Microsoft® Excel 97 Quick Reference
This glossary contains the terms that appear italicized throughout this book. Look them up as you go along or scan for any terms with which you are not familiar.
absolute reference A cell reference in a formula that doesn't change when you copy that formula to another cell or range. You use dollar signs to indicate absolute references, such as $B$7.
alignment How a cell entry is positioned in a cell, both horizontally and vertically.
arguments Inputs used to calculate functions.
AutoCalculate An Excel feature that supplies a quick total in a worksheet.
AutoComplete An Excel feature that makes it easy to enter repeated text items in a column.
AutoCorrect An Excel feature that automatically corrects common typographical or spelling errors as you type them.
AutoFill An Excel feature that enables you to enter sequences of values automatically.
AutoFilter An Excel feature that enables you to filter data in a list without moving or sorting the list. The field names at the top of the list become drop-down lists from which you can choose the data you want to view.
AutoFormat An Excel feature that applies a set of predefined formatting choices to reports, tables, and lists.
AutoShapes Ready-made shapes provided with Excel (such as stars and flowchart symbols) that you can add to worksheets.
AutoSum An Excel feature that enables you to sum adjacent columns or rows automatically.
chart A graphical representation of data in an Excel worksheet.
Chart Wizard An Excel feature that automates the creation of a chart.
clip art A collection of graphics and pictures that is available for use in programs such as Excel.
Clipboard A temporary storage area for cut or copied items in Windows applications.
concatenation Combining text, numbers, or dates within a single cell. In Excel, you use the ampersand (&) symbol to join the contents of multiple cells.
controls Data-entry objects commonly used in Excel forms, such as scrolling lists or check boxes.
database In Excel, information that contains similar sets of data, organized in records and fields.
data form A dialog box which enables you to quickly insert records in a list or database, as well as search for and delete existing records.
data labels Identifiers that you can attach to data points on a chart.
data mapping An Excel feature that enables you to see the relationships between numbers and geographic features.
dependents Cells that contain formulas that refer to other cells.
field The information in one column of a list or database.
form An organized and formatted worksheet that facilitates data entry.
formula Calculations you enter in a worksheet.
formula palette A pop-up window that appears under the Formula bar when you use Paste Function to enter a formula or function.
function A predefined formula that performs a specific operation in Excel.
Goal Seek An Excel feature that produces a specific value in a formula cell by adjusting one input cell that influences a value.
hyperlink A link in an Excel workbook that enables you to quickly jump to Internet or intranet sites, or to other Excel workbooks or Office documents.
legend A chart or map element that explains the markers or symbols used in a chart.
list See database.
macro A stored list of commands and keystrokes that are automatically executed by Excel.
mixed reference A cell reference in a formula in which only the row number or column letter (but not both) remains fixed when you copy that formula to another cell or range.
Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) A Windows feature that enables you to create work in one application and share that work with another application.
Office Assistant An on-screen, interactive program that provides tips and Help information, and also interprets what Help you might need based on your current actions.
orientation How a cell entry or chart object is positioned in a cell or chart, rotating between -90 and 90 degrees. Also refers to how text is printed on a page--across the short edge of the page (portrait) or across the long edge of the page (landscape).
outlining An Excel feature that enables you to expand or contract information contained in worksheets or reports so that you see more or less detail.
Paste Function An Excel feature that automates the process of entering a function.
pivot table A feature that enables you to summarize and analyze data in lists and tables. Pivot tables are called such because you can quickly rearrange the position of pivot table fields to give you a different view of the table.
PivotTable Wizard An Excel feature that automates the creation of a pivot table.
precedents Cells that are referred to by a formula.
record The information in one row of a list or database.
relative reference A cell reference in a formula that automatically adjusts when you copy that formula to another cell or range.
ScreenTips The small pop-up labels that appear next to a toolbar button when you move the mouse pointer onto the button and pause.
serial number The value used to store a date or time in Excel. Days are numbered from the beginning of the century--the date serial number 1 corresponds to the date January 1, 1900. Time serial numbers are stored as a decimal fraction.
sheet See worksheet.
Solver An Excel add-in program that finds an optimal solution by adjusting input cells, while ensuring that other formulas in the worksheet stay within specified limits.
Template Wizard An Excel feature that enables you to quickly create professional-looking data entry forms.
tracer lines Lines showing the flow of data through the worksheet by connecting the active cell with related cells; used with the Excel auditing feature.
workbook The Excel file in which you work and store data. A workbook can contain one or more sheets of varying types: worksheets, chart sheets, MS Excel 4.0 Macro sheets, and MS Excel 5.0 Dialog sheets.
worksheet The document you use in Excel to enter and edit data (also sometimes referred to as a sheet).
worksheet frame The column and row headings that appear in the workbook window.
workspace A collection of open workbooks that Excel can save and then redisplay when you start the program. Excel saves information such as the workbook names, screen locations, and window sizes.
©Copyright, Macmillan Computer Publishing. All rights reserved.