So you are having #hellwithExcel .... At Fingertips Intelligence we recommend that our clients replace their spreadsheets with database bespoke solution built in Filemaker Pro. Here are 7 reasons why we advocate Filemaker Pro:-
1. It allows several users to use the same data in parallel. There are still some packages that allow only one person to access the data at a time.
2. You can run Filemaker on a Windows , Mac , ipad or iphone.
3. Filemaker allows users to view data via a web browser.
4. You can integrate Filemaker with your website
5. It can work locally or in the cloud. Indeed you can work offline and synchronise it later.
6. It is an established product that has been around for 20 years - with new versions appearing regularly.
7. There an abundance of agencies and freelance contractors with detailed knowledge.
8. I believe it is much faster to deploy solutions with Filemaker when compared with other technologies.
A strapline is defined (according to the Cambridge Online dictionary) as
"a short, easily remembered phrase used by an organization so that people will recognize it or its products"
My strapline is saving my clients from #hellwithexcel ... as we replace spreadsheet hell with bespoke database solutions.
What is your company's strapline and how does it say what do you ?
With the cold weather in the UK, it seemed an appropriate moment to show the power of our database solutions. In this video testimonial Hew Stevenson of Shoots and Leaves explains how his Filemaker database has helped him deliver over 3,000 Christmas Trees each year for the last 4 years.
It has eliminated the need to switch between word, excel and outlook to create and dispatch invoices. And it saves 3 hours a day by generating delivery schedules.
Who do you know is having #hellwithexcel ?
7 top tips for effective spreadsheet design. Excel is a valuable business tool, and when spreadsheets are well built, they are a great asset. However, sometimes we can get into a mess. Here are some tips to stop you getting #hellwithexcel:-
1) Is a spreasheet really the correct tool that you should be using. Often people start out think that they need a spreadsheet - but in fact that need a proper database solution.
2) Plan your work - the most common mistake - people jump in without thinking about spreadsheet design. I once had a boss who rebuked me because I wasn't producing anything. I told him that I was thinking in my head - which didnt go down well. However when weeks later when we started flying through the project milestones (and normally they were hellish) he offered his humblest apologies.
3) Colour code your cells -
* a green cell is for input
* a blue cell for a drop down
* a white cell is for calculation
* a yellow cell for an output or a total
4) Work from left to right - don't start your spreadsheet in the middle, and jump back / forth.
5) Use charts - the phrase a picture paints a thousand words is highly appropriate for data analysis.
6) Have different sheets for inputting data, calculations and output
7) Avoid long formulae - hard to debug !
Who are you looking to speak to this week and why ?
We would love to speak to Finance Directors who are having #hellwithexcel. We'd love to see if we can :-
* save them days by automating their management reporting (we saved one firm 30 man days a month)
* integrate their SAGE accounts with their other systems - as we did for one of our clients saving them 2 days a month
* eliminate any other manually repetitive processes
If you comment in the post who you are looking for and why, may be someone can help.
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