How to Use This Book

This book is divided into three parts, each part focusing on a different theme. The book builds on the skills you need, starting with the basics of understanding spreadsheets and how they function and then moving to more complex topics such as graphing and analyzing data. You can read the book straight through, look up topics when you have a question, or browse through the contents, reading information that interests you. Here is a quick breakdown of the parts.

Part I, "The Basics," covers the essentials for understanding what spreadsheets are and how to navigate and edit in a notebook file. Everything is in this section that you need to know to understand the concepts of using a spreadsheet; work in the Quattro Pro window; switch between Quattro Pro mode, Excel mode, and Lotus 1-2-3 mode; and edit a spreadsheet. Chapter 1 is an introduction to Quattro Pro X3 and explains basic spreadsheet terminology and functionality. Chapter 2 covers working with windows. Chapter 3 focuses on moving around in a spreadsheet, entering information, and correcting mistakes. In Chapters 4 and 5, you learn editing techniques.

Part II, "The Intermediate Stuff," explains how to print notebooks (Chapter 6) and manage notebooks (Chapter 7). Chapters 8 and 9 cover the techniques available to you to format notebooks for easy and elegant reading and Chapter 10 shows you how to use a spreadsheet for what it does bestmaking mathematical calculations.

Part III, "The Advanced Stuff," focuses on the many ways you can use Quattro Pro to evaluate information. Chapter 11 shows you how to create graphs from numeric data in a Quattro Pro spreadsheet. Chapter 12 shows you how to set up and work in a database in Quattro Pro. Chapters 13 and 14 explain how to use many of the data analysis techniques available in Quattro Pro, such as creating a What-If table, preparing an amortization schedule, and solving for a variable. Chapters 15 and 16 focus on ways that you can customize Quattro Pro to make your working environment suit your needs.

I hope you enjoy your Quattro Pro learning experience!