answer multiple questions. Find the answers you need faster and create and use PivotTable views more easily by dragging fields where you want them to be displayed.

Apply conditional formatting to your information more easily to discover patterns and highlight trends in your data. New schemes include colour gradients, heat maps, data bars, and performance indicator icons.

Using Excel 365 online you can share spreadsheets so others can access the information using a web browser. Users can navigate, sort, filter, input parameters, and interact with the information, all within their web browser and all sharing the same file so that updates from anyone are reflected for all.

Prevent the spread of multiple or outdated copies of a spreadsheet throughout your organisation by using Excel 365 online. Control which users can view and modify spreadsheets on the server using permission-based access.

The new, compressed Microsoft Office Excel XML Format offers a dramatic reduction in file size, while its architecture offers an improvement in data recovery for damaged files. This new format provides a tremendous saving to storage and bandwidth requirements, and reduces the burden on IT personnel.

Take advantage of the flexibility and the new cube functions to build a custom report from an OLAP database. You can also connect to external sources of data more easily using the Data Connection Library.

If you are interested in a bespoke software solution you can contact us at any time for a no hassle, jargon-free chat to quickly determine whether or not we can help you. And if we feel we can't help you we will point you to somebody who can!

Did you know that Software-Matters has a YouTube channel which contains Excel tutorial videos?

Just follow the above link to have a look.