Workbook auditing & error tracing
Find and fix broken references, circularity and wrong results in an inherited workbook.
20 project-authored proposals · taxonomy v1.1 · 0 new benchmark runs. Verifiers and partial-credit rules below are designs, not executed results.
- Typical applications
- Excel · Google Sheets
- Class GUI-need label
HY· Hybrid
Task proposals · 20
Expand to inspect the complete original wording and proposed checks. Original proposal text remains English in both interfaces.
R04.03.01.05-T01 Repair #REF! errors left by a deleted column in a summary sheet
Original instruction
Someone deleted column D (Q2) from 'Data' in fixtures/region_summary.xlsx; 'Summary'!C4:F12 now shows #REF! in 3 formula patterns. Restore the formulas so Summary again sums Q1–Q4 from 'Data' using the restored layout in input/layout_note.txt. Do not hardcode values.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 2 / 5
Proposed verifier
No error values on 'Summary' after Excel COM recalc; all target cells are formulas referencing 'Data'; values equal key; grader perturbs 'Data' and rechecks.
Proposed partial credit
30% no #REF! remains; 40% values correct; 30% formulas live under perturbation.
R04.03.01.05-T02 Explain and fix a dashboard total that misses appended rows
Original instruction
In Google Sheet 'Membership dashboard', B4 (total dues) disagrees with the sum of 'Data'!F. Find the cause, fix the formula so future rows are included, and write the cause in one sentence in note cell B20 (e.g. 'SUM range ended at row 412').
- Platforms
web· Any OS (web)- Applications
- Google Sheets
- Interfaces
brow· Browser- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 2 / 5
Proposed verifier
Sheets API: B4 formula uses an open-ended range (F2:F or equivalent) and equals sum of F; grader appends 30 rows and rechecks; B20 contains the true last-row number (412) and 'range'/'row' keywords (regex).
Proposed partial credit
50% B4 correct now and after append; 30% cause identified with row number; 20% no other cells changed.
R04.03.01.05-T03 Remove an interest–cash circular reference by restructuring
Original instruction
fixtures/project_finance.xlsx only computes with iterative calculation on, because interest depends on closing cash. Turn iteration off and restructure per input/modeling_rule.txt (interest on opening balance) so there is no circular reference; key outputs on 'Returns' must match the rule-based answer.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & formsnav· Pan/zoom/scroll- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
calcPr iterate off; grader's formula-graph analysis finds no cycles; Excel COM recalc 'Returns' IRR/NPV/min DSCR equal key (rel tol 1e-6); other sheets' input cells unchanged.
Proposed partial credit
25% iteration off; 35% cycle removed; 40% outputs equal key.
R04.03.01.05-T04 Find and fix eight seeded formula errors in a 5-year plan
Original instruction
fixtures/five_year_plan.xlsx contains 8 seeded errors: hardcoded numbers inside formulas, a row whose formula breaks the pattern, wrong absolute anchors, and a sum skipping a row. Fix every error and log each in output/audit_log.csv (sheet, cell, issue_type, fix).
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicknav· Pan/zoom/scrolltype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
Outputs on 'Summary' equal key after recalc; each seeded cell's formula is pattern-consistent (R1C1 equal to neighbors); audit_log precision/recall vs seeded list (cell match) ≥0.875 for full credit.
Proposed partial credit
50% errors fixed (pro-rata over 8); 30% audit log recall/precision; 20% outputs equal key.
R04.03.01.05-T05 Repoint and purge broken external links, including hidden ones
Original instruction
fixtures/consol_q3.xlsx links to three files on an old server path. Repoint the two valid links to fixtures/sub_a.xlsx and fixtures/sub_b.xlsx, and remove the third (obsolete) link everywhere it hides: cells, named ranges, conditional formats, data validation and a chart series. Save.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clickhover· Hover & contextnav· Pan/zoom/scroll- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
hidden· Hidden/stale state- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
externalLinks parts: exactly 2, targets the two local files; no reference to the obsolete file in names, CF, validation, chart XML or cells; Excel COM LinkSources lists 2; values after update equal key.
