Microsoft Excel remains the software solution of choice for millions of businesses around the world. We value it for its versatility and flexibility, as well as the depth of data manipulation and analysis it allows. And thanks to the Open as App platform that turns Excel spreadsheets into applications in minutes, it has been successful in overcoming some challenges.
Whether you need Excel to collect data, plan projects and analyze risks, report on metrics, generate estimates, forecast financial results, or something as important as production planning or order management, you know it will be there for you.
But for using Excel collaboratively or effectively protecting data, that’s when things can get messy. Suddenly, your Excel sheet freezes. There is a corruption in the data and you do not know if you are looking at the latest version or not. While this phenomenon is fairly typical of unmanaged Excel files, it can also occur frequently with managed files.
Here, you might turn your Excel spreadsheet into a native or web application. This will allow you to reduce some of the common errors associated with data management, distribution and protection, while providing greater usability.
Here are some reasons you should turn your Excel spreadsheet into an application, and how to do it.
1. Why should you turn your Excel spreadsheet into an application?
For all their usefulness, spreadsheets can quickly become “Excel hell” because of one or two simple mistakes. Like when JP Morgan lost about $6.5 billion in the so-called “London Whale” incident because of several erroneous equations and copied and pasted cells.
So when do spreadsheets fail, and how can turn them into an application help you avoid their pitfalls?
#1. Spreadsheet version control is difficult
Because spreadsheets are constantly in circulation, it’s likely that the latest version will get lost eventually. In addition, updates by different people can end up damaging the master data and rendering the file unusable.
When transferring your data to an application, you can limit user access to the “master version” of your spreadsheet, and only allow administrators to access it. In this configuration, users only have access to specific data and fields, everything else remains hidden. This allows them to perform the operations they need, without inadvertently corrupting the native spreadsheet.
#2. Excel doesn’t work like a database and is difficult to scale
While Excel is a good place to store and manipulate data, it does not offer the functionality of a database or, rather, a data management system. Excel does not support complex data types, nor does it support relationships between files and records or different data sets. This limits the operations you can perform.
Also, when used on a desktop and not online, spreadsheets do not support real-time multi-user input. Your spreadsheet then quickly becomes a barrier to expanding operations and improving efficiency. This problem is further compounded because as file sizes increase, operations become slower and more cumbersome.
Conversely, by building an application from your spreadsheet, you give your users the benefit of flexible and easy access to data, as well as the ability to collect data from a variety of sources, not just Excel. Plus, you can allow multiple users to access your expertise, without the risk of them overwriting your work or exposing your data.
#3. Applications offer greater security
Even though some level of security, such as password protection, is available in Excel, it’s fairly easy to bypass. If you want to keep your data secure, keeping it in a widely accessible spreadsheet is not a good idea.
By turning your Excel spreadsheet into an application, you effectively remove user access to the source file, encrypt the data, and host it securely in your own environment. There, it will only be accessible to administrator-level users. This ensures the security and integrity of the data. You can also use it to determine specifics who can see your data and completely limit third-party access. You can even set an expiration date for your application, after which it will no longer be accessible to users.
For even greater security, you can create your application with dummy data and then supplement it with your original data later.
2. How can no-code applications help improve your business?
Creating no-code applications has benefits that go beyond spreadsheet issues and will have an even greater impact on your business. By creating no-code applications, innovation and optimization are no longer limited to the IT department or an external service provider. Now anyone who knows Excel can start building, deploying and managing an application.
You do not need any programming skills - anyone can contribute
Unlike a custom software solution that is hand-coded, you don’t need programming skills to turn your Excel sheet into an application. And that’s regardless of the myriad of Excel functions you use.
Innovation at low cost
Turning your spreadsheet into an application isn’t as expensive as a custom solution either. Let’s say you want to develop a web or native application that allows users to perform different calculations. This can be very time-consuming and expensive to code.
Instead, creating these calculations in Excel and then converting them into an application is very cost effective and allows you to mobilize your data without changing your existing system or files stored online.
People who know the business create applications
The people who will work with the application know best what they want. Business experts create a code-free application - those who have already created the Excel solution. They know the processes, the needs of their users and how the application should be used. Briefing a developer and explaining what is vital to your business is time-consuming and an iterative process.
As soon as they build directly the application on top of the previously used Excel solution, building, deploying and updating is quick. Once business experts know what is possible, they usually come up with a ton of innovative ideas that can be realized in no time.
Great service improvements - easily achievable
For your customers, partners and team, an app is always easier to use than an Excel spreadsheet. An app is usually accessible anytime, anywhere, whereas an Excel spreadsheet can be quite cumbersome to use on your mobile.
