Documenting a Day

In this post, we will examine events of a day from different Office Application tools. The first step was accomplished with a word processing tool to document the tasks and details of the tasks. The second step was to capture the information in a spreadsheet, allowing the sorting of information and presentation of it in a pie chart. The final step was capturing the events of the day in a presentation. For the three steps that were performed, the word processor was best suited for capturing more details of the day's events. The spreadsheet was better for analyzing the events, and the presentation was better for giving an impression of what the day was like. 

A word processor is perfect for organizing textual information and presenting it in an easy-to-consume manner. According to Vahid (Vahid et al., 2019), “A word processor creates a file that stores text plus formatting information, typically using a special filename extension like myfile.docx for Microsoft Word.” Font size and styling allow information categories and types to be clearly seen. Working with or analyzing the data is not the purpose of a word processor. Mail merges are excellent use for word processing tools, where a form letter needs to be sent to an entire customer set that can be queried from a database or spreadsheet.

The spreadsheet application could be more user-friendly for presenting the details of the tasks. Instead, it allows work with a list of data and performs operations against this list. Sorting, ranking, conditional formatting, and presentation of information in a chart format are all features of the spreadsheet application. Vahid (Vahid et al., 2019) states, “An important spreadsheet feature allows a user to type a formula in a cell to compute that cell's value based on other cells' values.” Accountants often use spreadsheets to break down and categorize sales information and trends. Today, millions of people use and develop spreadsheets (Bock et al., 2020), and 80% of accounting educators utilize spreadsheets in their learning (Rackliffe & Ragland, 2016).

The presentation application is designed for screen layouts and uses larger fonts and images to show the audience the events quickly. The use of transitions and animations allows the presenter to provide interest to the viewer and timing when information is presented on the screen to prevent the audience from reading ahead and missing the author’s talking points. Presentation software is typically used in speaking engagements but can also be used in kiosks for providing self-service information.

Database applications were not used in analyzing the events. Vahid (Vahid et al., 2019) defines a database management system as “A database management system (DBMS) is an app that creates, maintains, and accesses database systems. Popular DBMS' include MySQL, Oracle Database, and Microsoft Access.” A database is typically organized so that information is captured in an organized manner, with data not repeating. An example would be capturing vendor information, and it is not desirable for the vendor information to be repeated such that a change of address or phone number needs to be updated in multiple locations. Utilizing a database, the detailed information can be broken into fields and captured over time. If presenting and analyzing events over a more extended period is desired, capturing that information in a database allows all three previous tools to be used. Merging or querying the data can be used by word processors and spreadsheets to be configured for viewing the information across time and easily broken up into weekly, daily, or monthly views. Summaries of the data can be used in presentations.

In the author’s experience, capturing data into a database system and making it available to other tools is a sound strategy if time and skills allow. Having the flexibility on how the data is managed or queried and allowing for updates over time is best facilitated in this medium. The other tools are then helpful in pulling information or aggregating it as needed.

References

Bock, A. A., Bøgholm, T., Sestoft, P., Thomsen, B., & Thomsen, L. L. (2020). On the semantics for spreadsheets with sheet-defined functions. Journal of Computer Languages, 57, 100960. doi:10.1016/j.cola.2020.100960 

Rackliffe, U. R., & Ragland, L. (2016). Excel in the accounting curriculum: Perceptions from accounting professors, Accounting Education, doi:10.1080/09639284.2015.1126791

Vahid, F., Lysecky, S., Wheatland, N., & Siu, R. (2019). TEC 101: Fundamentals of Information Technology & Literacy | zyBooks