Ms. Access

Microsoft Access

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Microsoft Access

Developer(s)	Microsoft
Initial release	1.0 / November 1992
Stable release	2010 (14.0) / April 28, 2010; 3 months ago (2010-04-28)
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Type	RDBMS
License	Proprietary EULA
Website	http://office.microsoft.com/access

Microsoft Office Access, previously known as Microsoft Access, is a pseudo-relational database management system from Microsoft that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface and software-development tools. It is a member of the Microsoft Office suite of applications, included in the Professional and higher editions or sold separately. In mid-May 2010, the current version Microsoft Office Access 2010 was released by Microsoft in Office 2010; Microsoft Access 2007 was the prior version. Access stores data in its own format based on the Access Jet Database Engine. It can also import or link directly to data stored in other applications and databases:^[1]

• Excel
• SharePoint lists
• text
• XML
• Outlook
• HTML
• dBase
• Paradox
• Lotus 1-2-3
• ODBC-compliant data containers, including:
  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • Oracle
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL

Software developers and data architects can use Microsoft Access to develop application software, and "power users" can use it to build simple applications.^{[citation needed]} Like other Office applications, Access is supported by Visual Basic for Applications, an object-oriented programming language that can reference a variety of objects including DAO (Data Access Objects), ActiveX Data Objects, and many other ActiveX components. Visual objects used in forms and reports expose their methods and properties in the VBA programming environment, and VBA code modules may declare and call Windows operating-system functions.

Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Uses 3 Features 4 Development 4.1 Split Database Architecture 4.2 Access to SQL Server Upsizing (SQL as a backend) 5 Protection 6 File extensions 7 Versions 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

Microsoft released Access version 1.0 on 13 November 1992, and an Access 1.1 release in May 1993 to improve compatibility with other Microsoft products and include the Access Basic programming language.

Microsoft specified the minimum hardware requirements for Access v2.0 as: Microsoft Windows v3.1 with 4 MB of RAM required, 6 MB RAM recommended; 8 MB of available hard disk space required, 14 MB hard disk space recommended. The product shipped on seven 1.44 MB diskettes. The manual shows a 1993 copyright date.

Originally, the software worked well with relatively small databases but testing showed that some circumstances caused data corruption. For example, file sizes over 10 MB proved problematic (note that most hard disks held less than 500 MB at the time this was in wide use), and the Getting Started manual warns about a number of circumstances where obsolete device drivers or incorrect configurations can cause data loss. With the phasing out of Windows 95, 98 and ME, improved network reliability, and Microsoft having released 8 service packs for the Jet Database Engine, the reliability of Access databases has been improved and it supports both more data and a larger number of users.

With Office 95, Microsoft Access 7.0 (a.k.a "Access 95") became part of the Microsoft Office Professional Suite, joining Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint and transitioning from Access Basic to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Since then, Microsoft has released new versions of Microsoft Access with each release of Microsoft Office. This includes Access 97 (version 8.0), Access 2000 (version 9.0), Access 2002 (version 10.0), Access 2003 (version 11.5), and Access 2007 (version 12.0).

The native Access database format (the Jet MDB Database) has also evolved over the years. Formats include Access 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 7.0, 97, 2000, 2002, 2007, and 2010. The most significant transition was from the Access 97 to the Access 2000 format; which is not backward compatible with earlier versions of Access. At the time of this writing, all newer versions of Access support the Access 2000 format. New features were added to the Access 2002 format which can be used by Access 2002, 2003, 2007, and 2010.

In Access 2007, a new database format was introduced: ACCDB. The ACCDB supports complex data types such as multivalue and attachment fields. These new field types are essentially recordsets in fields and allow the storage of multiple values in one field. With Access 2010, a new version of the ACCDB format supports hosting on a SharePoint 2010 server for exposure to the web.

Prior to the introduction of Access, the desktop database market was dominated by Borland with their Paradox and dBase programs, and FoxPro. Microsoft Access was the first mass market database program for Windows. With the purchase of FoxPro and incorporating its Rushmore query optimization routines into Access, Microsoft Access quickly became the dominant database for Windows effectively eliminating the competition which failed to transition from the MS-DOS world.^[2]

Access's initial codename was Cirrus; the forms engine was called Ruby. This was before Visual Basic - Bill Gates saw the prototypes and decided that the BASIC language component should be co-developed as a separate expandable application, a project called Thunder. The two projects were developed separately as the underlying forms engines were incompatible with each other; however, these were merged together again after VBA.

Access was also the name of a communications program from Microsoft, meant to compete with ProComm and other programs. This proved a failure and was dropped.^[3] Years later, Microsoft reused the name for its database software.

