The Model Answer

Although we haven't posted here for a while, we've been busy behind the scenes with new features in Rainbow Analyst. The latest addition is an all-new Deep Structure report:
https://www.themodelanswer.com/news/rainbow-26-02-reveals-whats-buried-in-your-workbook/

And last year we introduced a high-speed Logic Map function:
https://www.themodelanswer.com/news/see-a-logic-map-of-your-whole-workbook-v25-01/

And we added Monetary Unit Sampling to our Sample Data function:
https://www.themodelanswer.com/news/monetary-unit-sampling-mus-and-new-high-speed-logic-map/

If you haven't checked out Rainbow Analyst recently, you might be surprised at what it can do for you!

Monetary Unit Sampling (MUS) and new high-speed Logic Map | Rainbow Analyst Monetary Unit Sampling (MUS) and new high-speed Logic Map by Mike Shallcross | Feb 1, 2025 | News This is our first blog for a while, but the start of 2025 brings important new features to Rainbow! In fact one of these is so important that we’ll devote a whole blog to it later, and just mention it...

We're really excited about our new Structure Map function in Rainbow 12.5! This creates an immediately intuitive diagram which gives you lots of information about the sheets (tabs) in a workbook and how they all link together. For more, go to:

Visualise workbook structure with Rainbow 12.5 - Rainbow Analyst When someone sends you a spreadsheet to look at, do you ever wish there was an easy way to see what’s going on? Well, now there is, with the new Structure Map function in Rainbow 12.5. As you can see in the composite screenshot above, this gives you a simple and clear diagram of all […]

Over the past few months we've been busy with new features that make it easier both to install and to use Rainbow Analyst.

To provide a cleaner and more robust installation process, we've switched to using the official Windows Installer system. So the installer file that you can download from our website is now RainbowPro.msi instead of RainbowPro.exe. Simply open (or double-click) to start the installation process:
https://www.themodelanswer.com/news/new-installer-system-rainbow-12-4/

And we've brought Rainbow's own Check For Updates feature into line with the new Windows Installer system, so from version 12.4.3 you can update Rainbow directly from the Excel (Rainbow) menu:
https://www.themodelanswer.com/news/enhanced-quick-update-system/

Once you've installed (or updated) Rainbow, we've made it easier to find your way around Rainbow's 40+ different functions, with a new Menu Guide system. This combines a normal menu and a user guide, giving you a high-level overview of all functions, and then enabling you to zoom in for details and to run the selected function:
https://www.themodelanswer.com/news/new-menu-guide-helps-navigate/

Why not visit our website and try it out?

New menu guide helps you navigate Rainbow - Rainbow Analyst It's now even easier to find your way around Rainbow's functions! The Menu Guide gives you an overview, or you can zoom in for details.

We've now added a Password Tool to fix that annoying problem when you've forgotten the password you used to protect a sheet or workbook structure. Read more at:

Clear forgotten passwords with Rainbow 12.3 - Rainbow Analyst Most of us know that sinking feeling of looking at an old spreadsheet where the sheets or the workbook structure are password-protected, and realising that we have absolutely no idea what is the correct password! And if you can’t unprotect some or all of the sheets, this also makes it difficult fo...

Read about how the new risk analysis options in Rainbow version 12 can help you find hidden cells and uncover risky macros:

Find hidden cells and risky macros - Rainbow Analyst New risk analysis options in Rainbow version 12 help you find hidden cells and highlight risky macros.

Here's a real-life account of how one Rainbow Analyst user was able to clean up a "spreadsheet from hell" in just a few minutes with Rainbow's new Deep Clean function:

Clean up problem spreadsheets with Deep Clean - Rainbow Analyst Have you ever had that sinking feeling when a colleague sends you a spreadsheet with the request to “just take a quick look at this”? And you find the spreadsheet takes ages to open, seems to have lots of strange links (even though though Excel lists only a few on the Data tab), and runs […]

More about new features in version 12.0! This time we're looking at how you can use the Logic Analysis function. With the Cells and Data tabs, you can create a map that shows you at a glance the basic structure of your spreadsheet. Further details at:

Map your spreadsheet structure with Logic Analysis - Rainbow Analyst Rainbow's Logic Analysis function lets you create a visual map of the layout and structure of your spreadsheet.

Rainbow version 12.0 is now live! This brings a host of improvements, including new risk analysis options, functions to analyse and compare macro code, and a new high-powered clean-up function. More details on our website at:

Rainbow 12.0 brings new functionality - Rainbow Analyst We’re proud to announce the release of Rainbow version 12.0, which brings more new features than we can cover in a single post. Some of the highlights are: Analysis options in Risk Map and Logic Analysis increased from 36 to 48. Recognition of new features in Excel like dynamic arrays and threaded...

We've just released version 11.4 of our spreadsheet audit add-in Rainbow Analyst Professional, to give you a faster, smoother experience in everyday use. More details on our website at

Usability improvements in Rainbow 11.4 - Rainbow Analyst With Rainbow 11.4 our main focus has been on usability rather than new functions. We’ve gone behind the scenes to optimise some of the user interface code, and you’ll now find that Rainbow loads more quickly, and starts individual functions more smoothly and with less screen flicker. You’ll al...

The European Spreadsheet Risk Interest Group Conference (EuSpRIG 2019) will be held at Browns Courtrooms, Browns Covent Garden, London, on Thursday 11th and Friday 12th July 2019.

http://www.eusprig.org

Real life case studies of EUC control, deep dive into data analysis, experience with skills transfer, and two tutorials on new features.

An important event for anyone interested in maximising the rewards while minimising the risks of spreadsheet use!

European Spreadsheet Risks Interest Group - spreadsheet risk management and solutions conference EuSpRIG offers Risk Managers the world's only independent, authoritative & comprehensive web based information describing the current state of the art in Spreadsheet Risk Management.