Accounting Application of Electronic Spread Sheet | ISC Class 12 Accounts Notes

This note explains what an electronic spreadsheet is and how it is used in accounting: its meaning, utility, merits and demerits; the basic features for creating, entering data in, saving, opening, moving around, formatting, previewing and printing worksheets; toolbars, menus and keyboard shortcuts; working with single and multiple workbooks; formulas for summation, subtraction, division, multiplication, average and percentage; the date, if-then-else and freezing panes functions; applications to payroll, sale of goods with profit and salesmen's commission, students' marks and journal entries; and data presentation through charts and a database with sorting, query and filtering.

What is an electronic spreadsheet?

An electronic spreadsheet is a computer program organised as a grid of rows and columns in which numeric and text data can be entered, calculated and analysed automatically.

Each intersection of a row and a column is called a cell, and every cell has its own address, called a cell reference (for example B5), made up of the column letter and the row number.

Definition: Electronic spreadsheet. A spreadsheet is an electronic sheet of rows and columns, used to record, calculate, summarise and present numerical and textual data, in which a change to one figure automatically updates every other figure that depends on it.

The utility of a spreadsheet in accounting lies in its ability to perform repetitive calculations instantly, to store large volumes of transaction data in an organised form, to produce summaries such as totals and averages, and to present the results as charts for quick reading.

Because formulas recalculate automatically whenever an input cell is changed, a spreadsheet saves the time that would otherwise be spent on manual recalculation of ledgers, payroll sheets or mark sheets.

A single spreadsheet file is called a workbook, and it may contain several individual sheets, each called a worksheet.

A worksheet is where data is actually entered, while the workbook is the overall file that holds one or more worksheets together, for example separate worksheets for payroll, sales and journal entries kept in one file.

What are the merits and demerits of electronic spreadsheets?

Merits of electronic spreadsheets

Electronic spreadsheets offer several merits over manual record-keeping. They perform calculations with speed and accuracy, so figures such as totals, averages and percentages are obtained without manual addition.

A formula entered once can be copied across a whole row or column, so the same calculation (for example, net pay for every employee) need not be typed again for each entry.

Data can be sorted, filtered and queried, which makes it easy to locate a particular record among thousands of entries. Results can be converted instantly into graphs and charts, which communicate trends more clearly than rows of figures.

Worksheets can be saved, reopened and shared, which avoids the loss and damage that paper registers suffer over time.

Demerits of electronic spreadsheets

Spreadsheets also have demerits. A wrong formula or a wrongly copied cell reference can produce an error that spreads silently through every linked calculation, so results must always be checked.

Spreadsheets depend on a working computer, electricity and, often, specific software, so they cannot be used where these are unavailable.

Large or poorly organised worksheets can become difficult to follow, and a user unfamiliar with formulas, functions or formatting options may take longer to build a worksheet than to do the same calculation by hand on a small scale.

What are the basic features used to create and enter data in a worksheet?

Creating a worksheet begins with opening a new workbook and giving the first worksheet suitable heading information, such as a title, the name of the firm and the date, usually placed in the first few rows above the data.

Data entered into cells may be of different types: numeric data, descriptive text, dates in a recognised date format, and alphanumeric values that mix letters and numbers, such as an employee code.

The spreadsheet distinguishes these types automatically and aligns numbers to the right and text to the left by default.

1. Open a new workbook and rename the worksheet tab to describe its contents, for example "Payroll March".
2. Type the heading information (title, firm name, period) in the top rows.
3. Enter column headings (for example Employee, Basic, HRA, DA) in one row.
4. Enter the data row by row, using the correct data type for each column.
5. Save the worksheet with a clear file name before continuing, and save it again after further changes.
6. Quit the worksheet only after saving, to avoid losing unsaved entries.

Once saved, an existing worksheet can be reopened and the user can move around it using the arrow keys, the mouse or the name box, which lets a user jump directly to any cell reference.

What are toolbars, menus and keyboard shortcuts?

A toolbar is a row of clickable icons, usually placed near the top of the spreadsheet window, that gives one-click access to frequently used commands such as saving the file, applying bold text, inserting a chart or adjusting the border of a selected range of cells.

Separate toolbars may be switched on or off depending on the task at hand, for example a formatting toolbar for changing fonts and colours, and a drawing toolbar for inserting shapes or arrows onto a worksheet or chart.

