Introducing Report from Excel
Numbers of studies show great Excel representation as tool in controlling departments, as basis for Reporting from Excel, for Business Analysis and to make Decisions from Excel. Study made by Deloitte for German market with questions what tools are used and what tools are known to users. Frequency of controlling software solutions in Germany. Results show that 50% of companies use only ERP systems in combination with MS Excel as controlling platform (Reporting, Business Analysis, Decision Making, Planning and etc.). There is no specialized application known to be used more than 50% of surveyed users. Single SAP platform was presented with 20% in planning process and all others are represented with 10% share and less. Since reporting SAP module – SDAP is widely used ERP platform, it’s more then normal to assume why it is so often used in planning and business analysis process and in many other processes.
In this post wording table calculator means actually MS excel since it’s so widely used. In following text Report from Excel will be analyzed only as simple application without additional functionalities made with add-ins or macros. Any usage of VBA macros or add-ins Excel is then concerned as specialized planning, reporting and decision application not table calculator.
Fact that table calculators are so often used in process of controlling defends Pendse N. His statements are: „End users will not renounce usage of table calculators“ and „Even with access to multidimensional databases, table calculator is most popular application.“
One of the cause of huge Excel popularity describes Radden N.:
„… table calculator works despite the fact it does not work according to standards, company practice or any other systematical approach“.
Although Rodden says that serious efforts to switch to advanced unified BI platform did not result with total displacement of table calculators from controlling processes. To similar conclusion came Howcroft D. For question why are users so satisfied with using Excel he gives simple answer „commodity zone. … users feel comfortable during usage and regular budgeting with help of Excel’.
It is important to highlight that in many corporations awareness is very low about data quantities used in processes of planning, reporting and business analysis. Also among quantity of information there is lack of awareness about no data access authorization in Excel.
Buckner D. brings one bank manager as an example who categorically claimed that table calculators are not used. His claim was crushed within several minutes with several hundreds of examples.
One example from author experience during implementation of BI systems in 2006 was to find on server copy of “My Documents” which belonged to highly ranked manager in company. In the directory was copy of Excel document with celeries of complete company together with models of bonuses and similar. Excel was not protected even with password.
More information are available at Business Intelligence.
Filed under Blog by on Oct 5th, 2011. 
