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.