Try It
That’s the grand vision, but even if you don’t intend to install SharePoint or build a web-based interface to your business processes, you can still make use of the new Excel features. Table 1-1 is a guide to the new Excel features, where they are located in this book, and how to use them.
Note
Is Excel 2003 a big deal? On the surface, not much has changed— there are a handful of new objects and the user interface of Excel is largely the same. Underneath that are fundamental shifts implied by the new features: Lists, XML, web services, .NET, and InfoPath build a framework for entirely new ways to exchange data with Excel.
Table 1-1. Guide to Excel 2003 features
| Feature | Look here | Use to |
|---|---|---|
|
Workspaces and lists |
Share workbooks and ranges of cells. Sort and filter ranges of cells. Control user access to shared items. | |
|
XML |
Transform spreadsheets into HTML and other formats. Transform XML data files into workbooks. Map XML data to ranges of cells. | |
|
Web services |
Get dynamic results from the Web. Control remote components, such as SharePoint lists, through VBA code. | |
|
.NET programmability |
Build .NET components to use from Excel. Work with Excel from VB.NET. Create Excel .NET applications. | |
|
Security |
Password-protect workbooks and ranges. Control user access to ranges. Restrict permissions on workbooks. Digitally sign workbooks and macros. Distribute Excel security settings. | |
|
InfoPath |
Create XML data ... |