Spreadsheets are used in professional business con- texts to make decisions based on collected data. Usually, these spreadsheets are developed by end users in an ad-hoc way. Thus, the business logic of a concrete spreadsheet is not explicit to end users, making its correctness hard to assess and users have to trust. We present an approach where structure and computational behavior of a spreadsheet are specified by a model with a process- like notation based on pre-defined functional spreadsheet services with typed interfaces. This enables a consistent construction process of a spreadsheet that comprises defining its structure and computational behavior as well as filling it with data and executing the defined computational behavior. Thus, concrete spreadsheets are equipped with a specification of their con- struction process. This supports their understanding and correct usage, even in case of legacy spreadsheets. The approach has been developed in cooperation with an industrial partner.

1. Systematic Spreadsheet
Construction Processes
Jorge Mendes jorgemendes@di.uminho.pt
Jácome Cunha jacome@fct.unl.pt
Francisco Duarte francisco.duarte@pt.bosch.com
Gregor Engels engels@upb.de
João Saraiva saraiva@di.uminho.pt
Stefan Sauer sauer@upb.de
VL/HCC 2017 – Raleigh, NC, USA

2. 1. Introduction

3. Spreadsheets are widely used

4. Spreadsheets are easy to use (kind of)

5. Spreadsheets are multi-purpose

6. http://www.eusprig.org/stories.htm
Economy losses of $10 billion/year!

7. 2. Our Solution

8. (Meta-)Process for
spreadsheet construction and enactment
Requirements
Elicitation
Toolbox
Design
Construction Process Design
Construction Process Enactment

10. Toolbox composed of Functional Services
•Define an existing spreadsheet functionality
–E.g. add a chart; insert column; sort a column
•Typed inputs and outputs (more in a second)
•Parameterizable
•Correctly composable

11. All the types

12. Example of a generic type
Chart : Generic
id : Text
type : Text
data_range : List : Reference

13. (Meta-)Process for
spreadsheet construction and enactment
Requirements
Elicitation
Toolbox
Design
Construction Process Design
Construction Process Enactment

15. (Meta-)Process for
spreadsheet construction and enactment
Requirements
Elicitation
Toolbox
Design
Construction Process Design
Construction Process Enactment

17. 3. Case Study
Bosch Car Multimédia Portugal

20. insert table
insert table
import from csv
import from csv
0km : Defects (ClassSheet)
parts : Parts (ClassSheet)
parts : Parts (ClassSheet)
format : Defects (ClassSheet)
claimed
analysis
customer
analysis
production
analysis
insert table
claimed : Result
(ClassSheet)
insert table
customer : Result
(ClassSheet)
insert table
production : Result
(ClassSheet)
filter
0km : Defects (ClassSheet)
partsCSV : CSVFile
defectsCSV : CSVFile

21. Summary

22. Thank you!
Questions?

23. Systematic Spreadsheet
Construction Processes
Jorge Mendes jorgemendes@di.uminho.pt
Jácome Cunha jacome@fct.unl.pt
Francisco Duarte francisco.duarte@pt.bosch.com
Gregor Engels engels@upb.de
João Saraiva saraiva@di.uminho.pt
Stefan Sauer sauer@upb.de
VL/HCC 2017 – Raleigh, NC, USA

24. Data types - ClassSheets
•Tables are typed using ClassSheet Models
ClassSheet Model
Spreadsheet Instance