Approach
The columns of the list become a data model with data types: which records are there, where is data referenced that is currently entered twice, what actually belongs in the calendar, and what should rather become a PDF at the push of a button.
On top of that comes a web application with predefined input forms, views per role and a history for every entry. The existing data is carried over.
Anyone who does not want to leave Excel does not have to: on request, the new solution runs integrated directly in Excel.
What drives the effort
- How many different kinds of data and tables there are, and what should ideally be editable
- Which formulas and analyses it holds
- Whether VBA macros have to be translated
- Which records are to be taken over from external programs such as DATEV
Every quote is preceded by a free conversation.
In practice
Office add-inHutchinson Builders · Office add-in
Hutchies Project Planner
Microsoft Project add-in that syncs live project plans into a central Azure Data Lake automatically.
- Confidential Office add-inConfidential · Office add-in
Survey Reporting Engine
Replacement for an old VBA macro that turns survey results into statistical Excel reports, around a hundred times faster and finally reliable.
- Confidential Web application
Immobilienverwaltung
An Access database that carried the entire management of more than 1,000 properties, rebuilt as a web application: reachable from anywhere, without macros, without restores.
When it is not worth it
If the file mainly holds calculations, is used by only one or two people, others only read it, or a mistake has no serious consequences such as missed deadlines, lost control or open questions, Excel is the right choice.
Common questions
- Can we keep working in Excel?
Yes. The relevant parts of an important spreadsheet can be moved into a fully integrated application that runs and opens directly in Excel. Through interfaces, non-critical data can then be passed straight to your analyses while the core process stays protected.
- Isn’t that a big IT project?
No. The effort that goes into many Excel files is roughly comparable to that for a matching application. Where the programming takes longer, it saves time on data entry and troubleshooting.
- Can a program be as flexible as Excel?
Yes, especially since Excel’s flexibility is often not used. Usually an Excel file is built with much time and care to map the existing process perfectly. That file only works as long as every input field is filled and all data sits exactly in the predefined places. In that case an application is actually more robust and handles mistakes better.
More cases