Excel-lence in Data Visualization?
Jacques Raubenheimer · Advances in data mining and database management book series · 2017
Spreadsheets were arguably the first information calculation and analysis tools employed by microcomputer users, and today are arguably ubiquitously used for information calculation and analysis. The fluctuating fortunes of PC makers coincided with those of spreadsheet applications, although the last two decades have seen the dominance of Microsoft Excel in the spreadsheet market. This chapter plots the historical development of spreadsheets in general, and Excel in particular, highlighting how new features have allowed for new forms of data analysis in the spreadsheet environment. Microsoft has undoubtedly cast Excel as a tool for the analysis of big data through the addition and development of features aimed at reporting on data too large for a spreadsheet. This chapter discusses Excel's ability to handle these data by means of an applied example. Data visualization by means of charts and dashboards is discussed as a common strategy for dealing with large volumes of data.