48.5 Using the Excel Front-End

Now that you have added an analysis button into Excel, the Excel workbook serves as a front-end for the TreeAge model. You can:

  • Edit model inputs in Excel.

  • Run model analyses from Excel.

  • Receive model outputs in Excel.

The following Bilinks Example model and its associated workbook can be used to test out how an End User would receive the finished model.

  • MarkovCancerDecision_Bilinks_withButtons.trex

  • MarkovCancerDecision_inputs_and_outputs_buttons.xlsx

The following steps which the end user can conduct will ensure the Excel workbook is connected to TreeAge, so the model can be run entirely from Excel.

To share the model with an End-User (who is not a TreeAge Pro user), provide the following instructions:

  1. Save the TreeAge Pro model and the Excel file in the same folder.

  2. Start TreeAge Pro.

  3. Start Excel.

  4. Open the Excel workbook.

  5. Click on an Excel analysis button to run analyses in TreeAge Pro, which should automatically open the TreeAge Pro model. Note that occasionally Excel will open a second instance of the workbook. If that happens, close the first instance and work with the second.

  6. Change an input value in Excel.

  7. Click the analysis button and see the output results change.

  8. In the case of the example models we have provided, this looks like opening the Excel workbook, MarkovCancerDecision_inputs_and_outputs_buttons.xlsx. Go to the Model Outputs tab and select the “Rankings” button to run the analysis.

As the model builder, it will be important to ensure you label and highlight the model input cells where the user can change the values which are inputs to the model. Similarly, when the user runs the analysis, it should be obvious where the model outputs are going to change.

NOTE: The end user needs to have an active version of TreeAge Pro for the model to work with bilinks.