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 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 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 GenerativeComponents node and a spreadsheet cell. For example, it is not possible for GenerativeComponents to write data to the same cell from which it is reading data; this type of "circular reference" is not supported.