[DavidPeiffer]

>I think one challenge is that the variable names in Excel (B3, B2-10 for a list) are not easily converted to descriptive names.

It takes some getting used to, but you can pretty easily create a named range for an individual cell by modifying the value immediately left of the formula bar. You can also setup a table to hold data (insert -> table).

Tables can be renamed and allow formulas like =sum(tbl_salaries[salary]).

With named ranges, your formula can look like =purchase_price*sales_tax

[eviks]

and then Excel has another inconvenient UI to manage all that, so it's not really easy overall