Qtier-Rapor ensures Corporate Spreadsheet Application Build

Because today’s corporate business systems do not encompass all business processes, spreadsheet ‘solutions’ are being built to plug gaps and make up for a lack of functionality and flexibility in core business systems – but they do not exhibit the same automation, security and control features present in formal systems.

Spreadsheets are rarely integrated with other business systems and can become isolated islands of information requiring high levels of manual intervention and maintenance. Manual re-keying of data and high risk cut-and-paste consolidation is both time consuming and prone to error making results unreliable.

Usually built on-the-fly by end users, spreadsheets are usually created for personal use by individuals in their own roles. Processes, calculations and information contained in such spreadsheets always ends up contributing to departmental or organisational performance. As a result key business processes are reliant on the contribution of one individual. Supported business process will fail if such an individual becomes unavailable.

What key features of Qtier-Rapor address this problem?

The Qtier-Rapor software framework has been developed to ensure the spreadsheets that support key business processes can be constructed to be fully automated and secure. Containing advanced Security & Control features the framework provides powerful, intuitive functionality that enables the creation of Automated, industrial strength spreadsheet applications.

Enabling secure real-time Access to Corporate Data ensures that spreadsheet applications always reflect the latest business status and eliminates the need for costly and error prone manual re-keying of data.

The ability to write-back intermediate results to Rapor’s User Defined Database (UDD) ensures the concept of Single Source of Data can be adopted throughout both corporate business systems and spreadsheet applications alike. This concept eliminates the need for the high risk and time consuming data consolidation process.

Utilising dynamic run time criteria it is possible to ensure that there is only one Single Spreadsheet Process in existence to support each unique business process. This feature enables the creation of scaleable spreadsheet applications that are able to grow and change as the business process changes.

The ability to automate manual tasks through conditional Step and Step Sequence Design enables the creation of highly powerful and flexible spreadsheet processes. Workflow and Dependency Checking ensures that primary spreadsheet processes have completed.

The ability to sense check results for ‘reasonableness’ with Data Validation Rules and prevent unauthorised end user amendment to locked business process rules guarantee the validity and integrity of information. It is possible for application designers and authorised end users to run real-time Ad Hoc Data Queries direct from Excel to further validate and analyse information without running the risk of corrupting secured spreadsheet processes.

All spreadsheets created under the control of the Qtier-Rapor software framework are automatically web enabled with no extra effort or skills required. This includes any associated dynamic run time criteria. Web Enabled Spreadsheets can be setup to be created dynamically at run time, created overnight via the Qtier-Rapor ‘Task Scheduler’ or set to expire after a preset time interval or future point in time.

The Benefits available as a result of creating spreadsheet applications under the control of the Qtier-Rapor software framework are conclusive. They range from improved resource utilisation to improved accuracy of data.