The Cell Formula

One of the most basic parts of the lineage of spreadsheet data is the cell metadata (or cell formula) that exists for every cell in the spreadsheet. Figure 3.9 shows an example of cell metadata.

While cell metadata is an interesting feature, it has limited use. The main problem with cell metadata is that it doesn’t relate directly to the real world. A cell formula tells only what the cell relates to inside the spreadsheet. The cell formula does not describe how the cell relates to the real world, outside the spreadsheet.