Glossary
3-D reference A pattern for referring to the workbook, worksheet, and cell from which a value should be read.
absolute reference A cell reference, such as =$B$3, that doesn’t change when you copy a formula containing the reference to another cell. See also relative reference.
active cell The cell that is currently selected and open for editing.
add-in A supplemental app that can be used to extend Excel.
alignment The manner in which a cell’s contents are arranged within that cell (for example, centered).
arguments The specific data a function requires to calculate a value.
aspect ratio The relationship between a graphic’s height and its width.
auditing The process of examining a worksheet for errors.
AutoCalculate The Excel functionality that displays summary calculations on the status bar for a selected cell range.
AutoComplete The Excel functionality that completes data entry for a cell based on similar values in other cells in the same column.
AutoFill The Excel functionality that extends a series of values based on the contents of a single cell.
AutoFilter An Excel tool you can use to create filters.
AutoRepublish The Excel technology that maintains a link between a web document and the worksheet on which the web document is based, and updates the web document whenever the original worksheet is saved.
Backstage view A view that gathers workbook-management tasks into a single location. You access Backstage view by clicking the File tab.
bin A value range used to summarize frequencies in a histogram chart. See also histogram.
box-and-whisker A chart type that visualizes average, median, minimum, and maximum values for one or more data series.
browser An app with which users view web documents.
button A worksheet control that can be configured to run a macro when clicked.
cell The box at the intersection of a row and a column.
cell range A group of cells.
cell reference The letter and number combination, such as C16, that identifies the row and column intersection of a cell.
cell style A built-in format that can be applied to a cell.
chart A visual summary of worksheet data, also called a graph.
check box A worksheet control, depicted as a square, that can be selected or cleared to turn an option on or off.
circular reference A formula that contains a reference either to itself or to a cell that uses the formula’s result.
color scale A type of conditional format that changes the color of a cell’s fill to reflect the value in the cell. See also conditional format.
column Cells that are on the same vertical line in a worksheet.
combo box A worksheet control that lets users enter or select a value from a defined list.
combo chart A chart that combines two visualization styles into a single graphic.
conditional format A format that is applied only when cell contents meet certain criteria.
conditional formula A formula that calculates a value by using one of two or more different expressions, depending on whether a third expression is true or false.
confidence interval The range of values within which future values will fall a specified percentage of the time (for example, “plus or minus 3 percent with 95-percent confidence”).
control group A set of check boxes or option buttons within which only one control can be selected at a time.
data bar A horizontal line within a cell that indicates the relative magnitude of the cell’s value.
data consolidation Summarizing data from a set of similar cell ranges.
data table A defined cell range that applies a set of alternative input values to a single formula.
delimiter A character in a text file that separates values from each other.
dependent A cell with a formula that uses the value from a particular cell. See also precedent.
digital certificate A file that contains a unique string of characters that can be combined with another file, such as an Excel workbook, to create a verifiable signature for that file.
digital signature A mathematical construct, created by combining a file and a digital certificate, that verifies the authorship and contents of a file.
distribute To share a file with other users.
Document Inspector A utility with which you can inspect an Excel workbook for personal information, tracked changes, and other sensitive data.
embed To save a file as part of another file, as opposed to linking one file to another. See also link.
error code A brief message that appears in a worksheet cell, describing a problem with a formula or a function.
Excel table An Excel object with which you can store and refer to data based on the name of the table and the names of its columns and rows.
exponential smoothing The process of creating a forecast by giving recent values in a data series more weight than older values.
field A column of data used to create a PivotTable.
fill handle The square at the lower-right corner of a cell that can be dragged to indicate other cells that should hold values in the series defined by the active cell.
FillSeries The Excel functionality that allows you to create a data series by defining the starting value, the rule for calculating the next value, and the length of the series.
filter A rule that Excel uses to determine which worksheet rows to display.
footer An area of the worksheet that appears below the contents of the worksheet grid when you print the worksheet or view it in Layout view.
foreign key A value in a data list or Excel table that uniquely identifies a row in another table. See also primary key.
format A predefined set of characteristics that can be applied to cell contents.
formula An expression used to calculate a value.
Formula AutoComplete The Excel functionality with which you can enter a formula quickly by selecting functions, named ranges, and table references that appear when you begin to type the formula into a cell.
formula bar The area just above the worksheet grid that displays the active cell’s formula and within which you can edit the formula.
function A predefined formula.
Goal Seek An analysis tool that finds the value for a selected cell that would produce a specified result from a calculation.
graph A visual summary of worksheet data, also called a chart.
header An area of the worksheet that appears above the contents of the worksheet grid when you print the worksheet or view it in Layout view.
histogram A chart type that represents the distribution of values by counting the number of occurrences within specified ranges. See also bin; Pareto.
