With this add-in, the user may analyse live financial data, update reference data or import transactional data from a worksheet straight into Aqilla.
Full enquiries can be replicated within a worksheet and negates the need to export data – a practice which at once renders the information instantaneously out of date, introduces the risks associated with version control and adds to a possibly overly complex security issue that can lead to questions about access and availability.
External data can be imported and mapped to the layout required by Aqilla. This data is then added into Aqilla using the functions provided with the same validation as if the data had been entered manually through a browser. Alternatively, you may wish to review data that is currently held in Aqilla, such as reviewing your debtor’s credit limits or updating your item prices. You make the changes in your Spreadsheet / Excel to individual records and the changes are applied back to Aqilla. Unlike using exported data, which is a snapshot of the information when the export is run, the enquiry functions allow you to define reports in Excel and the data is kept up to date by using the Refresh option.
According to research, nearly a quarter of accountants have experienced financial or reputational damage due to spreadsheet errors. Here we demonstrate how you can make the most of your spreadsheets.
Once a secure connection to the database is achieved by logging in with a username and password, a user can select from a range of functions covering the ledger, customers, suppliers, item lists as well as analysis categories such as department, project etc. When modifying information, the Add-In automatically identifies which records have been updated and saved into Aqilla.
Parameters set up in Aqilla can also be included in a spreadsheet as functions. This means for example that the selection of date ranges can be made to reflect that which is set up in the main database – making it straightforward to select data from ‘This Period’, ‘This Quarter’ or the current financial year for example.
Documents and journals can even be prepared and managed externally using the same approach and then imported into the ledger.
Of course, once the data resides in your Spreadsheet / Excel it can be referenced for the production of graphs, tables, reports and further analysis combined with data derived from other sources. Furthermore, it can act as an excellent tool to consolidate financial data from more than one company or act as a gateway for Microsoft’s SQL-Server Analysis Services enabling you to enables you to query your most current business data using the latest cube functions to build a custom report from an OLAP database.
10 Effective Ways to Make the Most of Excel Spreadsheets
Whether you use Excel as an extension to your finance system, or to share information with other people, it is important you consider the promises and pitfalls of this approach.
