Despite the fact that Microsoft Excel is one of the most popular and widely used software of choice, every software has their specifications and limitations. If you plan to use Microsoft Excel or are using it, here are some Excel specifications and limitations to be aware of:
- Worksheet and Workbook
One of the largest factors when it comes to worksheet and workbook limitations would be that the it is limited by the user’s system resources and memory storage. Depending on the user’s version, the virtual address space and other requirements differ. 32 bit environments are subjected to 2 GB when it comes to virtual address spaces. The data model can run up to 700 MB and less, if there are additional add ins or data models running. Whereas for 64 bit environments, there are virtually no hard limits for file sizes. The only limits would be from system resources or memory.
- Numbers and Dates
Calculation specifications in Excel are a different matter. The software allows for greater versatility so the range for numbers are more flexible. Smallest negative numbers that are allowed are -2.2251E-308 while largest allowed for negative numbers are -9.99999999999999E+307. On the other hand, the inverse is allowed for positive numbers. As for calculated dates, the earliest dates that are able to be calculated begin from either January 1900 or January 1904 depending on the date system that is being used. The current latest date that can be calculated however, would be on December 9999.
- Functions and Formulas
When it comes to functions, Microsoft Excel allows a staggering amount of 341 worksheet functions to be available, with a maximum of 255 function categories that can be user defined and 255 arguments. This allows users the flexibility and capacity needed to define function arguments for their worksheet files with little to no trouble. In addition, Microsoft Excel also allows a maximum length of 8192 characters for the contents in the formula.
- PivotChart/PivotTable
While immensely useful, PivotChart comes with it’s own list of limitations as well. Majority of the factors limited in PivotChart is affected by the user’s computer and it’s available memory. For example, the number of PivotTable reports allowed on a worksheet, the rows/columns allowed, calculated item formulas and more. Other aspects of PivotTables and PivotCharts like report filters and value fields are limited to a maximum of 256 or less.
- Shared Workbooks
For workbook files that are shared between multiple users, there are also some Excel specifications and limits to pay attention to. You will only be able to share workbook files and open them simultaneously with a maximum of 256 users. Make sure to keep track of the type of changes as well because if you are using colour as identification markers, the maximum colours that can be used for different users would be 32. While you will be able to easily track change history, the history will only be maintained for a default of one month. However, you can tweak and prolong it for a maximum of 32767 days.
