Map & visualization
See the shape of a model before you trust a number. The Worksheet Map analyzes a sheet’s structure and renders it as a map you can read and export; the Risk Heatmap colors the live grid by risk, structure, or audit signals so problem areas stand out at a glance.
Two tools, two jobs
The Map group on the ModelXcel Pro tab holds two structure tools. They answer different questions and leave very different footprints in your workbook, so it helps to know which one you reached for.
- Worksheet Map — a task pane that analyzes the active sheet and builds two things: an interactive diagnostics tree (errors, row/column inconsistencies, distinct vs. copied formulas, complexity) and a rendered
<source>_Mapsheet that mirrors the grid with each cell colored and marked by type. It can also export a standalone map workbook for review or handoff. - Risk Heatmap — an in-grid color lens you toggle over the live sheet (or many sheets), with Risk, Structure, and Audit view modes, an interactive legend panel, and a heuristic health score. It is a temporary lens, not a generated sheet.
Which one should I use?
| Worksheet Map | Risk Heatmap | |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | How is this sheet built? Where are the inconsistencies, distinct formulas, and complex cells? | Across these sheets, where do risk, hardcoded inputs, external links, and inconsistency concentrate? |
| Scope | One worksheet at a time (single-sheet analysis). | Active sheet, all visible sheets, or a chosen set. |
| Where the output lives | A generated <source>_Map sheet in the workbook, and/or a separate exported workbook. | Temporary cell colors on the live grid, plus an optional legend task pane. |
| Written into the saved file? | Yes — the _Map sheet and the exported workbook are real, persisted artifacts. | No — colors are stripped before save and reapplied after; only compact lens state is stored as metadata. |
| Undo | The render write clears Excel’s native undo; delete the _Map sheet to remove it. | Toggle the lens off to restore your original fills; Ctrl+Z will not undo it. |
| Best for | Deep, sheet-by-sheet review; an exportable audit/handoff pack. | Fast triage across a model; spotting where to look first. |
What each writes to your workbook
Neither tool is purely passive. Be deliberate about the footprint each leaves:
- Worksheet Map — browsing the pane, the tree, the legend, and the peek actions is read-only, but Analyze / Refresh is not. It creates or rebuilds a
<source>_Mapworksheet in the current workbook (deleting any existing sheet of that name first). That write clears Excel’s native undo, and the_Mapsheet persists in the file until you delete it. Export Map instead writes a separate workbook to disk and does not modify the source. - Risk Heatmap — the colors you see are real cell interior fills, but the add-in snapshots your original fills first and neutralizes the heatmap before the workbook is saved or closed, then reapplies it afterward, so the coloring never lands in the saved file. It produces no external file; only its lens state (view mode, color preset, selected sheets, category visibility) is stored as workbook custom document properties so the lens can be restored later.
Risk and the health score are heuristics, not verdicts
The Risk view and the 0–100 health score are indicators derived from formula complexity, structure, and audit signals — they tell you where to look. They are not proof that a model is correct or incorrect, and a high score is not a sign-off. For provenance, attestation, and verification, use Proof & Trust.
Related
- Worksheet Map — the diagnostics tree, the rendered map sheet, and Export Map.
- Risk Heatmap — the in-grid lens, its three modes, and the legend panel.
- TrustLens and Pretty Print — the peek actions the Worksheet Map opens for a selected cell.
- Proof & Trust — when an indicator says “look here,” this is how you actually verify the number.