[edit] Uses

Microsoft Access is used to create simple database solutions. Access tables support a variety of standard field types, indices, and referential integrity. Access also includes a query interface, forms to display and enter data, and reports for printing. The underlying Jet database, which contains these objects, is multiuser-aware and handles record-locking and referential integrity including cascading, updates and deletes.

Simple tasks can be automated through macros with point-and-click options. Microsoft Access is very popular among non-programmers who can create visually pleasing and relatively advanced solutions on their own. It is also easy to place a database on a network and have multiple users share and update data without overwriting each other's work. Data is locked at the record level which is significantly different from Excel which locks the entire spreadsheet.

Microsoft offers a wide range of template databases within the program and for download from their website. These options are available upon starting Access and allow users to quickly use and enhance a database with pre-defined tables, queries, forms, reports, and macros. Popular templates include tracking contacts, assets, issues, events, projects, and tasks. Templates do not include VBA code.

Microsoft Access also offers the ability for programmers to create solutions using the programming language Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), which is similar to Visual Basic 6.0 (VB6) and used throughout the Microsoft Office programs such as Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint. Most VB6 code including the use of Windows API calls, can be used in VBA. Power users and developers can extend basic end-user solutions to a professional solution with advanced automation, data validation, error trapping, and multi-user support.

Database solutions created entirely in Microsoft Access are well suited for individual and workgroup use across a network. The number of simultaneous users that can be supported depends on the amount of data, the tasks being performed, level of use, and application design. Generally accepted limits are solutions with 1 GB or less of data (Access supports up to 2 GB) and 50 or fewer simultaneous users. This is appropriate for workgroup and department solutions where the total number of users number a few hundred.

Applications that simply view data or have simple data entry can support considerably more users. Applications that run complex queries or analysis across large datasets would naturally require greater bandwidth and memory. Microsoft Access is designed to scale to support more data and users by linking to multiple Access databases or using a back-end database like Microsoft SQL Server. With the latter design, the amount of data and users can scale to enterprise-level solutions.

Microsoft Access' role in web development prior to version 2010 is limited. User interface features of Access, such as forms and reports, only work in Windows. The Microsoft Jet Database Engine, core to Access, can be accessed through technologies such as ODBC or OLE DB. The data (i.e., tables and queries) can be accessed by web-based applications developed in ASP.NET, PHP, or Java. Many ISPs offer Microsoft Access as a data storage option.

Access 2010 allows forms and reports to be published to web sites using what is called "access web services" that runs on Sharepoint software. These web based forms and reports run in any standard browser. The resulting web forms and reports when run in the browser don't require any ActiveX or add-ins like Silverlight. Thus, the resulting application can be used by running Firefox on Ubuntu Linux, for example.

In enterprise environments, Microsoft Access is particularly appropriate for meeting end-user database needs and for rapid application development. Microsoft Access is easy enough for end users to create their own queries, forms and reports, laying out fields and groupings, setting formats, etc. This frees up the professional developers to focus on more complex portions of the application.

A compiled MDE or ACCDE version of an Access database can be created to prevent users from getting to the design surfaces to modify module code, forms, and reports. This is often used in environments where end-user modifications are discouraged or the application's code should be kept private.

Microsoft offers a runtime version of Microsoft Access 2007 for download. This allows people to create Access solutions and distribute it for use by non-Microsoft Access owners (similar to the way DLLs or EXEs are distributed). Unlike the regular version of Access, the runtime version allows users to use the Access application but they cannot use its design surfaces.

Microsoft also offers developer extensions for download to help distribute Access applications, create database templates, and integrate source code control with Microsoft Visual SourceSafe.

[edit] Features

Users can create tables, queries, forms and reports, and connect them together with macros. Advanced users can use VBA to write rich solutions with advanced data manipulation and user control.

The original concept of Access was for end users to be able to "access" data from any source. Other uses include: the import and export of data to many formats including Excel, Outlook, ASCII, dBase, Paradox, FoxPro, SQL Server, Oracle, ODBC, etc. It also has the ability to link to data in its existing location and use it for viewing, querying, editing, and reporting. This allows the existing data to change and the Access platform to always use the latest data. It can perform heterogeneous joins between data sets stored across different platforms. Access is often used by people downloading data from enterprise level databases for manipulation, analysis, and reporting locally.

There is also the Jet Database format (MDB or ACCDB in Access 2007) which can contain the application and data in one file. This makes it very convenient to distribute the entire application to another user, who can run it in disconnected environments.

One of the benefits of Access from a programmer's perspective is its relative compatibility with SQL (structured query language) — queries can be viewed graphically or edited as SQL statements, and SQL statements can be used directly in Macros and VBA Modules to manipulate Access tables. Users can mix and use both VBA and "Macros" for programming forms and logic and offers object-oriented possibilities. VBA can also be included in queries.