Reduce your operating costs
One of the added benefits of an app is that you can automatically deploy updates to your entire network of users. This allows you to reduce the costs associated with the life-cycle of an application. With built-in email and push notifications, you can easily inform users of changes and updates, improving your brand communication.
If you’re curious about what types of apps you can create by turning a spreadsheet into an app, check out the following section for a list and overview of the original use cases!
3. Is a spreadsheet capable of creating any applications?
There are few ways to create an application with a spreadsheet by what you can imagine creating in Excel. The range of applications you can create ranges from data-intensive industries, such as finance, insurance, healthcare, and real estate, to simple directory and personal budget applications.
Here are some applications for native and web application development platforms:
Business applications that include checklists, calculators, manuals, an address book or a simple CRM.
Integrated web calculators for finance, mortgage, insurance, interest, personal finance, etc. Medical applications for patient experience, operations and administration, etc.
Reporting applications with forecasting, break-even, profit and loss, and high-level economics.
Sales and marketing dashboards, such as ROI on B2B sales or advertising campaigns.
Production and logistics dashboards and inventory lists
... and many more
These are just a few of the applications of application development platforms. So what platforms and tools are available to turn a spreadsheet into an application and how do they work? Here is a more detailed presentation of Open as App.
4. How to prepare your spreadsheet before turning it into an app?
Before submitting your spreadsheet to the Open as App platform, Be sure to format it correctly. This will make converting it into an app easier and eliminate any possibility of error. There are several simple rules to follow to do this.
Basic rules:
Your lists should have headings at the top of the column. It will ensure that the list is valid by the application wizard and assigns the values.
Your data must be clear. Highlighting, strike throughs, comments, The spreadsheet will ignore anything else.
The wizard will ignore any cell outside of a list box. We cannot analyze correctly merged cells either. A cell must always have a single entry and be within the list box it belongs to.
Display the values of your cells in the format. The Open as App platform will take all the values you have assigned to your cells and add them to your application. Examples of values include date, currency, phone number, drop menu, etc.
Avoid pivot tables (when using Google Sheets) and macros. It is not possible to include macros, as this would make the apps impossible to use on iOS.
Rules for more complex Excel sheets:
Use explicit cell references rather than structured references; i.e., don’t use table or column names, but simply direct cell number references.
References to external files are not accessible: Any reference you make in your Excel file must be part of that file, even if it is not on the same sheet.
Make sure you are using formulas that are supported: Open supports Most common formulas as App. However, if you find an error in your application, Be sure that the formulas you are using are supported. The platform does not support table formulas and some Google.
Always specify all arguments of a formula: we cannot evaluate Optional arguments Excel has assigned that a default value.
By keeping these rules in mind, you will create your own application in a few minutes, with no difficulty.
5. How to design your app?
Once you prepare your spreadsheet and upload it to the Open as App platform, you’ll get a recommendation for your app, then you can choose a design theme you like and manually design your app the way you imagine it.
With the Open as App platform, you can customize the design of your app to match your brand identity, and configure how the cells work. You can also add additional functionality.
Once you are in the App Designer, we present you with several options.
Preview - this option allows you to preview the appearance of your app, but you can also edit or remove individual elements, such as the app header and name.
Add Items - these options allow you to add new types of content such as cells - if you have additional data to include in your application, charts - if you want to make your application more interactive and attractive, or lists - if you want to add sub-lists to your calculations. You can also add headers, dividers, images, information buttons, image upload or signature fields, a map or action buttons.
Rearrange Elements - this feature allows you to rearrange the elements of your application, group them as you wish and even add new pages to fill with additional elements.
Design - change theme - this feature allows you to change the entire theme of your application, using a pre-defined layout provided by Open as App.
Add print functionality - this feature allows you to generate a PDF file through your app and send it via email.
Using the App Designer, you can style your app both visually and functionally to achieve the desired result. You can fine-tune the extent to which users can interact with different content, as well as enrich the presentation of data with different visual elements, such as charts and graphs. All of this takes a minimum of time, and how simple or complex your final application is depends entirely on what you want.
And what happens once you’ve designed and published your application? Thanks to the way Open as App works, there is a two-way connection between the sheet and the application. This means that we always updated the sheet and the application in both directions. Access to your application and its features is very easy for all users, while all data remains protected to the extent you want.
Are you looking for the best and most powerful production planning software as an Excel spreadsheet that will allow you, as a planner, to deliver your goods on time? Then Scheduler123 is the perfect product that will meet all your needs.
Check https://deliverit.blogspot.com/p/production-planning-software.html for more details.
Ready to turn your Excel sheet into an application?
Ready to try it? Just open our application creation wizard, watch a short (2 minute) tutorial video and follow the instructions to create your first application!
