What is a software that allows users to organize data in rows and columns and perform calculations on the data?

Answer 1

This would be a database. Properly termed, the rows are records and the columns are fields. A spreadsheet, though used frequently as a "poor man's database," is properly used for calculations such as a profit and loss statement or a balance sheet for a business.

So, the question that may be asked is, why is Excel (a spreadsheet program) often used for database-like display of data? The reason is that there are few easily-found basic database programs available nowadays. One of the last that I have often used with clients was the database feature in Microsoft Works. However, Works 9.0 was the last version and that was released back in September 2007. The program is no longer under development.

Most database programs produced today are relational databases, such as Microsoft Access, MySQL, Microsoft's MSSQL, etc. Those are beyond the needs of most folks who want to have a simple flat database such as a personal address book or an inventory of their DVDs or music CDs. The power of a relational database is its ability to associate various types of data by certain relationships.

To explain, consider a college. There are various sections of, say, English 101. Each has the same course description and curriculum but the location, time, and instructor changes from one section to another as do the enrolled students, their grades, majors, etc. So, how is all this handled? Each section of English 101 is given a certain identifier. All students also have their own identifiers (such as a student number). So, when the student enrolls, rather than duplicate the student's name, address, phone number, email address, and other information, a table is produced in which the student's identifier and the section's identifier are referenced. This way, when someone wants to gather a student roll for the section, all the database has to do is find those in the table who have that section's identifier and then use the student numbers to build the required report with all the students' information.

To take this further, if someone wished a report on all the courses that the student had completed with a grade above a C, then the database could be queried for all records for the student number and then filtered by the grade field so that only the courses matching that request would be displayed.

This is the power of the relational database and is great for those who want or need to make use of it but, as I said, that is typically beyond what the typical end-user needs. Since there are so few flat database options available nowadays and Excel is readily available since it comes with every edition of Microsoft Office (specifically, Home and Student, Home and Business, and Professional), it is used as a poor substitute. It does not have the capability to perform searches such as a true database nor can it provide reports such as either a flat database or relational database allows. It is only a convenient way to provide a similar look without the functionality. For those who need only to display the data in a static format, such as a chore chart for the kids or a work schedule for the staff, this works well enough but it is by no means a database.

Answer 2

A table. A table can be found in many applications like spreadsheets, databases and word processors. Depending on specifically what needs to be done with the data, you may choose one particular application to best fit those needs.

Answer 3

A spreadsheet can do it, as can a database. We more associate rows and columns with Spreadsheets than databases though.

Answer 4

It is known as a spreadsheet. Two spreadsheet programme examples are Microsoft's Excel, and Linux Libreoffice Calc.

Answer 5

That is a spreadsheet... Software examples are Excel and Lotus123

Answer 6

The generic answer to this question is a grid. The software used most often for this task is a spreadsheet. Open Office and Microsoft Excel make mathematical computation easier.

Answer 7

i don't have a answer from jeremy

Answer 8

It is a spreadsheet.

Answer 9

Table