Microsoft Access offers parameterized queries. These queries and Access tables can be referenced from other programs like VB6 and .NET through DAO or ADO. From Microsoft Access, VBA can reference parameterized stored procedures via ADO.

The desktop editions of Microsoft SQL Server can be used with Access as an alternative to the Jet Database Engine. This support started with MSDE (Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine), a scaled down version of Microsoft SQL Server 2000, and continues with the SQL Server Express versions of SQL Server 2005 and 2008.

Microsoft Access is a file server-based database. Unlike client–server relational database management systems (RDBMS), Microsoft Access does not implement database triggers, stored procedures, or transaction logging. Access 2010 includes table-level triggers and stored procedures built into the ACE data engine. Thus a Client-server database system is not a requirement for using stored procedures or table triggers with Access 2010. Tables, queries, Forms, reports and Macros can now be developed specifically for web base application in Access 2010. Integration with Microsoft SharePoint 2010 is also highly improved.

[edit] Development

Access stores all database tables, queries, forms, reports, macros, and modules in the Access Jet database as a single file.

For query development, Access offers a "Query Designer", a graphical user interface that allows users to build queries without knowledge of the SQL programming language. In the Query Designer, users can "show" the datasources of the query (which can be tables or queries) and select the fields they want returned by clicking and dragging them into the grid. One can set up joins by clicking and dragging fields in tables to fields in other tables. Access allows users to view and manipulate the SQL code if desired. Any Access table, including linked tables from different data sources, can be used in a query.

Access also supports the creation of "pass-through queries". These snippets of SQL code can address external data sources through the use of ODBC connections on the local machine. This enables users to interact with data stored outside the Access programme without using linked tables or Jet.^[4] Users construct the pass-through queries using the SQL syntax supported by the external data source.

When developing reports that are linked to queries placing or moving items in the design view of the report, Access runs the linked query in the background on any placement or movement of an item in that Report. If the report is linked to a query that takes a long time to return records this means having to wait until the query has run before you can add/edit or move the next item in the report (this feature cannot be turned off).

Non-programmers can use the macro feature to automate simple tasks through a series of drop-down selections. Macros allow users to easily chain commands together such as running queries, importing or exporting data, opening and closing forms, previewing and printing reports, etc. Macros support basic logic (IF-conditions) and the ability to call other macros. Macros can also contain sub-macros which are similar to subroutines. In Access 2007 enhanced macros with the inclusion of error-handling and of support for temporary variables. Access 2007 also introduced embedded macros that are essentially properties of an object's event. This eliminated the need to store macros as individual objects. Macros however, are limited in their functionality by a lack of programming loops and of advanced coding logic. Most professional Access developers use the VBA programming language for a richer and more powerful development environment.

The programming language available in Access is, as in other products of the Microsoft Office suite, Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications, which is nearly identical to Visual Basic 6.0 (VB6). VBA code can be stored in modules and code behind forms and reports. Modules can also be classes.

To manipulate data in tables and queries in VBA, Microsoft provides two database access libraries of COM components:

1. the Data Access Objects (DAO), which is included in Access and Windows and evolved to ACE in Microsoft Access 2007 for the ACCDE database format
2. ActiveX Data Objects ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)

Beside DAO and ADO, developers can also use OLE DB and ODBC for developing native C/C++ programs for Access.^[5] For ADPs and the direct manipulation of SQL Server data, ADO is required. DAO is most appropriate for managing data in Access/Jet databases, and the only way to manipulate the complex field types in ACCDB tables.

In the database container or navigation pane of Access 2007, the system automatically categorizes each object by type. Many Access developers use the Leszynski naming convention, though this is not universal; it is a programming convention, not a DBMS-enforced rule.^[6] It is particularly helpful in VBA where references to object names may not indicate its data type (e.g. tbl for tables, qry for queries).

Developers deploy Microsoft Access most often for individual and workgroup projects (the Access 97 speed characterization was done for 32 users).^[7] Since Access 97, and with Access 2003 and 2007, Microsoft Access and hardware have evolved significantly. Databases under 1 GB in size (which can now fit entirely in RAM) and 50 simultaneous users are well within the capabilities of Microsoft Access. Of course, performance depends on the database design and tasks. Disk-intensive work such as complex searching and querying take the most time.

As data from a Microsoft Access database can be cached in RAM, processing speed may substantially improve when there is only a single user or if the data is not changing. In the past, the effect of packet latency on the record-locking system caused Access databases to run slowly on a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN) against a Jet database. As of 2010^[update] broadband connections have mitigated this issue. Performance can also be enhanced if a continuous connection is maintained to the back-end database throughout the session rather than opening and closing it for each table access. If Access Database performance over VPN or WAN suffers, then a client using Remote Desktop Protocol (such as Microsoft Terminal Services) can provide an effective solution. Access databases linked to SQL Server or to Access Data Projects work well^{[citation needed]} over VPNs and WANs.

