I have a dozen spreadsheets with identical structure and formulas, essentially tables, only the data differ, say one spreadsheet per country.
For example there is a spreadsheet to manage the US employees, another for the UK employees, and another for the Canada employees.
They are exactly the same except that each will store a different set of employees.
The spreadsheets act both as a database to store data and a user-interface to interact with data.
Each change (updating or adding a formula, updating some drop-downs values, changing style...) has to be replicated in all the spreadsheets which is time consuming and error-prone.
As an example I could change the formula to compute the seniority of each employee by editing the 3 spreadsheets.
I was wondering if there was a reasonably simple way to avoid duplicating the common parts, only having different data.
I'd like to avoid a full-blown development with plenty of VBA code, a complete database, some user input forms... but if really necessary I can write some VBA and build some database to fill in the blanks if there is no out-of-the-box solution.
With a full-blown development I would do something like:
store all the employees in a single SQL database table
develop a single spreadsheet
when opening the spreadsheet ask the user to choose a country to only load the this country's employees
save the data changes to the database
If you're effectively talking about an efficient way to handle version control so that input sheets that have previously been distributed to users match a master template, then I'm afraid there is no out-of-the-box solution.
I use something along the lines of http://datapigtechnologies.com/blog/index.php/building-version-control-in-excel/ to force users to download the latest template should they be using an older one.
In addition, I also place a big note at the top to prompt users to download a new template each time, rather than recycle an old one, because if a user didn't enable macros the automatic download of the latest template won't kick in.
Note that the above screenshot shows a form that I've built in Excel's grid itself, using shudder merged cells. (i.e. It is not a userform)
If the templates need to preserve user-submitted data that isn't held centrally, then you're probably going to need to develop an add-in along the lines of what the authors do in the book Professional Excel Development.
Related
I am currently managing invoice payments in Excel and was wondering if there is any way to create multiple editable tables that display the exact same (synchronized) data.
Essentially, I want multiple filters active on the same table at once so I can (for example) open up all transfers from a single creditor to the right one side of my screen, while looking through all bank statements on the other (while being able to edit the data in both tables).
I have looked into excel Data Models but I am not sure if what I am asking for is possible.
Excel allows you to view two windows of the same sheet. Give this a try. https://www.excelcampus.com/tips/new-window/
We get at least 20 queries a day on an average from our clients, where in we have to open and look at data on 4 to 5 Excel sheets to answer them. questions such as what is my available balance, am i eligible for this etc. All our clients are connected to our intranet and have access to internet. I was wondering is there a way where we can develop a front end app (do not have budget for MS VB or any other) either in excel or any other to connect these 4 to 5 excel sheets to retrieve the data in response to queries (e.g. using perhaps some if and true/false queries). I am not an advanced Excel user but would be great for an advice from tech experts.
Yes, i wouldn't call it an app but consider a worksheet like a dashboard. You can have a cell for entering client name, and then use formulas to look up relevant information of the name entered. The cosmetic and arrangement of the information retrieved and published on the dashboard is up to you and of course do consider investing some time in the looks and feel if you want to enjoy using it.
Things you may consider are:
Place the files are kept and file name convention
because your dashboard will look for information in external workbooks, ensure that the files are saved in a fixed directory and have a specific file name. if the external files are updated from time to time by other folks, let them know too that they have to save it in a particular folder with a specific name format.
Properly structure the source of data
Format you data source into tables so that it is easier for use with formulas. Throw away titles if any in the data source worksheet. Use tools like "Table" under the INSERT tab. When data are properly organized, they can be easily looked up using formulas such as VLOOKUP, SUMIFS, MATCH-INDEX, and COUNTIF.
Be good with formulas
Since we have no budget for VB, then good formulas will be needed. There are plenty of help on the internet for this I think you'll have no problem in it.
Employ sanitary check measure
It is difficult to tell if our formula isn't functioning properly when we have no counter check measure. Certainly you want to give your clients accurate information. One way to check is, think of alternative ways to get the information wanted and check if it matches to the first way. Another way is to retrieve a sequence of related information to be put on the dashboard, then do simple calculation to check if the numbers add up. Use conditional formatting to highlight errors if necessary.
I think these are key consideration, there may be more, but this is what i can think of for the moment.
I am creating a tracking document for artists' accommodation as part of an arts festival and would like to automate part of my work flow. Whilst we use event management/scheduling software for confirmed bookings, it's nice to do all my working in Excel.
I would like to have a master sheet (sheet 1), with a full list of artists and their respective accommodation - that can then be sorted into individual sheets (sheet 2, 3 etc) based on the name of the accommodation. The automatic sorting would also capture the other pieces of information in the row.
This would allow for each different sheet to show a report on who is staying in each type of accommodation and would be rather handy!
I would recommend one or more PivotTables as a simpler solution. Here a PT and two clones are shown on your Master Sheet, but they could each be on their own sheet:
Accom is in Report Filter, Company is in Row Labels and PAX (as Sum) is in Σ Values. Once having clicked on PivotTable in Insert > Tables - PivotTable and having chosen you range ('Master Sheet'!$A$2:$C$7A2:C7) and Location just drag the fields from the big box to the little ones.
