'Back to basics' means exploring spreadsheet<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Nowadays, \"back to basics\" may sound like a
\ntired, overused phrase. However, sometimes it does us good to get
\nback to the basics so that we don't lose ground.<\/p>\n
For some time now, we have been exploring the latest in
\nsoftware programs to see whether they are worth spending our
\nhard-earned rupiahs on, and whether they are worth having on our
\nhard disks. Now, it is time to adjust the course of our journey
\nand see what we can extract from the software we already have.<\/p>\n
Spreadsheets are just one of the things that have made
\npersonal computers so meaningful. Apple II, for example, took off
\nso quickly because of VisiCalc, the precursor of today's
\nspreadsheet programs. Today, everybody is familiar with Lotus 1-
\n2-3; in fact, most of us confuse the name of the company and its
\nflagship product. We would say, \"Why don't we just create the
\ntable in Lotus?\" while what we mean is to create it in 1-2-3.
\nIt's so popular, yet so many people -- including my own
\ncolleagues who have become so fluent in using word processors
\nsuch as WordStar, Ami Pro and WordPerfect -- shy away from
\nspreadsheets because they think they are hard to learn.<\/p>\n
So, in our return journey to the basics, we will explore the
\nreal basics of the spreadsheet. Our discussion will probably
\nremain so basic throughout this article that you may not even
\nbelong here.<\/p>\n
A crash course<\/p>\n
First, what is a spreadsheet? Well, you must have seen an
\naccountants' columnar paper or book. Accountants record all the
\nfinancial activities of their organization on the paper or in the
\nbook. The pages are characteristically full with columns. You see
\ntables, you see labels and you see figures.<\/p>\n
A spreadsheet is just an electronic representation of the
\naccountant's book. If you're still not sure what I mean, then
\nlet's think of another analogy. Think of a huge housing estate
\nthat has a grid system of roads. There are numerous houses in the
\nestate, each is circled by these roads, and each has its own
\naddress.<\/p>\n
A spreadsheet is just like an estate. The houses are the
\ncells. In a typical Windows spreadsheet, you'll recognize what I
\nmean by cells immediately since the cell grid-like boundaries are
\nquite visible. Take a look at the accompanying illustration, and
\nyou'll know what I mean.<\/p>\n
Just like the houses in the estate, the cells in a
\nspreadsheet are distinct. Each has its own \"address\" and specific
\ncontent. How do you know their addresses? Well, each cell is
\nbasically the intersection of a column and a row. So, when a cell
\nis located in Column C and Row 4, its address will be C4. If it
\nis located in Column X and Row 235, its address will be X235.
\nIt's that simple.<\/p>\n
Now, where do we find the column and row names? You'll find
\nthem on the upper and left edges of each spreadsheet. This is
\ncalled the spreadsheet frame. How many cells are there in a
\nspreadsheet? The number may vary from one program to another, but
\nusually there are 8,192 rows and 256 columns. That's certainly
\nmore than you would care to count. The most important thing is
\nthat you learn the addressing convention of the cells. You have
\nto get used to addresses like K25 and HV43.<\/p>\n
Cell contents<\/p>\n
If a house accommodates humans, furniture and activities, a
\ncell is filled with three things: (1) Text; (2) Figures, and (3)
\nFormula.<\/p>\n
The text that fills a cell is called a label. So, for
\ninstance, the word \"Items\" in cell C2 in the illustration is a
\nlabel, and so are the words in cells D2, E2, F2, C3, C4, C5, C6,
\netc. Labels are just what the word itself means; they give
\nmeaning to the contents of other cells underneath or to the right
\nof themselves.<\/p>\n
When you enter a number instead of a string of text, it will
\nbe stored as a value. When I went to Glodok Plaza to shop for
\ncomputer supplies last week, I spent Rp 100,000 on diskettes. In
\nF3, 100,000 is a value and is different from a label. The label
\n\"Diskettes\" in C3 gives meaning to the value \"100,000\" in F3.<\/p>\n
How do I get the value 100.000,00? Well, the price of one
\nbox of ten diskettes was Rp 25,000, and I bought four boxes. I
\nmade a calculation, I multiplied 25,000 by 4, and I got that
\nvalue. But the spreadsheet did all this for me. All I have to do
\nis enter what is called a formula into the cell.<\/p>\n
When I wanted to enter a formula in F3 that will multiply
\nthe content of cell D3 by the content of cell E3, I entered the
\nfollowing: \"+D3*E3\" or \"=D3*E3\". This intelligent spreadsheet
\ncalculates the operation, and gave me the value \"100,000\". Isn't
\nthat neat? You can see another example of the formula in F14 in
\nthe illustration.<\/p>\n
You can use operators such as multiplication, division,
\naddition and subtraction in your formulas. You can also create
\nvery complex formulas, depending on your need. The possibilities
\nare almost limitless.<\/p>\n
Navigating<\/p>\n
As I said before, a spreadsheet is a huge piece of
\nelectronic columnar paper. On a high resolution display, you may
\nbe able to see as many as 11 columns and 30 rows at any time. On
\na standard VGA display, however, you'll see much fewer. That's
\nwhy a high resolution display system is preferable when people
\nwork with spreadsheets.<\/p>\n
To move from one cell to another, you have to move the cell
\npointer. Just like the insertion point of a word processor, you
\ncan move the cell pointer using the four arrow keys. Or, you can
\nmove it directly to a particular cell using the mouse.<\/p>\n
If you get lost in this huge housing estate, just remember
\none thing: Pressing or will take you directly
\nto A1. A1 is always your starting point, like the \"do\" in do-re-
\nmi.<\/p>\n
Many uses<\/p>\n
Spreadsheets are handy, and if you're still not using it
\nafter reading this super-basic introduction, shame on you. It's
\nnot so difficult to learn, and I guess the above short lesson
\nwould be understood even by a true computer-phobic.<\/p>\n
Although it borrows the basic idea from the accountants'
\npaper, you can use spreadsheets for a wide variety of purposes. I
\nuse spreadsheets to create tables. In fact, I am now building my
\nown dictionary of specialized terms in Indonesian and English
\nwith the help of a spreadsheet. People in corporations use them
\nto create large databases, complete with their data entry forms.
\nAnalysts use spreadsheets to analyze data and create scenarios.
\nThey play \"what if\" games with spreadsheets. Scientists can even
\ndo regression analyses with the built-in analytical tools.<\/p>\n
The tables, labels and so forth do not have to look dull as
\nthe one that you see spreading from B2 to F7. The table in B10 to
\nF15 is nothing more than a carbon copy of this table, but I have
\napplied some very simple decorative tricks to this copy. I
\nchanged the color of the cell background, and I changed the color
\nof the characters to white. Today, spreadsheet programs are
\nloaded with a plethora of formatting options.<\/p>\n
The potential of a spreadsheet is unlimited, and therefore
\nyou should learn to use it. Remember, it's just labels, values
\nand formulas.<\/p>",
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