Test calculations and design for your end users ¶
Test your calculations ¶
When you’ve created a new calculating web page in Excel, you may want to test it already in Excel before you convert and publish it on a server. Here are a few useful tips.
One of the most powerful uses for the Scenario Manager is regression testing, i.e. to ensure that you don’t introduce errors in existing functionality as you develop a complicated calculator. If the output of your formulas is essentially linear, you can probably just throw in a few values and see that the result matches your expectations, but what if the formulas have thresholds that fundamentally change the behavior of the calculator for certain value ranges? As an example, a tax calculation can use very different formulas at various levels of income. In such cases, it’s good to prepare a structured set of values to test with and to know the correct result for each value in advance.
After testing the workbook in Excel, repeat your test cases in the converted preview. Compare the values rather than assuming that a successful conversion proves every calculation.
Test small screens ¶
You should design your calculators and forms to work well around the world. It’s easy to forget that many people will view your page on their phones.
Many of the people that will use your form or calculator will be using it on a phone, probably in portrait mode. If you design and test only on your widescreen laptop, you will lose many end users when they get fed up from scrolling horizontally through your unnecessarily wide layout.
Check number and date formats ¶
With a global audience, you have to live with a lot of different measurement units, number formats and date/time formats.
Include these cases when checking your workbook and its converted preview. See checking charts and conversion messages.