A Way Around Problems in Excel  

Excel has Problems Because...

Microsoft Excel is evolving into something more than a simple spreadsheet. Today, it includes pivot-tables, cross tabulations and VBA programming. Features not easy to master so that many Excel users avoid them.

First Problem

One inherent drawback of Excel is cumbersome data entry. Perhaps, the original intention was to capture data elsewhere and export it to Excel. 

One Off-Shoot Problem: Merging Excel Files

Merging files that do not contain the same rows is usually carried out manually, i.e. cut-and-paste method.

An actual example: a wholesaler carries about 2000 inventory items. There are three sales territories, each supported by a separate order entry/inventory system. Whenever consolidated reports are needed, three separate reports are generated via Crystal Reports and exported into Excel. It takes hours to come up with sales summaries or consolidated purchase orders.

Satisficing, Not Maximizing

One may argue that databases should be integrated...that there should be consolidated reporting...but this is academic, a case of what is versus what should be.   

Software usually starts as a good fit to current requirements. Often times and for various reasons, it fails to keep in pace with dynamic business needs until and in extreme cases it becomes a hindrance to further business growth. 

The Real Point

Excel is extremely useful but it is almost impossible to morph a simple spreadsheet (what is) into an encompassing data processing tool (what should be) and still keep it user-friendly. As features beyond simple rows-and-columns calculations are added, Excel gets saddled with technical, compatibility and integration problems. That is why users stick to basics.

One is better off using other tools to complement Excel.

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