A spreadsheet is usually thought of as a big calculator. However, it is much more than that.

The most useful characteristics of a spreadsheet are that it can do many calculations, often repetitious ones, easily, and it can be used as a tool in analysis of the numbers generated. It can be used with ease for, say a complex budget, and statistical analysis of such a budget. A large aspect of spreadsheets is the charting ability. Graphical representations often help in analysis of numerical data.

The best attribute of a spreadsheet is that it can take a set of basic calculations and perform certain complex actions on them, such as graphing and other large computations. This provides a great tool for making decisions based on numerical data.

You should use a spreadsheet when you would like to tie together a set of numeric data and calculations on the data, analyze them, and use the analysis for decision-making.