Microsoft Corp. recently resolved a major Excel oversight that had been causing data blunders for scientists for literally decades.
The issue at hand was twofold: first, Excel automatically changed the scientific notation of some numbers into dates. Secondly, it removed all leading zeroes, sometimes with disastrous results.
For those unaware of the potentially disastrous consequences of such a design, here’s a quick rundown. Scientists rely on exact numbers in the writing of scientific papers, research, and other data reports. By changing numbers into dates, and removing leading zeroes, Excel was effectively ruining the research and data that scientists had collected over the years.
Fortunately, Microsoft was able to quickly deploy a fix and the snafu has been resolved. While the initial bug was a major oversite, it is comforting to know that Microsoft was able to swiftly develop and deploy a patch to the problem to protect keeps the data integrity of the scientific communities intact.
The fix is part of a larger effort to enter the scientific computing market. Microsoft has long been interested in this market, and its partnership with Wolfram Alpha shows the passionate commitment to the scientific community the company has. On the tail of this newest patch, Microsoft is looking to deepen its ties to the scientific market, positioning itself as a leader in the field.
With its commitment to customer satisfaction and a robust product pipeline, it’s likely that Microsoft will continue to be a major player in the scientific computing space for years to come.