It's hard to fully trust a model

Complexity grows with the number of cells and Excel formulas are tricky, making it difficult to fully audit a model. 

Your worst nightmare is your boss or client discovering an error during final decision meeting.

More sophistication typically means more errors

Every request to add a refinement to the model gives you cold sweat when you think of the effort to re-check everything. 

You frequently push back since it would take too much time and add too much risk.

Validation and handover are illusions

Fully explaining the model to a colleague would require to verify every formula, which is impossible when the model is large. 

Despite their best efforts, most models are abandoned when their creator hands them over.

Centered on the business professional 

Many domains have their specialized modeling software, but not corporate decision-making. How many times have we collectively recreated a valuation model or a project ROI model? 

A business-oriented approach is needed to program our models using a more concise and efficient language.

Transparency at the core

The logic of a sophisticated model is highly non-linear, with many branches that split and merge. 

This needs to be represented visually with information that can be understood fast. Formulas do not offer that type of transparency, so this requires an innovative approach.

Errors minimized at the source

Typical errors in data processing have been known for decades. A formula not properly dragged to the bottom of the column, duplicate records in a table joined using VLOOKUP, all these have led to catastrophic consequences.

We believe the software should prevent these errors or at least warn the user if they're at risk.

Can I share a model I built with River?

Absolutely, it is strongly encouraged. River models are saved in the Excel workbook with the data it uses, making sharing very easy.

Anybody can install River, open the Excel file,  and explore the input data, model map and parameters.

Users with a paid license can edit the model without any restrictions.

Users with a File-based license (which can be issued by Consultant users) can also change the data and run the model.

What if I don't want to use River anymore?

The River Viewer version is available for free, so you will always be able to open your model, just not edit it. 

All parameters are visible, so if you want to recreate your model using plain Excel you can use it as a guide.

Will River be approved by my IT department?

River has been carefully designed to have the smallest possible footprint. 

It is packaged in a single Excel Add-In, doesn't send data outside your computer and can be deployed using corporate IT tools. 

If you can already use think-cell (another popular Add-In), chances are your IT will easily approve it. Otherwise feel free to contact us at info@river-software.com.

What support do we offer?

We provide support via our forum, and for Consulting customers, via email.

I have sensitive data in my models. Is it secure?

River runs entirely on your computer, no data from your workbook is ever shared leaving your computer. 

Are links to other websites approved?

Although this Website may be linked to other websites, we are not, directly or indirectly, implying any approval.