This is feasible using Excel, but I don't recommend it; it is creating a maintenance nightmare in the long run.
From the question I can't gather whether the data is available in some kind of event management software package; if so you can use that one as a data source. Or create an Access or SQL database with a few tables. After that, you can use one of the following options to make the necessary overviews and as many more as you think up during the project:
Use Excel with ODBC or web query to retrieve data aggregated and
sorted as you like. Make changes in the event management package
allowing others to see the same facts. Or do it in Access. When you
change one thing, it automatically propogates also into the Excel.
Similarly, you can use an Excel add-in such as Invantive
Control (caution I work at a supplier) to retrieve the data from
the database using SQL or a webservice, change it from within Excel and
then synchronize the changes back assuming you have write access.
A similar solution is available as SQL*XL. Probably there are others too.
If the solution must be Excel only, I would recommend using vertical/horizontal lookups with the Excel function vlookup / hlookup (Dutch: vert.zoeken, horiz.zoeken). These function perform reasonable with a small amount of data and performance can be improved by sorting. And they resemble SQL joins, so the database you get within Excel more easily conforms to the relational model.
I hope the event is successfull and the people enjoy it.
My current employer (to remain nameless) has a collection of incredibly sophisticated Microsoft Excel 2003 worksheets (developed by contractors, also to remain nameless).
The employer is replacing the Excel-based solution with a SalesForce-based solution (developed by other contractors, likewise to remain unnamed). The SalesForce solution is also very complex using dozens of related objects and "Dynamic SOQL" to contain the data and formulas which previously was contained in the Excel-based solution.
The employer's problem, which has become my problem, is that the data from the Excel spreadsheets needs to be meticulously and tediously recreated in .CSV files so it can be imported into SalesForce.
While I've recently learned I can use CTRL-` to review formulas in Excel, this doesn't solve the problem that variables in Excel have cryptic names like $O$15. If I'm lucky, when I investigate $O$15, I'll find some metadata explaining if n cells up and/or some other data m cells to the left, and/or (in rare instances) there may be a comment on the cell.
Patterns within the Excel spreadsheets are very limited, rarely lasting more than 6 concurrent rows or columns and no two sheets which need to be imported have much similarity.
Documentation of all systems are very limited.
Without my revealing any confidential data, does anyone have any good ideas how I might optimize my workflow?
It's not clear exactly what you need to do: here are 3 possible scenarios, requiring increasing knowledge of Excel.
1. If all you want is to convert the Excel spreadsheets into CSV format then just save the worksheets as CSVs.
2. If you just want the data and not the formulae then it would be simple (using VBA) to output anything that isn't a formula (the cell.Formula won't start with =).
3. If you need to create a linkage excel-->csv-->existing Salesforce objects/SOQL then you will need to understand both the Excel Spreadsheets and the Salesforce objects/SOQL that have been created. This will be difficult unless you have good knowledge and experience of Excel and also understand what the salesforce App requires.
Brian, if you're still working on this, here's one way to approach the problem. I use this kind of process often for updating data between SFDC and marketing automation apps.
1) Analyze the formulae that you're re-creating in Salesforce.com to determine what base data fields you need (stuff that doesn't have to be calculated from something else.
2) Find those columns/rows in your spreadsheets and use Paste Special -> Values in a new spreadsheet to create an upload file with values instead of formulae that you need for each data area (leads, prospects, accounts, etc.)
3) If you have to associate the info with leads or contacts or accounts and you have already uploaded or created those records in Salesforce.com, be sure to export them with their ID numbers. That makes it easy to use the vlookup formula in Excel to match up fields that you need to add and then re-upload the data into Salesforce.
Like data cleaning, this can be a tedious process. But if you take it step by step it shouldn't be too hard. Good luck.
If our finance department wants us to create a web app that pulls data from a spreadsheet calculation, based on user input, but also want that spreadsheet to be private from all developers working on the app, is this possible?
How do companies launch an app with sensitive information that they want to protect?
Can you access data from an excel spreadsheet that is security protected?
Easiest way to develop such an application (this is a high level answer of "how do develop an app when you can't see the classified or protected data" not "how do i make a web portal with an excel backend") is to get "dummy" data.
You make the dummy data just as protected, but give the developers the ability to see the data on the other side of the wall. You make sure the datatypes are the same (the only thing different should be values) and go from there. That's the easy way. After the app is developed with the dummy data, it's deployed and people with access to the data "connect the pipes" and away you go.
As to using an excel sheet as a backend to a website..please look into MySQL or MSSQL or some other database solution. The developer coming after you will thank you.
If you can't because of management..ripping open an excel file directly is not for the faint of heart, but microsoft does provide an api to access the insides. I've done it once..and don't remember how to off the top of my head, but perhaps someone more skilled remembers the api. The easier road is to have that workbook output to CSV (which is easily parsed).
I would recommend the excel workbook update a table that you apply whatever security scheme you need to on. Also you can put the workbook in a location that only those with proper rights can access.
If the user input is limited to a a field or two and the values are for easily determined values that doesn't span a huge range, then create a lookup table. In this table, you would store the results for all possible combinations of input values. This would allow for you to not putting the Excel spreadsheet on the Web server.