Spreadsheet Widget

When modelling a business case, users must be able to specify input parameters flexibly. This is what they can do in Excel. In Lean-Case, we provide you maximum flexibility for entering assumptions with what -we-call the spreadsheet widget. Wherever you see this table icon next to a parameter in Lean-Case you can use the Spreadsheet Widget.

The purpose of the Spreadsheet Widget is to capture a data series with varying numbers over time which cannot be easily created using other Lean-Case widgets, e.g. to

  • increase the price for a seasonal time
  • reflect a decreasing churn rate over time
  • enter a one-time expense
  • enter a hiring plan capture a new revenue stream or
  • capture actuals

The Spreadsheet Widget provides high flexibility to enter a series of data over time:

  1. 1
    create a data series
  2. 2
    upload a data series
  3. 3
    edit a series

Widget Controls

In order to look at the data, there are three major controls

  • Monthly / Quartely / Yearly Selection
  • Values / Increments / Percentage View
  • Editing / Viewing Mode

Simply select for which of the 3 time periods you want to look at your data series. The data is cumulated. 

The second control helps you to look at the data series in 3 different views

  • the Value View shows the absolute values of your data series
  • the Increments View shows the absolute increase of a value in a given period compared to the value in the preceeding period (e.g. if the value in Jan is 1000 and the value in Feb is 1100 then the Increments View shows an increment value of 100 (=1100-1000) for Feb)
  • the Percent View shows the percent increase of the a value in a given period compared to the value in the preceeding period (e.g. if the value in Jan is 1000 and the value in Feb is 1100 then the Percent View shows a percent increase of 10% (=(1100-1000)/1000) for Feb)

With the 3rd control, you can look at the data table in 2 different modes

  • Viewing Mode shows the data table well formatted without the ability to edit it. The Viewing Mode is available for all Time Forms and Data Views
  • Editing Mode shows the data table with the ability to change data in the cells. In order to save your edited changes, you have to click the “Apply Changes” icon.

Create a data Series

If you want to create an initial data series, you can click the “Create Data” icon, e.g. if you have a

  • expense of $1000 in Aug 2019 growing by $100 per quarter for the next 2 years or
  • revenue of $500 in Jan 2018 growing by 10% per month for 1 year or a
  • cost item growing from a start value of $100 to an end value of $1000 between July 19 and Dec 2019
  • expense of $1000 in Aug 2019 growing by $100 per quarter for the next 2 years or
  • revenue of $500 in Jan 2018 growing by 10% per month for 1 year or a
  • cost item growing from a start value of $100 to an end value of $1000 between July 19 and Dec 2019

Just enter your parameters to create an initial data series into the modal form.

  • enter the initial value at the beginning of the period
  • how this initial value grows (in terms of absolute increments, percent increments or growing it to an end value)
  • the growth value (as an absolute or percent number) or the end value
  • how often your data series is incremented by the growth value (on a monthly, quarterly or yearly basis)
  • in which month you start the data series with the initial value
  • in which month you stop the growth

Click the <Apply> button to fill the table with your data series and check the data. Then click the “Apply Changes” icon to save your changes. 

Just to make sure: Creating a data series is possible in all 3 views: the value view, the increments view and the percentage view.


Upload a data Series

If you want to upload an initial data series, you can apply the Upload Data Logic, e.g. to upload

  • expenses with a time series
  • data series calculated in Excel

To create such a data series

  • check out the sample template for the data format  
  • Make sure you are in Editing Mode and Monthly View
  • Click the "Upload Data" icon to open a modal form
  • Select a file which follows the file format of the template
  • Apply the changes 

Edit a data Series

Obviously you can edit any  data series at any time - even to modify the data series after you created or uploaded it. To Edit Data, switch to Editing Mode. 

To Save your changes in Edit Mode, always click the Apply Changes Icon

We would like to show you though how you can quickly edit, e.g, to spread cumulated yearly values evenly over all months of a year

Obviously you can edit any  data series at any time - even to modify the data series after you created or uploaded it. To Edit Data, switch to Editing Mode. 

To Save your changes in Edit Mode, always click the Apply Changes Icon

We would like to show you though how you can quickly edit, e.g, to spread cumulated yearly values evenly over all months of a year

  • Select the Yearly Period
  • Enter yearly cumulated values into each year, eg, 120 in year 1, 240 in year 2, 360 in year 3 and so on
  • Click the Apply changes icon again
  • Now switch to the Monthly View
  • Et voila now the values are evenly spread

You can use the same trick to

  • spread values evenly over all months of a quarter or
  • spread values evenly over all quarters of a year







>