• Corpus ID: 11581526

The Lookup Technique to Replace Nested-IF Formulas in Spreadsheet Programming

@article{Grossman2009TheLT,
  title={The Lookup Technique to Replace Nested-IF Formulas in Spreadsheet Programming},
  author={Thomas A. Grossman and {\"O}zg{\"u}r {\"O}zl{\"u}k and John Harold Gustavson},
  journal={ArXiv},
  year={2009},
  volume={abs/0908.1188}
}
Spreadsheet programmers often implement contingent logic using a nested-IF formula even though this technique is difficult to test and audit and is believed to be risky. We interpret the programming of contingent logic in spreadsheets in the context of traditional computer programming. We investigate the "lookup technique" as an alternative to nested-IF formulas, describe its benefits for testing and auditing, and define its limitations. The lookup technique employs four distinct principles: 1… 
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