[edit] Split Database Architecture

Microsoft Access applications can adopt a split-database architecture. The database can be divided into a front-end database that contains the application objects (queries, forms, reports, macros, and modules), and is linked to tables stored in a back-end shared database containing the data. The "back-end" database can be stored in a location shared by many users, such as a file server. The "front-end" database is distributed to each user's desktop and linked to the shared database. Using this design, each user has a copy of Microsoft Access installed on their machine along with their application database. This reduces network traffic since the application is not retrieved for each use, and allows the front-end database to contain tables with data that is private to each user for storing settings or temporary data. This split-database design also allows development of the application independent of the data. When a new version is ready, the front-end database is replaced without impacting the data database. Microsoft Access has two built-in utilities, Database Splitter and Linked Table Manager, to facilitate this architecture.

Linked tables in Access use absolute paths rather than relative paths, so the development environment either has to have the same path as the production environment or a "dynamic-linker" routine can be written in VBA.

This is not an economical setup across slow networks, or in large organizations separated by great distances, as it will result in excessive lag to database users. SQL backend should be considered in these circumstances.

[edit] Access to SQL Server Upsizing (SQL as a backend)

To scale Access applications to enterprise or web solutions, one recommended^{[by whom?]} technique involves migrating to Microsoft SQL Server or equivalent server database. A client–server design significantly reduces maintenance and increases security, availability, stability, and transaction logging.

Access includes an Upsizing Wizard that allows users to upsize their databases to Microsoft SQL Server, an ODBC client–server database. An additional solution, the SQL Server Migration Assistant for Access (SSMA), is also available for download from Microsoft.^[8]

A variety of upsizing options are available.^[9] After migrating the data and queries to SQL Server, the MDB/ACCDB Access database can be linked to the database. This is the easiest migration and most appropriate if the user does not have rights to create objects such as stored procedures on SQL Server. Retrieving data from linked tables is optimized to just the records needed, but this scenario operates less efficiently for multi-table joins that may require copying the whole table across the network.

Access databases can also be converted to Access Data Projects (ADP) which is tied directly to one SQL Server database. ADPs support the ability to directly create and modify SQL Server objects such as tables, views, stored procedures, views, and SQL Server constraints. The views and stored procedures can significantly reduce the network traffic for multi-table joins. Fortunately, SQL Server supports temporary tables and links to other data sources beyond the single SQL Server database.

Finally, some Access databases are completely replaced by another solution such as ASP.NET or Java once the data is converted.

In many cases, hybrid solutions are created where developers build web interfaces using ASP.NET, while keeping administrative or reporting features that don't need to be distributed to everyone and/or don't change often in Access for information workers to maintain.

While all Access data can migrate to SQL Server, some queries cannot migrate successfully. In some situations, you may need to translate VBA functions and user defined functions into TSQL or .NET functions / procedures. Crosstab queries can be migrated to SQL Server using the PIVOT command.

Microsoft Access has a reputation among IT professionals as not being as economical on server resources when running large query transactions, especially if users force-terminate the application on the client side. Transactions that were running might still be running on the SQL server unbeknownst to the end-user.^[10]

[edit] Protection

Microsoft Access offers several ways to secure the application while allowing users to remain productive.

The most basic is a database password. Once entered, the user has full control of all the database objects. This is a relatively weak form of protection which can be easily cracked.

A higher level of protection is the use of workgroup security requiring a user name and password. Users and groups can be specified along with their rights at the object type or individual object level. This can be used to specify people with readonly or data entry rights but may be challenging to specify. A separate workgroup security file contains the settings which can be used to manage multiple databases. Workgroup security is not supported in the Access 2007 ACCDB database format, although Access 2007 still supports it for MDB databases.

Databases can also be encrypted. The ACCDB format offers significantly advanced encryption from previous versions [2].

Additionally, if the database design needs to be secured to prevent changes, Access databases can be locked/protected (and the source code compiled) by converting the database to a .MDE file. All changes to the VBA project (modules, forms, or reports) need to be made to the original MDB and then reconverted to MDE. In Access 2007, the ACCDB database is converted to an ACCDE file. Some tools are available for unlocking and "decompiling", although certain elements including original VBA comments and formatting are normally irretrievable.

