To create an ICT solution to record and analyse costs for the Actors Associates business I chose Microsoft Excel because it presents the information in a clear way which is easy for the reader to understand. It also performs quick and easy calculations.
Use of Formulae.
In my excel spreadsheet, I used different formulae to perform calculations. Some of the formulae I used include addition and multiplication, which i believe are input correctly. I used replication to prevent inputting the same formula repetitively. This also saved time but the only problem that would have occurred, would be if the original formula was incorrect and it was replicated throughout the whole column. I also used if statements and absolute cell references in the worksheets. If statements check if a statement is true or false and inputs the data appropriate. An absolute cell reference is useful to refer to another and replicate the formula without changing that cell reference, e.g =($M$4*J4). Another useful formula I used was to linking worksheet within my spreadsheet. For example, =COST!E5. This allowed me to update data in a cell in one worksheet and have the changes applied to the appropriate cell in other worksheets.
Data Validation.
Data validation is a tool on excel which makes it possible to control the values input into a given cell. I used this tool to prevent negative numbers entering into the duration column of my COST worksheet. I think I used this tool effectively because if negative number is input, an error alert message appears informing the user of their mistake, therefore increasing the reliability of the data. This is shown in the image below.
Overall Presentation.
I made good use of fonts, styles and formatting. To begin with I wrapped the text in all worksheets to create a professional impression. Gridlines were used to separate the tables. Gridlines make it easier to read data and comprehend it easily. All currency is formatted