Excel Project

Well I just completed the Excel project and I must say that it did not take me that long at all.  Much of the credit goes to the first computer class I took here, Problem Solving Using Computers, CGS2531.  I guess I never really realized how much I learned in that class, especially how quickly the formulas came back to me as soon as I entered the = button.  I enjoyed working on this project because trying to understand customer statistics is very important not just to a business but also to new research studies.  Organizing the raw data together and formatting it even just a little into a more comprehensive view enhances the value the data provides immensely.  It gives the researcher, or anyone utilizing the data, a better understanding of the results.  When I added the two new columns of what the target heart rate should be and the column with what the highest target of the subject was, it made comparing the two results easier to view.  Rather than going row by row through each subject, the new additional columns simplified searching through the data.  The formulas used in the columns were made in just a few seconds and in turn would save the manager a lot of time than if they were to try and find each subject’s comparison heart rate one by one.  I also want to note that I absolutely love the autofill feature!  Just by double-clicking on the bottom right corner of the cell, the one formula I entered in the first cell was automatically copied to the remaining 499 cells!

The formulas also are such an important tool to Excel users because they do all the work for you! It’s exciting to know when you are entering a formula of all the hard work and calculations it saves you were you to do everything by hand.  The PivotTable is one tool that I have never used before and I was a little confused at first on how to choose my data to review.  However, I soon realized that it also is very easy to use. With just a few clicks, you quickly understand that with four criteria boxes, the format of clicking and dragging a field to one of the boxes could not get any simpler.  Anyone using Excel, from an IT guy to an average person who gets on the computer to pass time is able to understand how to use a PivotTable to organize select data.  It also helps remove all the detailed data without losing it and just providing the user with the requested organized results in such a simple format. A picture of my PivotTable is below:

Excel is such a powerful and useful tool for everybody.  It helps organize vast amounts of data so simply but so effectively; it saves time, money, and provides the user an understanding of what the current situation is whether it is financially, or for research, like our example of the fitness center. Excel can be used for personal or business use.  In either situation, it does not fail the user; it only enhances the data for the user.  I must say that while doing this project, I was able to polish up my Excel skills that I previously learned and I was happy to know that I did not forget how to use Excel because I really value it as such a helpful and important tool for everybody regardless of who you are.