NOTE: this web-page is outdated. The TellTable project is no
longer active, though some of the ideas have been used in other
software e.g., Savvydox.
TellTable is a cross-platform, open source network application framework which provides a secure and auditable multi-user system for managing, reviewing, tracking, auditing and analyzing all spreadsheet changes.
Have you ever modified and corrupted a spreadsheet with an inadvertent cut and paste? Trans-Alta Utilities made a $24 million (US) error this way.
Have you ever wondered if projections and forecast are REALLY done correctly using details and formulas… or are they simply the result of blindly plugging in numbers? There is no way to know!
Look no further! TellTable can help! It is the first systematic framework for providing a full audit trail of a spreadsheet. Every change is recorded.
TellTable is a collaborative project with the participation of government, private and academic workers. It is built upon open source components. Clients of TellTable will have access to the source code.
TellTable has two main elements:
TellTable-Analyse, a Java program that allows the spreadsheet audit trail to be reviewed and analyzed. The user may apply various filters, for example, to view just transactions made by a particular employee in a particular time period.
TellTable-SBox, a specially configured Linux server that runs the spreadsheet in a secure, controlled and manageable way. TellTable-SBox provides a complete version history of files, file-locking, and control of who can access which files, all via a web-browser. Note that SBox may be useful to applications outside of TellTable and enquiries are welcomed.
A TellTable server permits the shared, auditable use of any OpenOffice.org office-suite file, and can also launch customized applications. telltable-s is the open source software project site for these developments.
Marketing: Mary M. Nash, Nash Information Services Inc., mnash_@_nashinfo.com, (613) 236 6108
Academic: Prof. J C Nash, School of Management, University of Ottawa, nashjc_@_uottawa.ca, or Prof. Andy Adler, School of Information Technology and Engineering, University of Ottawa, adler_@_site.uottawa.ca
TellTable-Analyse: Neil F. Smith, neil.f.smith_@_sympatico.ca
You can try out TellTable with our TellTable LiveCD (based on the
Knoppix liveCD version 3.3).
Download
the ISO image (was available) as http://macnash.telfer.uottawa.ca/files/ttk041027.iso.
Note: this is a BIG file -- about 600 MB. You will then need
to burn the image onto a CD and "boot" it in your Intel/AMD PC.
We need to run a server and two clients to demonstrate TellTable
fully.
TellTable and the content of these web pages are Copyright © A Adler, J C Nash and N Smith, 2003