IJCIRISSN 1996-1065 [Online]
ISSN 1818-1139 [PRINT]

Volume 1 (1) 2007

Title:	A User-Centered Approach for Testing Spreadsheets
Authors:	Yirsaw Ayalew
Published:	©IJCIR Vol1 (1) 2007, PP. 76-84
Language:	English

Abstract:
Spreadsheets are a special form of computer program, which are widely used in areas such as accounting, finance, business management, science and engineering. The wide use of spreadsheets can be attributed to the fact that they appeal to end-user programmers because they are easy to use and require no formal training on designing and programming techniques. However, as the literature indicates, a significant proportion of spreadsheets contain faults. This paper presents an approach for checking spread¬sheets on the premises that their developers are not software professionals. It takes inher¬ent cha¬rac¬teristics of spreads¬heets as well as the conceptual models of spread¬sheet pro¬grammers into account and incor¬porates ideas from sym¬bolic testing and interval analysis. To evaluate the methodology proposed, a prototype-tool preserving the look-and-feel spreadsheets develo¬pers are accustomed to has been developed. View full Article

General Terms:

spreadsheet testing; spreadsheets; end-user programming; software testing.

Categories and Subject Descriptors:

D.2.4 [Software]: Software/Program Verification � assertion checkers, model checking; D.2.5 [Software]: Testing and Debugging � Diagnostics, Symbolic execution; H.4.1 [Information Systems]: Office Automation � Spreadsheets.