Of the millions of Microsoft users, few are unfamiliar with Excel. As a product, it is intuitive, mature and part of the Office package which might be Microsoft’s most successful package on the market. Gathering data with Excel is not only easy, it allows the user to foresee possible changes and problems in data trends, move to avoid business risks, and take action.

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The Enterprise Excel Hell
The Excel Incentive
Of the millions of Microsoft users, few are unfamiliar with
Excel.As a product, it is intuitive, mature and part of the Office
package which might be Microsoft’s most successful package
on the market. Gathering data with Excel is not only easy, it
allows the user to foresee possible changes and problems in
data trends, move to avoid business risks, and take action.
Using Excel does not require any great technical knowledge,
either. Anyone can enter data into Excel, and then, using built-
in Excel functions, transform this data into usable information.
For example, assigning column headers to the gathered
data allows the user to perform regression analysis, or other
prediction functions, and ultimately estimate the future.
Excel is semi-structured, but even so has a major advantage
over unstructured data tools, such as Microsoft Word, in which
the program is entirely unequipped to understand the data that
it receives. Excel has this ability, but unfortunately that is not
enough to make it an ideal tool for data management.There are
many different kinds of information that are clear to the user
but not to Excel’s built-in functions. For instance, if I highlight
a phrase in yellow in order to remember that it is important,
Excel has now knowledge of this distinction. While Excel does
offer many (albeit extremely complicated) options for dealing
with these difficulties, many users are either unaware of them
or choose not to use them.

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Isolated Data
Most Excel files that exist today are private files. They were created by individual users,
and exist solely on a their private computer’s disk. When sharing this data, the users
email the files to whomever they wish to include in the data, and the original file now
exists on two (at the very least) separate databases. Since Excel lacks the capability to
sync the separate data sources, from this moment on the two instances will never be
the same. This creates a non-unified data source, causing confusion and risking errors.
Determining which of the different versions holds the true data for the true data in this
situation is difficult and results in a waste of time, money and resources. For example, if
the finance department of a business is gathering information on all business expenses,
it will ask the purchasing department to send a report detailing all purchases. If this is
done by emailing an Excel file, the end result will be the existence of two non-uniform
and unequal data bundles, one in each department. When the report is finally delivered
to the head of the division, there might be conflicts in the data source and nobody will
know for sure which, if any, of the numbers are accurate.
Proposed Solution: While both sides are managing the data according to their own
agendas, they must be able to share the data in a smart way, one which is not simply
sending it back and forth or providing sporadic snapshots. The answer is to provide a
unified, reliable data source, with no source duplication. This source must allow team
collaboration, enabling all members to work together, always on the same data source.
The data should streamline between and across units of the organization, whether
departments or teams, in order to maintain the consistency of one specific, centralized
database.
A possible way to do this smartly and efficiently is to provide role-based security. This
means that the user is able to see only what he needs and is relevant to him, without
wasting time on s irrelevant information. Another possible means of achieving data
consistency is auditing — the ability to track down the source of the data at any point, as
well as information about when it was entered or modified.
Invalid Data
The other problem with Excel is confirming data validity. Excel will accept most data
entered into its spreadsheets, regardless of whether the original input contained
mistakes. For example, a date entered into Excel will usually be accepted, whether or

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not the date is in the American or European format, while it is unclear which is “correct.”
Furthermore, sometimes non-numeric data is intentionally or unintentionally entered
instead of numeric data. Occasionally, for instance, a user will write N/A (not applicable)
into a cell designed to hold numeric data. N/A does not necessarily mean the same thing
as zero. For example, take a business’ expense log in which each department must enter
numeric data describing their expenses. A new department will choose to enter N/A over
zero — as a zero would imply incorrectly that there are no expenses, while in reality the
expenses are simply not yet applicable. This method might seem useful, but since Excel
is unable to handle the term N/A in a numeric cell, it will harm data integrity.
Proposed Solution: In order to maintain data integrity, data must be validated. A date
must be a valid date, a number must be a valid number, etc — all the information must
be documented properly. For example, a user collecting data about sales must ensure
that the data item is unified and equipped with specific descriptions of products that are
always consistent and can be understood in only one way.
While there is a way to do this on Excel, most people find it counterintuitive. Excel does
not require but simply offers data validation as a sidebar, and therefore most people do
not exert the necessary time or energy understanding its parameters, but instead either
use specific, designated, non-Excel tools to complete the same task, or skip it altogether.
Another key factor in maintaining data integrity is unity. In the data context, this means
that there is absolutely no other location in which the sale transaction was completed.
Back& to the Rescue
We’re here to help. Back& collects and stores your data into a relational database,
meaning that all of the properties of collaboration and data integrity are built-in.
Furthermore, data is presented in a system format and not merely as an assortment of
collected information. Everything is stored and controlled by the relational database.
This eliminates the isolated “islands of data” and consolidates information into one data
center, creating a unified, reliable source of data.
One service that Back& offers is a context navigation interface. This is a method of
perusing the data in a structured way. It is possible, for example, to define workflows
and create approval processes. With this, only certain people are permitted to approve
the data, thus validating it, and can then to pass it on to the rest of the organization. Thus
Back& gives you the option to create dependencies between data updating processes.
Furthermore, it is possible to attach other files — documents, media, among others — to
your data source. Word documents can also be attached, and the program will use data
found inside the database to generate Word or PDF documents according to templates
that you create in advance. For instance, the system can generate an invoice according to
existing data. This is a solution to automated generation of data. Without it, the user is
forced to complete the process manually, wasting valuable time and subjecting the data
to further user errors.
Back& also identifies each user and his role in the system, thus exposing each user only
to data relevant to him or her. The system is capable of keeping track of changes that
other users have made, allowing you to keep track of the original data, increasing its
liability.

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Contact Information
Backand Inc.
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info@backand.com
www.backand.com
Notice
This document has been carefully compiled. The information in this guide does not constitute a warranty
of performance. Furthermore, Backand reserves the right to revise this publication and make changes from
time to time in the content thereof, without obligation to notify any person of such revisions or changes.
Backand assumes no liability for losses incurred as a result of out-of-date or incorrect information in this
guide. The software described in this guide is furnished under a license agreement and may be used only
according to the terms of that agreement.