A menu bar lists the complete set of commands available in the program, grouped under headings such as File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Tools and Data, so that a command not shown on any toolbar can still be reached by clicking through the appropriate menu and, where needed, a sub-menu.

Keyboard shortcuts are combinations of keys, usually involving the Control key together with a letter, that carry out a command instantly without reaching for the mouse, for example saving a file, copying a selected cell or range, pasting the copied content, or undoing the last action.

Learning even a small set of shortcuts for saving, copying, pasting, moving between cells and undoing a mistake considerably reduces the time taken to build a long worksheet such as a payroll sheet or a class mark sheet, because the hands never need to leave the keyboard for these repeated actions.

Together, toolbars, menus and keyboard shortcuts give three alternative routes to the same command, so a user can choose whichever is quickest for a particular task; a beginner usually relies on menus to locate an unfamiliar command, while an experienced user relies on toolbars and shortcuts for speed.

How are single and multiple workbooks used together?

A spreadsheet user frequently works with more than one workbook at the same time, for example one workbook for payroll and another for sales.

Basic operations on workbooks include copying a worksheet within or between workbooks, renaming a worksheet, moving a worksheet to a new position or to another workbook, and adding or deleting worksheets as required.

Entries can also be copied from one worksheet and pasted into another, and a user can move between open workbooks to compare or combine figures, for example checking a salesman's sales figures in one workbook against the commission worksheet in another.

1. Open the first workbook and identify the worksheet or range of cells to be copied.
2. Open the second workbook so that both are available at the same time.
3. Copy the selected entries from the first workbook.
4. Switch to the second workbook and paste the entries into the required cells.
5. Rename or reposition the pasted worksheet if required, and save both workbooks.

How is a worksheet formatted?

Formatting changes only the appearance of a worksheet, never the value actually stored in a cell; the underlying number or text behind a formatted figure remains exactly as entered, even though it may be displayed differently.

Auto format applies a ready-made combination of fonts, shading and borders to a whole selected table of data in one step, which is quicker than formatting each heading and column separately for a payroll or marks table.

Beyond auto format, several formatting choices are made individually. Alignment controls whether the content of a cell sits to the left, to the right or in the centre of the cell, and a heading is commonly centred across the columns it describes.

Character styles such as bold, italics and underline draw attention to column headings, totals or a final net pay figure, so that a reader can find the important rows at a glance without reading every entry.

Column width is adjusted so that a long employee name or a lengthy particulars entry in a journal is fully visible rather than being cut off or shown as a row of symbols.

A date format is chosen so that every date in a column, such as the date of each journal entry, is displayed consistently, for example as day, month and year.

Finally, borders and colours are added to separate one section of a worksheet from another, for example a shaded and bordered heading row placed above the data in a payroll or marks sheet, which makes the sheet easier to read when it is printed.

How is a worksheet previewed and printed?

Before a worksheet is printed, it is good practice to use Page setting to choose the paper size and orientation, and to check how the printed page will appear.

Print titles allow chosen heading rows or columns, such as the employee names column, to repeat on every printed page of a long payroll or marks sheet.

Adjusting margins controls the blank space around the printed data, and a page break can be inserted to control exactly where one printed page ends and the next begins, so that a table is not split awkwardly across pages.

Headers and footers add repeating text, such as the firm's name or the page number, to the top or bottom of every printed page.

Draw a grid with lettered column headings (A, B, C…) across the top and numbered row headings (1, 2, 3…) down the left side; mark one cell with a border and label it with its cell reference, for example C4; above the grid, draw the name box on the left and a long formula bar on the right, where the formula or value typed into the selected cell is shown.

What formulas and functions does a spreadsheet offer?

A spreadsheet performs arithmetic through formulas, which combine cell references with operators for summation, subtraction, division, multiplication, average and percentage. Instead of typing each number, a formula refers to the cells that hold the data, so that changing one cell updates the result automatically.

Beyond arithmetic formulas, spreadsheets offer built-in functions. A date function inserts or calculates with the current date, useful for stamping a payroll or journal sheet.

A date function can also work out a period from two dates, for example the number of days a debtor has taken to pay, or the number of days between an employee's joining date and the end of the month, by subtracting the earlier date from the later one.

