From my role as BI Consultant, I am involved in many organizations to help get more value out of data. In doing so, we advise modern solutions and use the latest technology to best support organizations in leveraging their data.

Yet within organizations we often see the same monthly ritual recurring: creating reports in Excel. Figures from different systems are collected, cut and pasted, adjusted, and merged into one well-organized whole. Pivot tables, formulas, tabs - everything hand-tied together. And well ... fair is fair: it works! At least ... most of the time. Until it starts squeaking and creaking, or even crashes completely. Even then, it often gets one more fix ... in Excel.

Where things go wrong

Let's face it, Excel is a handy and powerful tool, which makes it understandable that many organizations use it to build their reports. However, what starts out as a quick, low-threshold solution quickly becomes the backbone of the entire reporting chain. And that's where things often go wrong. What started out as a quick solution eventually turns into a cumbersome, vulnerable system:

• A mistake in a formula is easily made and your conclusions are no longer correct.
• The "final" version suddenly turns out not to be so final, when a colleague sends another Excel just in time.
• Reports lean on one or two people who know exactly where what says what.
• As more data sources are needed, the "quick excel" turns into a half-day job of cutting and pasting.

The result: the process becomes frustrating, time-consuming and simply not future-proof.

Why we like to keep cutting and pasting

Yet many organizations continue to use Excel. Why? Because it is familiar territory. Excel is accessible, flexible and everyone can do something with it. The change is often not caused by one major incident, but because the system gradually begins to squeak and creak more and more. The questions from the organization become more complex, management wants quicker up-to-date insight, sources contradict each other, or the Excel expert turns out to be on vacation. Then it becomes painfully clear how vulnerable the process is.

Time to excel?

Moving to an organized data structure such as a modern data platform with centralized dashboards and streamlined data flows may seem like a big deal, but often yields immediate gains:

• Recurring tasks are automated.
• Everyone works with one version of the truth.
• More confidence in the numbers is emerging.
• And above all, there will be room to really drive data.

That doesn't mean Excel should be completely banned. It remains a powerful tool regardless - but use it in the right place: as a tool for that "one-off" analysis or to prototype a report, but not as the foundation.

Switching from separate Excel reports to a modern data platform may sound like a technical journey, but in situations like this, it actually provides overview, peace of mind and control. Especially when combined with tools such as Power BI, data not only becomes more reliable, but also usable for everyone.

"So ... are you sticking around in Excel? Or is it time to start excelling? We'd love to help you take the first step."