Spreadsheets are a useful way to store data. Consisting of a raw table of cells, the data in the spreadsheet can be organized in a table or in less formal ways. Moreover, you can define expressions to define particular cells from the value of other cells. Using the ExcelRange node in OpenBuildings™ GenerativeComponents you can either read or write data to a spreadsheet. As long as you are not referencing the same range, you can even read and write values to the same sheet. The advantage of reference an Excel^® spreadsheet against a database is that irregular data organizations can be made. Also, you can combine both your input and outputs with a variety of formula linked cells into a specified format.

Although it is possible for a OpenBuildings™ GenerativeComponents model to read data from the same spreadsheet that it is writing to, it is not possible to create a complete loop between a OpenBuildings™ GenerativeComponents node and a spreadsheet cell. For example, it is not possible for OpenBuildings™ GenerativeComponents to write data to the same cell from which it is reading data; this type of "circular reference" is not supported.