iCheck Series Office 2003: Real World Applications-Advanced

These articles allow you to further explore various computing topics and include a quiz for review.

Introduction Learn about how organizations use applications together.

Directions Read the information below and apply what you learn to answer the questions. Check your work carefully, and click Check Answers.

Using Multiple Applications Together

You already know that Microsoft Office applications are designed to work together. The ability to integrate applications is especially useful for businesses, since they often need to transfer data from one application to another.

Common ways in which organizations integrate Microsoft Office applications are explained below:

• Linked Files. Microsoft Office users can create a link between two files from different applications. For example, a user might want to include an Excel worksheet with sales figures in a business report created in Word. In this case, the Excel worksheet is the source file, and the Word document is the destination file. When the user creates the link, the Excel data will be inserted into the Word document. In addition, the Word file will be linked to the Excel file. Each time the Excel worksheet is changed, the table in the Word file will be updated automatically. Businesses often use linked files to store data that are frequently updated, such as employee lists and inventories.

• Embedded Objects. An embedded object becomes part of the destination file. The user can embed Excel data into a Word document. The data can then be edited directly in the Word document. However, changes made to the Excel file will not appear in the Word document. Businesses use embedded objects for data that do not require updates, such as quarterly sales figures.

• Hyperlinks. Businesses often include hyperlinks in files that are viewed electronically, such as a business report in Word that is stored on the company’s server. The business report could include a hyperlink to an Excel file with the most recent sales figures available. A hyperlink eliminates the need to link or embed data.

• XML. Extensible Markup Language, or XML, was originally created to make it possible to exchange information over the Internet. However, it is used increasingly to share information between different operating systems and software. For example, businesses often create documents in XML so that they can be shared between PC and Mac users.

1			What is the difference between a linked file and an embedded object?
2			How would you insert into a Word document data from Excel that needed to be updated frequently?
3			What is XML?
4			Why do companies use XML?