Excel 2010 is also available as a 64-bit version. Today, 64-bit processors are a standard even for desktop computers. Compared with 32-bit systems, they can use more virtual and physical memory. The user can work with larger amounts of data and perform more complex calculations. The additional capacity is required by Excel users working with worksheets larger than 2 GB.
Office 2010 includes components that allow you to run the 32-bit version of Excel 2010 on 64-bit Windows by using Windows-32-on-Windows-64 (WOW64), which is an x86 emulator that allow 32-bit Windows-based applications to run on 64-bit systems running the Windows operating system. 32-bit versions of Office 2010 applications running on 64-bit operating systems are supported to ensure the compatibility of controls, add-ins, and Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). For more information, see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee681792.aspx.
Note
The 64-bit version of Excel 2010 allows you to save and edit extensive workbooks that you cannot open in Excel 2007.
Excel 2010 also includes new worksheet functions:
Compatibility is a new function category in which you can find the syntax and functionality of all statistical functions that have new function names. These functions aren’t listed here because they are mentioned at the beginning of Chapter 12.
The statistical functions have undergone the most changes. Many functions received new names corresponding to statistics and mathematical terms. The calculation methods of several functions were updated to ensure their accuracy. The renamed, changed, and new statistical functions are listed in Chapter 12.
The WORKDAY.INTL() and NETWORKDAY.INTL() functions were added to the Date and Time category. These functions complement the WORKDAY() and NETWORKDAY() functions to allow you to specify weekend days in calculations.
The ERF.PRECISE() and ERFC.PRECISE() functions were added to the Engineering category (this was called the Construction category in Excel 2007). These functions complement the ERF() and ERFC() functions to provide more accuracy.
The CEILING.PRECISE() and FLOOR.PRECISE() functions were added to the Mathematical and Trigonometry category. These functions complement the CEILING() and FLOOR() functions to provide more accuracy. Also new is the AGGREGATE() function, which works like the SUBTOTAL() function but is more flexible, because error values and hidden cells are taken into account for calculations.
The support for calculation clusters is useful for administrators and developers. Excel 2010 allows you to integrate calculation clusters; for example, for compatibility with Windows HPC Server 2008. Excel developers can create cluster-safe functions in XLL add-ins to transfer these function into a calculation cluster for processing.
To support calculation clusters, you must first install the Excel Cluster Connector, an interface between Excel and a cluster connector from a provider. If a supported cluster connector is available, the Excel 2010 user must enable and configure a computer cluster (in the Excel Options dialog box, select Advanced and then Formulas – Configure Computer Cluster).
Excel 2010 provides a new version of the Solver add-in. The Solver finds optimal solutions for what-if analyses based on certain data and conditions. The new Solver offers an improved user interface, a new modified Solver based on generic algorithms, new global optimization options, enhanced linear programming, and nonlinear optimization methods as well as new linearity and feasibility reporting. For the 64-bit version of Excel 2010, a 64-bit version of the Solver add-in is available.
For data analysts, a free add-in is available for Excel 2010. Chapter 2, includes an overview of the PowerPivot add-in. With PowerPivot:
You can use unlimited data lists.
You can quickly filter and sort lists consisting of millions of rows.
You can link lists to merge data from different lists.
You can publish PowerPivot evaluations in Microsoft SharePoint 2010, including all data analysis and update functions.
In PowerPivot lists, you can also save calculation formulas and use a function set called DAX (Data Analysis Expressions).