Accessing and Analyzing Data with Microsoft Excel (Bpg-Other)

Overview

The data analysis techniques described so far in this book have focused on client applications such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access. However, the data analysis requirements for many businesses have expanded beyond desktop applications. Businesses and organizations need to access and analyze up- to-date information from multiple, often distant, locations. You or an employee might be traveling or working from home or another remote location and need the latest sales figures or discounted price list. The Microsoft Office Web Components, introduced with Microsoft Office 2000, allow data to be published and analyzed interactively over the World Wide Web. Having your data available over the Web has several benefits. In most cases, users need little more than a compatible Web browser and a small set of downloadable software helper components. With these minimal requirements, the data is available to most any computer connected to the Web. The Office Web Components also provide toolbars and commands that are familiar to Office users, which makes performing data analysis tasks with them straightforward and lowers training requirements for users.

This chapter focuses on two main areas. Part of this chapter explains how to make data available through the Office Web Components, and the other part describes how to use the Office Web Components to work with the data. As you work through the exercises in this chapter, keep in mind that you’ll need to address some issues that are not covered in this chapter when you make your data available over the Web. You might not want everyone viewing your data, which means you need to consider security. If your data will be accessed internationally, you should consider language and currency settings. Also, some users within an organization might not have a compatible Web browser or be able to download software components to their computers. You might need to review the hardware and software you have available before you can rely on accessing data regularly over the Web.

Objectives

In this chapter you will learn how to

• Analyze data with the Office Web Components: the Spreadsheet Component, the PivotTable Component, and the Chart Component.

• Create starter Office Web Components in Web pages by using Microsoft FrontPage.

• Publish data in Excel workbooks to Office Web Components in Web pages.