Comprehensive Analysis of Complex Spreadsheets: Functions and Features

This assignment solution comprehensively addresses the functionalities and features of complex spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel. It begins with an explanation of various functions, including conditional formatting, data analysis, cell formatting, and formulas, illustrating their use with practical examples. The solution then delves into pivot tables, charts, sorting, filtering, formula auditing, macros, freeze panes, split view, workbook protection, external data import, and data validation. The second part focuses on cell alignment, font types, borders, number formatting, and page orientation to enhance data presentation. Finally, the assignment explores ergonomic considerations for computer use, including screen brightness, chair comfort, posture, and breaks, along with resource conservation techniques like reduce, reuse, and recycle. The document references external sources to support the information provided, offering a well-rounded understanding of spreadsheet applications for data analysis and presentation.

Running head: COMPLEX SPREADSHEETS
1
Complex Spreadsheets
Name of Student
Institutional Affiliation
Name of Professor
Date

COMPLEX SPREADSHEETS
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Question 1
Functions Explanation Example of use
Conditional Formatting Conditional formatting
involves highlighting of some
specific cells using different
formatting tools used in
Microsoft Excel. It helps to
improve the visualization of
the highlighted data
(Conditional Formatting 101,
2015).
Is used by some lecturers who
may be interested in knowing
the marks of some specific
students. They use
conditional formatting to
highlight those marks.
Data Analysis Data analysis is used to do
various calculations and
interpretations of the different
types of data entered in the
cells of the excel spreadsheet.
Used in industries to analyze
various types of data handled
by the industries. These data
include the salaries, the
procurement, data other types
of data.
Cell Formatting Cell formatting is normally
used to enhance the
visualization of the cells. It
involves formatting the
individual cells by through
changing their margin size,
their colors, their borders, etc.
Is used by secretaries of
institutions or organizations
to highlight some specific
cells which may contain very
important data.
Functions and Formulas Functions and formulas are
used to manipulate and
analyze the different types of
data entered in the excel
spreadsheet to obtain the
required results.
Used in schools to calculate
the total marks of the
students, the average marks
of each student, and the
overall mean of the school.
Pivot Table Pivot tables are special tables
used in excel to summarize
the data in the cells without
the use of formulas to do the
summary (Harvey, 2011).
Used in institutions and
companies which handle big
amount of data to ease the
analysis of the data.
Charts Charts are used to represent
the data used in excel
spreadsheets graphically. This
Used in different companies
to make comparisons of their
different performances in

COMPLEX SPREADSHEETS
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helps to improve the
visualization and makes the
trends and comparisons of
different data easier.
different times of the years.
Sorting Sorting of data in Excel is
used to arrange the data in a
specific order. This makes the
manipulation of the data
easier.
Sorting is applied in
industries and school to
arrange the names of the
workers or students in
alphabetical order.
Filter Filtering is used to get some
specific data from a large set
of data in spreadsheets or
tables used in Microsoft
Excel.
Filtering is used by
companies to obtain some
specific data from the large
sets of the companies’ data.
Formula Auditing Formula auditing is used to
display the relationship
between formulas and cells.
Formula auditing helps to
visualize the cells being used
and what they are used for.
Formula auditing is used in
institutions and organizations
which handle different types
of complex data to ease the
process of data analysis.
Macros Macros are special
programming instructions
stored in VBA code and help
to save some steps which are
repeatedly used in excel.
Macros simplify the process
of data analysis.
Macros are used by
secretaries who keep
repeating the same analysis of
different sets of similar types
of data at different times.
Freeze Panes Freeze panes are used to
freeze or lock specific rows
or columns for them to
remain visible as you scroll
up/down the excel
spreadsheet (Microsoft,
2009).
Freeze panes are used in
institutions which have very
many students to freeze some
rows or columns which
contain some vital data which
needs to remain visible as the
data is analyzed.
Split View Split view is a feature which
is used to allow the user to
view multiple workbooks in
the same screen as the user
works on excel.
Used by people handling
multiple workbooks with
related data which need to be
referred when working on a
certain workbook.
Protect and Share Workbook Protection of a workbook Protection is used in areas

COMPLEX SPREADSHEETS
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involves allocating a
password to a workbook
before sharing. The password
helps to improve the security
of the workbook as the
password is only shared with
the authorized people.
where we need to prevent
some unauthorized people
from accessing some
workbooks.
Get External Data The get external data
instruction is used to import
data from some other sources
such as the internet, other
excel files, and other sources.
The external data is imported
when needed.
Is used by users to add some
important data which could
not be available in the in the
excel spreadsheets.
Data validation Data validation is used to
restrict the type of data which
should be used in specific
cells. The data may be
restricted to letters, words, or
symbols.
Data validation is normally
used by institutions or
organizations to make sure
they get the data which is
relevant to their requirements.
What-If Analysis What-if analysis is normally
used to test different
scenarios without interfering
with the values in the
spreadsheets. This helps to
show the results of different
scenarios (What-If Analysis,
2012).
What-if analysis is commonly
used in economics,
management, and business. It
helps the business people to
compare the results of various
scenarios and make wise
decisions.
Question 2

