Comparing Workbooks Side By Side

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Another useful new capability in Excel 2003 is the ability to scroll through two windows at the same time so that you can compare the contents. Cell data forms patterns as it scrolls by, and you can often pick out differences visually. The differences are even more pronounced when you use conditional formats or change tracking to display cell data in a format that’s different than the main body of data. To turn on simultaneous scrolling, open the two workbooks you want to compare and choose Window, Compare Side By Side With.

One of the enhancements in Excel 2003 is the set of additional research tools you can use to get information from a number of sources. You can display the Research task pane by choosing View, Task Pane and, if necessary, clicking the Other Task Panes bar at the top of the task pane and clicking Research. Once you have displayed the Research task pane, you can type a word or phrase in the Search For box, select the reference works you want to search, and click the Start Searching button (the arrow to the right of the Search For box) to get more information. Figure 1-1 shows the Research task pane and a selection of the reference materials available for you.

Figure 1-1: You can find synonyms, look up words in encyclopedias, and translate words into foreign languages using the tools on the Research task pane.

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