INTHEBLACK September 2021 - Magazine - Page 71
Above: Airtable allows you
to set up simple automated
processes.
Left: Although Airtable may
not be the most powerful
option as a data visualisation
tool, it’s still able to create
clean, user-friendly graphics.
Top: With Power BI, you can
quickly view forecasts and
gain other insights.
DATABASE SYSTEMS
Bottom: Power BI can
visualise data from accounting
systems such as Xero and
many other sources.
If you have Microsoft 365, you may already
have Microsoft Access installed on your
computer. This powerful database system
could provide an alternative to Excel in a
number of situations.
While LOOKUP functions can help
connect data in sheets, Excel is essentially
two-dimensional: rows and columns.
Access, on the other hand, is truly threedimensional. It is a relational database
system – tables can relate to each other,
which can eliminate data duplication and
reduce the potential for data entry errors.
You can use Access to create your own
applications, such as asset tracking or
event management. Excel is still better
for calculations and detailed analysis, but
you can get the best of both worlds by
importing an Excel spreadsheet into
Access, organising your data, then
connecting to the Access data from
Excel for crunching numbers.
You could even use all three Microsoft
tools together: Access for your database
application, importing that database into
Power BI for data visualisations, and then
pulling data from either app into Excel.
CLOUD PLATFORMS
Microsoft is certainly not the only game
in town. Thankfully, there are plenty of
modern cloud database systems that
overcome Access’s limited data view
options and sharing functionality. Of these,
Airtable’s spreadsheet-like interface makes
it an appealing option for Excel users.
Airtable allows you to import Excel files
and other file formats and view data in
various ways: as a spreadsheet, calendar,
gallery, Kanban board or Gantt chart. It also
allows you to easily link tables, automate
some processes and create user-friendly
applications for your team. There is a huge
range of application templates available, from
expense tracking to project management.
Smartsheet takes a similar approach to
Airtable, while Microsoft Lists, which is part
of Microsoft 365, could be ideal if you just
need to share relatively simple lists.
Above: You can access
Airtable data as a calendar,
Kanban board and other
views, depending on the
purpose.
Above: Access’s Table Analyzer
can import a spreadsheet and
automatically create a relational
database.
intheblack.com September 2021 71