{
  "id": 11417773,
  "title": "10 things Excel cannot do but VisiMark can",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/10-things-excel-cannot-do-but-visimark-can",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-02T10:36:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/holdmybear/10-things-excel-cannot-do-but-visimark-can-2241"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "1. VisiMark documents are saved as Markdown files, whereas Excel files are compressed XML files. This structural difference impacts how the files are rendered and processed.\n\n2. When changes are made to the quantity in an invoice, VisiMark fails the Continuous Integration (CI) process if the calculated numbers do not match the rules. In contrast, Excel recalculates the figures when the workbook is opened. This highlights VisiMark's stricter adherence to defined rules compared to Excel's dynamic recalculations.\n\n3. VisiMark allows formatting a number within a sentence to match a formula's outcome, such as displaying \"23300.00 PLN\" for the net amount of tax. However, Excel lacks a feature to display such formatted figures as regular Markdown.\n\n4. VisiMark enforces a strict date format, requiring dates to be in ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD) format. It rejects ambiguous or incorrectly formatted dates, like \"11/12/2026,\" which Excel might interpret differently based on the system's locale settings.\n\n5. Unlike Excel, VisiMark does not include any internal clock or automatic date/time functions like TODAY() or NOW(). Opening the same commit twice results in identical numbers, ensuring consistency across different checkouts.\n\n6. VisiMark can infer a rule from a table, as demonstrated with pricing. By running the 'infer' command, it automatically generates a formula that accurately represents every row's relationship. Excel would require manual input of formulas for each scenario.\n\n7. VisiMark can state an invariant within the same document, checking that variance equals zero. This invariant is checked alongside the numbers, ensuring that any discrepancies are immediately flagged. Excel lacks this capability to enforce such rules directly within the file.\n\n8. VisiMark enables parameterized what-if analyses through the 'eval' command with scenarios. These scenarios are provided as JSON files, allowing for varied testing without altering the original document. Excel does not support such scenario-based evaluations.\n\n9. VisiMark can tie a CSV file to a specific hash within the document, ensuring that any changes to the file's content will be detected. This differential check is absent in Excel, which imports CSV files without enforcing such checks.\n\n10. VisiMark allows charts to be committed as separate files, which are then checked for byte-level consistency. This means the chart image is stored independently and can be verified separately from the data. In Excel, the chart is embedded within the workbook, tied to its calculations.",
  "summary": "An .xlsx is a zip of XML. A VisiMark document is a Markdown file. What follows is what that difference does. 1. Show the formulas in the pull request The rules sit in the file as text: Net = Qty * Rate VAT precision 2 = Net * vat GitHub renders the tables. The diff of a quantity change is one line: -| On-call support | hour | 12 | 260.00 | 3120.00 | 717.60 | 3837.60 | +| On-call support | hour |…",
  "key_points": [
    "VisiMark saves documents as Markdown files, while Excel uses compressed XML files.",
    "VisiMark enforces strict date format (ISO 8601) and rejects ambiguous dates, unlike Excel."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}