Since its inception in 1985, Microsoft Excel has been the go-to company management software that executives all over the world use to store and manage their day-to-day operational data. Brand recognition and longevity, on the other hand, can only take you so far with an application. Other solutions will have overtaken Excel VS ERP in terms of security, efficiency, and performance during the next 36 years. Examples of ERP Software that integrate, organize, and automate operations and data throughout the organization are examples. Before going to brief detail about Excel VS ERP, let’s check quick points that describe differences between both ERP and Excel.
Quick difference between Excel vs ERP
| EXCEL | ERP |
|---|---|
| It comes with a plethora of pre-installed functionalities to suit statistical, technological, and financial requirements. | Better business knowledge as a consequence of real-time data provided via reports. |
| Excel is a complex approach and is restricted in nature | ERP is a simple and creative approach that gives a wide range of varieties. |
| It is a Manual operation which increases the man labor | It operates automatically and hence improves the quality of work. |
| It cannot cut operational costs. | It reduces management and operational costs. |
| Excel spreadsheet will not instantly update. An employee must go into the file and make the necessary changes. | An ERP system provides real-time data insights |
| Excel, where employees can simply make changes to a spreadsheet, save it as a new version, and share it. | ERP software provides a single, uniform source of truth based on correct data. |
| You can certainly send an Excel file by email or upload it to a public cloud service. | Your whole workforce, including on-site and remote workers, can interact seamlessly with a cloud ERP platform. |
| Excel systems have a thin line benefits that can be dangerous. | ERP systems, resulting in considerable bottom-line benefits. |
| It doesn’t have any kind of programming that will be helping in basic applications. | It has a programming component called Visual Basic for Applications, which allows the user to use a variety of numerical methods, such as solving differential equations in mathematical physics and returning the results to the spreadsheet. |
| It is operational in a macro programming language | It is a widespread technology. |
What is an Excel exactly?
Since its inception in 1985, Microsoft Excel has been the go-to company management software that executives all over the world use to store and manage their day-to-day operational data. Brand recognition and longevity, on the other hand, can only take you so far with an application. Other solutions will have overtaken Excel in terms of security, efficiency, and performance during the next 36 years. Examples of ERP solutions that integrate, organise, and automate operations and data throughout the organisation are examples. In the debate between Excel VS ERP, the latter comes out on top Calculating and computing skills, graphing tools, pivot tables, and Visual Basic for Applications, a macro programming language, are all accessible (VBA).
Excel Used for?
It comes with a plethora of pre-installed functionalities to suit statistical, technological, and financial requirements. It can also display data as line graphs, histograms, and charts, as well as a very restricted three-dimensional graphical representation. Excel allows data to be segmented in order to examine its dependence on various sources. It allows data to be split in order to evaluate its reliance on various factors from distinct viewpoints (using pivot tables and the scenario manager). Pivot Table columns are used to simplify big data sets in this way.
Features of Excel
Excel has a programming component called Visual Basic for Applications, which allows the user to use a variety of numerical methods, such as solving differential equations in mathematical physics and returning the results to the spreadsheet. Allowing for custom-designed user interfaces that can completely conceal the spreadsheet from the user, so that the spreadsheet appears to the user as an application or decision support system (DSS), such as a stock analyzer, or, more broadly, as a design tool that asks the user questions and provides answers and reports. In a more complex approach, an Excel spreadsheet may poll external databases and measurement equipment through an update schedule. ERP systems are now necessary for the administration of thousands of enterprises of all sizes and sectors.
ERP’s Business Value:
Businesses may link various divisions and optimise operations by integrating corporate data and procedures into ERP Vs Excel systems, resulting in considerable bottom-line benefits. Here are a few instances of unique business advantages:
- Better business knowledge as a consequence of real-time data provided via reports.
- Cut operational costs by simplifying company operations and applying best practices.
- Increased efficiency as a consequence of a uniform user experience across a wide range of business activities and well-defined business processes.
- Infrastructure that is consistent from back office to front office, with all business operations having the same appearance and feel. Greater user adoption as a result of a unified user experience and design.