[edit] File extensions

Microsoft Access saves information under the following file formats:

File format	Extension
Access Project	.adp
Access Blank Project Template	.adn
Access Database (2007)	.accdb
Access Database Runtime (2007)	.accdr
Access Database Template (2007)	.accdt
Access Database (2003 and earlier)	.mdb
Access Database, used for addins (2,95,97), previously used for workgroups (2).	.mda
Access Blank Database Template (2003 and earlier)	.mdn
Access Add-in Data (2003 and earlier)	.mdt
Access Workgroup, database for user-level security.	.mdw
Access (SQL Server) detached database (2000)	.mdf
Protected Access Database, with compiled VBA (2003 and earlier)	.mde
Protected Access Database, with compiled VBA (2007)	.accde
Windows Shortcut: Access Macro	.mam
Windows Shortcut: Access Query	.maq
Windows Shortcut: Access Report	.mar
Windows Shortcut: Access Table	.mat
Windows Shortcut: Access Form	.maf

[edit] Versions

Date	Version	Version number	Supported OS	Office suite version
1992	Access 1.1	1	Windows 3.0
1993	Access 2.0	2.0	Windows 3.1x	Office 4.3 Pro
1995	Access for Windows 95	7.0	Windows 95	Office 95 Professional
1997	Access 97	8.0	Windows 9x, NT 3.51/4.0	Office 97 Professional and Developer
1999	Access 2000	9.0	Windows 9x, NT 4.0, 2000	Office 2000 Professional, Premium and Developer
2001	Access 2002	10	Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP	Office XP Professional and Developer
2003	Access 2003	11	Windows 2000, XP, XP Professional x64, Vista	Office 2003 Professional and Professional Enterprise
2007	Access 2007	12	Windows XP SP2, XP Professional x64, Vista	Office 2007 Professional, Professional Plus, Ultimate and Enterprise
2010	Access 2010	14	Windows XP SP3, Vista, Windows 7	Office 2010 Professional, Professional Academic and Professional Plus

There are no Access versions between 2.0 and 7.0 because the Windows 95 version was launched with Word 7. All of the Office 95 products have OLE 2 capabilities, and Access 7 shows that it was compatible with Word 7.

[edit] See also

• Comparison of relational database management systems

[edit] References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ Microsoft Access History
3. ^ Where did the name for Microsoft Access come from?
4. ^ Sinclair, Russell (2000). From access to SQL server. Apress Series. Apress. p. 39. ISBN 9781893115248. http://books.google.com/books?ei=ek82TPreCtigkQXIpqy3Aw&ct=result&id=CK2WOq4WlPkC. Retrieved 2010-07-08. "SQL pass-through queries are queries in which you can enter a statement that is passed directly to the ODBC driver without the Jet engine validating it or parsing it in any way."
5. ^ Aleksandar Jakšić (08 2008). "Developing Access 2007 Solutions with Native C or C++". Microsoft Corporation. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc811599.aspx. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
6. ^ Naming Conventions for Microsoft Access
7. ^ Kevin Collins (Microsoft Jet Program Management), "Microsoft Jet 3.5 Performance Overview and Optimization Techniques", MSDN. Retrieved July 19, 2005.
8. ^ http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2005/en/us/migration-access.aspx
9. ^ http://www.fmsinc.com/FMSUpsize/docs/EvolvingMicrosoftAccessApplications.pdf
10. ^ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/835416

[edit] External links

• Access Team Blog
• Free online user guide to Microsoft Access
• Microsoft Access Home Page
• Office 2010 product guide
• Microsoft Access Newsgroups
• Microsoft Access 3rd Party Tools
• FAQ site about Microsoft Access
• Microsoft Access within an Organization's Database Strategy
• Microsoft Access Performance Tips
• Microsoft Access Error Numbers and Description Reference
• Microsoft Access for Beginners
• AccessBlog.net - Tips and tricks on Microsoft Access
• MS Access Tutorials and Examples
• Microsoft Access Forums

This article was originally based on material from the Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, which is licensed under the GFDL.

Ms. Exccel

Microsoft Excel

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Microsoft Excel (Windows)

Spreadsheet kosong Microsoft Excel 2007 yang dijalankan di Windows Vista.
Pengembang	Microsoft
Versi rilis terbaru	12.0.6014.5000 / 2007
Sistem operasi	Microsoft Windows
Jenis	Spreadsheet
Lisensi	Proprietary EULA
Situs web	www.microsoft.com

Microsoft Excel (Mac OS X)

Spreadsheet Microsoft Excel 2004 dijalankan di Mac OS X 10.5.
Pengembang	Microsoft
Versi rilis terbaru	2004 v11.3.7 / 8 Mei, 2007
Versi pratayang terbaru	2008 v12.x
Sistem operasi	Mac OS X
Lisensi	Proprietary EULA
Situs web	Excel 2004 untuk Mac

Microsoft Excel atau Microsoft Office Excel adalah sebuah program aplikasi lembar kerja spreadsheet yang dibuat dan didistribusikan oleh Microsoft Corporation untuk sistem operasi Microsoft Windows dan Mac OS. Aplikasi ini memiliki fitur kalkulasi dan pembuatan grafik yang, dengan menggunakan strategi marketing Microsoft yang agresif, menjadikan Microsoft Excel sebagai salah satu program komputer yang populer digunakan di dalam komputer mikro hingga saat ini. Bahkan, saat ini program ini merupakan program spreadsheet paling banyak digunakan oleh banyak pihak, baik di platform PC berbasis Windows maupun platform Macintosh berbasis Mac OS, semenjak versi 5.0 diterbitkan pada tahun 1993. Aplikasi ini merupakan bagian dari Microsoft Office System, dan versi terakhir adalah versi Microsoft Office Excel 2007 yang diintegrasikan di dalam paket Microsoft Office System 2007.