An if-then-else function tests a condition and returns one result if the condition is true and another if it is false, for example marking a student as "Pass" if marks are 35 or above and "Fail" otherwise.

Freezing panes keeps chosen rows or columns, such as the heading row, visible on screen while the rest of a long worksheet is scrolled, so that column headings stay in view however far down the data a user scrolls.

Definition: Freezing panes. Freezing panes is a spreadsheet feature that locks selected rows or columns in place on screen so that they remain visible while the rest of the worksheet scrolls.

Worked example 5. A firm records the date of each credit sale in a Date column and the date of receipt from the customer in a second Date column. A sale is dated 5 April and the amount is received on 20 April of the same year. Find the credit period allowed, using a date function.

Answer: Credit period = Later date − Earlier date = 20 April − 5 April = 15 days. On the worksheet, a formula that subtracts the sale-date cell from the receipt-date cell gives the number of days for every row, and a date function can also stamp today's date in a "Date of report" cell at the top of the sheet, so the report always shows the day it was prepared.

How is a spreadsheet used to generate payroll information?

A payroll worksheet lists, for every employee, the components of pay and the deductions made from it, so that the net amount payable is calculated automatically rather than added up by hand for each employee every month.

In India, the usual components are Basic pay, House Rent Allowance (HRA), Dearness Allowance (DA), Travelling Allowance (TA) and City Compensatory Allowance (CCA), which together make up gross pay, from which a Provident Fund deduction and income tax are deducted to arrive at net pay.

The employer's own contribution to provident fund, added to gross salary, gives the employee's CTC (cost to the company).

Definition: CTC. Cost to the Company is the total yearly expense an employer bears for an employee, made up of the gross salary paid to the employee plus the employer's own contributions, such as its share of provident fund.

Net Pay = Gross Pay − Deductions

CTC = Gross Salary + Employer PF

Worked example 1. An employee's monthly pay slip shows Basic pay ₹20,000, HRA ₹8,000, DA ₹4,000, TA ₹1,600 and CCA ₹400. The employee's Provident Fund deduction is 12% of Basic pay, and income tax deducted is ₹1,000. The employer also contributes 12% of Basic pay to Provident Fund. Prepare the pay components and find the net pay and the CTC.

Answer: Gross Pay = 20,000 + 8,000 + 4,000 + 1,600 + 400 = ₹34,000. PF deduction = 12% of 20,000 = ₹2,400. Net Pay = Gross Pay − Deductions = 34,000 − (2,400 + 1,000) = ₹30,600. Employer PF contribution = ₹2,400, so CTC = Gross Salary + Employer PF = 34,000 + 2,400 = ₹36,400. On a spreadsheet, each component is entered in its own column and the Net Pay and CTC columns use a summation and a subtraction formula, so that changing any allowance recalculates Net Pay and CTC automatically.

A payroll worksheet built for an Indian firm applies the Basic, HRA, DA, TA and CCA structure, and the PF and income tax deduction rates, consistently to every row, so that a single set of formulas, copied down the sheet, produces a correct pay slip for each employee in the organisation.

How is a spreadsheet used for sale of goods, profit and commission?

For sale-of-goods data, a worksheet lists the cost and sale price of each transaction or each salesman's sales, so that profit and commission can be calculated by formula rather than by hand for every row.

Profit on Sales = Sale Price − Cost

Worked example 2. A salesman sells goods for ₹50,000 during a month; the cost of these goods to the firm is ₹38,000. The firm pays its salesmen a commission of 5% of the sale price. Find the profit on sales and the commission payable.

Answer: Profit on Sales = Sale Price − Cost = 50,000 − 38,000 = ₹12,000. Commission = 5% of Sale Price = 5% × 50,000 = ₹2,500.

On a spreadsheet, the Sale Price and Cost columns are entered for every salesman, and a single Profit formula and a single Commission formula are copied down the whole list, so that every salesman's figures are calculated in the same way.

How is a spreadsheet used for marks obtained by students?

A marks worksheet lists each student's score in every subject in a separate column, with a total and an average calculated for each student by formula.

Average = Total ÷ Number of Items

Worked example 3. Five students obtain the following marks in a test out of 100: 72, 65, 80, 58 and 90. Find the total marks and the average marks for the class.

Answer: Total = 72 + 65 + 80 + 58 + 90 = 365. Average = Total ÷ Number of Items = 365 ÷ 5 = 73.

