1.   What is QC Workbench?

         
a)    Q.   What is QC Workbench?
     A.   QC Workbench is a desktop application, designed for Quality Control Professionals, who need to automate the validation of large batches of Excel spreadsheet reports.
         
         
2.   How does QC Workbench work?
         
a)    Q.   How does QC Workbench work?
     A.   QC Workbench works by opening your Excel workbooks as OLE DB data sources allowing them to be queried with SQL, similar to an Access database. SQL can pinpoint and/or summarize exactly the spreadsheet data-points you need to validate. The process is extremely fast and efficient, and thousands of reports can be validated in minutes.  Thus, a query against a spreadsheet can be compared with a query against any other database. 
         
b)    Q.   What kinds of reports can QC Workbench validate?
     A.   Currently QC Workbench can validate Excel spreadsheet reports. This includes Excel Workbooks with extension .Xls  and Excel 2007 workbooks with extension Xlsx, Xlsb and Xlsm.
         
c)    Q.   Does QC Workbench update my reports in any way?
     A.   No. QC Workbench only reads reports. QC Workbench has no update capability.
         
d)    Q.   Is there any limit to the number of reports a QC Workbench project can process in one batch?
     A.   No.
         
e)    Q.   What limitations are placed on QC Workbench when in demo mode?
     A.   In demo mode only two projects are visible and only five tasks are visible per project. Of course, once activated with a product registration key, all projects and tasks are visible.
         

f)

 

Q.

 

Can Tasks query any brand of database

   

A.

 

Your Tasks may query any SQL type database that supports OLE DB connections.

         
g)    Q.   Can password protected workbooks be validated?
     A.  

Yes, if the Excel workbooks were protected by the Password to modify feature when saved, they can be validated by QC Workbench.

 But, if the Excel workbooks were protected by the Password to open feature when saved, they cannot be read by QC Workbench and can only be opened and read by Excel.
         
h)    Q.   Can hidden spreadsheets within workbooks be read and validated?
     A.   Yes, hidden spreadsheets can be read and validated. Also, hidden columns can be read and validated.
         
i)    Q.   How does QC Workbench know what parameters to pass to tasks so that they reflect the unique properties of each spreadsheet being validated?
     A.   Each project has a Report List Query that generates the list of report names to be validated. This Report List Query can include columns that reflect the unique properties of each report, such as a territory ID, product ID, or run date, etc., which can be passed, as parameters, to the tasks.
         
j)    Q.   How do I develop the Report List Query?
     A.    There are two ways to develop the Report List Query.   
1. The first method employs an SQL query, where the first column is the report file name, and subsequent columns reflect the properties of the reports such as a territory ID, product ID, or run date, etc., which can be passed as parameters to your tasks.  
   
2. The second method employs a standard directory search model using a partial file name and wild cards. With this method, you may extract sub-strings from the report file names that reflect the properties of the reports such as a territory ID, product ID, or run date, etc.,  which can be passed as parameters to your tasks.
         
3.   Security
         
a)    Q.   Are projects I develop visible to other users?
     A.   Yes, project meta-data is stored in a common SQL Server database called QCWorkbench, so other users can view and run projects. 
         
b)    Q.   Where are users’ database connection strings stored?
     A.  

Every user maintains their own database connection strings. Connection strings are kept private, encrypted, and are stored locally on the user’s workstation.

  Before a project can be run by a user, it must be assigned a locally stored connection string. This assignment is also stored locally. In this way connection meta-data is separated from project meta-data. A simple connection wizard walks the user through the connection string building process.
         
         
         
4.   System Requirements
         
a)    Q.   What are the system requirements for QC Workbench?
     A.   Only .NET 3.5 is required to be installed on the user’s computer.
         
b)    Q.   Does QC Workbench use a common database to store users’ project meta-data?
     A.   Yes, QC Workbench uses a common database, called QCWorkbench, to store user’s project meta-data.
         
c)    Q.   What brand of database does QC Workbench store its common projects database on?
     A.   QC Workbench requires SQL Server 2005 or higher to store its projects database on.  
         
d)    Q.   How is the common projects database created?
     A.   A simple-to-use wizard can be used to create the QC Workbench database by any user with DBA rights on the database server where the database is to reside. To do this in QC Workbench, start the Projects Database Connection Setup Wizard, and look for Create a New Projects Database.