Proposed partial credit
30% two links repointed; 50% obsolete link removed from all 5 hiding places (pro-rata); 20% values correct.
R04.03.01.05-T06 Track down approximate-match VLOOKUPs returning wrong prices
Original instruction
Quotes in fixtures/quote_builder.xlsx are wrong for some SKUs because several VLOOKUPs across 4 sheets omit the exact-match argument on an unsorted price list. Fix every affected lookup (exact match, keep the rest of the formula), and write the number of formulas fixed in 'Notes'!B2.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
All VLOOKUP/HLOOKUP/MATCH calls into 'PriceList' use exact match; quote totals equal key; Notes!B2 equals the seeded count (37); no unrelated formulas changed (formula diff limited to the affected cells).
Proposed partial credit
50% affected lookups fixed (pro-rata); 25% quote totals correct; 15% count reported; 10% no collateral edits.
R04.03.01.05-T07 Fix a SUMIFS undercount caused by text numbers and trailing spaces
Original instruction
In fixtures/commission_calc.xlsx, 'Payout'!C2:C30 undercounts sales for some reps. The formulas are right; the source data in 'Sales' has text-stored amounts and trailing spaces in rep names. Clean the data in place so payouts are correct, and leave the formulas untouched.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clickvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
Payout formulas byte-identical to input; 'Sales' amounts numeric and names trimmed; payouts equal key after recalc; row count and order in 'Sales' unchanged.
Proposed partial credit
40% amounts converted; 30% names trimmed; 30% payouts correct with formulas untouched.
R04.03.01.05-T08 Trace a wrong KPI through six sheets to its single root cause
Original instruction
fixtures/ops_kpis.xlsx 'KPI'!E7 (on-time rate) is wrong, but its precedent chain spans 6 sheets. Trace it, fix only the one root-cause cell, and write that cell's address (e.g. 'Calc_Lead'!H112) in output/root_cause.txt. Changing any other cell is penalized.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicknav· Pan/zoom/scrollhover· Hover & context- Work product
WP12· Answer/decision- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
root_cause.txt equals the seeded address; workbook diff shows exactly one changed cell (the root cause) with a formula consistent with its neighbors; KPI!E7 equals key after recalc.
Proposed partial credit
40% root cause identified; 40% KPI correct; 20% no other changes.
R04.03.01.05-T09 Neutralize a very-hidden override sheet that alters inputs
Original instruction
Outputs in fixtures/pricing_model.xlsx ignore edits to 'Inputs' because a very-hidden sheet feeds overrides through IF formulas. Find it, remove its influence so 'Inputs' drives the model, keep the sheet for audit but make it visible and renamed 'OLD_Overrides', and save.
- Platforms
win· Windowsmac· macOS- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicknav· Pan/zoom/scroll- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
hidden· Hidden/stale state- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
Sheet renamed and state visible; no formula outside it references it; grader changes 5 inputs and checks outputs follow the reference model; other sheets' formulas differ only where the overrides were removed.
Proposed partial credit
25% hidden sheet found and made visible/renamed; 45% override references removed; 30% outputs respond correctly to inputs.
R04.03.01.05-T10 Diff two model versions and revert the unintended changes
Original instruction
Compare fixtures/model_v3.xlsx and fixtures/model_v4.xlsx (e.g. with Spreadsheet Compare). input/change_log.md lists the 6 intended changes. Revert every other changed formula or value in v4 back to v3, keep the intended ones, save output/model_v4_clean.xlsx and list reverted cells in output/reverted.csv.
- Platforms
win· Windows- Applications
- Excel · Spreadsheet Compare
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicknav· Pan/zoom/scrollmulti· Cross-app- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
Cell-level diff of output vs v3 equals exactly the 6 intended changes; reverted.csv lists the 11 seeded unintended changes (precision/recall); outputs equal key.
Proposed partial credit
45% unintended changes reverted (pro-rata of 11); 25% intended changes kept; 30% reverted.csv accuracy.
