Editing Spreadsheet (section)

{{Short description|Computer application for organization, analysis, and storage of data in tabular form}}
[[File:LibreOffice 7.2.4.1 Calc with csv screenshot.png|thumb|300px|Example of a spreadsheet holding data about a group of audio tracks]]

A '''spreadsheet''' is a [[Application software|computer application]] for [[computation]], organization, analysis and [[Data storage|storage]] of [[data]] in [[table (information)|tabular]] form.<ref>{{cite web |title=spreadsheet |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spreadsheet |work=[[Merriam-Webster]] Online Dictionary |access-date=23 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|date=2011|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company|edition=5th|quote=A software interface consisting of an interactive grid made up of cells in which data or formulas are entered for analysis or presentation.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged|date=2014|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |edition=12th |quote=(Computer Science) a computer program that allows easy entry and manipulation of figures, equations, and text, used esp for financial planning and budgeting}}</ref> Spreadsheets were developed as computerized analogs of paper accounting [[Worksheet#Accounting|worksheets]].<ref>{{cite web |title=spreadsheet |url=http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/spreadsheet |department=WhatIs.com |publisher=[[TechTarget]] |access-date=23 June 2016}}</ref> The program operates on data entered in cells of a table. Each cell may contain either numeric or text data, or the results of [[formula]]s that automatically calculate and display a value based on the contents of other cells. The term ''spreadsheet'' may also refer to one such electronic document.<ref>{{cite web|title=spreadsheet|url=http://www.dictionary.com/browse/spreadsheet|website=Dictionary.com Unabridged|publisher=Random House, Inc|access-date=23 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Beal|first1=Vangie|title=spreadsheet|url=http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/spreadsheet.html|website=webopedia|date=September 1996|publisher=[[QuinStreet]]|access-date=23 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Spreadsheet|url=http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/s/spreadsh.htm|website=Computer Hope|access-date=23 June 2016}}</ref>

Spreadsheet users can adjust any stored value and observe the effects on calculated values. This makes the spreadsheet useful for "what-if" analysis since many cases can be rapidly investigated without manual recalculation. Modern spreadsheet software can have multiple interacting sheets and can display data either as text and numerals or in graphical form.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-10 |title=Linked Open Data for Spreadsheet Formats |url=https://www.archives.gov/preservation/digital-preservation/linked-data/spreadsheets |access-date=2023-08-23 |website=National Archives |language=en}}</ref>

Besides performing basic [[arithmetic]] and [[mathematical function]]s, modern spreadsheets provide built-in functions for common [[financial accountancy]] and statistical operations. Such calculations as [[net present value]], [[standard deviation]], or [[regression analysis]] can be applied to tabular data with a pre-programmed function in a formula. Spreadsheet programs also provide conditional expressions, functions to convert between text and numbers, and functions that operate on [[String (computer science)|strings]] of text.

Spreadsheets have replaced paper-based systems throughout the business world. Although they were first developed for accounting or [[bookkeeping]] tasks, they now are used extensively in any context where tabular lists are built, sorted, and shared.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bradbard |first1=David A. |last2=Alvis |first2=Charles |last3=Morris |first3=Richard |date=2014-12-01 |title=Spreadsheet usage by management accountants: An exploratory study |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0748575114000736 |journal=Journal of Accounting Education |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=24–30 |doi=10.1016/j.jaccedu.2014.09.001 |issn=0748-5751}}</ref>