While many organizations are starting to realize the benefits of the latest business intelligence solutions, it can be hard to move away from tried and true systems like Excel. However, the idea that new and current systems have to be mutually exclusive is foolish.
A recent article from MSDynamicsWorld examined the process of deploying Microsoft Dynamics ERP Business Intelligence. The piece offered a number of tips borne out of the hundreds of BI deployments that the professionals behind the article have been a part of.
One piece of advice that the article offers is that organizations need to make Excel part of the solution and not part of the problem. There are some experts that debate Excel’s place in the new world of business intelligence. The argument is that new systems have become more evolved, leaving Excel behind. The truth is, these old spreadsheets are also learning new tricks.
Microsoft Dynamics ERP, for example, not only talks with Office fluently when it comes to upload and data entry, the options of presentation and analysis continue to grow when it comes to new releases and BI add-ins.
“When it comes to BI, the tip here is this: don’t throw the baby out with the bath water, if you replace Excel with a bespoke BI tool you may well satisfy the consumers who simply want to operate dashboards,” the article reads. “However, you’ll no doubt alienate a high proportion of the finance and analytical teams who’ll immediately be looking for the ‘Export to Excel’ button.”
The article continues to say that power users should have the option to work in Excel and use contemporary methods to publish beyond the spreadsheet when needed.
With the help of an Excel consultant, any business will be able to handle the latest solutions and find the best way to incorporate the latest software.
