Translating SQL to Spreadsheet: A Survey

Spreadsheets are the most popular and conventionally databases in use today. Since Spreadsheets are visual and expression based languages, research into the features of spreadsheets is therefore a highly relevant topic to study. Spreadsheet can be viewed as a Relation Database which contains a sheet and its corresponding information in terms of rows, while in RDBMS each table or say relation also represents its contained information in terms of rows. Each row represents a record which belongs to one or more relation. Spreadsheets uses different formulae to extract required information but it need expert knowledge about the tool and its usage. One can extend the usage of Spreadsheet in any direction as it provides great flexibility in terms of data storage and dependency of stored data. We surveyed some of research which took great attention over Spreadsheets and its applicability in different functional cases, such as Data Visualization, SQL Engines and many more. Our survey focuses on QUERYSHEET, ES-SQL, MDSHEET and PrediCalc [3], [5], [4], [8]. These different researches are motivations to our survey and attraction in Spreadsheets and its functional extensibility

Bidirectional spreadsheet formulas

Bidirectional transformations have potential applications in a vast number of computer science domains. Spreadsheets, on the other hand, are widely used for developing business applications, but their formulas are unidirectional, in the sense that their result can not be edited and propagated back to their input cells. In this paper, we interpret such formulas as a well-known class of bidirectional transformations that go by the name of lenses. Being aimed at users that are not proficient with programming languages, we devote particular attention to the seamless embedding of the proposed bidirectional mechanism with the typical workflow of spreadsheet environments, allowing users to have a fine control and understanding of the behavior of the derived backward transformations

IAC-DIDAS-N - A Dynamic Interactive Decision Analysis and Support System for Multicriteria Analysis of Nonlinear Models, v.4.0

This paper presents introductive and user documentation -- including extended summary, theoretical manual, short user manual and description of illustrative examples -- for a version of decision analysis and support systems of DIDAS family that is designed for multicriteria analysis of nonlinear models on professional microcomputers. This version has been developed in the years 1986-1990 in the Institute of Automatic Control, Warsaw University of Technology, under a joint research program with the Systems and Decision Sciences Program of IIASA. It can be run on professional microcomputers compatible with IBM-PC-XT or AT (with Hercules Graphics Card, Color Graphics Adapter or Enhanced Graphics Adapter and, preferably, with a numeric coprocessor and a hard disk) and supports graphical representation of results of interactive multicriteria analysis. Moreover, this version called IAC-DIDAS-N is provided with a new nonlinear model generator and editor that support, in an easy standard of a spreadsheet, the definition, edition and symbolic differentiation of nonlinear substantive models for multiobjective decision analysis. A specially introduced standard of defining nonlinear programming models for multiobjective optimization helps to connect the model generator with other parts of the system. Optimization runs involved in interactive, multiobjective decision analysis are performed by a solver, that is, a version of nonlinear programming algorithm specially adapted for multiobjective problems. This algorithm is based on shifted penalty functions and projected conjugate directions techniques similarly as in former nonlinear versions of DIDAS, but it was further developed and several improvements were added. The system is permanently updated and developed. Currently (starting from October 1990) the version 4.0 of the system is released. Most of enhancements added in this version are not directly visible to the user. They influence the efficiency of the system

IAC-DIDAS-N: A Dynamic Interactive Decision Analysis and Support System for Multicriteria Analysis of Nonlinear Models with Nonlinear Model Generator Supporting Model Analysis

This paper is one of the series of 11 Working Papers presenting the software for interactive decision support and software tools for developing decision support systems. These products constitute the outcome of the contracted study agreement between the System and Decision Sciences Program at IIASA and several Polish scientific institutions. The theoretical part of these results is presented in the IIASA Working Paper WP-88-071 entitled "Theory, Software and Testing Examples in Decision Support Systems". This volume contains the theoretical and methodological backgrounds of the software systems developed within the project. This paper presents the user documentation for decision analysis and support systems of DIDAS family designed for supporting decision problems when the model of the system under study can be formulated in terms of set of nonlinear equations. The program presented in the paper, called IAC-DIDAS-N is provided with a nonlinear model generator and editor that support definition, edition and symbolic differentiation of nonlinear models for multiobjective decision analysis. A specially introduced standard of defining nonlinear programming models for multiobjective optimization helps to connect the model generator with other parts of the system. Optimization runs involved in interactive, multiobjective decision analysis are performed by a new version of nonlinear programming algorithm specially adapted for multiobjective problems. This algorithm is based on shifted penalty functions and projected conjugate directions techniques. An attachment to this paper presents user documentation for a pilot version of a nonlinear model generator with facilities for symbolic differentiation and other means of fundamental model analysis

International Space Station Traffic Modeling and Simulation

In an effort to provide NASA with an alternative perspective and some insights to the operational planning of the International Space Station (ISS), this research developed a simulation environment for the ISS and devised a method to evaluate various altitude strategies. The simulation environment allowed us to incorporate the natural random behaviors which affect the lifetime of objects in low earth orbit. We created prototype models of the operational planning process to analyze current altitude strategy approaches and acquire new strategies from insights observed. In addition, by extrapolating random future solar activity values from the interpolation of historical data, we established a spectrum of possible solar activity rather than just maximum, mean, and minimum values. From this process, we demonstrated a procedure to analyze a strategy using distributions of parameter outputs in response to random inputs

Xprolog: desenvolvimento de uma folha de cálculo dedutiva

As folhas de cálculo tradicionais apresentam limitações quando se trata de informação simbólica, que não é facilmente captada, principalmente quando se trata de raciocínio dedutivo. A presente dissertação tem como objetivo estender as capacidades das folhas de cálculo tradicionais, tal como o Excel, por exemplo, e desenvolver uma folha de cálculo com capacidades de representação de conhecimento e de raciocínio. Desde a primeira folha de cálculo com capacidades dedutivas durante os anos 80 até ao presente foram surgindo várias ferramentas que visaram colmatar estas limitações, e no presente trabalho pretende-se dar continuidade a essa investigação e desenvolvimento de forma a dar mais um passo em busca de uma combinação cada vez mais perfeita entre as folhas tradicionais e a dedução lógica e representação de conhecimento. Nesta dissertação é apresentado o Xprolog, uma ferramenta desenvolvida para Excel e que interpreta a linguagem Prolog, funcionando como um suplemento (add-in) para Excel. O Xprolog foi desenvolvido dentro da temática de folhas de cálculo dedutivas e, não sendo um sistema que possa neste momento ser considerado como um produto final, tem por objetivo dar um novo alento e promover um tema que tem vindo a perder algum fulgor nos últimos anos.Traditional spreadsheets have limitations when it comes to symbolic information, which is not easily captured, especially when it comes to deductive reasoning. This thesis aims to extend the capabilities of traditional spreadsheets such as Excel, for example, and develop one kind of spreadsheet with representation capabilities of knowledge and reasoning. Since the first worksheet with deductive capabilities during the 80's up to the present, various tools have emerged that aimed to resolve these limitations, and in this work we intend to continue this research and development in order to take another search in step an increasingly perfect combination between traditional spreadsheets and logical deduction and knowledge representation. In this thesis we introduce Xprolog, a tool developed for Excel that interprets the Prolog language, working as an add-in for Excel. The Xprolog was developed within the theme of deductive spreadsheets and not being yet, a system that can be considered as a final product, it aims to give new impetus and promote a theme that has been losing some enthusiasm in recent years