Introduction

Microsoft Excel is one of the most powerful spreadsheet programs on the market. Using Excel, you can create automated accounting sheets that do everything from tracking income and expenses to analyzing complex financial data. And best of all, Excel executes the most complicated, monotonous chores for you, such as performing calculations and charting (graphing) your data.

But Excel's power does you little good until you know how to navigate Excel and exploit its many features. Fortunately, this Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Office Excel 2003 provides you with all the instructions you need in an easy-to-follow, fully illustrated format. This book begins with a general overview of Excel and of worksheets (Excel's name for spreadsheets ) and then leads you step-by-step through the most essential tasks . Here, you learn how to enter data, insert formulas and functions, create attractive charts , format your worksheets to make them look pretty, print your creations, and much more.