Replace Excel with a custom system before the spreadsheet runs you

Excel is a brilliant tool for working out how a process should run. It is a poor tool for running it once the business grows. The good news is that your spreadsheet is often the best requirements document you have: the columns are your data model, the colour codes are your workflow and the cell comments are your business rules. That is an excellent starting point for a system.

When is it time to move from Excel to a system?

• Several people edit the same file, and there is a "final_v7_REAL.xlsx" somewhere
• Data is typed into Excel and then again into e-conomic or Dinero
• One person is the only one who dares touch the formulas
• Customers or colleagues get extracts by email instead of looking things up
• Mistakes surface only when an invoice has gone out with the wrong amount
• You cannot see who changed what, or when

If three or more sound familiar, the spreadsheet is already costing you more than you think. It just doesn’t show up on a line called "software" – it shows up as overtime, corrected invoices and the day the key person is on holiday.

What should you build first?

Not the whole spreadsheet. Find the sheet that is opened most often, or the flow where mistakes cost the most, and build that first. The rest can stay in Excel for a while yet. It keeps the first version small and the price low, and your team gets used to one new tool at a time rather than having their whole working day turned upside down.

1. Map which sheets are used for what, and by whom
2. Pick the one flow with the most errors or the most hours
3. Build it as a system with login, roles and history
4. Connect it to your accounting system so data is entered in one place
5. Move the next sheets across once the first one is bedded in

How is data moved from Excel into a new system?

Can the system talk to e-conomic and Dinero?

Yes, and that is often where the biggest gain lies. When the system sends customers, invoices and entries straight to e-conomic or Dinero, double entry disappears entirely. We have pre-built integrations for both, as well as for Billy and DataLøn. Read more about Dinero integration, and see how we approach automation of the tasks that repeat every week.

What about the people who love Excel?

There is almost always one person, maybe two, who built the spreadsheet and knows it better than anyone. They are not an obstacle – they are the most important resource on the project. We involve them from the first meeting, because they know why column F is yellow and which exceptions were never written down. When the system is built on their knowledge, they usually become the ones who champion it to everyone else. And they keep their analysis: with an export they can still work in Excel, just on data that is correct.

Custom system or off-the-shelf software?

If there is an off-the-shelf system that fits almost all of your workflow, consider it seriously. The trouble starts when the standard system forces you to change exactly what makes you good. We have written a full guide on custom software vs off-the-shelf if you want to weigh the choice properly.

For Vaskekonerne the result was eight solutions in one circuit – website, booking and operations – instead of a collection of loose tools. At Kirppu the platform grew from one store to more than 30, something no spreadsheet could have carried.

How much does it cost to replace Excel?

A typical first system – one flow, login and one integration with your accounting system – fits Small: DKK 18,000 plus DKK 600 a month with 12 features. If you need two or three integrations, it is Medium at DKK 36,000 plus DKK 900 a month, or Large at DKK 54,000 plus DKK 1,200 a month. For comparison, simple internal web apps typically cost DKK 30,000–250,000 in the Danish market. Read more about web app development, or see pricing.