Decide which records move and which calculations stay in Excel
Evaluate Arc first when Excel requirements need to remain connected to system context, controlled review decisions and verification evidence. Arc connects programme records, records reviewed changes through branch/review/merge and maintains linked verification context for the relevant configuration. Arc imports approved source formats including CSV; that does not promise a native Excel connector or automatic two-way synchronisation.
Excel can remain the calculation authority. The useful boundary is between an authoritative formula or workbook and the requirement, source reference, relationship and decision that the programme must maintain. Move those records deliberately rather than treating a spreadsheet’s entire behaviour as one interchangeable data object.
What Flow’s Excel documentation establishes
The Flow Engineering Excel Integration material documents extracting cell information and checking workbook-related engineering context. Its integration catalogue is a starting point for scope confirmation. That source evidence does not establish every direction, write-back rule, retry or permission behaviour of your proposed connection.
Ask for a demonstration on the exact workbook, selected edition and permitted environment. A named integration is useful evidence of category scope; it is not proof that a renamed sheet, deleted cell or failed update will preserve the authority your programme needs. The same evidence standard applies to an Arc import or approved interchange route.
Separate requirement authority from workbook behaviour
A requirement row has an ID, text, revision, owner, parent/allocation and verification relationships. A budget cell may contain a formula whose result depends on multiple inputs. Comments can explain a calculation without being an approval record. Attachments and release history carry meaning that a CSV value does not represent.
Declare one owner for each category. For example, Excel owns the power-budget calculation; Arc owns the approved requirement and review record; a controlled file revision supports the calculation result cited by that record. Do not leave both a cell and a programme field editable as competing authorities without an accepted update direction and conflict rule.
Map a changed cell and a missing cell
Original on-page resource: workbook authority map, FT-P05. The fictional workbook is a coexistence test, not an executed connector result. Stable requirement IDs are distinct from sheet names and cell coordinates. For each row retain the source revision, mapped field and relationship meaning before any update.
| Sheet/range | Record ID / revision | Value or formula | Owner and mapped field | Retained file / relationship | Reconciliation and failure case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Requirements!A12:G12 | WB-REQ-012; workbook Rev A. | Requirement text, unit and parent ID are record values. | Systems owner; requirement text, unit and parent relationship. | Controlled Rev A workbook; parent ID becomes a typed link. | Compare ID/text/link endpoints; reject a duplicate ID or unresolved parent. |
| Budget!C8 | WB-SRC-008; Rev A → proposed Rev B. | Input value changes from 7 W to 9 W, fictional. | Power owner; source value/reference, not automatic baseline acceptance. | Both workbook revisions retained; analysis source for the affected requirement. | Inspect the changed value and provenance; review before changing an accepted record. |
| Budget!C20 | WB-CALC-020; workbook Rev A. | SUM formula producing a budget total. | Power owner; Excel remains calculation authority. | Controlled workbook with formula logic; programme record cites result and revision. | Recompute in Excel and reconcile exported value; do not label CSV as formula preservation. |
| Checks!D5 | WB-SRC-005; missing in proposed Rev B. | Previously accepted source value has disappeared. | Source owner; missing-source disposition. | Retain last accepted value and Rev A provenance. | Acceptance rule requires a visible exception; no silent deletion or zeroing. |
| Review note / attached drawing | WB-DEC-003 and attachment reference. | Comment/file and attributable approval have different meanings. | Review owner; map supported record categories separately. | Original file and review context retained. | Reconcile attachments and historical decisions; a cell value does not establish completeness. |
For the changed cell, require the proposed value and source revision to be visible before acceptance. For the missing cell, require an explicit exception with the last accepted state preserved. Those are evaluation acceptance rules; no particular connector behaviour has been demonstrated here.
Map records through an approved route
Arc imports CSV, Word, Jira, Git and Confluence within the approved source scope. Define persistent IDs, hierarchy, units, custom fields and relationship endpoints before importing. A column containing several IDs requires a declared link meaning and endpoint reconciliation, not merely a copied text field.
