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4.3.1. Key Features of OpenOffice.org Calc
Calc is a fully featured office application that includes all the advanced analysis, charting and decision-making features that you expect from a high-end spreadsheet. Some of the key features of OpenOffice.org Calc are:
• Calculation: OpenOffice.org Calc provides you with over 300 functions for financial, logical, statistical, mathematical and banking operations. This enables you to create formulae to perform complex calculations on your data. In addition, Calc provides you with Function wizard that guides you interactively through the creation of formulae.
Another feature of OpenOffice.org Calc is that it allows you to create natural language formulae using words such as sales - costs.
• Scenario Manager: Allows you to perform 'what-if' analyses and view the result of changes made to any factor of the calculation. For example, when performing a loan calculation, you can change the period of the loan and can view the resulting calculations for the loan-repayment amount or the interest rate.
• Data Pilot: Enables you to compare, combine and arrange large amounts of data. It helps you pull in raw data from corporate databases, cross-tabulate, summarise and convert the data into meaningful information. You can use Data Pilot to create interactive tables, which allows the data to be frequently arranged, rearranged or summarised according to different points of view.
• Dynamic Charts: As the name suggests, these charts update automatically as the data in the spreadsheet changes.
• Opening and Saving Microsoft Files: Calc allows you to use your old Microsoft spreadsheets and save your work in Microsoft Excel or a variety of other formats. This facilitates the easy sharing of data with others using Microsoft or similar applications.