COMPLEX SPREADSHEETS
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PR 1
(a) Cell alignment involves aligning the cells at the left, right or center. Cell alignment
improves the readability of the data by assigning good sizes of margins to the cells
(Malthos, 2006).
(b) The font types and font sizes used in the presentation of data impacts the readability of
the data. It is good to choose a good font type and size which can be read easily.
(c) Borders are used to surround some important cells which need to be understood well.
They improve the readability and presentation of data in the surrounded section.
(d) Number formatting involves assigning numbers to the cells. This improves their
presentation and readability as the size of the spreadsheet can be easily determined at a
glance.
(e) Conditional formatting involves highlighting specific cells and marking them with a
different color, font, or any other distinctive feature. This makes the highlighted section
more appealing and more presentable.
PR 5
(a) The page orientation could be landscape or portrait. This helps in the arrangement of the
data in the spreadsheets depending on the nature of the given data and hence makes it
presentation easier.
(b) Page margins are set to determine the size of the areas to be used for data entry. Good
sizes of page margins leave a good data entry area which improves the visualization of
the data.

COMPLEX SPREADSHEETS
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(c) Header and footers are normally used to give a hint of the information in the document,
and this helps the client to have a general idea of the kind of information in the document.
(d) Freeze panes help to lock some specific rows or columns which makes those rows or
columns always visible. This enhances their readability to the clients.
(e) Split view enhances the presentation of several related workbooks in the same window.
This enhances their presentation and readability when the multiple workbooks are needed
at the same time.
Question 3
PR 1
(a) Computer screen. Always make sure you control the levels of brightness of the screen to
the required level for the eyes’ safety. Similarly, computer screen should at a distance
that permits easy readability without struggle. It is also advisable that computer monitor
top be below the eyes while the bottom of the screen be at a position that can be read
without inclination.
(b) Chair. Always ensure you have a comfortable chair which is strong enough to support
your weight comfortably. The chair should be tilted at an angle that ensures easy access
to the computer screen. The backrest of the chair should be adjusted so that it supports
the back when the person is seated upright when using a computer.
(c) Footrest. The footrest should be flat that will enable good rest when stepped on. It should
be fixed tightly so that to avoid swinging of the feet which interrupts typing when using

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spreadsheet. The level of the footrest should be where it allows a right angle bending of
the knee so that fatigue.
(d) Mouse and the keyboard position. The keyboard should be placed at a position that
allows the forearm to be horizontal and the wrist set straight. The mouse should always
be close to the keyboard. To reduce pressure, the mouse should be frequently released at
intervals.
(e) Lighting. The workstation should have curtains that reduce direct lighting in the room
which reduces visibility of the computer screen. The screen resolution should be adjusted
the amount of light the eyes can accommodate. Screens should possibly be put away from
the windows. Still, screens should parallel to the fluorescent tubes which should be not
emit strong lighting.
(f) Ventilation. Always make sure you work in a well-ventilated room where we have a good
circulation of air to avoid breathing problems. Ventilation holes should be on top of the
workstation walls so as to facilitate convection current. Further, ventilation enables
exchange of warm and cold air which helps in the cooling of the computers in the
workstation.
(g) Posture. When using the spreadsheet one should be sited in an upright and relaxed
posture. The person’s sitting position should enable him/her to type on the spreadsheet
freely. However, there is no well-defined posture which a person may assume.
(h) Desk/work-surface. The surface of the desks should be flat to enhance good support of
the computers. To avoid slipping, the desk surfaces should be slightly rough. The
surfaces should always be kept dry without moisture.

COMPLEX SPREADSHEETS
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PR 3
(a) Exercise breaks and work periods. Breaks are very necessary for resting and
reduction of boredom in work. Before breaking one should ensure that he/she has
saved the done tasks in order to avoid losing the work in case of power lose.
(b) Stretching and exercising the body which includes the neck, the shoulders, the arms,
the back, the wrists, and hands helps refresh the body when working especially in
offices.
(c) The rule of 20-20-20. A computer user should take a break of about 20 seconds after
20 minutes of consistent computer use and stare 20 feet away from computer monitor.
PR 5
(a) Reduce. This helps in resource conservation by reducing the number of cells used. We
should avoid using unnecessary cells.
(b) Reuse. This helps in resource conservation by reusing some macros or some formulas in
excel.
(c) Recycle. Recycling helps to recover some necessary spreadsheets from the recycle bin,
and this helps to save the space which could have been used to create new spreadsheets.
References
Conditional Formatting 101. (2015, December 17). Retrieved from rocketexcel.com:
https://www.rocketexcel.com/conditional-formatting/

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Harvey, G. (2011). Excel 2010 For Dummies.
Icenogle, S. M. (October 2002). Statistical Quality Control Using Excel.
Malthos. (2006, January 24). Excel cell alignment. Retrieved from cnet.com:
https://www.cnet.com/forums/discussions/excel-cell-alignment-152438/
Microsoft. (2009). Freeze panes to lock rows and columns. What-If Analysis. (2012). Retrieved
from excel-easy.com: http://www.excel-easy.com/data-analysis/what-if-analysis.html