Welcome to the Brand New MS Office

The all new Microsoft Office System 2007 was met with quite some enthusiasm and even a bit of apprehension. Then again there were some who never realized when it came and became such an integral part of numerous offices worldwide. Microsoft has spent more than enough time listening to its customers and has come up with a version of Office which caters to exactly what they want. An easier-to-use interface, improved security, numerous new and improved features, and even new suites are some of the things you can look for in the new office. Formerly known as Office "12" in the initial stages of its beta cycle, it was released to business customers on November 30, 2006 and was made available to retail customers on January 30, 2007 which was the same day of the formal launch to retail customers of Windows Vista. The new Office 2007 has quite a few new features the most notable of them being the Ribbon - a new graphical user interface which replaces the traditional toolbars and menus we have all gotten used to; and the Office Button - replaces the File menu and provides access to functionality common across all Office applications, including but not limited to Opening, Saving, Printing, and Sharing a file.

The Ribbon, houses command buttons as a set of 'Tabs' each housing relevant set of commands. The commands correspond to the application you are using, for example:

• In Word 2007, under the Insert tab, groupings enable you to immediately insert Pages, Tables, Illustrations, Links, Headers and Footers, Text, and Symbols.
• In Excel 2007, under that same Insert tab, groupings include Tables, Illustrations, Links, and Text, and also Charts.
• In PowerPoint 2007, that same tab doesn't show Charts, but does add a Media Clips grouping.
• The Home tab (found in all of the programs that utilize the Ribbon) contains many of the commands that you use the most. In Excel it might be Alignment, Number, and Cells, while in Word it might be Font, Paragraph, and Styles.

The Ribbon applies to - Microsoft Office Access 2007; Microsoft Office Excel 2007; Microsoft Office Outlook 2007; Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, and Microsoft Office Word 2007. It is designed to make commands more accessible and discoverable with fewer mouse clicks as opposed to the menu based user interfaces used previously. You can even customize the Ribbon according to commands and tools that are most frequently used by you. If you're using a particular command that is contained within a particular tab a lot and you want to add it to the Quick Access Toolbar, right-click that command and then click Add to Quick Access Toolbar or right-click anyplace in the Ribbon, click Customize Quick Access Toolbar, and then add your frequently used command tabs.

The database design follows a usual process

1. PDF Compatibility: With Office Access 2007, save a report as a Portable Document Format file (PDF) or in XML Paper Specification (XPS) format for printing, posting, and e-mail distribution. By saving your report as a PDF or XPS file, you can capture report information in a form that retains all of your formatting characteristics yet does not require others to have Access 2007 to print or review your report. PDF compatibility is key in Microsoft Office Publisher 2007 as well. PDF settings within Office Publisher 2007 include options for online viewing, desktop printing, and commercial press-ready printing
2. Microsoft Office Groove 2007: A collaboration software program that enables teams to work together dynamically and effectively - anywhere, anytime, with anyone. You can start an Office Communicator instant messaging session right from a Groove 2007 workspace.
3. Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007: An application for creating forms that teams and organizations can use to gather and share information. Gather information using Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 e-mail messages. With Office InfoPath 2007, you can complete forms quickly and efficiently without leaving the familiar Office Outlook 2007 environment.
4. Microsoft Office OneNote 2007: A flexible program that provides people one place to gather virtually any type of information now allows two-way, automatic task synchronization with 2003 and 2007 versions of Outlook.
5. Microsoft Office Visio 2007: New connector functionality in Office Visio 2007 connects shapes, distributes them evenly, and aligns them. When you move the connected shapes, they stay connected and the connectors automatically reroute between the shapes.
6. SmartArt: Found under the Insert tab in the ribbon in PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and Outlook. It is a new group of easily editable and formatted diagrams. There are preset SmartArt graphics layout templates in categories such as list, process, cycle, and hierarchy. When an instance of a SmartArt is inserted, a Text Pane appears next to it to guide the user through entering text in the hierarchical levels. Each SmartArt graphic, based on its design, maps the text outline, automatically resized for best fit, onto the graphic. There are a number of "quick styles" for each graphic that apply largely different 3D effects to the graphic, and the graphic's shapes and text can be formatted through shape styles and WordArt styles. In addition, SmartArt graphics change their colors, fonts, and effects to match the document's theme.
7. Office Outlook 2007: You can now fully subscribe to and interact with Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds right from Office Outlook 2007

Those who have not yet hopped on the Office 2007 bandwagon and those who have can still coordinate their work as files in the newer version can be saved in the older version formats. With the all new Microsoft Office 2007 dramatically modify shapes, text, and graphics with new tools and effects. Manipulate and work with your text, tables, charts, and other presentation elements in much richer ways than ever before. Microsoft Office 2007 makes these tools readily available through the streamlined user interface and contextual tabs, so that in just a few clicks, you can add impact to your work.