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ACBA Mapping – Spring 2022 Revision

Nearly all spreadsheet error values are as a result of a problem within a formula, but …

The ACBA Mapping software was made available in its ribbon-based format in December 2021. There had been considerable testing of the technical aspects of the software and its interaction with the ribbon. However, relatively little testing had been undertaken on publicly available spreadsheet collections like the Enron Corpus.

I began reviewing the Enron spreadsheets on a workbook by workbook basis in early spring 2022. The results of that review will be published later. However, it became clear the different authors had very different approaches to the construction of spreadsheets.

In particular, I came across cell constants which were themselves error values. I should emphasise that these were not as a result of formula errors. The original ACBA Mapping software had not taken account of this possibility.

Cell Constant - Error Values

The spreadsheet file “NYMEX Straddles” displays the following worksheet.


The cells containing error values are highlighted. These are not formula cells. In fact there are no formulae on this worksheet.

Under the December 2021 version of ACBA Mapping all the non-empty cells would have presented as ‘T’ with a background of red. Under this revision the error value cells display as ‘r’ – for error – and these have a dark green background.

The ltter 'r' represents a cellerror value.

Similarly, the workbook review of errors has been amended to include the error constants.


 Chart Sheets

For the most part Chart Sheets are visual representation of data from a worksheet. They are the end product or representation of a data analysis. While, we have now included Chart Sheets in the list of sheet like objects, the table will not show any further analyses.

Chart Sheets are included in the list of sheets.

Downloading ACBA Mapping

The ACBA-Mapping software is distributed as an Excel Add-In and can be downloaded from the link.
For those not familiar with handling Excel Add-Ins, instructions on what to expect and where to load your Add-Ins can be found at Generating the "ACBA-Mapping" Add-In.

Access to Help

There is a discussion group dedicated to providing a forum for help and information - Excel - Cell Mapping. I recommend you join the group.

Alternatively, you can email me directly from the Stephen Allen link within the form.

Acknowledgements

Experts in Excel have offered their advice and I am very grateful for this. My thanks go to Patrick O'Beirne (Systems Modelling), Jan Karel Pieterse (JKP Application Development Services) and Hans Hallebeek (HC & TS).

Spreadsheet Risks

Spreadsheet errors and inconsistencies is a subject that is of concern by professional developers as well as amateurs. The European Spreadsheet Risk Interest Group (EuSpRIG) considers the problems from an academic and professional perspective. The following links provide access to the EuSpRIG website and discussion forum.


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