Excel remains by far the most popular software used by businesses. Excel spreadsheets are essential tools for businesses to keep a host of their processes organized, but the Microsoft spreadsheet solution has many features that are particularly inconvenient, even making life more difficult.
Enterprises often find themselves facing issues with Excel, and EASA’s software eliminates the risk of spreadsheet chaos. Using the EASA platform, businesses are able to convert Excel spreadsheets into web apps without need for programming knowledge, and the resulting web apps use the existing spreadsheets while eliminating the direct access that so often results in exposed IP, undesirable edits and version confusion. Let’s take a look at the main reasons why we think our web-based Excel solution will be the best fit for your business.
It’s easy to make mistakes in Excel sheets
Even though Excel is very useful, sharing spreadsheets can cause problems when multiple people need to input and amend data. A mistake in input, an incorrect data format (such as a date) or an overwriting of a formula or logic can result in untold amounts of wasted time and inefficiency, and even financial implications worth millions or billions of dollars.
Alternatively, turning Excel sheets into web apps can keep sensitive data secure while the app itself can be freely shared within and outside your organization without concern that sensitive information or proprietary formulas will be written over or deleted. Using an EASA app, each user can only see the information you want them to see, with all amendments saved for them centralized on your corporate network or, if preferred, in the cloud. This lets them share their version of the information with others but prevents any user’s changes, or errors, from impacting the spreadsheet as a whole.
There is a constant risk of version confusion
When spreadsheets are shared among users and organizations, there can be confusion over which version is the master. In many cases, this results in multiple copies on various computers and incorrect copies being sent across departments or to customers, clients, or suppliers. We at EASA refer to this inconvenient and troubling phenomenon as “version confusion”.
With the web app, version confusion is a thing of the past, democratising access to a range of documents – ideal for financial modeling, CPQ forms, scenario modeling, and many other types of modelling. The EASA allows businesses to create a custom web app without coding knowledge, which can be tailored to their needs. As the correct version of the spreadsheet (centrally stored) is hardwired into the app, the data can be saved in a central relational database (supplied with the EASA system), ensuring that the correct version is always used and the correct data is available in one place rather than scattered spreadsheets.
Excel isn’t always secure
Microsoft Excel is a program that, despite being widely used and created by one of the industry giants, has many security holes, making it virtually impossible to fully protect. Despite means to “lock”, hide, and protect information, hacks are easily done and take little more than a Google search to figure out.
Creating a web app from your Excel spreadsheet, on the other hand, keeps the underlying spreadsheet hidden, running as the logic engine for your application very own unique browser-based application. This web page format will allow all of the functionality of your spreadsheet, including macros, VB and other custom code, but only allowing certain authorized users to access whatever level of the document is required.
Automation and integration is not easy
Spreadsheets often require input or access to other data sources or programs, and this is frequently accomplished with copy and paste activities and manually accessing and running other tools. In Excel, it is difficult or impossible to automate data exchange and run other programs, resulting in inefficient additional work. With EASA, on the other hand, data can be generated by running other programs or querying databases – without involving the user. EASA can automatically query databases, CRM systems, and ERP systems, reducing errors and inefficiency.
What about approvals and e-signatures?
Because Excel is not a workflow management tool, it is difficult or impossible to require a user to follow a defined process. You can include approvals and input from other entities and branches in the process flow of your web app with EASA. It can automatically send notifications through email, making the process even more streamlined.
