Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 [OLD VERSION]

Microsoft's Office Professional 2003 is a bundle of essential desktop applications: Office Word2003 for word processing, Office Excel 2003 for spreadsheets, Office PowerPoint 2003 for presentations, and Office Outlook 2003 for e-mail and personal information. This Professional edition also includes the Office Access 2003 database manager along with Office Publisher 2003, an easy-to-use desktop publishing application. Office applications share a common look and feel, and also benefits from shared components, such as the drawing tools which let you create charts, diagrams and text effects. Another strong point is the integrated Visual Basic for Applications, enabling anything from simple macros to complete custom solutions.

Office has been a highly capable product for years, making it hard for Microsoft to come up with compelling new features. One of the most interesting is Information Rights Management, which lets you restrict document access to specific individuals. This requires a Rights Management Server and is not for casual use, but will be attractive to those with sensitive data. Office Professional 2003 is also underpinned by strong XML support, a powerful feature though mainly of interest to developers. Another aspect is great integration with SharePoint Services running on Windows Server 2003, allowing users to save documents to an internal web site with features like update notification, task lists, and version control. Tablet PC users get built-in support for Ink, letting you add handwritten notes and drawings to Office documents. Those with always-on Internet access will like the updated Task Pane, offering online help and potentially third-party services direct from the Internet. Outlook has been reworked in this edition, with a better interface and more secure email reading. Office Word 2003 is enhanced with a new Reading view, using ClearType technology and automatic page sizing for ease in reading online documents.

Office deserves its position as the leading productivity suite. It's an excellent deal, but makes less sense as an upgrade unless you have a Tablet PC or will make use of the new collaboration, XML or rights-management features. --Tim Anderson

Microsoft Office 2003 (Professional Edition) represents a major upgrade to previous versions of the world's most popular suite of software applications. Office 2003 includes new and familiar products, features, and functionality that can help organizations and their employees connect to coworkers, information, and business processes quickly and effectively.

The new Reading Layout view in Word 2003 makes it easier to read documents online.

View and organize information in Outlook 2003 for more ease of use. View larger.

View customized XML templates in Excel 2003. View larger.

The Research task pane helps you access online references without leaving PowerPoint 2003. View larger.

Reveal object dependencies and help check for errors in an Access 2003 task pane. View larger.

Advances in intranet collaboration through integration with the collaboration and information-sharing portal, Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003, enable employees to access and share information both internally and externally. Support for information rights management (IRM) and industry-standard Extensible Markup Language (XML) provide a platform on which to quickly build cost-effective solutions that can have an immediate impact in your business and productivity.

Seamlessly Connect People with Processes
Office 2003 is designed specifically to streamline communication and collaboration between internal and external team members using the desktop productivity programs that many people rely on every day. The "Document Workspaces" feature, for instance, enable teams to modify, access, and save documents in a central location. In addition, the "Shared Workspace" task pane displays tasks, related documents, links, and member lists that notify you when your team members are online.

When you share documents with Office 2003, you have control over what gets changed. You can choose permission settings and allow co-authors to alter only the sections or formatting that you choose. Office 2003 also helps protect your documents from being unintentionally changed by using formatting and editing restrictions. Simply set permission controls on entire documents or portions of a document to prevent modifications or reformatting. You can also improve the efficiency of your meetings with "Meeting Workspaces," which offer a centralized location for sharing agendas, visual resources, and other documentation. And instant messaging (IM), which can be displayed in most programs in Office 2003 applications, lets you know when your team members are online.

Broader .XML Support
One of the most significant upgrades that's included in Office 2003 is broader XML support. Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Office Excel 2003, and Microsoft Office Access 2003 each offer XML schemas you can customize for using data, smart documents, and programmable task panes.

With these improvements, you can manipulate, analyze, and format data from your most critical business systems and can customize documents and task panes so that they integrate with XML data sources and outside programs. The enhancements also reduce development time with XML. With Excel 2003, for instance, you can use the visual mapping tool to connect a user-specified XML schema to fields in your spreadsheet, and customize smart tags to bring relevant business information directly into your work. (Access 2003, Outlook 2003, and PowerPoint 2003 each support third-party and customized smart tags.)

The Leading Suite of Applications
Included with Office 2003 Professional edition is Access 2003, Excel 2003, Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager, PowerPoint 2003, Publisher 2003, and Word 2003.

Access 2003 provides a powerful set of tools that are sophisticated enough for professional developers, yet easy to learn for new users. With Access 2003, you can create or use powerful database solutions that make organizing, accessing, and sharing information easier than ever. Excel 2003 enables you to turn data into information with powerful tools to analyze, communicate, and share results. Excel 2003 can help you work better in teams, and help protect and control access to your work. In addition, you can work with XML data to make it easier to connect to business processes.

Outlook 2003 provides an integrated solution for managing and organizing e-mail messages, schedules, tasks, notes, contacts, and other information. Outlook 2003 delivers innovations you can use to manage your communications, organize your work, and work better with others -- all from a single location. Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager Update is designed to help small businesses manage customer information and sales opportunities within Outlook 2003. The update includes new capabilities for sharing customer information within a PC network, as well as support for synchronizing business contacts with a Microsoft Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC.

PowerPoint 2003 includes new tools to help you create, present, and collaborate on presentations that have more impact. Keeping in touch and communicating with customers is essential for any business. A complete business publishing and marketing materials solution, Publisher 2003 can help you reach out to customers. With Publisher 2003, it's easier than ever to design, create, and publish professional marketing and communication materials in-house. And with Word 2003, the latest version of the best-selling word processor, you can create impressive-looking documents faster than ever before and help you collaborate more efficiently with others.

Microsoft Office Word 2003, the latest version of the best-selling word processor, takes customer experience and feedback to deliver innovations you can use to create impressive-looking documents and help you work better together.

