What’s new in Excel 2010?

Here’s a quick overview of the new features in Excel 2010:
● 64-bit version: If your hardware and Windows version supports it, you can install the 64-bit
version, which lets you create larger workbooks. You might experience some incompatible
macros and add-ins. Specifically, macros that use 32-bit Windows API calls won’t work in
64-bit Excel 2010. In most cases, however, you can modify the code so that the API calls
work with both versions of Excel.
● Sparkline charts: Create small in-cell charts to summarize a range of data graphically.
● Slicers: A slicer is a new way to filter and display data in pivot tables.
● New pivot table formatting options: You have more control over the appearance of pivot
table reports.
● Office button changes: The big round Office button in Excel 2007 has been replaced by a
File button, displayed to the left of the tabs. Clicking it displays Office Backstage, a screen
that lets you perform various operations on your workbook. This view essentially replaces
the traditional File and Print menus — plus quite a bit more.
● Conditional formatting enhancements: Data bar conditional formatting can display in a
solid color, and the bars provide a more accurate display and support negative values.
● Function enhancements: Some of Excel’s worksheet financial and statistical functions
have been improved in terms of numerical accuracy. These functions have new names, and
the old versions are still available for compatibility.
● Image-editing enhancements: You have much more control over graphic images inserted
into a workbook, including the ability to remove non-essential parts from the background
of an image.
● Screen capture tool: You can easily capture a window from a different program and insert
the image on a worksheet.
● Paste preview: When you copy a range, the Paste command displays various options with
a live preview so that you can see how the paste operation will look.
● Ribbon customization: End users can customize the Ribbon by adding new tabs and
groups. Unfortunately, it’s still not possible to customize the Ribbon using VBA.
● Equation editor: You can create and display (noncalculating) mathematical equations and
embed them on a worksheet.
● Faster: Microsoft made some improvements to the calculation engine, and files load a bit faster.
● New security features: Workbooks downloaded from the Internet or from e-mail attachments
are opened in Protected View mode. You can designate workbooks as trusted, and
they don’t need to reside in special trusted folders.
● Solver: Excel 2010 includes a new version of the Solver add-in.
● Enhancements to VBA: You can now perform operations that used to require old XLM
macros directly using VBA macro commands. In addition, macro recording now works for
operations such as chart and shape formatting.