Michael Smith
October 30, 2011
IT/206 Final Project
Instructor: Nick Cabrera

Microsoft® Word® is a program used to create many documents from letters, resumes, flyers, and even legal documents. The use of Word is easy for beginners to learn with little to no skill and become advanced users in a short time. The application is used throughout many businesses, schools’, and home usage. Five common errors and support to solving them:

* Editing and placing header and footers can be done through; double clicking the top or bottom of the page and clicking on ‘Insert’ tab. Clicking on either Header or Footer will give you preset templates to give you a quick setup to fill in with the information you would like to insert. If you are creating a document for a business letter, you can be saved as a template for future use and quicker access. This can be done through ‘Quick Parts’, choosing ‘Field’ and adding exactly what you desire your document to look like and highlight you header by clicking to the left of the margin. Click on ‘Header’ again in the group box and ‘Save Selection to Quick Parts Gallery…’ to save this format for easy retrieval later.

* Templates can be a timesaver when sending or printing many reports at different times. This can be done with opening a new Word document. Much like setting up your headers and footers, you can create a whole document predesigned and ready to go with only a few areas needing to be filled in.

* Inserting pictures is to simply click on the “Insert” tab and choose from ‘Illustrations’ group. Place holders will give you the option of where to set the picture / graph and right clicking on the picture will open a drop down menu. Choosing ‘Wrap Text’ will align the text to your specifications; in line with text, on top, behind, etc.

* Losing where the file was stored is a common error. Locating this file can be easy too with a quick search of your computer. First suggestion is open “Computer” icon on your desktop to open a display box showing all the files and folders on the computer. Word is defaulted to save files in “Documents” and this may be the area your file is saved. Another way to search for your file is clicking on the “Start” button in the bottom left corner of the Desktop and checking Recent Items. If all else fails; Start button, type document name into search bar and let the computer look for it.

* Shortcut keys are great for quick commands to let you proceed with a more efficient work flow and more time with your hands on the keyboard. A few simple shortcut keys to know; To Save: Ctrl – s, To Print: Ctrl – p,

Microsoft® Excel® is a spreadsheet program used to organize data, complete calculations, decisions, graph your data, create business reports, make you data available to the Web, and provide real-time data from a Web site. Errors to be found using Excel®

* Knowing the field is half the challenge and creating formulas is an even bigger challenge. Mistakes happen during the creation of formulas and cause mistakes to happen. According to Microsoft® Office® (2011), "There are two ways to find these errors: One error at a time or as they occur. A little triangle appears in the top-left corner of the cell when errors are discovered.” (Para. 2).

* Creating Macros and downloading unfamiliar builds. When downloading macros, it cannot be stressed enough to use from a trusted source. Record a Macros: Click ‘File’ tab, ‘Options’, and then ‘Customize Ribbon’. This allows you to add the Developer tab to your Ribbon. To start recording, click ‘Record Macro’ in the Developer tab and name your Macro. If you want to setup a shortcut key, Shortcut Key box will set your CTRL combination and override the shortcut key (if already assigned to another function) when the macro is in use. Storing your macro in a workbook, click ok to start recording and enter your actions you like recorded. When done, return to the Developer tab, in the Code group click the Stop Recording Button.

* Cell Formatting to round numbers is also a simple procedure to overlook. This is simply fixed by formatting the cell to round the number by plugging in ‘round formula’.

* Names in worksheets can be a bit tricky. Although this may not be a bit issue, it should be addressed to keep names short to read each cell more clearly. Another is to avoid spacing between words. Leaving out the spaces on workbooks will shorten the time to writing a formula and easier to write leaving out the need to single quote your references between workbooks.
Microsoft® Access is a database management system used to create databases for many places in a business. Adding, changing, and deleting to a database, sort a database, retrieve data, and create forms and reports. The uses for Access are limited to the user’s ability to create a database.

