Economic Informatics and Advanced MS Excel

Comprehensive practice vocabulary flashcards covering the core concepts of Economic Informatics, Generative AI in business, and Microsoft Excel data processing, calculation, analysis, and optimization tools.

Economic Informatics

An applied science that studies the implementation, maintenance, and utilization of information systems in economic entities using electronic computers.

Data

The raw material of information representing numbers, quantities, or documents; a symbolic mode of expression governed by transformation rules to generate new data.

Information

An entity that totally or partially removes uncertainty (entropy) based on a message addressed to a receiver; data organized and sorted according to specific domain criteria.

Knowledge

The totality of previously acquired information concerning a considered object, enabling the capability to make decisions.

Information Circuit

The trajectory traversed by information from the moment an event occurs until another event is triggered based on knowledge of that occurrence.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)

A category of AI systems capable of creating new content—such as text, explanations, formula examples, table drafts, or simulated datasets—in response to user instructions.

Prompt Engineering

The practice of formulating clear, structured, and goal-oriented instructions for an AI assistant to reduce ambiguity and obtain responses tailored to a concrete task.

Workbook

A primary Excel working file (default extension .xlsx) that acts as a container for multiple worksheets, rows, columns, and data cells.

Fill Handle

A small square located in the lower-right corner of the active cell border, used to copy formulas and generate arithmetic, geometric, date, or text series automatically.

Paste Special

An advanced paste command that allows selective pasting of specific cell attributes (such as formulas, values, formats, or comments) and mathematical operations between source and target cells.

Conditional Formatting

A feature that dynamically applies formatting (such as colors, icons, and data bars) to cells based on specified criteria, rules, or cell values.

Cell Style

A defined set of formatting characteristics—including font, font size, number formatting, borders, and shading—applied in a single step based on the document theme.

Data Validation

A tool used to restrict the type of data or values that users can enter into a cell, such as constraining inputs to dropdown lists, specific number ranges, or text lengths.

Stop Error Alert

The strictest Data Validation error alert style that completely blocks the entry of invalid data into a cell, offering only the options to Retry or Cancel.

Formula

A sequence of symbols starting with an equals sign ($=$) that combines cell addresses, functions, values, and operators to perform calculations.

Relative Reference

A cell reference composed solely of the column letter and row number (such as A7 or D15) that automatically shifts relative to its new position when copied.

Absolute Reference

A cell reference prefixed with a dollar sign ($) before both the column letter and the row number (such as$A$7 or$D$$15) that remains completely locked when copied.

Mixed Reference

A cell reference containing a dollar sign ($) before either only the column letter or only the row number (such as$A7 or A$$7), anchoring one coordinate while allowing the other to shift.

Goal Seek

A What-If Analysis tool in Excel that solves equations of the form $f(x) = 0$ by iteratively adjusting a designated input cell until a target formula cell achieves a specific value.

PMT Function

A financial function that calculates constant periodic monthly payments for a loan based on a fixed interest rate and a set number of periods.

Excel List

A structured worksheet table where each column possesses a unique header label (field), each row constitutes an independent record, and no empty records exist.

Data Form

An automatically generated dialog box displaying all column fields for a single record at once, facilitating record addition, browsing, and deletion without horizontal scrolling.

Subtotal

A summary feature that calculates grouped aggregations (such as SUM, COUNT, or AVERAGE) across sorted lists at each change in a specified grouping field.

AutoFilter

A quick filtering mechanism that inserts dropdown controls in table headers to display only rows meeting chosen conditions while hiding the remainder.

Advanced Filter

A filtering feature that utilizes a separate on-sheet criteria range containing matching column headers to evaluate complex, multi-condition queries.

PivotTable

An interactive data summarization tool used to aggregate, analyze, explore, and reorganize extensive datasets into custom row labels, column labels, and calculated values.

Slicer

An interactive visual filtering component introduced in Excel 2010 that provides clickable buttons to filter PivotTable data quickly and visibly.

DGET Function

A database function that extracts a single record matching defined criteria from a database range, returning #VALUE! if no match is found or #NUM! if multiple matches exist.

VLOOKUP Function

A reference function that searches vertically for a specified value in the leftmost column of a table array and returns a value from the same row in a designated column index.

Macro

An automated sequence of recorded keystrokes and mouse clicks stored as VBA code in an .xlsm workbook that can be triggered repeatedly to automate routine tasks.

Chart

A graphical representation of numeric worksheet data used to reveal trends, comparisons, and patterns across categories.

Sparkline

A compact, miniature data visualization embedded within a single cell that displays data trends alongside source numbers (available as Line, Column, or Win/Loss).

Print Titles

A page layout feature that specifies designated rows (such as column headings) or columns to repeat automatically across every printed page of a spreadsheet.

Solver

An optimization add-in in Excel that applies operations research methods (like GRG Nonlinear and Simplex LP) to determine optimal values for variable cells subject to multiple constraints.