R04.03.01.05-T11 Find five unit mismatches between $k and $ sheets
Original instruction
fixtures/group_forecast.xlsx mixes sheets in $ and $k (the unit is in each sheet's A1). Five formulas combine values without converting. Fix them with explicit /1000 or *1000 factors referencing a named constant 'kFactor', so 'Group'!D20 matches the key.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicknav· Pan/zoom/scrolltype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
Each of 5 seeded cells references kFactor and yields the right magnitude; named constant kFactor = 1000 exists; Group!D20 equals key (rel tol 1e-9); no other formula changes.
Proposed partial credit
60% five mismatches fixed (pro-rata); 15% kFactor name; 25% group total correct.
R04.03.01.05-T12 Clean up a Name Manager with broken and shadowed names
Original instruction
fixtures/treasury_model.xlsx has 40 defined names; 9 refer to #REF!, and 6 sheet-scoped duplicates shadow workbook-level names with different ranges. Per input/names_spec.csv, fix or delete each broken name, remove the shadowing duplicates, and confirm all formulas still evaluate to the key.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
definedNames equal names_spec.csv (name, scope, refersTo); no #REF! names; no sheet-scoped duplicate of a workbook name; all output cells equal key after recalc with no error values.
Proposed partial credit
35% broken names resolved; 30% shadowing removed; 35% outputs correct and error-free.
R04.03.01.05-T13 Fix QUERY formulas broken by an inserted source column
Original instruction
In Google Sheet 'Grant reporting', a column was inserted in tab 'Raw' and 9 QUERY formulas across 3 report tabs now select the wrong columns (Col4 instead of Col5 and so on). Fix each QUERY so the reports again match input/expected_reports.xlsx.
- Platforms
web· Any OS (web)- Applications
- Google Sheets
- Interfaces
brow· Browser- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 3 / 5
Proposed verifier
Sheets API: 9 QUERY formulas reference the right column ids; report ranges equal expected_reports.xlsx; grader appends rows to 'Raw' and checks reports update.
Proposed partial credit
60% QUERY formulas fixed (pro-rata); 30% reports equal expected; 10% live after append.
R04.03.01.05-T14 Repair a frozen sensitivity data table
Original instruction
The what-if data table in fixtures/npv_sensitivity.xlsx 'Sens'!B4:H12 shows the same NPV everywhere. Calculation is set to 'Automatic except data tables' and the row/column input cells are swapped. Fix both so the grid shows NPV by WACC (rows) and growth (columns), matching the key.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & click- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
hidden· Hidden/stale state- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
calcPr calcMode auto (not autoNoTable); TABLE formula r1/r2 reference the correct input cells; Excel COM recalc yields grid equal key (rel tol 1e-6).
Proposed partial credit
30% calc mode fixed; 40% input cells corrected; 30% grid values correct.
R04.03.01.05-T15 Audit an inherited 14-sheet LBO model with 15 seeded defects
Original instruction
fixtures/lbo_inherited.xlsx (14 sheets) has 15 seeded defects of mixed type (sign errors, wrong period offsets, broken links, hardcodes, circularity, misapplied tax rate). Fix all of them and log each in output/audit_log.csv; outputs on 'Returns' must match the reference model within 0.01%.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicknav· Pan/zoom/scrolltype· Text & forms- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
long· Long-horizon- Proposed difficulty
- 5 / 5
Proposed verifier
Per seeded defect: cell(s) fixed (formula consistent with reference); 'Returns' IRR/MOIC/exit equity within 0.01%; audit_log precision/recall vs seeded list; no error values anywhere.
Proposed partial credit
45% defects fixed (pro-rata over 15); 25% outputs within tolerance; 20% audit log recall/precision; 10% no errors left.
R04.03.01.05-T16 Expose errors hidden by number formats on a client dashboard
Original instruction
fixtures/client_dashboard.xlsx looks clean, but custom formats (';;;', '0;;0', white font, IFERROR(...,"")) hide 12 broken or negative results. Find every masked problem, fix the underlying formulas, remove masking formats, and list each in output/masked_issues.csv.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
G2· GUI-essential- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
vis· Visual judgmentclick· Point & clicknav· Pan/zoom/scroll- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
hidden· Hidden/stale state- Proposed difficulty
- 5 / 5
Proposed verifier
12 seeded cells: formulas fixed and values equal key; masking formats removed from them; masked_issues.csv precision/recall; dashboard render (Excel COM PNG) vs reference SSIM ≥0.9 with corrected values visible. VBA, COM and AppleScript automation disabled, no Python in the VM; file must be saved by Excel (app.xml).