[sunting] Sejarah

Pada tahun 1982, Microsoft membuat sebuah program spreadsheet yang disebut dengan Multiplan, yang sangat populer dalam sistem-sistem CP/M, tapi tidak dalam sistem MS-DOS mengingat di sana sudah berdiri saingannya, yakni Lotus 1-2-3. Hal ini membuat Microsoft memulai pengembangan sebuah program spreadsheet yang baru yang disebut dengan Excel, dengan tujuan, seperti yang dikatakan oleh Doug Klunder, "do everything 1-2-3 does and do it better/melakukan apa yang dilakukan oleh 1-2-3 dan lebih baik lagi".

Versi pertama Excel dirilis untuk Macintosh pada tahun 1985 dan versi Windows-nya menyusul (dinomori versi 2.0) pada November 1987. Lotus ternyata terlambat turun ke pasar program spreadsheet untuk Windows, dan pada tahun tersebut, Lotus 1-2-3 masih berbasis MS-DOS. Pada tahun 1988, Excel pun mulai menggeser 1-2-3 dalam pangsa pasar program spreadsheet dan menjadikan Microsoft sebagai salah satu perusahaan pengembang aplikasi perangkat lunak untuk komputer pribadi yang andal. Prestasi ini mengukuhkan Microsoft sebagai kompetitor yang sangat kuat bagi 1-2-3 dan bahkan mereka mengembangkannya lebih baik lagi. Microsoft, dengan menggunakan keunggulannya, rata-rata merilis versi Excel baru setiap dua tahun sekali, dan versi Excel untuk Windows terakhir adalah Microsoft Office Excel 2007 (Excel 12), sementara untuk Macintosh (Mac OS X), versi terakhirnya adalah Microsoft Excel 2004.

Pada awal-awal peluncurannya, Excel menjadi sasaran tuntutan perusahaan lainnya yang bergerak dalam bidang industri finansial yang telah menjual sebuah perangkat lunak yang juga memiliki nama Excel. Akhirnya, Microsoft pun mengakhiri tuntutan tersebut dengan kekalahan dan Microsoft harus mengubah nama Excel menjadi "Microsoft Excel" dalam semua rilis pers dan dokumen Microsoft. Meskipun demikian, dalam prakteknya, hal ini diabaikan dan bahkan Microsoft membeli Excel dari perusahaan yang sebelumnya menuntut mereka, sehingga penggunaan nama Excel saja tidak akan membawa masalah lagi. Microsoft juga sering menggunakan huruf XL sebagai singkatan untuk program tersebut, yang meskipun tidak umum lagi, ikon yang digunakan oleh program tersebut masih terdiri atas dua huruf tersebut (meski diberi beberapa gaya penulisan). Selain itu, ekstensi default dari spreadsheet yang dibuat oleh Microsoft Excel hingga versi 11.0 (Excel 2003) adalah *.xls sedangkan mulai Microsoft Office Excel 2007 (versi 12.0) ekstensi default-nya adalah *.xlsx yang mendukung format HTML namun dengan isi yang sama memiliki ukuran file yang lebih kecil jika dibandingkan dengan versi-versi Excel sebelumnya.

Excel menawarkan banyak keunggulan antarmuka jika dibandingkan dengan program spreadsheet yang mendahuluinya, tapi esensinya masih sama dengan VisiCalc (perangkat lunak spreadsheet yang terkenal pertama kali): Sel disusun dalam baris dan kolom, serta mengandung data atau formula dengan berisi referensi absolut atau referensi relatif terhadap sel lainnya.

Excel merupakan program spreadsheet pertama yang mengizinkan pengguna untuk mendefinisikan bagaimana tampilan dari spreadsheet yang mereka sunting: font, atribut karakter, dan tampilan setiap sel. Excel juga menawarkan penghitungan kembali terhadap sel-sel secara cerdas, di mana hanya sel yang berkaitan dengan sel tersebut saja yang akan diperbarui nilanya (di mana program-program spreadsheet lainnya akan menghitung ulang keseluruhan data atau menunggu perintah khusus dari pengguna). Selain itu, Excel juga menawarkan fitur pengolahan grafik yang sangat baik.

