Media, Press & Videos

EuSpRIG Press & Website

EuSpRIG and the Annual Conference is regularly covered in the international press, on web sites, discussion groups and blogs:

There are many links worldwide to the EuSpRIG website [see a 2010 report for more details]

EuSpRIG Presentations

EuSpRIG has been, and continues to be, invited to give talks & presentations internationally on spreadsheet risks and related tools and techniques:

Training Videos

The Department of Management at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand have produced an excellent series of Youtube videos explaining key aspects of the use of spreadsheets. The videos were developed by Dr Nicola Petty and edited by William Petty. They are used for teaching first year Quantitative Methods for Business and Management Science. Each video includes some element of spreadsheet checking or testing. We recommend them to you.

  • Absolute or Relative References in Excel
    A light-hearted clip explaining the use of absolute and relative references in spreadsheets. Makes the key point that constants should be located separately and not embedded in formulae.
  • Spreadsheet style
    Four basic rules for spreadsheet style, given in a light-hearted way. Identifies the different requirements between spreadsheets that are only used once by oneself versus spreadsheets that may be used more than once, by multiple users and after the passage of time. Continues the story of Helen and the Choco nutties.
  • Introduction to Excel Solver
    A step-by-step explanation of how to use Excel Solver, with an example using children’s Lego bricks. Probably the clearest (and most amusing) explanation of linear programming there is. Demonstrates numerous positive aspects of spreadsheet style, addresses spreadsheet testing. Includes the classic statement “Make sure the spreadsheet works before using Solver”.
  • Understanding the p-value
    A down-to-earth and light-hearted illustration of the use of the p- value in statistics.
  • Excel Scatter-plots
    How to draw scatter-plots and fit a line using Excel, and what they mean. Promotes the useful concept of de-cluttering graphics.
  • Hypothesis testing
    A description of how to test for the difference of two means. Continues the adventures of Helen and her Choco Nutties. Uses Excel to calculate the p-value relating to the difference between two means and provides a clear explanation. Introductory companion video to “Differences between means in Excel”.
  • Differences between means in Excel
    Teaches how to use Excel for hypothesis testing of the differences between two means. It is a follow-on companion video to “Hypothesis Testing”. Illustrates the concept of checking that the output from an Excel Calculation is what you expect, and the related concept that many Excel reports are static and will not then change following changes to the underlying Excel spreadsheet.
  • Confidence intervals in Excel
    A brief explanation of the nature of confidence intervals, followed by an example of finding a confidence interval of a mean in Excel. Demonstrates the uses of a simple check to ensure that the Excel output is as expected.

EuSpRIG FSA Presentations

EuSpRIG has benefited from substantive and authoritative input from a senior member of the Financial Services Authority in previous years. In 2009 a keynote presentation was given by Deniz Sumengen of the Financial Reporting Council. We reproduce here the presentations given. We seek further active involvement from regulatory authorities and central banks.

To view the following presentations you need PowerPoint Viewer. If you don’t have PowerPoint Viewer you can download it here…