The database capabilities of Excel are very powerful. In fact, not only can Excel be used to create a simple searchable database, it also can be used to create a proper relational database.

Here's how to create a pivot table in Excel to slice and dice your data, letting you perform in-depth analyses and spot important trends.

Tips This article applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, and Office 365. View the videos listed in the Resources section for more ideas on using Excel's database functions.

Excel tables have many benefits that regular spreadsheets lack. The biggest is the option to use data from multiple tables to create queries and reports.

Excel has other problems. With Excel, refreshing data as you go isn’t easy because often it isn’t responsive enough to answer questions as quickly as they are asked. It’s also hard to do deep analysis ...

For example, suppose you track student grades in an Excel database and you would like to create an Access query that would list which students scored above 85% on all three exams. Follow these ...

Data validation is the foundation of creating drop-down lists in Excel. By setting up data validation rules, you can create lists that automatically update as your data changes.