Jonathan Bennett

Crank Excel to 11 with custom code

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This week we looked at spreadsheets and how they can be a fantastic long term solution to many business problems.

That said, spreadsheets have limitations and you should keep them in mind. More than just a limitation, there comes a time when it might make sense to let your spreadsheet evolve to its next form, custom software. When you let this happen you can quickly access significant advantages:

  1. Multiple Access: Most modern systems are backed by a server and allow simultaneous access to multiple people. Now you don’t have to wait for Bob to submit your TPS report. You can even go so far as to do collaboration where multiple people are able to work on the same area at the same time.
  2. Avoid Regressions: A regression is when you fix something and accidentally un-fix it later on. With testing, this is something you can avoid, increasing your confidence in the system.
  3. Storage: While modern hard drives have nearly infinite storage space, Excel can only handle a million rows of data. This might sound like a lot, but it isn’t. As your system grows and is used to manage and monitor more parts of your business, total record count growth can explode. Fortunately modern systems have a large number of options for dealing with this growth, even to the point of a billion new rows of data a day being handle gracefully.
  4. User Interface: One of the greatest benefits of custom software is a custom user interface. This means everything the user sees can be customized. Everything the user needs to see can be laid out nicely, and everything that would be a distraction can be hidden. Unlike Excel, you are not stuck with just a grid of coloured cells!

Custom solutions can naturally take a great system built on spreadsheets and take it to the next level. Being mindful of what future options are available can help you to make the right decision at the right time.

If you have an existing solution that works well, but could use a little extra something, reply and let me know what you are running into. There’s a chance you could tighten a few screws on your existing process, or have opportunity for a big leap by doing something custom.