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Authors

Paul Mireault

Abstract

Spreadsheets often have variables and formulas that are similar, differing only by the fact that they refer to different instances of an entity. For example, the calculation of the sales revenues of the South and East regions are Revenues South = Price*Quantity Sold South and Revenues East = Price*Quantity Sold East.

In this paper, we present a conceptual modelling approach that takes advantage of these similarities and leads the spreadsheet developer to the formula Revenues = Price*Quantity. We then present simple but strict rules to implement the spreadsheet.

Sample

Formula Diagram with repeated sub-model
Formula Diagram with repeated sub-model

Representing a repeating sub-model takes care of two major shortcomings: the model is now scalable as it does not get more complicated with an increase in the number of regions, and modifying the model is simplified by the fact that parts of the model are not repeated many times.

Publication

2015, EuSpRIG

Full article

Developing a repeating model using the structured spreadsheet modelling and implementation methodology