On the worksheet, a summation formula in the Total column adds each student's row of subject marks, and an average formula at the foot of the column, or an if-then-else function in a Result column, can mark a student as "Pass" if the average is 35 or above and "Fail" otherwise.

How is a spreadsheet used to record a journal for business transactions?

A spreadsheet can be set out in the standard journal format, with columns for the date, the particulars (accounts debited and credited, with the narration), the ledger folio, and separate debit and credit amount columns, so that transactions are entered exactly as they would be in a manual journal but with the debit and credit totals checked automatically by a summation formula.

Worked example 4. A firm purchases goods for cash for ₹10,000. Record this transaction on a spreadsheet set out as a Journal.

Answer: In the Journal worksheet, the Date column shows the transaction date, the Particulars column shows "Purchases A/c Dr." on one line and "To Cash A/c" on the next, the Debit column shows ₹10,000 against Purchases and the Credit column shows ₹10,000 against Cash.

A summation formula at the foot of the Debit and Credit columns gives ₹10,000 in each, so the entry is confirmed as balanced.

How is data presented through graphs, charts and a database?

Once figures are calculated, a spreadsheet can present them visually using a chart wizard, a step-by-step tool that guides the user through choosing the data range, the chart type and the formatting options.

Various chart types are available, such as column, bar, line and pie charts, each suited to a different kind of comparison, for example a column chart for comparing payroll totals across employees or a pie chart for showing each salesman's share of total sales.

A chart can be formatted by adjusting its gridlines, the faint lines marking value intervals on the chart area, and its legend, the key that identifies which colour or pattern represents which data series.

A finished chart can be previewed and printed in the same way as a worksheet.

The horizontal axis lists each employee's name, and the vertical axis shows the amount in ₹. A separate coloured column, or a stacked column, represents Basic, HRA, DA, TA and CCA for each employee, with a legend identifying which colour stands for which component.

The whole circle represents total commission paid for the month, and each slice represents one salesman's share of that commission; the size of each slice is proportional to that salesman's commission amount, and a legend lists each salesman's name beside the matching slice colour.

A spreadsheet can also be used as a simple database, in which each row is a record (for example one employee or one transaction) and each column is a field (for example name, department or amount).

Before a list can be sorted, queried or filtered, the database range must be created: the field names are typed once in a single heading row, with no blank row between the headings and the first record, and every record is then entered in the rows below, one record per row and one field per column.

1. Type the field names (for example Employee, Department, Basic, Net Pay) in one heading row at the top of the list.
2. Enter each record in a separate row directly below the headings, with no blank rows or columns inside the range.
3. Select the whole range, including the heading row, so that the spreadsheet treats the headings as field names.
4. Save the worksheet, then use the sort, query and filter commands on this range.

Basic database operations include sorting records into a chosen order, such as alphabetically by name or by amount, running a query to pull out records meeting a condition, and filtering a list so that only the rows satisfying a chosen criterion, such as employees in one department, are displayed.

Definition: Database (in a spreadsheet). A database, within a spreadsheet, is a structured list of records arranged in rows, with each column holding one field of information, which can be sorted, queried and filtered.

Going beyond the syllabus

These ideas extend the unit and are not needed for the questions on it.

How can worksheets be linked by formula?

Several worksheets can be linked by formula, so that a figure calculated on one worksheet, such as the total net pay on a payroll sheet, is automatically carried forward and displayed on a separate summary worksheet in the same workbook, without being retyped.

What is a named range?

A named range gives a chosen cell or block of cells a word instead of a cell reference, for example naming the range holding the PF rate "PF_rate", so that formulas across the workbook become easier to read and check.

What is conditional formatting?

Conditional formatting, a feature related to the if-then-else function, can automatically shade a cell in a different colour when its value meets a chosen condition, for example highlighting any student whose average mark falls below the pass mark, or any employee whose net pay differs sharply from the previous month.

What is a pivot table?

A pivot table takes a long list of records, such as every sale made by every salesman during a year, and summarises it instantly by any chosen field, for example total sales by salesman or by month, extending the simple sorting, query and filtering operations described earlier into a more powerful tool for summarising large amounts of data.