Ketika pertama kali dibundel ke dalam Microsoft Office pada tahun 1993, Microsoft pun mendesain ulang tampilan antarmuka yang digunakan oleh Microsoft Word dan Microsoft PowerPoint untuk mencocokkan dengan tampilan Microsoft Excel, yang pada waktu itu menjadi aplikasi spreadsheet yang paling disukai.

Sejak tahun 1993, Excel telah memiliki bahasa pemrograman Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), yang dapat menambahkan kemampuan Excel untuk melakukan automatisasi di dalam Excel dan juga menambahkan fungsi-fungsi yang dapat didefinisikan oleh pengguna (user-defined functions/UDF) untuk digunakan di dalam worksheet. Dalam versi selanjutnya, bahkan Microsoft menambahkan sebuah integrated development environment (IDE) untuk bahasa VBA untuk Excel, sehingga memudahkan programmer untuk melakukan pembuatan program buatannya. Selain itu, Excel juga dapat merekam semua yang dilakukan oleh pengguna untuk menjadi macro, sehingga mampu melakukan automatisasi beberapa tugas. VBA juga mengizinkan pembuatan form dan kontrol yang terdapat di dalam worksheet untuk dapat berkomunikasi dengan penggunanya. Bahasa VBA juga mendukung penggunaan DLL ActiveX/COM, meski tidak dapat membuatnya. Versi VBA selanjutnya menambahkan dukungan terhadap class module sehingga mengizinkan penggunaan teknik pemrograman berorientasi objek dalam VBA.

Fungsi automatisasi yang disediakan oleh VBA menjadikan Excel sebagai sebuah target virus-virus macro. Ini merupakan problem yang sangat serius dalam dunia korporasi hingga para pembuat antivirus mulai menambahkan dukungan untuk mendeteksi dan membersihkan virus-virus macro dari berkas Excel. Akhirnya, meski terlambat, Microsoft juga mengintegrasikan fungsi untuk mencegah penyalahgunaan macro dengan menonaktifkan macro secara keseluruhan, atau menngaktifkan macro ketika mengaktifkan workbook, atau mempercayai macro yang dienkripsi dengan menggunakan sertifikat digital yang tepercaya.

[sunting] Versi

Tabel berikut berisi versi-versi Microsoft Excel

Tahun	Versi Excel	Sistem operasi	Versi Microsoft Office
1985	Excel 1.0	Apple Macintosh klasik	Tidak ada Microsoft Office
1987	Excel 2.0 for Windows	Microsoft Windows 2.0	Tidak ada Microsoft Office
1988	Excel 1.5	Apple Macintosh klasik	Tidak ada Microsoft Office
1989	Excel 2.2	Apple Macintosh klasik	Tidak ada Microsoft Office
1989	Excel 2.2	IBM OS/2	Tidak ada Microsoft Office
1990	Excel 3.0	Microsoft Windows 3.0	Tidak ada Microsoft Office
1990	Excel 3.0	Apple Macintosh	Tidak ada Microsoft Office
1991	Excel 3.0	IBM OS/2	Tidak ada Microsoft Office
1992	Excel 4.0	Microsoft Windows 3.0 dan Windows 3.1	Tidak ada Microsoft Office
1992	Excel 4.0	Apple Macintosh	Tidak ada Microsoft Office
1993	Excel 5.0	Windows 3.0, Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11, Windows for Workgroups, dan Windows NT (hanya versi 32-bit)	Microsoft Office 4.2 dan Office 4.3
1993	Excel 5.0	Apple Macintosh	Tidak ada Microsoft Office
1995	Excel 7 for Windows 95	Windows 95 dan Windows NT 3.1/3.50	Microsoft Office 95
1997	Excel 97 (Excel 8)	Windows 95, Windows NT 3.51/Windows NT 4.0	Microsoft Office 97
1998	Excel 8.0	Apple Macintosh	Microsoft Office '98 for Macintosh
1999	Excel 2000 (Excel 9)	Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000	Microsoft Office 2000
2000	Excel 9.0	Apple Macintosh	Microsoft Office 2001 for Macintosh
2001	Excel 2002 (Excel 10)	Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP	Microsoft Office XP
2001	Excel 10.0	Apple Macintosh OS X	Microsoft Office v. X
2003	Excel 2003 (Excel 11)	Windows 2000 (Service Pack 3), Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008	Microsoft Office System 2003
2004	Excel 11.0	Apple Macintosh OS X	Microsoft Office 2004 for Macintosh
2007	Excel 2007 (Excel 12)	Microsoft Windows XP (dengan Service Pack 2 atau lebih tinggi), Windows Server 2003 (Service Pack 1), Windows Vista, serta Windows Server 2008.	Microsoft Office System 2007

[sunting] Format berkas

Dari pertama kali dirilis, Excel menggunakan format berkas biner yang disebut dengan Binary Interchange File Format (BIFF) sebagai format berkas utamanya. Hal ini berubah ketika Microsoft merilis Office System 2007 yang memperkenalkan Office Open XML sebagai format berkas utamanya. Office Open XML adalah sebuah berkas kontainer berbasis XML yang mirip dengan XML Spreadsheet (XMLSS), yang diperkenalkan pada Excel 2002. Berkas versi XML tidak dapat menyimpan macro VBA.

