Chapter 9. Creating Advanced Spreadsheets

IN THIS CHAPTER:

67 Add a Chart to a Spreadsheet

68 Insert Graphics into a Spreadsheet

69 Protect Spreadsheet Data

70 Combine Multiple Cells into One

71 Ensure Valid Data Entry

72 Import and Export Sheet Data

73 About Advanced Spreadsheet Printing

A picture is worth a thousand words ”and worth even more numbers! Your spreadsheet data might contain a ton of numbers , but many times you can present data better with a chart or graphic. The actual raw data supplied by a worksheet is accurate and vital information for analysis, but for trends and overall patterns, charts demonstrate the data's nature quickly and effectively. After you create and format your worksheets, use Calc to quickly create a chart that depicts your data graphically. After Calc generates the chart, you then can customize the chart to look exactly the way you want.

NOTE

Data integrity is vital. If you enter bad data, the results will be wrong because Calc works with what you give it. As you create and design spreadsheets, protect cells with formulas and try to use data-entry validation for cells where data is typed to help ensure your calculations are as accurate as possible.

You can easily import graphics into your spreadsheets, as you might do, for example, with a graphic logo for your company or pictures of inventory items. The distinction between numbers, text, and graphics is blurred these days thanks to modern technology, and Calc handles virtually any data you want to store in a spreadsheet.

Once you create spreadsheets with data, charts, and graphics, you'll want to protect the contents so you (or another user of your spreadsheet) don't accidentally overwrite something you shouldn't. You can protect cells to maintain their integrity. Calc's other capabilities, such as being able to check certain cells for accuracy, are explored in this chapter.