- Implement consistent and integrated systems to reduce management and operational costs.
Excel vs ERP: Excel’s Weaknesses:
Why should you consider moving away from Excel VS ERP system? Let’s look at some significant distinctions:
1. Possibility of Human Error
In theory, any human-operated system is susceptible to some degree of user error. If you’ve ever spent hours trying to change an Excel spreadsheet, you’ll know that the program is infamously prone to human error. In fact, studies reveal that more than 90% of spreadsheets include errors. As a result, even if various departments in your company want the same information, they will almost certainly use separate spreadsheets. It also raises the likelihood of errors, which become a risk every time a user populates a cell.
2. Insufficient Centralized Control
ERP software provides a single, uniform source of truth based on correct data. There is just one version of the information, and all users may access it in real-time. This is not the case with Excel, where employees can simply make changes to a spreadsheet, save it as a new version, and share it. This makes determining if your teams are working from the proper dataset, or simply if it is accurate and up-to-date, extremely difficult. The hazards involved are not always obvious. Errors can also be dangerous at times. This is especially true in manufacturing and supply chain management(SCM), where dealing with out-of-date or error-prone data may destabilize your entire operation. That is why manufacturing ERP software is critical.
3. Time-consuming Effort
Excel spreadsheets are seldom simple to bmodify. Instead, the majority are dozens, if not hundreds, of lines long, with nearly every cell demanding user input. When one of your teams needs to create a new report, they must create a new sheet. Even if they are utilizing a template, this is true. As a result, the only way to properly manage your inventory, for example, is to delegate the task of manually updating the data on a regular basis.
Then there’s the risk of accidentally eradicating a key spread. If you’ve ever pushed the incorrect button or dragged the wrong file to the recycle bin, you know that file recovery may take a lifetime, if it can be done at all. The same is true for system crashes, which wipe out data. The same is true for system crashes, which will erase your data if you do not save it.
You can certainly send an Excel file by email or upload it to a public cloud service. These spreadsheets, on the other hand, are typically kept isolated from the rest of your organization.
Even if your firm was foresighted enough to invest in a mobile or cloud-based version of the Office suite, collaboration remains challenging. If a significant number of people try to access a spread at the same time, the system may crash. Your whole workforce, including on-site and remote workers, can interact seamlessly with a cloud ERP platform.
4. Outdated data insights
If there is a modification, an Excel spreadsheet will not instantly update. Instead, an employee must go into the file and make the necessary changes. As a result, data inputs may be missing or duplicated. An ERP system provides real-time data insights that are accessible via a single dashboard. Thus, users can quickly search for and receive the information they want, and then share their discoveries across departments.
Making the Switch from Excel Vs ERP
Before you select an ERP vendor and begin installation, you must first make the following decisions:
Think About Your Data Processes
Begin by mapping the data processes that your employees are currently using. How do they gather information? What are they going to do with it? Consider the many types of information they’re gathering and how they’re using it. You may realise that you’ve been adhering to procedures that were put in place years ago but no longer meet your requirements. Inefficiencies and pain spots will most certainly become clear, and now is the time to solve them.
Reduce Data
Is it necessary to move all of your data from Excel vs ERP, or can you reduce it? You might be able to leave some past data behind, clearing up space and time. If you realise that you require more data once the transfer is complete, you may easily add it later.
Make a decision on whether to transfer data in bulk or in stages.
It makes sense for certain businesses to accomplish a large data transfer. However, the majority of people find it easier and more advantageous to perform this procedure in stages. The only exception would be if your teams require constant access to all of your data throughout the transition phase. Discuss which strategy is preferable and how you’ll tackle it as a project team.
Conclusion
If you’re still using Excel to manage your in-house team’s day-to-day operations, it’s time to think about ERP adoption. While Excel might be useful in some situations, it does not provide the capacity that an ERP system can. When comparing Excel to ERP, it is clear that ERP outperforms Excel in terms of data dependability, user control, and business cooperation.