Data Integration

Data Collection

Dealing with data in the workplace can sometimes invoke feelings of puzzlement and confusion.

Many large businesses have at least one E.R.P. solution that covers some back-office functionality. But they often also have a myriad of “beskpoke packages” and “legacy solutions” – to help with planning, forecasting, procurement, warehousing, and so on.

Introducing change into this complex mix of software applications, with their critical interdependencies, can be time-consuming and expensive, not only to design and develop, but also to test and deploy.

Even before this, the task of collecting data has to be carefully considered to ensure its integrity. And sophisticatedly complex and insightful findings do not mean much if the data underlying it all is not accurate!

Proliferation

In a world of proliferating data storage types, and software’s and mini applications (from health & fitness apps, apps that measure electricity usage, financial budgeting apps, to dog location tracking apps), all developed to help gather and monitor information - truly seamless data integration from so many places has never been more difficult, but also never more important!

Many modern software applications can show you pre-built reports of your data - but even they hit their limitations. What if, for example, you wanted to see a slightly different report, or analyze the data in a slightly different way? Or what if you wanted to link this data to some data elements gathered from elsewhere? Should you always be content with an app’s own internal data repository, or pre-built un-customisable reports, that do not give you free & easy access to your own data?

Enter the Humble Spreadsheet!

Much of the solution to all of the above, has, and probably will, for a very long time, continue to be by getting whatever data is needed into one place first, and usually a spreadsheet package - where it can be shaped, cleansed, transformed, modelled, and reviewed - before later being sent to “another” software package – whatever that may be.

Being able to easily get data into a modern Spreadsheet package is important for several reasons:

• Nearly everyone uses one! Popular packages, such as Microsoft Excel have had years of development, are advanced enough to meet most people’s needs, and are flexible and stable products that EVERYONE knows how to use
• There are profound networking effects: the more people that use a spreadsheet, the more everyone benefits (just look at the ubiquitous use of Microsoft Excel in the modern-day workplace)
• Spreadsheets really have now become the software tool of choice for both individuals and businesses – they are the Swiss Army knife of Business Intelligence, and probably will continue to be so for a very long time.
• As the amount of data collected in the world grows - so will the need for efficient and accurate methods of data collection (whether manually by people, or when collecting data automatically through physical sensors).
• Most, - but not all - desk based jobs, involve some form of routine or standardised data collection (80% of someone’s job might be just this)!

The question that needs to be asked, therefore, is not “how can I generate and get this data?”, but “how I can seamlessly integrate the data I already have” which may exist “across multiple systems?”

In what follows, we therefore show you some very basic tools (Forms & VBA) that will allow you to do just this! - more seamlessly integrate your data - from its initial source, to where you want it to go - which, 8 times out of 10, is usually some kind a spreadsheet - even if this is just an intermediary step.

Click ahead to find out more!