Using integrated spreadsheets.When have you last been able to quickly recalculate re·cal·cu·late tr.v. re·cal·cu·lat·ed, re·cal·cu·lat·ing, re·cal·cu·lates To calculate again, especially in order to eliminate errors or to incorporate additional factors or data. your budget during the board of directors meeting? Or model the income difference between one dues rate and another when discussing a dues increase? With spreadsheet software, which can be installed on a small notebook computer A laptop computer that weighs in a range from five to seven pounds. The term originated when laptops were routinely more than 10 pounds, and those that became lighter were placed in a special "notebook" category. In practice, notebook computer and laptop computer are synonymous. and transported anywhere, you can present data in a form in which the information can be easily analyzed an·a·lyze tr.v. an·a·lyzed, an·a·lyz·ing, an·a·lyz·es 1. To examine methodically by separating into parts and studying their interrelations. 2. Chemistry To make a chemical analysis of. 3. . The most basic example is the budget of an association. If the budget is placed on a spreadsheet software package, the user can manipulate the numbers and recalculate the budget quickly. Done by hand, the same process could take hours. In addition, placing the budget on a spread-sheet enables the association executive to play "what if" games. For example, what if membership grows by x percent more? What if attendance is below budgeted projection for the convention? What if we do get the number of pages of advertising that we forecast for the year? A software spreadsheet program moves the association executive from pencil and paper pencil and paper - An archaic information storage and transmission device that works by depositing smears of graphite on bleached wood pulp. More recent developments in paper-based technology include improved "write-once" update devices which use tiny rolling heads similar to mouse to a powerful computer and enables you to make decisions quickly and with as much information as possible. Integration: What you get What is integrated? Integrated with what? A quick look in the dictionary will tell you that to integrate is to "... make whole or unify 1. (database, product) Unify - A relational database produced by Unify Corporation. 2. (algorithm) unify - To perform unification. or unite." That which we are "making whole" is information and that which we are "unifying" is different ways of looking at information. Take our budget example again. Using an integrated software Separate software components or applications that have been combined into one package. See integrated software package. spreadsheet package, we could not only place that information on a spreadsheet, but we could display it on a graph, in a table, or in a column. We could also select different methods of displaying the graph--for example, in 3-D. We could even display information as a collection of data points around a central trend line or merge in words to discuss the information displayed on the graph and presented in the spreadsheets. When you think about it, we have been accomplishing the same process in the association management field whenever we have presented a survey or report to our membership. Our budgets today don't only contain financial data; we try to present that data in terms of trend lines, graphs, and text. But just think of the things an integrated spreadsheet could do for your association. How about determining the number of pages of advertising per number of pages of copy in your newsletter or journal? How about compiling com·pile tr.v. com·piled, com·pil·ing, com·piles 1. To gather into a single book. 2. To put together or compose from materials gathered from several sources: the results of that annual membership survey? How about preparing a financial operating ratios Operating Ratio A ratio that shows the efficiency of management by comparing operating expense to net sales: report for your industry? Ever thought about using a spreadsheet to play "what if" with your annual meeting or trade show? What's available Integrated spreadsheet software is available for Mac and disk operating system See DOS. 1. (operating system) Disk Operating System - (DOS) The original disk operating system from IBM. DOS was the low-end OS of choice on the IBM 360, the high-end system was called just "OS". personal computer users. With this new generation of packages, it is better to have a computer that can fully support Windows. For DOS PC users, this means nothing slower than a 386 computer. Why? Because the integration of the spreadsheet, text, and graphics takes memory and processor speed. Mac users have had this capability all along. The three major packages are Quatro-Pro by Borland, Excel by Microsoft, and Lotus 123 Version 4.0 by Lotus Development. A wide variety of lesser-known packages also are available. You will spend between $45 and $600, but remember, you get what you pay for in software. As always, try before you buy. Many of these packages are easier to demonstrate than they are to use. I find that the Mac-based packages are more user friendly because they take advantage of some unique graphical technology available on Macs. Nevertheless, these packages also operate well on any DOS-based PC that has enough horsepower horsepower, unit of power in the English system of units. It is equal to 33,000 foot-pounds per minute or 550 foot-pounds per second or approximately 746 watts. to process them. It is a good idea to visit your local computer hardware-software store before buying to ensure that your home or office computer is up to one of these packages. If you are in the market for an entire integrated electronic office package for your association, each of the packages that I mentioned above does come as part of a total package or can be easily integrated into a total office package. If you haven't already, give spreadsheet software a try. I think you will like what it does for your association. Maynard H. Benjamin, CAE (1) (Computer-Aided Engineering) Software that analyzes designs which have been created in the computer or that have been created elsewhere and entered into the computer. , is executive vice president of the Envelope Manufacturers Association of America, Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 128,284. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) south of downtown Washington, DC. . |
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