Spreadsheets Everywhere

​How many spreadsheets do you think are floating around on your workplace system? Does it make your head spin to even think about it? You’re not alone. Spreadsheet overload is a very common workplace issue.

​One reason spreadsheet proliferation is so common is because spreadsheets are being used to store data. Excel and other spreadsheet programs were designed to analyze information, not store it. Data storage is best managed with a database application.
 
However, in the nitty-gritty reality of real-world workplaces, information analysis and data storage are not so cut and dry. Often, there is specialized information which doesn’t quite “fit” into an organization’s enterprise level software. When this happens, Excel is an easy, convenient way to manage the specialized data.
 
Yet – there is a reason spreadsheets have such a bad reputation for errors. One very common cause for inaccuracies is the need to replicate spreadsheets over multiple reporting periods. Because spreadsheet data storage is so inefficient, users find themselves recreating workbook applications at the beginning of new reporting periods.
 
One example might be sales information where there is a different sales workbook for every year. When year-end arrives, the spreadsheet workbook is copied and saved as the new year’s application. Not only is this replication a huge contributor to spreadsheet overload; it also produces errors.
 
The process of copying/saving spreadsheets can break formulas and calculations. Also, if formulas and calculations are linked to other spreadsheets, replication can also destroy links and end up causing problems. If these breakdowns go unnoticed, or are not properly repaired, then mistakes occur. After numerous replications, it’s impossible to know where all the errors are and how extensive the problem is across the various spreadsheets.
 
Beyond the issue of error propagation, replicated Excel applications also create duplicate data sets. If – for instance – a network has multiple sales workbooks spanning several years, then common sales information (customer names, etc.…) is duplicated across all those spreadsheets. Not only is key information duplicated; spelling variations also proliferate. These types of duplicated, datasets are very difficult to effectively compile and study with any accuracy.
 
If these kinds of issues are showing up in your workplace, then it is time to consider evolving and migrating the offending spreadsheet applications to a database application. Microsoft created Excel to analyze data, but within its Office Suite, Microsoft also provides Access. Access is a database program that organizations use to house unique information which doesn’t quite “fit” into an enterprise-wide software program.
 
Like Excel, MS Access can be customized to an organization’s specific needs. MS Access is the best RAD (Rapid Application Development) tool on the market. So, it is possible to get an Access solution up and running in a timely manner, and at an affordable rate.
 
Since Access is part of the Office Suite, it is designed to work seamlessly with other Office Suite products. This means that when the time comes to analyze the data, it is quite easy to dump data to Excel for analytical purposes. But the data itself is stored and managed in a database application. This diminishes the Excel error rate dramatically, to say nothing of all the spreadsheets stored all over your network that everyone has lost track of.

More Data Management Articles

• ​Microsoft Access and Data Integration
• Yes – Microsoft Access works in a Multi-User Environment
• YES – Microsoft Access Can be Used Securely
• Deploying Microsoft Access in a Remote Environment
• Why You Should Care about RAD and How It Impacts Your Bottom Line ....
• Do you have questions about your own data management project? Contact Michelle.