Replace Your Old Spreadsheets with an Online Database

While simple online spreadsheets are easy-to-use, they may be causing you to work harder instead if smarter. This is particularly the case when sharing data with other stakeholders or partners. Traditional online spreadsheets can be one-dimensional and make finding and accessing data quite laborious and time-consuming. Not only does this amount to wasted time and effort, it also increases the likelihood of errors. You are reliant on individuals to collate, compute and share the data. The more people involved, the greater opportunity for error, and the more complex the audit trail becomes.

In addition to the confusion caused by corrupted data, and it’s easy to see how traditional online spreadsheets can be a contributory factor in mistakes, poor decision making and ultimately loss to your bottom line.

Databases are designed to make it easy for users to easily extract relevant data from large pools of data and present it an a useful format.

So, how do you know when it’s time to replace this potential for spreadsheet chaos with an online database?

1. Legacy Spreadsheets are not a Database

The first thing to note is the difference between an online database and a spreadsheet. Simple spreadsheets lack the concept of data types and have no function to identify repetition and inaccuracies in data. Despite this ability to store redundant data, though, spreadsheets also have a limited storage capacity. They are a great way of storing huge amounts of inaccessible, confusing, and unnecessary data. So, if that’s what you’re after, you’re in luck.

If, however, you prefer solutions which holds a greater bulk of numbers, texts, images and codes and follow a pattern of logic and rules to keep the data organised, you might want to try Retable.

Retable enables your database to determine relationships between data, automatically update information throughout multiple departments, and permit queries to be created against the data.

Your data is stored, checked and accessible because of the added functionality offered by the database which cannot be matched by simple spreadsheets.

If you’re wasting valuable hours trying to navigate rows and bars on a spreadsheet, it’s time to look at Retable.

2. Uncontrollable Spreadsheets

How much time do you or your staff spend scroll through hundreds of spreadsheet rows to trace a mere figure?

That’s because spreadsheets become clumsy when they are handling large amounts of data. They were never built to cope with what modern IT can do.

A modern, online database such as Retable will find old, buried data far more quickly and easily so you save time searching for past work free up time to focus on using that data for the future of your business.

If you’re tired of manually collecting data and think there must be a better way, it’s time to try Retable.

3. Handling Sensitive Data

Again, this is an area in which simple spreadsheets show their age. They predate the sheer amount of collaborative work that goes in 2021. The global economy has provided immeasurable opportunities to partner with the best organisations to support your business, whether they are in the same building or on the other side of the world. This is fantastic for businesses. But it brings with it the potential for data breaches.

Excel offers very low security considering the potentially sensitive nature of data companies store and share on spreadsheets. There is very little you can do to prevent Excel files from being sent outside of your company. Due to feeble encryption of simple spreadsheet solutions, the internet is full of cracking programs that can uncrack a password-protected Excel file.

Retable offers encrypted access to all data which is controlled by you. If you understand the pitfalls of data loss and want to keep a tight grip on the information you hold, Retable is for you.

4. Multiple Versions of One File

Simple spreadsheet solutions can be modified by one user at a time. A new user cannot make any changes and save it unless the previous user closes the worksheet. We’ve all faced the issue of a colleague going on leave without checking a spreadsheet back in and having to waste time resolving that simple issue before we can get on with the task in hand.

One way to counter this is to copy an existing file and merge changes later.

Retable allows multiple users to share a single document so you need never have to wait for one person to finish with it before another colleague can access other data from the same document.

Retable helps keep your business moving with easy access to authorised data at all times for all staff.

5. User-friendly

Retable grabs information directly from users. The information is uploaded directly to the database without having to be input manually.

An online database allows the spreadsheets to be imported and exported and converts your data into a custom web-database without any programming.

If you’re facing spreadsheet chaos, it’s time to start using Retable!

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