Glossary

• Electronic spreadsheet — a program organised as rows and columns in which data is entered, calculated and presented, with automatic recalculation when an input changes.
• Worksheet — a single sheet of rows and columns within a workbook, where data is actually entered and calculated.
• Workbook — the overall spreadsheet file, which may contain one or more worksheets.
• Cell reference — the address of a cell, made up of its column letter and row number, such as B5.
• Formula bar — the bar showing the formula or value entered into the currently selected cell.
• Freezing panes — locking selected rows or columns so they stay visible while the rest of the worksheet scrolls.
• Auto format — a ready-made combination of fonts, colours and borders applied to a selected table in one step.
• Page break — a marker that controls exactly where one printed page of a worksheet ends and the next begins.
• Payroll — a worksheet, or statement, listing every employee's pay components, deductions and net pay.
• CTC — cost to the company, the total yearly cost of an employee, including gross salary and the employer's own contributions.
• Database (spreadsheet) — a structured list of records in rows, with each column holding one field of information.
• Query — an operation that pulls out records from a database meeting a stated condition.
• Filtering — displaying only the rows of a list that satisfy a chosen criterion, hiding the rest.
• Chart wizard — a step-by-step tool that guides a user through choosing the data, chart type and formatting for a chart.
• Gridlines — the faint lines on a chart marking value intervals, used to read values from the chart more easily.

Common errors and misconceptions

• Misconception: A worksheet and a workbook are the same thing. Correct: A workbook is the whole file, which may contain several separate worksheets.
• Misconception: Formatting a worksheet changes the underlying figures. Correct: Formatting changes only how data appears, such as colour or alignment; it never changes the stored value.
• Misconception: Freezing panes hides data permanently. Correct: Freezing panes only keeps chosen rows or columns visible during scrolling; all data remains in the worksheet and can be unfrozen at any time.
• Misconception: A spreadsheet formula must be retyped for every row of data. Correct: A formula entered once can be copied down a whole column, and it adjusts its cell references automatically for each row.
• Misconception: Printing a worksheet always prints it exactly as seen on screen. Correct: Page setting, margins and page breaks must be checked, since a wide worksheet may otherwise split awkwardly across printed pages.
• Misconception: CTC and Net Pay mean the same amount. Correct: Net Pay is what the employee actually receives after deductions, while CTC also includes the employer's own contributions and is higher than Net Pay.
• Misconception: A database and a spreadsheet worksheet are unrelated tools. Correct: A worksheet can itself function as a simple database when its rows are treated as records and its columns as fields, allowing sorting, query and filtering.

Exam-style questions with model answers

Q1. Choose the correct option. The feature that keeps the heading row visible while the rest of a long worksheet is scrolled is: (a) auto format (b) freezing panes (c) page break (d) print titles [1 mark]

1. (b) freezing panes.

Q2. State the meaning of a cell reference. [1 mark]

1. A cell reference is the address of a cell, made up of its column letter and row number, such as B5.

Q3. Define a workbook and a worksheet. [2 marks]

1. A workbook is the complete spreadsheet file that is opened and saved as one unit.
2. A worksheet is a single sheet of rows and columns held inside a workbook, where the data is actually entered.

Q4. Distinguish between sorting and filtering a database in a spreadsheet. [2 marks]

1. Sorting arranges all the records of the database in a chosen order, such as alphabetically by name or by amount.
2. Filtering displays only the rows that satisfy a chosen condition and hides the rest, without deleting any data.

Q5. A salesman sells goods worth ₹50,000 whose cost to the firm is ₹38,000, and is paid a commission of 5% of the sale price. Calculate the profit on sales and the commission payable. [3 marks]

1. Profit on Sales = Sale Price − Cost = 50,000 − 38,000 = ₹12,000.
2. Commission = 5% of Sale Price = 5% × 50,000 = ₹2,500.
3. On a spreadsheet these figures are obtained by a subtraction formula for profit and a multiplication formula for commission, applied to the Sale Price and Cost columns.

Q6. Explain the merits and demerits of using an electronic spreadsheet for accounting work. [4 marks]

1. Merit: calculations such as totals, averages and percentages are carried out with speed and accuracy once a formula is entered.
2. Merit: a formula or function, once set up, can be copied across many rows, so the same calculation need not be repeated manually.
3. Merit: results can be sorted, filtered, queried and converted into charts for clearer presentation.
4. Demerit: a wrong formula or a wrongly copied reference can spread an error silently to every linked cell, so results must be checked.
5. Demerit: a spreadsheet depends on a working computer and suitable software, and cannot be used where these are unavailable.

