Workbook Part Libraries for Granular Spreadsheet Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current spreadsheet management systems lack the ability to control access to specific parts of a spreadsheet, forcing users to share or edit entire spreadsheets, restrict access to calculations, and manage collaboration effectively, especially when users are offline or need to view results without editing the entire document.
Innovation Solution
The system breaks a workbook into logically separate 'workbook parts' that can be stored and managed independently, allowing for different access permissions and enabling users to edit or view specific parts, facilitating collaboration and reuse of data and calculations without exposing the entire spreadsheet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If access to a spreadsheet is restricted to protect calculations, then security and compliance are improved, but users cannot reuse data and calculations from that spreadsheet
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides a spreadsheet into multiple workbook parts (e.g., data entry section, calculation section, results section), each with separate access permissions. This allows the calculation section to be protected while permitting reuse of data and results from other sections, resolving the contradiction between security and data reuse capability.
2Reliability
If only one user can edit a spreadsheet at a time, then calculation integrity is maintained, but collaboration efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables multiple users to simultaneously edit different workbook parts within the same spreadsheet. For example, User A can edit the data entry section while User B edits the results section, eliminating the need for turn-based collaboration while maintaining calculation integrity through structured dependency management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent allows users to check out and edit only the specific workbook parts they need rather than the entire spreadsheet. This partial action approach enables concurrent editing across different sections without requiring exclusive access to the whole file, thereby improving collaboration efficiency while preserving calculation integrity.
3Reliability
If the entire spreadsheet must be checked out for editing, then calculation consistency is ensured, but collaboration and offline editing capability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent allows users to check out individual workbook parts independently. When User A checks out the data entry section for offline editing, User B can simultaneously check out and edit the results section. This segmented checkout approach maintains calculation consistency within each part while enabling flexible collaboration and offline work.
4Ease of operation
If access permissions are applied at the file level, then security management is simplified, but granular control over different parts of the spreadsheet is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a hierarchical permission system where the spreadsheet is divided into workbook parts, each with independent access controls. This allows the system to maintain simple file-level management interfaces while providing granular control over specific sections, enabling different users to have different access levels to different parts without complicating the overall security management.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are systems and methods that enable a workbook author to break a workbook out into a set of logically separate pieces, referred to herein as “workbook parts.” Calculation dependencies between the workbook parts may be maintained, so that all the calculations are correct across the entire spreadsheet. An organization may be enabled to manage each workbook part separately, thus certain users may be denied access to view or edit certain workbook parts. Accordingly, where multiple authors are contributing to a tightly controlled workbook, the person responsible for spreadsheet management is enabled to allow each of those authors access to edit only the portion that they need to be concerned with.