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Excel

Definition: Application ontology for Microsoft Excel spreadsheet application, modeling workbooks, worksheets, cells, formulas, and data analysis elements.

Parent: Artifact

See also: Word, PowerPoint

note

This application ontology is not fully vetted and is subject to changes as we refine the modeling approach for third-party integrations.

Modeling Notes​

  • Excel workbooks contain multiple worksheets with grid-based cell structure
  • Cells can contain values, formulas, or references to other cells
  • Supports complex data analysis, calculations, charts, and pivot tables
  • Formula system enables dynamic calculations and data relationships
  • Data validation and conditional formatting provide data quality controls

Core Classes​

Workbook Structure​

  • Excel Workbook - Complete spreadsheet file (.xlsx, .xls)
  • Worksheet - Individual spreadsheet tab with cell grid
  • Cell - Individual data container at row/column intersection
  • Range - Rectangular selection of multiple cells
  • Named Range - User-defined cell range with custom name
  • Table - Structured data range with headers and formatting

Data Elements​

  • Cell Value - Raw data content (number, text, date, boolean)
  • Formula - Calculation expression using functions and references
  • Function - Built-in calculation operations (SUM, VLOOKUP, etc.)
  • Cell Reference - Pointer to another cell or range
  • Data Validation - Rules constraining cell input values
  • Conditional Format - Visual formatting based on cell values

Analysis Elements​

  • Chart - Visual representation of data
  • Pivot Table - Interactive data summarization tool
  • Pivot Chart - Chart based on pivot table data
  • Data Filter - Tool for showing/hiding rows based on criteria
  • Sort - Data ordering operations
  • Subtotal - Automatic calculation groupings

Schema Structure​

Implementation Examples​

Workbook Structure​

@prefix excel: <http://ontology.naas.ai/applications/excel/> .
@prefix abi: <http://ontology.naas.ai/abi/> .
@prefix cco: <http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/> .

# Complete workbook
excel:SalesAnalysisWorkbook a excel:ExcelWorkbook ;
    rdfs:label "Q4 Sales Analysis 2024"@en ;
    excel:hasWorksheet excel:RawDataSheet,
                       excel:AnalysisSheet,
                       excel:ChartsSheet,
                       excel:DashboardSheet ;
    excel:createdBy abi:AnalystAgent ;
    excel:lastModified "2024-01-15T11:20:00Z"^^xsd:dateTime ;
    excel:fileSize "2.4MB" .

# Individual worksheet
excel:AnalysisSheet a excel:Worksheet ;
    rdfs:label "Sales Analysis"@en ;
    excel:sheetIndex 2 ;
    excel:hasRowCount 1000 ;
    excel:hasColumnCount 15 ;
    excel:containsTable excel:SalesTable ;
    excel:containsChart excel:RevenueChart .

Cell and Formula Structure​

# Cell with formula
excel:TotalRevenueCell a excel:Cell ;
    rdfs:label "Total Revenue Cell"@en ;
    excel:cellAddress "B15" ;
    excel:containsFormula excel:SumFormula ;
    excel:hasFormat excel:CurrencyFormat ;
    excel:calculatedValue "1250000.00"^^xsd:decimal .

# Formula with functions
excel:SumFormula a excel:Formula ;
    rdfs:label "Revenue Sum Formula"@en ;
    excel:formulaText "=SUM(B2:B14)" ;
    excel:usesFunction excel:SumFunction ;
    excel:referencesRange excel:RevenueRange ;
    excel:isVolatile false .

# Named range
excel:RevenueRange a excel:NamedRange ;
    rdfs:label "Revenue Range"@en ;
    excel:rangeName "RevenueData" ;
    excel:rangeAddress "B2:B14" ;
    excel:containsDataType "Currency" .

Data Analysis Elements​

# Chart object
excel:RevenueChart a excel:Chart ;
    rdfs:label "Monthly Revenue Chart"@en ;
    excel:chartType "Column" ;
    excel:dataSource excel:RevenueRange ;
    excel:hasTitle "Monthly Revenue Trend" ;
    excel:hasXAxis excel:MonthAxis ;
    excel:hasYAxis excel:RevenueAxis ;
    excel:chartPosition "D2:J15" .