Q7. An employee's pay slip shows Basic pay ₹20,000, HRA ₹8,000, DA ₹4,000, TA ₹1,600 and CCA ₹400, with a Provident Fund deduction of 12% of Basic pay and income tax of ₹1,000. The employer also contributes 12% of Basic pay to Provident Fund. Calculate the Gross Pay, Net Pay and CTC. [5 marks]

1. Gross Pay = Basic + HRA + DA + TA + CCA = 20,000 + 8,000 + 4,000 + 1,600 + 400 = ₹34,000.
2. Provident Fund deduction = 12% of Basic = 12% × 20,000 = ₹2,400.
3. Total deductions = PF deduction + income tax = 2,400 + 1,000 = ₹3,400.
4. Net Pay = Gross Pay − Deductions = 34,000 − 3,400 = ₹30,600.
5. Employer PF contribution = 12% of 20,000 = ₹2,400, so CTC = Gross Salary + Employer PF = 34,000 + 2,400 = ₹36,400.

Q8. Describe how a database range is created in a worksheet before it is sorted, queried or filtered. [4 marks]

1. Type the field names, such as Employee, Department, Basic and Net Pay, in one heading row at the top of the list.
2. Enter each record in a separate row directly below the headings, with no blank rows or columns inside the range.
3. Select the whole range, including the heading row, so that the headings are treated as field names.
4. Save the worksheet, then apply the sort, query and filter commands to this range.

Q9. A firm records a credit sale on 5 April and receives the amount on 20 April of the same year. Using a date function, calculate the credit period allowed, and state one other use of the date function in a worksheet. [3 marks]

1. Credit period = Later date − Earlier date = 20 April − 5 April = 15 days.
2. The date function can stamp the current date in a report cell, so that a payroll or journal sheet always shows the day it was prepared.
3. It can also find the number of days between two dates, such as an employee's joining date and the end of the month, by subtracting the earlier date from the later one.

Key takeaways

• An electronic spreadsheet is a grid of rows and columns used to enter, calculate and present data, recalculating automatically when an input changes.
• A workbook may contain several worksheets, each identified by its own tab, and worksheets or entries can be copied or moved between workbooks.
• Formulas for summation, subtraction, division, multiplication, average and percentage, along with date and if-then-else functions, carry out accounting calculations automatically.
• Freezing panes keeps heading rows or columns visible while the rest of a long worksheet is scrolled.
• Formatting tools such as auto format, alignment, column width, borders and colours change only the appearance of data, not its value.
• Page setting, print titles, margins, page breaks and headers and footers control how a worksheet appears when printed.
• Spreadsheets generate payroll, sale-of-goods profit and commission, students' total and average marks, and journal entries for business transactions.
• Charts, built using a chart wizard with gridlines and a legend, present calculated figures visually, and a worksheet can also act as a simple database through sorting, query and filtering.

Test yourself

What is the difference between a cell and a cell reference?

A cell is the box formed where a row and a column meet, while a cell reference is the address used to identify that cell, such as B5.

Why does a wrong formula in one cell matter so much in a large worksheet?

Because other formulas often refer to that cell, an error in one formula can spread silently through every calculation linked to it, giving wrong results throughout the sheet.

What does an if-then-else function allow a worksheet to do?

It tests whether a condition is true or false for each row and returns one result if true and a different result if false, such as marking Pass or Fail from a mark total.

Name the five usual components of gross pay in a payroll worksheet.

Basic pay, House Rent Allowance, Dearness Allowance, Travelling Allowance and City Compensatory Allowance.

What is the purpose of print titles when printing a long worksheet?

Print titles repeat chosen heading rows or columns on every printed page, so that a reader can still identify each column on later pages.

How does a pie chart differ from a column chart in presenting data?

A pie chart shows each item's share of one whole total as a slice of a circle, while a column chart compares separate values side by side using the height of each column.

What does filtering do to a list of records on a worksheet?

Filtering displays only the rows that satisfy a chosen condition and temporarily hides the rest, without deleting any data.

How can a date function be used to find a credit period?

Subtract the earlier date, such as the sale date, from the later date, such as the receipt date, to get the number of days the customer took to pay.