Patent ID: 7698287

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for manipulating a table of data in a spreadsheet application, the method comprising: receiving one or more database functions within a cell of the spreadsheet application; receiving a selection for input data comprising one or more cells of the table of data, wherein the input data resides within the spreadsheet application; manipulating the input data according to the one or more database functions, wherein manipulating comprises: determining that the one or more database functions can be applied row-by-row; and applying the determined database functions to each row separately, wherein prior to applying the determined database functions, the determined database functions are ordered based on processing efficiency; and presenting output data in the spreadsheet application, wherein the output data is anchored in the cell in which the one or more database functions are received, wherein the output data is presented as an array of data comprising more than one cell of the spreadsheet application, and wherein the array is separate from the table of data.