Common errors and fixes: * Identifying and Removing Redundancy can be solved with creating a separate table. To do this, make sure the reference is place in both data sheets to link them together. * Queries (questions) can be solved by making sure the associated table is highlighted. Click Create on the Ribbon to bring up the Create tab. Click the Query Wizard to display a New Query box. Simple Query must be highlighted and proceed to click OK to continue to Simple Query Wizard box. This will give you the chance to add each field you want Queried from each worksheet. When done, click the Next button and this will finish your query. * IF function can be useful when finding if a statement or parameters are ‘true’ or ‘false’. Highlight the cell next to the parameter you have for tolerance. Click on function next to the cell formula bar and look / type IF and click OK. The function argument dialog box will open and insert your formula into the logical test. Type your true statement in quotations and same with false statement. To copy to cells in the column, place curser over bottom left corner to copy down. * Macros are used for many repetitive documents or functions. Creating one needs to keep in mind; memory, hardware to run many worksheets, and downloaded Macros. Setting up a Macros Open a new Excel work sheet and select tools, macros, and then record new macro and name your new macro. Enter the formulas, parameters, and IF scenarios to save time later.

Microsoft® PowerPoint gives a user a way to create a presentation with graphics, text, video’s, and sound. This allows you to produce expert-looking presentations. With practice and learning a few things about PowerPoint can produce many uses to create slide shows.

Common error and fixes: * Overusing sounds can be distracting to your audience. Using sounds only to demonstrate a certain point is a good time to use them.

* Overusing video can slow down a presentation or lose your audience’s attention quickly too. Some presentations can benefit from video’s; instructional, training, and home uses as in showing home video’s.

* Slides are over crowed with information quickly and overload your audience with it. The key to presenting a slide show is providing enough detail or bullet points of what your audience would need to know. Notes will give you the ability to explain in detail each point from there.

* Combing Slides from different presentations is a simple procedure. Opening a new PowerPoint presentation is required. In the Ribbon in Slides group, click New Slide and move the mouse to Reuse Slides. This opens a side box to the right with an option to ‘Insert slide from’ box. Click browse and locate your presentations you are interested in combining, you can only open one presentation at a time. The rest is simply choosing which slides you want to add.

* Infected Plug-ins is a common problem with all Office programs. If you download a plug-in, make sure it is from a trusted source or the program may destroy yours and company’s computer. Another thing to worry about is incompatible plug-ins. If PowerPoint is not performing or responding to your commands, disable or uninstall all your plug-ins and reactivate or re-install each one at a time until you discover which plug-in is producing the issues.

Microsoft® Outlook is a powerful communications and scheduling program that helps you communicate with others, keep track of your contacts, and organize your calendar (Shelly, Cashman, Vermaat, 2007). Personal information management (PIM) programs as Outlook gives an individual and companies the ability to organize, search, view, and distribute information easily and quickly. Outlook provides you to send and receive e-mails and talk in real-time with people using instant messaging. Tracking e-mails, meetings, and side-notes correlating to a specific contact is done through Outlook.
Common errors and fixes: * Sending and Receiving E-mail can be an easy fix. Check for Internet activity or connected to the internet first. Outlook works with the Internet and without a connection, there is no e-mail. Another error can be a misspelled address, double check the e-mail address. * Spam overtaking your In-Box is a common problem and can be sent by anyone with an internet connection and an e-mail account. Spam mail is unwanted e-mail that is delivered to your in-box advertising in a continuous way. Flagging the e-mail as junk mail will train Outlook to automatically send it to your junk mail folder. * Adding Attachments to E-mail is a great way to share documents quickly and adding it as an Attachment can save you money in the end. Sending an attachment is simply clicking on the Attach File button in the Ribbon. This opens a separate window allowing you to locate and choose the file you want attached.

* Creating a Contact List is done by clicking Contacts in the bottom left corner of the program. This opens a new window to start imputing the new contacts information.
Make sure all of the information is correct, especially the e-mail address. When finished, click the Save and Close button and the contact will be added to your contact list. You can add more contacts the same way.

* Creating a Distribution List by starting in the Contacts window and clicking on New Contact. Look down the list and select Distribution List to open a window allowing you to select whom you prefer from your contact list to be added. When done, click OK and your list has been created. Sending e-mails to this group is much easier with one click.

References and sources:

Microsoft(r) Office(r). (2011). Correct Common Errors in Formulas. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/excel-help/correct-common-errors-in-formulas-HA010066323.aspx

Shelly, G. B., Cashman, T. J., & Vermaat, M. E. (2007). Microsoft® Office 2007: Introductory concepts and techniques, Windows XP. Boston: Thomson Course Technology.