Why Spreadsheets Excel
A few advantages of DoveTailTools spreadsheets compared to …
… programs
No “Running”
Running or refreshing calculations to update results, as is necessary for most programs, interrupts the work flow.
Spreadsheets update instantly with each press of Enter, providing immediate feedback and keeping your design process fast, fluid, and uninterrupted.
No Squinting
Programs have fixed interfaces with locked text sizes, and with high resolution monitors small text sizes cause eye strain.
Spreadsheets let you zoom, pan, resize views, and use multiple views, and that flexibility both reduces eye strain and improves the efficiency of the work flow.
Processor Speed
Older processors struggled with large spreadsheets, so programs were necessary to keep calculations running smoothly.
Modern processors breeze through complex spreadsheets, reducing the need for specialized programs and keeping workflows simpler and more flexible.
… modeling programs
Specialization
Modeling programs are like Swiss army knives - optimized for modeling; not optimized for the design of building systems.
DTT spreadsheets focus on specific building systems, resulting in more rigorous and accurate calculations than typically provided by modeling programs.
Navigation
Modeling programs require connected systems for design calculations, and connecting systems is labor intensive.
DTT spreadsheets require only the inputs needed for calculations, letting you connect systems quickly and move from input to results with minimal overhead.
Simplicity
Modeling programs rely on deep menu structures that are not organized and optimized for systems calculations.
DoveTailTools spreadsheets have a clean tabbed layout built solely for systems calculations, keeping essential tools visible and navigation straightforward.
… your custom spreadsheets
How many of these features do your custom spreadsheets have?
Consistency
Custom spreadsheets often vary widely in layout and structure, especially when created by different team members.
DoveTailTools spreadsheets use a unified layout and workflow, helping users work efficiently and reducing time spent interpreting varying formats.
Complete Systems
Many custom spreadsheets calculate only the presumed critical path of piping systems, leaving other paths unexamined.
DTT piping system spreadsheets evaluate complete systems and determine the true critical path automatically from all available flow paths.
Instant Feedback
Custom spreadsheets rarely alert you when input changes break formulas or create inconsistencies in dependent cells.
DTT spreadsheets highlight discrepancies immediately via text color feedback, helping you to catch issues early and to maintain confidence in the results.
Automatic Sizing
Custom spreadsheets ofter require selecting pipe sizes manually, making system wide adjustments slow and error prone.
DoveTailTools spreadsheets include profiles for automatically sizing pipe segments that also resize entire piping systems quickly with just a few clicks.
Pressure Loss Rates
Custom spreadsheets often require entering pressure loss rates manually for each segment of the piping system.
DTT spreadsheets calculate pressure loss rates automatically, resulting in calculations that dynamically update with every change of fixture or appliance.
Optimization
Custom spreadsheets typically return only calculated values, without tools for exploring more efficient system configurations.
DoveTailTools spreadsheets include profiles, wizards, solvers, and other features that help you optimize systems rather than just simply calculate them.
Autofill
Many custom spreadsheets require manual entries for every input, even when values follow predictable patterns.
DTT spreadsheets include autofill features for many of the inputs, which can speed data entry significantly while still accommodating manual overriding.
Automatic Elbows
Custom piping system spreadsheets typically require inputting the number of elbows for each piping segment.
One of the more prominent autofill features included in DTT piping system spreadsheets is size based profiles for automatically including elbows in piping segments.
Templates (Ventimental)
Custom ventilation spreadsheets typically require the user to input information for every zone separately.
Ventimental includes templates that can be defined and referenced for spaces that have the same dimensions, the same occupancy, and other similarities.
Default Settings
Custom spreadsheets tend to have relatively few settings, and those settings often are not organized or consolidated.
All of the numerous settings of DTT system spreadsheets are on a dedicated worksheet, and those settings are preset to common selections to speed up input.
Fixture Unit Tracking (HIIO)
Custom spreadsheets for sizing domestic water piping typically require inputting the fixture units served by each segment.
HIIO keeps track of the fixture units served by each segment (combined, CW, & HW), and calculates the flow rate of each segment based on the applicable Hunter's curve.
User Manuals
Custom spreadsheets often lack sufficient documentation, leaving users with little recourse when outputs are suspect.
DoveTailTools spreadsheets are provided with comprehensive user manuals with clickable tables of contents for quick navigation and clarity.
Reports I
Custom spreadsheets layouts tend to be a compromise between input and output, resulting in loosely formatted printouts.
DTT spreadsheets input and output sheets are independently formatted, the former optimized for work flow and the latter configured for professional grade reports.
Reports II
Custom spreadsheets rarely produce reports of the grade expected in professional engineering documentation.
DTT reports include a cover page, a summary page with general notes and with a table of contents with page numbers, and a glossary page for acronyms.
Reports III
Custom spreadsheet printouts often aren’t configured for multi‑page output or consistent headers and footers.
DTT printouts are formatted for standard letter or A4 paper in landscape view for optimum viewing, with unified headers, footers, and page numbering throughout.