Getting feedback from 200 People without calling them - excel

I do not know if this is the right Stack page to write this to but:
The Problem I am facing is that I have an Excel file with the names of people in my company and the licences they hold for certain pieces of Software. This list is getting updatet frequently but there are obiously people in there that have licences to Software that they probably do not use anymore. How can I reach out to all the people in this excel sheet and get feedback on if they are still using the software licence without having to call each and everyone of them?

step extract your sheet to csv or some sort of db.
make app that will let users to select if they are using that software or not.
save the data inside new sheet

Related

Is there a database specifically engineered for cross-referencing Excel like tables?

I have 500 Excel documents. I want users to keep working as if that was excel (I'll provide app for that) yet cross-reference data in-between that documents. What database can feet such needs?
So, if i get it ok then you need to get data from ~500 excel files while people may access and change them in real time! I can think of 4 ways of approach:
live links of all files to 1 workbook... hurts me to even think the maintenance and setting ... but it will be "live".
powerQuery: group them all in one data table using PowerQueries or PowerBI or similar, then load them on workbook OR save as csv... 1 button refresh, relatively quick, no actual coding needed
use VBA: access all files (or changed ones...) and get what you want, when you want it. If implemented expertly will only take a few seconds for full scan in modern pc, yet needs someone good at coding VBA.
setup 1) using VBA instead of manually, then using VBA to check for errors etc. Result will be "live" but requires again serious VBA coding...
I believe that 2) is the easiest choice with good maintenance features, ease of setting and good speed... (start in excel ...Data / new Query/from File/from Folder ...)

Excel Data Validation not processing recent cell-data from smartphone input

I have recently observed an issue regarding my data in a column that I use to perform data validation on my spreadsheet.
So There is nothing wrong with the formula, neither is there anything from with the use of data validation.
It should be looking for duplicate entries, which works quite fine.
The issue is that it no longer recognizes input made from a smartphone using the excel app.
so what i did was to retype cell text field from my PC and it worked perfectly.
Is there a way that I can continue using this technique (Data validation) without having to re-enter data from a PC in order for it to process?
Certainly! Yes, that is possible.
But... with all the possibilities in today's world, is your current strategy the one that is the best for you?
That is something I cannot answer for you.
That is something I cannot enumerate for you.
But... There is something that I can introduce to you.
PowerQuery
PowerQuery was a free add-on for Excel 2010 and 2013 and it has been baked directly into Excel for more than half a decade. So, if you're using the mobile app then you probably have a modern version of Excel with PowerQuery right at your finger tips.
Your first step if to determine how you want to make your data available for Excel to get. Go to the Data Tab on the ribbon and review your options in the "Get Extetnal Data" group.
It doesn't matter if free data is your Creed and your most intimate moments are publicly available through your raw data feed. Or if paranoia is the reason why you constantly drive around the block scraping SSIDs before squirreling them away to SQL server for detailed analysis. Or if you're using a USB cable to transfer photos to your PC because your mom walked in on you without knocking and was so disgusted by what she saw on your desktop that you're banned from the family LAN... For life. None of that matters because Excel can connect to your data in so many ways that one of them will be perfect for you.
There is a sense of familiarity when Importing your data into PowerQuery. It's not unlike following those timeless MS Wizards; but nothing like the uncanny sensation of being dropped into the PowerQuery editor. It is simultaneously the same as Excel and different from Excel and it may be the closest you ever come to visiting a parallel universe. Many of the same tools are available but they behave just slightly differently. And in some cases, like the Text To Columns tool, it is light years ahead of Excel and you will find yourself cursing at MS for not using it as a replacement for the old tool.
When you're done transforming your data, you'll have a tight clean table. But the real prize, is that you have fully automated pipe from source to product .
I figured that the phone user included extra spaces when inputting the data.
So i Used the TRIM() function which takes care of the extra spaces between, before, or after each word, and that did the job.
Therefore the major error was that there were additional spaces that was not recognized in the tested data.

How to generate a custom Word-based report with different client data? (No Mail Merge)

What I want to do: Generate a report in Word based on unique data that I manually enter for different clients.
I collect at least 100 variables of data for different clients. I must write a report for each client that contains this information.
What I have tried in the past: I tried to streamline this process by using Excel to enter the data in select cells and run the Mail Merge function, which would then export the unique data into a templated Word document.
Problem: Unfortunately, this process is prone to error and has a tendency to crash my computer.
Question: Is there a way that I can successfully make this a seamless process?
Note: I do NOT have any programming knowledge whatsoever but I am here because I think a non-programming approach is simply not efficient. I am hoping I can reach a solution to this issue by teaching myself basic programming principles. Is this possible?
Yes - one way is to first add the Microsoft Office Word references in the VBA window. Then you can set up a word document with bookmarks. Then for each data you would like to insert:
Doc.Bookmarks("Bookmarknamehere").Select
App.Selection.TypeText "ClientDataHere"
You will have to define the word application and document variables and the above will work.

Remote Access To Excel-database - Excel

In my company we have all products in an Excel-database. When a customer (shops) wants to place an order, they fax a form with item No etc. The order is entered through a VBA form, returning info about "in stock" etc, and the order is subtracted from the stock and placed in worksheet.
Now I would like to know, if its possible - without too much fuss, to do this from the www, so a customer can access the database and see if the item is in stock (which is not the hard part) - AND place the order so the database is updated in our local workbook.
I'm not asking for actual code, but ideas to a general approach.
Is it possible to run VBA forms from a remote computer?
Will XML, ASP etc be the answer?
Other ideas?
I'll appreciate any help.
This is all fairly easy to do if you have a proper database, there are all kinds of reasons not to use Excel.
Your best approach would likely be to build a web system around a database and move all application logic there.
But in your specific case it might be easier to build it around Sharepoint.

call VBA macro from different computer over network

I am hoping someone might be able to help me.
My problem is essentially this: A Colleague enters information into an excel, which I then have to check and pass on by email. This is fairly time-critical.
What I would like to do is
have the colleague press a button that calls the macros on my computer (worksheet running continuously),or
have my colleague email me and I have a macro in Outlook which checks for specific subject lines, or
he saves it on the network, and I check every minute for new files in that folder.
While the last two of these are possible, the outlook solution is - for several company policy reasons - the very last resort, and I would also like to avoid the ongoing checking for files as I am already having slight performance issues (large worksheet with lots of external links that are being feed real time).
I am also open to all other suggestions someone might have. Thanks a lot!!
I'd go with the third option.
Make his workbook save information to a 'queue' file or folder. Your workbook can query this queue, which should be on the network somewhere, and notify you when its changed. Wouldn't even have to open it unless it has changed if you set it to compare modify dates, and could be small if it is saved as text or in XML format.
First option won't work because VBA framework is pretty locked down. Cross workbook macro activation isn't possible from what i understand.
Second option is more work than necessary, and VBA/Outlook will warn you every 5 minutes that its trying to access your mail folder since that's what malicious software typically does.
Like i said, the third option would be best, and his macro could be set to only write, could even encrypt the text using simple encryption methods so that others can't easily modify it if that is a concern.

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