These platform approaches are more efficient and reliable than spreadsheets when data and workflows become complicated.
Recently, I wrote five ways spreadsheets can kill your business. Spreadsheets can quickly analyze data, create presentation materials, build small knowledge bases and collaborate with small teams. Spreadsheets can become costly and difficult to use in routine business processes.
Spreadsheets are becoming an integral part of an ongoing business process. It’s time for all users – business leaders, data scientists, and software developers – to review migration options to more robust platforms.
Modernization options for spreadsheets can be found on many platforms, as they are the Swiss Army knife of office tools. Some spreadsheets can be replaced with configurable software-as-a-service tools, while others require a customizable solution. Developers can create and support enhancements more quickly with low-code options, while users can create their solutions.
Developers might look into custom-developed apps, BPM platforms, and other enterprise application development frameworks for larger-scale, more complex workflows. If a workflow is used by multiple departments and fulfills a specific industry or domain need, it might be worth looking at more appropriate platforms for the task.
Different platforms may be worth looking at depending on what data types are required and how they will be used. Media can address multiple use cases in many cases. Many of the media I have listed can be divided into various categories.
Here are five ways to replace spreadsheets that use different platforms. Many organizations will require multiple options to address their wide range of spreadsheet needs.
Create a dashboard or data visualization
A self-service BI platform can rebuild data visualizations if a spreadsheet is used primarily as a way to display graphs and charts. It is better to uncover the accurate requirements and create dashboards that meet business needs rather than porting existing charts to a new platform.
Developers and citizen scientists need to consider identifying user personas, documenting questions dashboards will answer, and complying with data visualization standards. While some platforms can be used as standalone data visualization tools, others allow developers to embed visualizations in other applications.
You should consider Domo, KNIME, and Looker as platforms to consider.
Migration to a SaaS/no-code database
A database is required to manage and migrate data from a spreadsheet that contains original data. If this is structured data (sheets with rows and columns), you can import it into AWS Relational Database Service, Azure SQL, or another managed cloud database. However, you will need to do additional development work using workflow tools and data ops.
You can also look into SaaS or low-code databases. These databases allow you to build the database structures, load data, and develop role-based workflows. Quickbase, Kintone, and Caspio are some platforms to consider.
Apart from cloud databases, SaaS, and low-code databases, IT leaders and architects should also look into domain-specific data lakes or data warehouses to support complete, end-to-end workflows. Customer data platforms are an excellent example of such solutions and AIops solutions for IT operations and marketing automation platforms. Enterprise search platforms are another. These platforms make it easier to connect to familiar data sources across domains. They also offer a combination of workflow, machine-learning, and reporting capabilities.
Facilitate departmental collaborations.
Let’s look at a scenario where a team or department uses spreadsheets to manage its workflow. This workflow could include a marketing team’s editorial calendar or a Kanban for production to manage work intakes and fulfillment. Or a field service team is tracking their job assignments. These spreadsheets usually store only enough data to manage the workflow but do not have the structure to follow and govern it.
SaaS and no-code tools are focused on enabling workflow and collaboration capabilities. You should consider platforms such as Airtable, Asana Jira Work Management Monday, Smartsheet, and TrackVia.
You should review domain-specific platforms with data models, workflow configurations, and embedded best practices for more extensive scale and complex workflows. These platforms include enterprise resource planning, customer relations management, content management, and IT service management. They also allow for agile collaboration, talent management, and financial planning.
Data flows and hyperautomated integrations
Spreadsheets can facilitate data flow, integration, and low-level automation. An IT ops engineer may have one to document the steps required to restart an application server. A marketer might use it to merge email lists. There are many spreadsheet-in-the-middle use cases where someone connects two ends of a flow and performs some manual work in the middle.
Several different types of platforms can replace the spreadsheet-in-the-middle use case:
Extract, transform, and load (ETL), data preparation, and other data ops platforms like Alteryx and Talend support data flows.
Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism and UiPath are robotic process automation tools that automate the extraction of information from websites, SaaS, and other sources.
Citizen integration technology supports if-this is-then-that connections between SaaS, cloud, and other tools, including Zapier, IFTTT, and Tray.io.
Integration platforms allow data, API, and workflow integrations. They include platforms like Boomi, Celigo, and MuleSoft.
IT automation, quality assurance testing automation, CI/CD, and configuring infrastructure code (IaC) are examples of IT platforms that consolidate scripts, manual labor, and spreadsheets into repeatable, automated processes.
Create a low-code, or no-code, application
You may need to create an application to replace a spreadsheet that performs multiple functions. You can also code an app and deploy it to a serverless structure. Then you can maintain it using agile development. These workflows were created using spreadsheets because IT cannot keep up with business demands for new apps or improvements.
Many of today’s apps are developed on low-code or no-code platforms. You can review my posts on seven keys to choosing a low-code platform and 7 low-code platforms that developers need to know. Appian, Betty Blocks, and Claris are some of the media that assist developers and citizen developers create spreadsheets for their apps.
Be sure to save the spreadsheet before you lose it
There are many ways to replace spreadsheets. However, apps cannot replace their openness and flexibility. Spreadsheets are loved for their flexibility and ability to create and modify data. This is something you can control when migrating data to other platforms. People must adapt to new tools and interfaces.
It is essential to work with your primary users before you start. Rethink how they currently do things and create requirements for what they want to achieve with an eye towards the business goals, quality, scale, and cost. Only then can you develop new solutions, prototype methods, and explore platforms.
