 PLEASE NOTE: These notes are taken
from Microsoft Excel 97 Help files, and include many of Excel's new
features. Look for additional information in Excel Help: select Key
Information, then click on If you are upgrading from a previous
version of Excel.
Enhanced formatting and layout features help you get the
printed report or online form with the look you want.
| Feature
|
Description
|
| Page break preview
|
With the Page Break Preview command on the View
menu, version 97 offers an intuitive way to set your
worksheet up for printing. Drag page breaks and print area
borders where you want -- Microsoft Excel automatically
scales the information to fit the printed page. You can work
on your worksheet as you usually would -- for example,
move and copy cells and objects and edit text in cells --
while you preview page breaks.
|
| Merged cells
|
It's easier to get the alignment and look you want
for online forms by using merged cells. You can reference the
merged cell in a formula.
|
| Indented text in cells
|
True indenting of text within cells is new in
version 97. You can indent text up to 15 steps in a cell.
|
| Rotated text in cells
|
You asked for it, you got it. Rotate text to any
angle in a cell. With wrapped and rotated text, you can reduce
the amount of horizontal space required by long text items
such as headings, leaving more room for the details of your
data.
|
| Conditional formats
|
Microsoft Excel can dynamically apply a different
font style, pattern, and border to cells whose values fall
outside or within the limits you specify. This lets you
quickly spot areas of interest, without reading through tables
of values.
|
| Easier number formatting
|
Microsoft Excel makes it easy to change number
formats -- without using codes. On the Format menu, click
Cells, and then click the Number tab. Click the category with
the example that looks like the format you want. Built-in
formats are available for the most common number formatting
tasks.
|
| Edit directly in cells and format
individual characters in cells
|
Double-click a cell to select, edit, and format
individual characters. An often-requested feature.
|
| Format Painter button
|
Quickly copy formats between cells and objects.
Click the cell with the format you want to copy, click
Format Painter, and then click another cell to give it the
same formatting.
|
| More built-in headers and
footers
|
Choose from lists of headers and footers, already
set up with file information such as author name, worksheet
name, date, and page number.
|
Finding and sorting data in lists is one of the most common uses of
Microsoft Excel. Now you can quickly find the information you need and
create automatic subtotals of your data.
| Feature
|
Description
|
| AutoFilter
|
AutoFilter displays rows of information in a list
based upon selections you make. With Microsoft Excel 95, use
the Top Ten feature to find the top or bottom values in your
list. With Microsoft Excel 97, AutoFilter displays only filters
based on applied filters.
|
| Sorting by using column headings
from your list
|
When you sort data in a list, you select the sort
order by using the labels for the columns in the list.
|
| Custom sort orders
|
Sort lists by using custom sort orders based on
custom lists. You can use custom lists as sort orders for
special lists that should not be sorted in alphabetical order.
For example, if a list contains values called High, Medium, and
Low, you can sort the list to display all rows with the value
High first, Medium second, and Low third.
|
| PivotTables
|
PivotTables are interactive tables that quickly
summarize large amounts of data. PivotTables replace Microsoft
Excel version 4.0 crosstab tables. You can easily convert a
crosstab table to a PivotTable.
|
| Automatic subtotals and grand
totals
|
Insert automatic subtotal values and grand
totals into lists.
|
| AutoComplete
|
Compares text you are typing into a cell with text
already entered into the same column, and then completes the
typing for you.
|
Increased capacity, high-end formatting options, and a mapping
feature give you powerful ways to analyze your data visually.
| Feature
|
Description
|
| Improved Chart Wizard
|
The new Chart Wizard is integrated with the tabbed
dialog boxes and options you use to format and edit your chart,
giving you one consistent way to work with charts. The wizard
includes more options and Help from the Office Assistant, so
that you get the right chart the first time.
|
| New Chart Type dialog box
and new chart types
|
Standard and custom chart types (previously "chart
autoformats") are organized in one place, the Chart Type
command on the Chart menu. New chart types include bubble, pie
of pie, and bar of pie. And the new pyramid, cone, and cylinder
shapes for 3-D bar and column charts give your presentations
new pizzazz.
|
| Up to 32,000 points per
series in 2-D charts
|
Increased from 4,000 points per series in previous
versions, for better analysis of large sets of financial or
scientific data.
|
| Chart Tips and Chart
Objects list
|
Like ToolTips on toolbar buttons, tips on chart
items help you select the element you want by showing you the
name of the chart item when you rest the pointer over it. You
can select a chart item by clicking it or by clicking its name
in the Chart Objects list on the Chart toolbar. Chart Tips on
data points can also show the value of the data point.
|
| Time-scale axes
|
A special type of category axis for data that is
organized by date. Microsoft Excel automatically uses a
time-scale axis in your chart if the worksheet data for the
chart contains date number formatting.
|
| Data tables in charts
|
You can show the worksheet data for a chart in a
grid at the bottom of the chart. The data table is aligned to
an axis of the chart.
|
| View an embedded chart in
a window
|
As in version 4.0, you can open an embedded chart
in its own window again. Click the embedded chart, and then
click Chart Window on the View menu.
|
| Single-click selection for
embedded charts
|
You no longer have to double-click an embedded
chart before you can work on it. Just click the item you want
to change.
|
| Improved text in charts
|
You can rotate text along a chart axis -- for
example, set the text at a 45-degree angle. Data labels can be
positioned automatically as a group in the center, at the base,
or at the end of the data markers. To keep your chart legible
at any size, fonts in charts scale automatically when you
resize the chart.
|
| Range Finder in embedded
charts
|
When you click an embedded chart, data and labels
for the chart are outlined in blue, green, and purple on the
worksheet. You can quickly see which cells make up the chart,
and you can change the data for the chart by dragging and
sizing the color-coded borders around the ranges.
|
| More formatting options
for charts |
You can apply a picture or texture fill effect to
the walls and floor of 3-D charts and to the faces of bars and
columns. Gradient fills on chart items provide a high-end look.
Line, scatter, and radar chart markers are scalable.
|
| Microsoft Map
|
If your data is organized by geographic regions,
you can "plot" it in a map -- for example, color code
sales by country in a map of Europe. Overlay accompanying
demographic data for deeper analysis of your data.
|
| Save chart formatting as
a template
|
Custom chart types ("chart autoformats" in versions
95 and 5.0) let you instantly change the chart type,
formatting, and other options to get the look you want in one
step.
|
| "Drag-and-plot"
|
Drag data directly from a worksheet into a chart to
add a data series or data points.
|
| Trendlines and error bars
|
Forecast values with trendlines, and show error
amounts visually with error bars in charts.
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 New in Excel 97, Page 1
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