Arc preserves the confirmed IDs, relationships, attachments, baselines and historical review records within the agreed mapping. Reconcile those categories against the source and retain workbook behaviour separately where necessary. Use the existing Excel migration guide for the full method; this page concentrates on coexistence and integration acceptance.
A CSV value is different from the workbook that produced it
CSV is useful for field/value transfer. It does not carry formula logic, macros, workbook formatting, cell comments, permissions or approval semantics as functioning Excel behaviour. If a requirement cites a computed budget, retain the controlled workbook and its calculation revision as source evidence.
Do not promise arbitrary workbook round trips through PDF, Word, Excel or CSV merely because Arc exports those formats. Arc’s confirmed export scope includes PDF, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Markdown, ReqIF, CSV and plain text; the content and machine-readable relationships in each specific package still need reconciliation. File-format availability is distinct from preserving every workbook function.
Test direction, permissions and stale-source behaviour
| Case to demonstrate | Acceptance evidence | Decision if unresolved |
|---|---|---|
| Source value changes | Direction, source revision, mapped field and controlled proposal are explicit. | Keep the accepted programme value until the owner approves the update. |
| Sheet renamed or source cell removed | Stable source identification or visible missing-source exception. | Retain provenance and resolve the source mapping. |
| Permission revoked | No unauthorised read/write; visible failure and accountable owner. | Do not treat stale data as a successful refresh. |
| Interrupted update or retry | Which fields changed, failure state and duplicate prevention are inspectable. | Reconcile before repeating or accepting the package. |
| Programme field and workbook both change | Accepted conflict/authority rule rather than silent last-write replacement. | Stop dual entry for the affected authoritative field. |
These are cases to prove on the chosen interface, not procedural instructions for an untested connector. Arc’s approved integration and interchange categories also require deployment-specific confirmation.
Carry one imported requirement through review
Use a representative imported requirement, its controlled source file and a verification activity. Propose a change, inspect differences and ask named reviewers to record the disposition. The verification owner then identifies which result, procedure and configuration remain applicable. A successfully imported row does not by itself demonstrate that workflow.
The change protocol provides the separate technical exercise. Where delivery work also uses Jira, the Jira authority guide keeps ticket completion distinct from engineering acceptance.
Reconcile before changing authority
Compare source and mapped record counts, unique IDs, required fields, relationship endpoints/meaning, attachment references, baseline membership and historical decisions. Record every exception with an owner and acceptance rationale. Confirm the retained workbook and how new approved calculation revisions will enter the programme record.
Retain Excel for a stable small requirement scope or an established calculation workflow when it already provides defensible control. Retain installed Flow integrations when they meet the accepted boundary. Choose Arc for connected requirements, reviewed change and applicable evidence only after the mapping and coexistence decision are accepted; this guide supplies no completed Flow-to-Arc transfer evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Does CSV preserve Excel formulas?
CSV transfers the values represented in its fields; it does not preserve Excel formula logic, macros, formatting, comments, approvals or workbook behaviour. Retain the controlled workbook when those items remain authoritative and reconcile the transferred record values against its source revision.
Does a documented connector prove write-back?
No. Flow’s Excel page documents cell extraction and checks, but that does not establish arbitrary write-back, bidirectional sync, permission handling or failure behaviour. Demonstrate the proposed direction and field scope before adopting a connector workflow.
Can Excel remain the calculation authority?
Yes. Keep the calculation and its controlled source file in Excel while Arc maintains the agreed requirement records, relationships, review decisions and verification context. State who owns each value, how approved changes cross the boundary and which workbook revision supports the record.
What should happen when a source cell disappears?
The acceptance rule should flag the missing source and retain the last accepted value with its provenance until an owner resolves the change. Do not silently delete or zero a requirement. Test the exact connector or interchange route before relying on that behaviour.
Evaluate Arc
Connect a representative requirement set in Arc
Bring mapped requirement records and a retained workbook where calculations remain authoritative. Evaluate connected context, reviewed changes and verification evidence before accepting the mapping.
Luc will email from luc@archelps.com to arrange setup. Agree scope and data handling before adding programme information.