Essential Calculate lets you add calculation support to objects by implementing an ICalcData interface. CalcQuick and CalcDataGrid both implement ICalcData, which gives them their calculation support.
ICalcData is designed around a rectangular array of data, but this rectangular design can be hidden as seen in CalcQuick.
Here is a simple application of this concept:
When using Excel to design a workbook with a series of spreadsheets to calculate values based on inputs; using inputs like age, gender, state, and car model, you could have a workbook that does a series of lookups and then produces how much insuring a car may cost an individual.
You could use Essential Calculate plus Essential XlsIO to read this workbook, accept a series of inputs, and output a series of results all on a machine that does not host Excel.
Excel Workbook Car Insurance Sample
Form Interface to Workbook
This form can access the .xls file, thus allowing you to perform calculations, even when you don't have Excel on the system.