Proposed partial credit
50% masked issues fixed (pro-rata over 12); 20% masks removed; 20% issues list; 10% render match.
R04.03.01.05-T17 Find the edit that broke a shared budget in version history
Original instruction
In Google Sheet 'Dept budget FY26' (shared with 4 test editors), 'Total'!D9 changed last week and is now wrong. Use version history to find which edit introduced the error, restore only that cell's previous formula, and write the editor's name and the edit timestamp in 'Notes'!A1.
- Platforms
web· Any OS (web)- Applications
- Google Sheets
- Interfaces
brow· Browser- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
G2· GUI-essential- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicknav· Pan/zoom/scrollvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP12· Answer/decision- Conditions
hidden· Hidden/stale state- Proposed difficulty
- 5 / 5
Proposed verifier
Sheets API: the seeded cell's formula equals the pre-error version and Total!D9 equals key; no other cells differ from current version except Notes!A1; Notes!A1 contains the seeded editor name and the timestamp within ±1 minute.
Proposed partial credit
40% correct edit identified (name + time); 40% cell restored; 20% no other changes and no full-version restore.
R04.03.01.05-T18 Control pair of T04: detect seeded errors with a formula-graph script
Original instruction
Control pair of T04. On fixtures/five_year_plan.xlsx, use a Python formula library (openpyxl plus formulas or pycel) from the terminal to detect inconsistent row formulas, hardcoded constants in formulas and sums that skip rows, and write output/audit_log.csv in the same schema. No fixing required.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windowslin· Linux- Applications
- openpyxl · pycel
- Interfaces
term· Terminal- GUI need · task setting
CL· CLI-sufficient- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
code· Code & commands- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 2 / 5
Proposed verifier
audit_log.csv precision/recall vs the 8 seeded defects (cell match); compared against T04 to measure CLI vs GUI detection.
Proposed partial credit
60% recall (pro-rata over 8 defects); 40% precision.
R04.03.01.05-T19 Undo implicit-intersection '@' changes after a legacy array migration
Original instruction
After fixtures/allocations_legacy.xlsx was opened in Excel 365, legacy CSE arrays became single-cell formulas with '@' and some produce #SPILL! or truncated results. Restore the intended results: convert to dynamic arrays where the output should spill, keep '@' only where single values were intended (per input/intent.md).
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & formsvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
No #SPILL!/#CALC! after recalc; spill ranges equal intended shapes; values equal key; '@' remains only in the cells listed as single-value in intent.md.
Proposed partial credit
40% spill errors resolved; 35% values correct; 25% '@' usage matches intent.
R04.03.01.05-T20 Fix dates shifted by the 1904 date system after a cross-platform copy
Original instruction
fixtures/contracts_merged.xlsx was assembled from a Mac workbook using the 1904 date system and a Windows one using 1900; pasted dates on 'Renewals' are off by 4 years and 1 day, and IF(A=B) checks fail on float amounts. Correct the shifted dates and make equality checks rounding-safe so 'Alerts' match the key.
- Platforms
mac· macOSwin· Windows- Applications
- Excel
- Interfaces
desk· Desktop GUI- GUI need · task setting
HY· Hybrid- GUI need · ordinary access
CL· CLI-sufficient- Interaction primitives
click· Point & clicktype· Text & formsvis· Visual judgment- Work product
WP02· Records/table- Conditions
- None declared
- Proposed difficulty
- 4 / 5
Proposed verifier
Shifted date cells equal key dates (only seeded rows changed); workbook date1904 flag per spec; equality checks use ROUND or tolerance; 'Alerts' column equals key after recalc.
Proposed partial credit
45% shifted dates corrected (pro-rata); 25% unaffected dates unchanged; 30% alerts correct with rounding-safe checks.
Mapped research references
Existing benchmark-to-class links from the research catalog. They are not record-level annotations, executions or product endorsements.