Escaping Excel Hell – Cutting Reporting Time

Excel is an excellent presentation tool for reporting. But a key problem is that business analysts spend too much manipulating data, and not enough time analysing. Another issue is the struggle to have a report available by its deadline.

One aspect of this is the time needed to get data accurately from a source system into Excel, which might currently involve re-keying.

There are several solutions to this, depending on the nature of the source system, the data volumes, and the nature of the report. These include:

1. Export data from the source system, and import it, by one of several techniques. This is especially useful if you have a template to automatically populate, such as a regular monthly or weekly report.
2. Extract data directly into Excel from the source database. Depending on version, Excel has standard data links, including links into pivot tables. Add-ins are also available to make the process as easy as possible.
3. Extract data into a database such as Access, where it can be checked and managed, for example to check and repair analysis fields. That database can then be the source into Excel.

Linking directly into the source system helps to maintain a "single version of the truth", but this isn't always practical. The next best thing is to export into a database (data warehouse), especially if multiple sources are involved. This then provides the single version that members of the organisation can access.

If you’d like further help with improving the efficiency and effectiveness of your reporting, do ring me on 01628 632914, or send me an email.