What's New in Microsoft Office Excel 2003?

You'll notice some changes as soon as you start Microsoft Office Excel 2003. The toolbars and menus have a new look, for example. But the features that are new and improved in this version of Excel go beyond just changes in appearance. Some changes won't be apparent to you until you start using the program.

The following table lists the new and improved features that you might be interested in as well as the lessons and topics in which those features are covered.

New or Improved Feature	What Does This Feature Help You Do?	Lesson	Topic
List functionality	Create lists in your worksheet to group and act upon related data, manage and analyze data, or share list data with others through integration with Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services.	Organizing Data	Performing Calculations on Filtered Data
Improved statistical functions	Aspects of many statistical functions, including rounding results, and precision have been enhanced.	Performing Calculations on Data	Creating Formulas to Calculate Values
XML support	Industry-standard XML support streamlines the process of accessing and capturing information between PCs and back-end systems, unlocking information, and allowing for the creation of integrated business solutions across the organization and between business partners.	Publishing on the Web and Using XML	Converting an Excel Workbook to XML
XML support	Industry-standard XML support streamlines the process of accessing and capturing information between PCs and back-end systems, unlocking information, and allowing for the creation of integrated business solutions across the organization and between business partners.	Publishing on the Web and Using XML	Using XML Data Capabilities and Retrieving Web Data
Smart documents	Smart documents are documents that are programmed to extend the functionality of your workbook by dynamically responding to the context of your actions. Several types of workbooks, such as forms and templates, work well as smart documents. Smart documents work especially well for workbooks that are part of a process.	Publishing on the Web and Using XML	Using XML Data Capabilities and Retrieving Web Data
Compare workbooks side by side	See the differences between two workbooks more easily, without having to merge all changes into one workbook, by using the Compare Side by Side feature. You can scroll through both workbooks at the same time to identify differences between the two workbooks.	Collaborating in Excel	Sharing and Comparing Workbooks
Document Workspaces	Use Document Workspaces to simplify the process of co-authoring, editing, and reviewing documents with others in real-time. A Document Workspace site is a Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services site that is centered around one or more documents.	Collaborating in Excel	Sharing and Comparing Workbooks
Information Rights Management	Microsoft Office 2003 offers a new feature, Information Rights Management (IRM), which helps you prevent sensitive information from getting into the hands of the wrong people, whether by accident or carelessness.	Collaborating in Excel	Protecting Workbooks and Worksheets