# Pivot table
excel:SalesPivotTable a excel:PivotTable ;
    rdfs:label "Sales by Region Pivot"@en ;
    excel:sourceData excel:SalesTable ;
    excel:hasRowField excel:RegionField ;
    excel:hasColumnField excel:MonthField ;
    excel:hasValueField excel:RevenueField ;
    excel:pivotPosition "A20:E35" .

# Data validation
excel:RegionValidation a excel:DataValidation ;
    rdfs:label "Region Code Validation"@en ;
    excel:validationType "List" ;
    excel:validationSource "North,South,East,West" ;
    excel:errorMessage "Please select a valid region" ;
    excel:appliedToRange "C2:C1000" .

AI Integration Patterns​

Data Analysis​

  • Pattern Recognition - AI identifies trends and anomalies in data
  • Predictive Modeling - Forecast future values based on historical data
  • Statistical Analysis - Automated statistical calculations and insights
  • Data Cleaning - AI-powered data quality improvement

Formula Generation​

  • Smart Formulas - AI suggests appropriate formulas for calculations
  • Complex Calculations - Generate multi-step calculation sequences
  • Error Detection - Identify and suggest fixes for formula errors
  • Optimization - Improve formula performance and accuracy

Visualization​

  • Chart Recommendations - AI suggests optimal chart types for data
  • Dashboard Creation - Automated dashboard layout and design
  • Conditional Formatting - Intelligent visual highlighting rules
  • Data Storytelling - Generate insights and narratives from data

Data Processing Workflows​

ETL Operations​

excel:DataETLWorkflow a abi:Workflow ;
    rdfs:label "Excel Data ETL Process"@en ;
    abi:hasStep excel:DataExtraction,
                excel:DataTransformation,
                excel:DataLoading ;
    abi:processesData excel:RawDataSheet ;
    abi:outputsData excel:CleanDataSheet .

Reporting Automation​

excel:ReportGenerationWorkflow a abi:Workflow ;
    rdfs:label "Automated Report Generation"@en ;
    abi:triggeredBy abi:ScheduledEvent ;
    abi:refreshesData excel:SalesTable ;
    abi:updatesChart excel:RevenueChart ;
    abi:generatesPDF excel:SalesReport .

Integration Points​

Data Sources​

  • Database Connections - SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL integration
  • Web Data - REST APIs and web service connections
  • Cloud Services - Azure, AWS, Google Cloud data sources
  • File Imports - CSV, XML, JSON data import capabilities

External Applications​

  • Power BI Integration - Business intelligence dashboards
  • SharePoint Lists - Collaborative data management
  • Outlook Integration - Email report distribution
  • Teams Integration - Collaborative spreadsheet editing

Advanced Features​

Macros and VBA​

excel:SalesReportMacro a excel:VBAMacro ;
    rdfs:label "Sales Report Generation Macro"@en ;
    excel:macroCode "Sub GenerateSalesReport()..." ;
    excel:triggeredBy excel:ButtonClick ;
    excel:performsAction excel:FormatReport,
                        excel:CreateCharts,
                        excel:SaveAsPDF .

Data Models​

excel:SalesDataModel a excel:DataModel ;
    rdfs:label "Sales Analysis Data Model"@en ;
    excel:containsTable excel:SalesTable,
                        excel:ProductTable,
                        excel:CustomerTable ;
    excel:hasRelationship excel:SalesProductRelation ;
    excel:enablesPowerPivot true .

Security and Governance​

Data Protection​

  • Worksheet Protection - Lock cells and formulas from editing
  • Workbook Protection - Control structural changes
  • Password Protection - File-level access control
  • Information Rights Management - Usage restrictions

Audit and Compliance​

  • Formula Auditing - Track cell dependencies and precedents
  • Change Tracking - Monitor data modifications
  • Version Control - Maintain historical versions
  • Data Lineage - Track data source and transformation history

See Also​