Zellwert

Zellwert is a German term that denotes the value contained in a single cell of a tabular data structure, such as a spreadsheet, database grid, or matrix. The word combines Zelle (cell) and Wert (value) and is used in German-language technical writing to refer to the data stored in a cell, typically for use in calculations or analyses.

In practice, a Zellwert can be numeric, textual, a date, boolean, or another data type supported by the surrounding system. Some contexts distinguish Zellwert from Zellinhalt, with Zellwert emphasizing the value as used in computations and Zellinhalt referring more generally to the cell’s content, including its formatting, metadata, or visible representation. This distinction is especially relevant when values are stored in ways that affect their use in calculations, such as numbers stored as text.

In spreadsheet software, German interfaces often treat Zellwert as the primary data a formula operates on, regardless of how the cell is formatted. For example, a reference to cell A1 uses its Zellwert in a calculation. If a value is stored as text, functions like WERT can be used to convert it to a numeric Zellwert suitable for arithmetic, while the function ZELLE (the German equivalent of CELL) may provide information about the cell’s properties, including its Zellwert in a given context.

Outside spreadsheets, the concept applies to any two-dimensional data structure where each cell holds a discrete value. While “Zellwert” is common in German-language documentation and tutorials, the underlying idea—accessing and manipulating the value in a grid cell—is universal across data processing, programming, and database work.