HTML A document-formatting system that tells a web browser such as Microsoft Edge how to display the contents of a file.
hyperlink A reference to a file on the web.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) See HTML.
icon set A conditional format that uses distinct visual indicators to designate how a value compares to a set of criteria.
key performance indicator (KPI) A metric by which an organization is deemed to be meeting, exceeding, or falling short of its goals. See also measure.
landscape mode A display and printing mode whereby columns run parallel to the short edge of a sheet of paper.
link 1) A formula that has a cell show the value from another cell. 2) A connection to an external data source. See also embed.
list box A worksheet control in which you select a value from a specified set of values.
live preview A feature of Excel that displays the result of an operation, such as pasting data or applying a cell style, without implementing the change until you complete the operation.
locked cell A cell that cannot be modified if its worksheet is protected.
macro A series of recorded automated actions that can be replayed.
mailto hyperlink A special type of hyperlink with which a user creates an email message to a particular email address.
map A correspondence between an XML schema and an Excel worksheet.
measure A summary of data, such as an average or sum, stored in a PowerPivot worksheet column. See also key performance indicator (KPI).
Merge And Center An operation that combines a contiguous group of cells into a single cell. Selecting a merged cell and clicking the Merge And Center button splits the merged cells into the original group of separate cells.
named range A group of related cells defined by a single name.
OneDrive An online service, accessed through a Microsoft account, with which a user can store data in the cloud.
option button A worksheet control, depicted as a circle, that can be selected or cleared to turn an option on or off.
Pareto A type of chart that combines a histogram with a line chart to show the progressive contribution of categories to a whole. See also histogram.
Paste Options A button that appears after you paste an item from the Clipboard into your workbook, and that provides options for how the item appears in the workbook.
Pick From List The Excel functionality that you can use to enter a value into a cell by choosing the value from the set of values already entered into cells in the same column.
pivot To reorganize the contents of a PivotTable.
PivotChart A chart, which can be linked to a PivotTable, that can be reorganized dynamically to emphasize different aspects of the underlying data.
PivotTable A dynamic worksheet that can be reorganized by a user.
portrait mode A display and printing mode whereby columns run parallel to the long edge of a sheet of paper.
precedent A cell that is used in a formula. See also dependent.
primary key A field or group of fields with values that distinguish a row of data from all other rows. See also foreign key.
property A file detail, such as an author name or project code, that helps identify the file.
Quick Access Toolbar A customizable toolbar that contains a set of commands that are independent of the tab on the ribbon that is currently displayed.
Quick Analysis Lens A selection of tools with which a user can summarize data quickly by using formulas and charts.
range A group of related cells.
recommended chart A chart, designed by the Excel app, that summarizes a selected data range.
recommended PivotTable A PivotTable, designed by the Excel app, that summarizes a selected data range.
refresh To update the contents of one document when the contents of another document are changed.
relationship A link between two tables, based on a common field, that allows the contents of the tables to be combined.
relative reference A cell reference in a formula, such as =B3, that refers to a cell that is a specific distance away from the cell that contains the formula. For example, if the formula =B3 were in cell C3, copying the formula to cell C4 would cause the formula to change to =B4. See also absolute reference.
ribbon The tab-based user interface introduced in Microsoft Office 2007.
row Cells that are on the same horizontal line in a worksheet.
scale The percentage of actual size at which a worksheet is printed or displayed.
scenario An alternative data set with which you view the impact of specific changes on your worksheet.
schema A defined structure an app can use to interpret the contents of an XML file.
search filter A filter in which you enter a string of characters to instruct Excel to display every value within an Excel table, data set, or PivotTable that contains that character string.
selection filter A mechanism for selecting the specific values to be displayed in a data list, Excel table, or PivotTable.
sharing Making a workbook available for more than one user to open and modify simultaneously.
sheet tab The indicator for selecting a worksheet, located at the bottom of the workbook window.
Slicer An Excel tool with which you can filter an Excel table, data list, or PivotTable while indicating which items are displayed and which are hidden.
Solver An Excel add-in that finds the optimal value for one cell by varying the results of other cells.
sort To reorder the contents of a worksheet based on a criterion.
sparkline A compact chart that summarizes data visually within a single worksheet cell.
spin button A worksheet control that lets users increase or decrease a value by clicking up or down arrows on the control, respectively.
subtotal A partial total for related data in a worksheet.
sunburst A chart, shaped as a circle, that depicts the magnitude of values within a data set by using a combination of color, size, and position.
template A workbook used as a pattern for creating other workbooks.
theme A predefined format that can be applied to a worksheet.
timeline A worksheet control that lets users filter the contents of a PivotTable based on time increments.
Top 10 filter A filter by which a user can specify the top or bottom number of items, or top or bottom percentage of items, to display in a worksheet.
tracer arrow An arrow that indicates the formulas to which a cell contributes its value (a dependent arrow) or the cells from which a formula derives its value (a precedent arrow).
treemap A square chart that depicts the magnitude of values within a data set by using a combination of color, size, and position.
trendline A projection of future data (such as sales) based on past performance.
validation rule A test that data must pass to be entered into a cell without generating a warning message.
watch The display of a cell’s contents in a separate window even when the cell is not visible in the Excel workbook.
waterfall A chart that uses columns to depict increases and decreases of a value over time based on transactional data.
what-if analysis Analysis of the contents of a worksheet to determine the impact that specific changes have on your calculations.
workbook The basic Excel document, consisting of one or more worksheets.
worksheet A page in an Excel workbook.
x-axis The horizontal axis of a chart, which usually depicts category or time data.
XML The Extensible Markup Language, through which users can identify the structure, elements, and semantic meaning of data in a text file.
y-axis The vertical axis of a chart, which usually depicts value data.