Office Documents, Spreadsheets & Prese Guides

What Office Documents, Spreadsheets & Presentations covers

This section covers the everyday document tools: Word and word processors, Excel and spreadsheets, PowerPoint and presentation software, along with templates and the file formats they produce.

Most questions here are about scope rather than instruction. What is a spreadsheet actually for, as opposed to a database. When does a document belong in Word rather than a slide deck. What a template does. These are reasonable questions that software documentation rarely answers, because it assumes you have already chosen the tool.

The most useful distinction in this section is between a spreadsheet and a database, because getting it wrong causes real problems later. A spreadsheet is a grid built for calculation and analysis by one person or a small team. A database is built for storing structured records reliably, with many users, rules about what may be entered, and a proper history. Spreadsheets are routinely pressed into service as databases, and it works until the file has thousands of rows, several copies in circulation, and no one certain which is current.

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How the guides in this section differ

Which document type suits the job. A written argument belongs in a document. A calculation belongs in a spreadsheet. A talk belongs in slides. Using slides as a written report is a common and unhelpful default.

Desktop application or web version. The web versions of these tools are capable but not identical to the desktop applications. Advanced features, particularly in Excel, are often desktop-only.

Microsoft or Google. The two families do broadly the same jobs with different collaboration models and file formats. Compatibility is good but not perfect, and complex formatting can shift when converting.

Task	Right tool	Common mistake
Written report or letter	Word processor	Writing it in slides
Calculation and analysis	Spreadsheet	Doing it by hand in a document
Structured records, many users	Database	Using a spreadsheet until it breaks
Live presentation	Slides	Putting the full script on the slide
Reusable layout	Template	Recreating formatting each time
Sharing a fixed layout	PDF export	Sending an editable file by mistake

A useful habit when a spreadsheet starts feeling unwieldy: notice the warning signs before it fails. Several people emailing versions to each other, filenames ending in “final” and “final2”, formulas nobody understands any more, or rows running into the thousands all suggest the job has outgrown the tool.

At that point the options are a proper database, a purpose-built system, or at minimum moving the file to shared cloud storage so there is one current copy rather than several. The failure mode of leaving it too long is not dramatic — it is quiet, in the form of decisions made from a version that was out of date.

For anything holding customer or staff details, add one more consideration: a spreadsheet of personal information carries the same POPIA duties as any other system, including keeping access limited to people who need it.

Safety, accuracy and next-step checks

These guides explain what tools are for and do not state current pricing or feature availability.

Points worth carrying:

Never enable macros in a document you did not expect. Macro-enabled files are a long-established malware route. A document that asks you to “enable content” to view it should be treated as hostile unless you are certain of its origin.
Check what a shared file exposes. Documents carry metadata — author names, tracked changes, comments and earlier revisions. Review and remove these before sending anything externally.
Sharing links can be broader than intended. “Anyone with the link” means exactly that, including anyone it is forwarded to. Check the setting before sharing anything sensitive.
Export to PDF when the layout must not change. Fonts and spacing shift between machines and versions.
Do not use a spreadsheet as your only record of anything important. No proper history, easy to overwrite, and copies proliferate. Where records matter, use a real database or a system built for it.
Save and back up. Autosave behaves differently between desktop and web versions and between Microsoft and Google, and assuming it is on is how work gets lost.
Personal data in spreadsheets carries obligations. POPIA applies to a spreadsheet of customer details exactly as it does to a database.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a spreadsheet and a database? A spreadsheet is for calculation and analysis, usually by one person. A database stores structured records reliably for many users with rules and history. Spreadsheets used as databases tend to fail once they grow.

Is the free web version enough? For most everyday documents, yes. Limits appear with advanced Excel features, complex formatting and offline work.

Why does my document look different on another computer? Usually missing fonts or a different application version. Export to PDF when the layout must be preserved.

Should I use a template? Yes, for anything you produce repeatedly. It saves formatting time and keeps output consistent.

Are Microsoft and Google files interchangeable? Largely, but not perfectly. Complex formatting, advanced formulas and macros can shift or break on conversion. Keep the original format where the file matters.

Office Documents, Spreadsheets & Presentations Used-For Guides