Modelling with Spreadsheets

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Spreadsheets are an excellent tool for many quick-and-easy engineering calculations and even quite a lot of more complex calculations.

There are arguments against the use of spreadsheets though:

they don't support units of measurement!
you can't check your model 'at a view' because formulae are hidden and often written in terms of cryptic cell references such as 'H18' and 'AB23'
they are saved in a binary format that makes reviewing changes difficult
it is hard to reuse one small bit of an old spreadsheet that you previously made (without copying it or modifying it)
it is hard to build modular structures
it is hard to examine the nature of convergence problems in the Solver component (particular to Excel)
it is hard to build automated testing into a spreadsheet^[1]

See also the article "Spreadsheets Considered Harmful" at http://advosys.ca/viewpoints/2006/09/spreadsheet-risks/

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