Spreadsheet Programming

Spreadsheets are among the most widely used programming systems in the world. Individuals and businesses use spreadsheets for a wide variety of applications, ranging from performing simple calculations to building complex financial models. In this paper, the authors first discuss how spreadsheet programs are actually functional programs. They then describe concepts in spreadsheet programming, followed by a brief history of spreadsheet systems. Widespread use of spreadsheets, coupled with their high error-proneness and the impact of spreadsheet errors, has motivated research into techniques aimed at the prevention, detection, and correction of errors in spreadsheets.