Frequently Asked Questions

Excel Risk Check is a deterministic spreadsheet risk scoring tool that analyzes Excel files for formula errors, circular references, data quality issues, and structural risk indicators. It produces a 0-100 risk score and generates audit-ready reports for pre-submission validation. The same file always produces the same score.

No. Excel Risk Check is not a chatbot, AI assistant, or conversational tool. It is a deterministic analysis tool that applies fixed validation rules to produce consistent, reproducible risk scores. There is no chat interface, no natural language interaction, and no AI-generated recommendations. You upload a file, receive a score and findings, and export reports.

Analysis is completely free — no signup, no credit card, no limits. You get your risk score, full issue breakdown, and cell-level locations instantly. PDF reports with executive summaries and fix recommendations are $5 each, with no subscription required.

Yes. Your files are processed securely over HTTPS and are automatically deleted after analysis. We do not store your spreadsheet data, share it with third parties, or use it for any purpose other than generating your risk report. Files are processed in isolated cloud environments and never persist to disk.

Excel Risk Check supports .xlsx files (Excel 2007 and later) and .xls files (Excel 97-2003). Both modern and legacy Excel formats are fully supported with the same validation capabilities.

The web app supports files up to 20MB. For larger files, our CLI tool (excel-validator) can process spreadsheets of any size without upload limitations.

Excel Risk Check detects formula errors (#REF, #VALUE, #DIV/0, #N/A, #NAME, #NUM, #NULL), circular references with dependency chain analysis, volatile functions (NOW, TODAY, RAND, RANDBETWEEN, OFFSET, INDIRECT), data quality issues (empty rows, mixed data types, duplicate rows, values outside expected ranges), and structural patterns (hidden sheets/rows/columns, merged cells, external links, excessive file size).

The risk score is calculated from weighted category scores: Formula Risk (35%), Reference/Links Risk (25%), Structural Risk (20%), and Data Quality Risk (20%). Issues are classified by severity and penalized accordingly: Errors reduce the score by 15 points, Warnings by 5 points, and Info items by 1 point. The algorithm is deterministic — the same spreadsheet always produces the same score.

A score of 80-100 indicates low risk — the spreadsheet passes validation with minimal concerns. A score of 40-79 indicates medium risk — issues were detected that should be addressed before the spreadsheet is used for critical purposes. A score of 0-39 indicates high risk — critical issues were found that require immediate attention before the spreadsheet can be trusted.

Excel Risk Check includes built-in risk templates that check for common issues such as hardcoded values in formulas, missing input traceability, volatile functions in critical calculations, undocumented formula logic, and hidden elements that could obscure important data.

The free analysis displays all results on screen with your risk score and detailed issue breakdown. For formal documentation, PDF reports are available for $5 each — these include an executive summary, fix recommendations, and audit-ready formatting suitable for stakeholder review.

A circular reference occurs when a formula refers back to its own cell, either directly or through a chain of references. Circular references can produce incorrect results that depend on calculation order, making spreadsheets unreliable. They're particularly dangerous because they often produce plausible-looking numbers that appear correct but aren't.

Volatile functions like NOW(), TODAY(), RAND(), and INDIRECT() recalculate every time the spreadsheet is opened or any cell changes. This can produce different results each time the file is accessed, creating challenges for verification and reproducibility. In financial models, unpredictable recalculation is a significant risk indicator.

Hardcoded values are numbers embedded directly in formulas rather than referenced from documented input cells. For example, =A1*1.08 has a hardcoded tax rate. Hardcoded values bypass input validation, obscure data sources, and make spreadsheets difficult to review. When values change, hardcoded numbers in formulas are often missed, leading to errors.

Excel Risk Check can process workbook-level protected files if you provide the password. However, we cannot process encrypted files where the contents cannot be decrypted. Sheet-level protection (preventing edits) does not affect our ability to read and analyze the file.

Yes. Our CLI tool (excel-validator) provides the same validation capabilities for automation and batch processing. It can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines, scheduled jobs, or any workflow that requires programmatic spreadsheet validation. Run 'excel-validator --help' for usage information.

We continuously improve our validation rules based on user feedback and research into real-world spreadsheet errors. Major updates are released regularly, and the specific validation template version is documented in every report for traceability.

The web app uses our standard validation ruleset. The CLI tool supports custom configuration via YAML files, allowing you to adjust thresholds, enable/disable specific checks, and define custom data quality rules for your specific needs.

Review each issue in the report to understand what was detected and why. For Errors (critical issues), address them immediately — these are problems that will likely cause incorrect results. For Warnings, evaluate whether they apply to your use case and fix them if appropriate. For Info items, consider them as suggestions for improvement. The report includes specific remediation guidance for each issue type.

No. We do not store your spreadsheet data after analysis completes, and we do not use any uploaded files for AI training, model improvement, or any purpose other than generating your immediate risk report. Your data remains yours.