About this application

The cell-based mode is optimized for Excel-proficient users who understand the structure of the database and want to build and format their own reports.

• Information is delivered to Excel using a dataset defined locally within each workbook. No access to View Manager or pre-building of views is required.
• Cell-based mode supports a highly flexible layout, enabling users to insert an entire block of data at a time or to insert data on a cell-by-cell basis.
• Datasets are retrieved and stored locally within the workbook and can be refreshed upon demand.
• Data is retrieved from datasets into sheets by individual cell formulas.
• No drilling, pivoting, or omit missing functionality is available; members are selected and inserted as desired.
• Cell-based mode is great for reporting simultaneously against multiple slices of data. For example, Income Statement for New York, London, and Paris.
• Users can test various scenarios by entering values at a consolidated level and proportionally spreading those values to leaf levels. These new values can be saved to a model.
• Users can analyze formulas to locate source components.
• Users can generate a formula map to graphically view a formula, generate variances between columns, or top down spread directly from the map.
• Change member selection while working offline.
• Formatting is 100% Excel-based.
• Color-coded exceptions use conditional Excel formatting.
• New dimension members are retrieved to the dataset but are not placed within the sheet until requested by the user.
• Dynamic navigation of sheets is optimized for Excel-proficient users. Navigation to new data is provided through Excel task sections; the task section provides access to all data the user is allowed to by database security.
• An API is available to customize the application.
• Cell-based mode requires Excel 2003 or later. The cell-based components are automatically downloaded to the user computer when a user opens an Excel Services cell-based workbook. A blank cell-based workbook, or template, installs on the server for initial access.