Meskipun mendukung format XML yang baru, Excel 2007 masih mendukung format-format lamanya yang masih berbasis BIFF yang tradisional. Selain itu, kebanyakan versi Microsoft Excel juga mendukung format Comma Separated Values (CSV), DBase File (DBF), SYmbolic LinK (SYLK), Data Interchange Format (DIF) dan banyak format lainnya, termasuk di antaranya format worksheet milik Lotus 1-2-3 (WKS, WK1, WK2, dan lain-lain) dan Quattro Pro.

Excel 2007 tidak mendukung untuk melakukan penyimpanan pada semua format tersebut. Beberapa format yang tidak dapat dibuka di Excel 2007 tapi dapat dibuka di versi sebelumnya adalah:

1. WK1 (1-2-3)
2. WK4 (1-2-3)
3. WJ3 (1-2-3 Japanese) (.wj3)
4. WKS (1-2-3)
5. WK3 (1-2-3)
6. WK1 FMT(1-2-3)
7. WJ2 (1-2-3 Japanese) (.wj2)
8. WJ3, FJ3 (1-2-3 Japanese) (.wj3)
9. DBF 2 (dBASE II)
10. WQ1 (Quattro Pro/DOS)
11. WK3,FM3(1-2-3)
12. Microsoft Excel Chart (.xlc)
13. WK1, ALL(1-2-3)
14. WJ1 (1-2-3 Japanese) (.wj1)
15. WKS (Works Japanese) (.wks)

Sedangkan beberapa format yang dapat dibuka, tapi tidak dapat disimpan di Excel 2007 antara lain:

1. Microsoft Excel 2.1 Worksheet
2. Microsoft Excel 2.1 Macro
3. Microsoft Excel 3.0 Worksheet
4. Microsoft Excel 3.0 Macro
5. Microsoft Excel 4.0 Worksheet
6. Microsoft Excel 4.0 Macro
7. Microsoft Excel 97 - Excel 2003 & 5.0/95 Workbook
8. Microsoft Excel 4.0 Workbook
9. DBF 3 (dBASE III)
10. DBF 4 (dBASE IV)

Berikut ini adalah beberapa ekstensi Microsoft Excel:

• *.xls, merupakan format default Microsoft Excel sebelum Excel 12. Masih berbasis format BIFF dan dapat menyimpan macro VBA.
• *.xlt, merupakan format untuk template worksheet Microsoft Excel sebelum Excel 12. Masih berbasis format BIFF dan dapat menyimpan macro VBA.
• *.XML, atau yang disebut sebagai XML Spreadsheet. Tidak mampu menampung macro VBA.
• *.xla, merupakan format untuk Excel Add-in sebelum Excel 12. Masih berbasis format BIFF dan dapat menyimpan macro VBA, mengingat tujuannya adalah untuk menambahkan kemampuan Microsoft Excel.
• *.xlsx, merupakan format default worksheet Microsoft Excel 12, yang telah berbasis XML. Tidak dapat menyimpan macro VBA, karena alasan keamanan. Sebenarnya merupakan sebuah arsip terkompres berformat ZIP dengan struktur dokumen yang terdiri atas dokumen teks XML. Adalah pengganti dari format .xls yang kuno.
• *.xlsm, merupakan format worksheet Microsoft Excel 12, yang telah berbasis XML, tapi dapat menyimpan macro VBA.
• *.xlsb, merupakan format worksheet Microsoft Excel 12, yang telah berbasis XML, tapi dikodekan dalam bentuk biner. Format ini memiliki keunggulan lebih kepat dibuka dan lebih efisien, mengingat tujuan dibuatnya format ini adalah untuk menangani worksheet yang sangat besar yang terdiri atas puluhan ribu baris atau ratusan kolom.
• *.xltm, merupakan format untuk template worksheet Microsoft Excel 12, yang telah berbasis XML tapi mampu menyimpan macro VBA. Merupakan pengganti dari format *.xlt.
• *.xlam, merupakan format untuk Excel Add-in untuk menambah kemampuan Excel 12. Secara default mampu menangani macro VBA, mengingat tujuannya adalah menambahkan kemampuan Excel.

Artikel bertopik perangkat lunak ini adalah sebuah rintisan. Anda dapat membantu Wikipedia dengan mengembangkannya.