Communicate and Share Information Better. Communicate and Share Information Better Communicate quickly and effectively with others—internally and across organizations.

Capture and Reuse Information, Bring information into your documents for more timely access to the information you need to make good decisions.

Access Additional Productivity Resources Quickly find the information you need to complete your work.

Microsoft Office Excel 2003 enables you to turn data into information with powerful tools to analyze, communicate, and share results. Microsoft Office Excel 2003 can help you work better in teams, and help protect and control access to your work. In addition, you can work with industry-standard Extensible Markup Language (XML) data to make it easier to connect to business processes.

Capture and Reuse Data Bring key business data into your spreadsheets for more timely access to the information you need to make good decisions.

Share Information with Confidence Work together effectively—internally and with other organizations—and help protect against the misuse of sensitive company information.

Increase Productivity Be mobile and access information that can help you create the best spreadsheets possible.

Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 provides an integrated solution for managing and organizing e-mail messages, schedules, tasks, notes, contacts, and other information. Outlook 2003 delivers innovations you can use to manage your communications, organize your work, and work better with others—all from one place.

Manage and Prioritize Your Communication Organize information better to help save time and be more productive.

Let Outlook Do Work for You Outlook can help you get the information you need—and block the information you don't need—to stay productive.

Work with Others More Easily Work together better and help protect against the misuse and unwanted distribution of key company information.

Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 includes new tools to help you create, present, and collaborate on presentations that have more impact.

Work Together and Share Presentations with Confidence Now it's easier to collaborate on compelling presentations and share them with others.

Impress Your Audience Use Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 to create exciting slide shows with graphics, animations, and multimedia—and make them easier to present.

Access Information at Your Fingertips Find the information you need without having to leave Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003.

Microsoft Office Access 2003 provides a powerful set of tools that are sophisticated enough for professional developers, yet easy to learn for new users. Now everyone in your organization can create or use powerful database solutions that make organizing, accessing, and sharing information easier than ever.

Access and Use Information from Multiple Sources Use information from a variety of formats and programs—all in a familiar interface.

Depend on Microsoft Office Access 2003 Reduce errors and get help when you need it.

Share Information with Confidence Design forms and reports that you can save and open in previous versions of Access, making it easier to share your information.

Microsoft Office Publisher 2003 is a complete business publishing and marketing materials solution.Microsoft Office Publisher 2003 can help you reach out to customers. With Microsoft Office Publisher 2003, it's easier than ever to design, create, and publish professional marketing and communication materials in-house.

Create Impressive Marketing Materials for Print, Web, and E-Mail. Microsoft Office Publisher 2003 is a comprehensive solution for creating and publishing a wide variety of publications for desktop printing, commercial printing, e-mail distribution, or viewing on the Web.

Work Smarter and Easier with Familiar Office Tools Work productively across Microsoft Office System programs. Publisher 2003 looks and works more like other programs in the Microsoft Office System, making it easier than ever to use the right Office tool for the task, while still making the most of your knowledge and experience with the Microsoft Office System.

Start Easy, Finish Fast Getting started is easier than ever with the simplified Start screen in Microsoft Office Publisher 2003.

Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 is the most complete personal and business productivity solution that enables people to manage customers and create impressive marketing materials, manage e-mail and share information efficiently and securely, and streamline business processes—all with familiar, integrated and easy to use software. It provides access to a leading community of partners and Office Online for additional solutions, training, and support.

Key Features:

• database creation and management tools
• full XML support in Word, Excel, and Access
• centralized management of customer and prospect information
• more than 20 preformatted business reports
• easy-to-use wizards to create e-mail newsletters and printed marketing materials
• free access to business templates, clip art, and multimedia content
• junk e-mail filtering and blocking of unsafe attachments

Why go Pro?:

Microsoft Office Access 2003: Be ready when your suppliers and customers start using XML for information exchange with this database management program’s expanded and easy-to-use ability to import, export, and utilize XML data.

Industry-Standard XML Support: XML support in Word, Excel, and Access facilitates exchange of information between systems, enabling the creation of integrated business solutions.

Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager: Stay organized and increase sales by consolidating, managing, and following up on important customers, business contacts, and sales opportunities.

Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 is the most complete personal and business productivity solution that enables people to manage customers and create impressive marketing materials, manage e-mail and share information efficiently and securely, and streamline business processes—all with familiar, integrated and easy to use software. It provides access to a leading community of partners and Office Online for additional solutions, training, and support.

Key Features:

• database creation and management tools
• full XML support in Word, Excel, and Access
• centralized management of customer and prospect information
• more than 20 preformatted business reports
• easy-to-use wizards to create e-mail newsletters and printed marketing materials
• free access to business templates, clip art, and multimedia content
• junk e-mail filtering and blocking of unsafe attachments

Why go Pro?:

Microsoft Office Access 2003: Be ready when your suppliers and customers start using XML for information exchange with this database management program’s expanded and easy-to-use ability to import, export, and utilize XML data.

Industry-Standard XML Support: XML support in Word, Excel, and Access facilitates exchange of information between systems, enabling the creation of integrated business solutions.

Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager: Stay organized and increase sales by consolidating, managing, and following up on important customers, business contacts, and sales opportunities.

Microsoft Office 2003 Professional Edition includes:

• Microsoft Word 2003
• Microsoft Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager
• Microsoft Excel 2003
• Microsoft Access 2003
• Microsoft PowerPoint 2003
• Microsoft Publisher 2003

Microsoft Office 2003 Small Business Edition includes:

• Microsoft Word 2003
• Microsoft Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager
• Microsoft Excel 2003
• Microsoft PowerPoint 2003
• Microsoft Publisher 2003.