Features

Powerful analysis and audit functionality

Have you ever wondered why it takes so long to audit a spreadsheet model, and thought that there must be a quicker and more effective way? Rainbow Analyst is a sophisticated add-in (for Microsoft Excel 2000 to 2010) that delivers considerable time savings in the audit process through a combination of diagnostic reports, visual highlighting or mapping of potential problems, and interactive logic tracking.

Rainbow Analyst’s wide range of analysis functions (see below and on other pages) can detect errors which would be hard to spot through manual checking, however exhaustive. If you have ever wished you could see at a glance where potential errors might be lurking in a spreadsheet model, with Rainbow’s functions at your disposal you will readily be able to:

• assess quickly where there are likely to be problems or errors in a model;
• see the overall flow of logic within and between different sheets in a workbook;
• see where model inputs really are, as opposed to where they are indicated;
• check how consistently formulas have been copied across rows and down columns;
• analyse the logic of any individual cell and spot potential inconsistencies;
• analyse differences between workbooks, worksheets or tables in a sheet;
• trace links to other Excel workbooks, and trace comments and names;
• find row differences, hard-coded numbers, complex formulas and other problems.

Rainbow Analyst is simple to use; you can access all its features from the custom Rainbow tab on the Ribbon in Excel 2007 or 2010, or by clicking on the Rainbow drop-down menu in Excel 2000 to 2003.

Rainbow functions summary

Read this section for a whirlwind tour of Rainbow’s functions as displayed on the Rainbow tab in Excel 2007 or 2010 with Rainbow version 6.0. (For differences between this and earlier versions, see our functionality comparison table.)

The first three items on the Rainbow tab (in the Structural Overview group) are powerful “floodlight” functions, which are probably the first ones you’ll want to use when starting to analyse a spreadsheet:

• Summary Report gives you a quick overview of a workbook, and lists data for each sheet which can already start to suggest possible problem areas;
• Dependency Map shows you the role of each cell in the logic of the spreadsheet, and highlights potential issues such as blank input cells;
• Inter-Sheet Logic provides a very fast analysis of logic flows between sheets, with a matrix-style report that lets you drill down for detailed information.

The next two items (in the Formula Checking group) are designed to help you move on to a detailed audit of the calculations in a spreadsheet:

• Formula Groups highlights (and reports on) groups of copied formulas, so that you can easily spot inconsistencies and adjustments;
• Cell Inspector is a powerful interactive function which lets you trace the logic of any individual cell at a glance, and can significantly speed up a spreadsheet audit.

The third group of items (the Error reporting group) consists of “spotlight” functions which zoom in to examine specific details:

• Compare Worksheets is a comprehensive comparison function (comparing workbooks and ranges as well as worksheets), and it provides a key tool for control of versions and scenarios;
• Trace Links lets you generate detailed reports on links to other workbooks, and also on comments (cell notes) and defined names in the workbook;
• The three functions on the Report Errors menu generate reports on possible errors (e.g. hard-coded numbers), dependencies and other cells, combined with cumulative overlapping worksheet maps;
• Reset Reporting lets you tell Rainbow that you want it to put reports in a different workbook from the one it is currently using.

The functions in the Manage Highlighting group let you control various aspects of the way Rainbow uses colours to highlight cells. In particular, Cell Mapping gives you an interactive gallery where you can view and edit all the colours and patterns that Rainbow uses to map different types of cells and different groups of formulas.

In the Other Tools group are some utility functions to assist with spreadsheet development, plus the Preferences set of options. And the final item on the Rainbow tab is the User Guide and Help menu.

There is much more to Rainbow’s capabilities than we can describe here. You can see a simple example of Rainbow Analyst at work on our Example page, and for a detailed explanation, you can read the full User Guide. And to try it yourself, you can visit our Download page for a free 30-day evaluation copy.