UK-Based Bespoke Business Software
Missing out isn't fun. Whether it is spending more time with family or friends, or having more time to work on growing your business, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. It can be easy to get dragged along by the latest distraction. Suddenly you wonder where the day has gone and there's still so much to do. It can seem that this is the only way to be. Isn't everyone else behaving the same way? Well, not everyone... ...
In the final round we look at which tool is the better long term platform for your business as it adapts and grows.
As your business develops and grows, and your market evolves and matures, you want your business systems to have the scope and flexibility to develop and grow with you. How is this best achieved whilst ensuring that bureaucracy bloat is kept to a minimum?
As a business grows and becomes more complex its systems need to help keep you on top of this.
You may need to develop more systems and processes. These will need controls and measures in place. Staff training and monitoring becomes more important.
If you were to base a growing business on a spreadsheet system you would ...
In this penultimate round we look at whether spreadsheets or database are a more effective tool when you want to monitor and review your team's performance. How do each of these bits of software help you keep on track with who is doing what, their progress, who is reaching new heights and who needs some help.
How would you use a spreadsheet to monitor and review your team's performance?
You could keep track of certain key measurements, such as sales, in a list and then compile these into a graph showing changes over time. ...
In round 8 of 10 we turn to the key element of Task Delegation. In order for a business to grow, work must be delegated to new and less experienced staff. How do our two contenders fare at helping the business owner to offload some of the day to day grind?
The most up to date version of Microsoft Excel, at this point in time, is Microsoft Excel 2013.
There is now the option to share spreadsheets more successfully using the subscription based Office 365 which can synchronise files between a shared online folder and individual PCs.
There is also the option to work on the files online using the online versions of the main MS Office programs (Word, Excel and PowerPoint). These are better than the Google counterparts but are still not nearly as powerful and flexible as the more traditional, locally installed MS Office suite. ...
In round seven we look at how much both of these platforms can defend themselves from human error. In our businesses we have processes and procedures in place to achieve tasks in the most efficient and coordinated way. However, simple mistakes and unforeseen circumstances will cause these to occasionally fail.
With computers we can further enhance this protection by systematically blocking certain behaviours.
Within Microsoft Excel it is possible to set a password for the entire workbook (or file). Using that in combination with the individual cell properties it is possible to make certain cells read-only, therefore blocking the user from making any alterations to that cell.
You can also hide columns, rows and worksheets with a workbook. This means that you can hide certain aspects of the spreadsheet. However, with the single password you can undo all these preventative measures and make hidden elements visible again. ...
Moving into the second half of this Spreadsheets vs Database contest we look at how to restrict user access by using logins and setting access levels. That is, allowing certain people to see certain things, but not others.
This is about keeping our more sensitive information secure and private, such as payroll or customer information. In addition, restricting access based on a user's logon priviledges can also be helpful in keeping software simple to use as the user is not presented with too many options at once.
Within Microsoft Excel it is possible to set a password for the entire workbook (or file). Using that in combination with the individual cell properties it is possible to make certain cells read-only, therefore blocking the user from making any alterations to that cell.
You can also hide columns, rows and worksheets with a workbook. This means that you can hide certain aspects of the spreadsheet. However, with the single password you can undo all these preventative measures and make hidden elements visible again. ...
As we reach half-way in this Spreadsheets vs Databases 10 round bout, we look at the perennial favourite, Cut'n'Paste Errors. These are when a user cuts and pastes data from one place to another and loses something vital along the way, or just moves it to somewhere unsuitable.
We are all familiar with the headline news caused by spreadsheet horror stories. Should this be an easy round for databases? ...
The Free Dictionary defines Business Intelligence as '.. a set of theories, methodologies, processes, architectures, and technologies that transform raw data into meaningful and useful information for business purposes.' It goes on to say that Business Intelligence '..can handle large amounts of information to help identify and develop new opportunities.'
So, how do Spreadsheets and Databases measure up when looking into Business Intelligence and the ability to identify new trends and direction for the business? Spreadsheets vs databases moves on to round four... ...
In the third round of this comparison of Spreadsheets and Databases we look at Instant Reporting.
Computers can compile information into useful outputs, like invoices, and insightful reports if we feed it the correct data. Which of our two contenders will come out on top?
With Microsoft Office, Excel can give you pretty graphs which you can tinker with for what seems like hours of pure pre-presentation pleasure. But, it can be very time-consuming if you have to pull data in from several different sources to generate the report you need. There is also the worry about the accuracy and age of the data. Because there are so many manual steps required there is also a much greater possibility of human error creeping in. ...
Continuing our examination of which is more useful in the office, spreadsheets or databases, we look at task automation.One of the benefits of computers in the modern workplace is that they can automate many dull, repetitive tasks and complete them in seconds. This makes a business more productive and efficient and allows staff to concentrate on creative, value-adding activities.
So, which one is better at it, spreadsheets or databases?
I think we have probably all used spreadsheets to do some calculations at some point, perhaps adding up a column of numbers or something like that. So, Excel can do some calculation for simple things like that. How does it fair with more complex things like, printing out a payment reminder? How about printing out all your payment reminders? I realise that is a lot more complicated than just adding up some numbers, but it is a real day-to-day task which is important but time-consuming. Well, with Excel we can automate things a bit more than just doing sums by using macros. ...
