The EnFuse Forum

SCENARIO: Company "ABC" has been in business for 5-10 years and has seen steady growth. To date they have relied upon spreadsheets and paper for data management and reporting. PROBLEM: The company has now grown to the point where the owner is spread too thin and cannot manage everything like he or she was able to in the past. What happens? The first thing to go is record keeping and reporting, because after all, getting the job done takes precedent over reporting. Well, does it? Of course "ABC" is obligated to provide a product as agreed upon with their clients, but can they afford to lay aside the tools that measure success? I say no, absolutely not. Working for the sake of working doesn't work; "ABC" must have a barometer of their performance if they want to continue to grow and realize more profits. SOLUTION: The EnFuse Company can centralize all of "ABC's" data, minimize data entry (specific to "ABC's" daily practices), provide real time reporting, and analyze data to reveal trends in performance. For example, "ABC" runs five crews that seem to be equally skilled at a glance. However, after The EnFuse Company installs a custom software solution for them they can see that the crew three is consistently over production hours, a realization that would have never been made apparent without EnFuse. The difference of using spreadsheets and loose paper vs having a centralized system is astonishing, and often times reveals opportunities for improvement by simply implementing it. Contact The EnFuse Company today to get a free demonstration of how our product can propel your business to the next level!!

We all know that a database is a base with data in it, right?? Well, maybe all of us, and not exactly. Often times people ask me what the difference is between a relational database (the engine behind most any software solution) and a spreadsheet tool such as Microsoft Excel. The answer: just about everything. They are two entirely different applications designed to do two entirely different things. Here's the general rule: a spreadsheet (Excel) is used to analyze data, while a database is used to store data. Don't get me wrong, Excel most definitely has a purpose, it's just not to store your company's data. Remember when we used to go to the doctor's office and see walls and walls of paperwork? Notice how when we go to the doctor now everything is in a computer? Well, Dr. Smith isn't opening spreadsheets up to look at your blood pressure history, he or she is opening a database interface, and most likely a custom database interface. Here are a few bullet points explaining the key differences in detail. 1) REFERENTIAL INTEGRITY: The most powerful attribute of a relational database is something called "referential integrity." What this means is that we, as developers, can create relationships between different sets of data that will never change. In Excel, if one file names a customer as "Smith Residence" and another file refers to the same customer as "Smith Residence " (notice the trailing space), Excel does not recognize those two data points as being related and, therefore, does not combine any of the data associated to either of them. In a relational database, the user can't change or even set up the relationships. Furthermore, in a database, the user can "drill down" to many different levels of data in one place, rather than having to open multiple spreadsheets. For example, any and all projects related to "Smith Residence" are related to one and only one entity, which is the "Smith Residence." Why is this important? At a click the user can see the entire history for each account/client and know that the data is clean, which leads to item number 2. 2) DATA INTEGRITY: Rules are created as the product is developed that don't allow duplicate data entry, or that don't allow erroneous data entry. Ever seen those annoying pop-up messages that say "Invalid Entry" or "Data Already Exists" in an application but don't offer any other explanation? Those are messages that ensure the integrity of the data. (Our messages our much kinder and more helpful...) In other words, the developer controls how and what data is input into the database and can filter out anything unwanted in order to keep the data clean. If the application allows bad data, it's the fault of the application, not the user. 3) CONCURRENT USABILITY: When is the last time you opened an Excel document only to see "Document.name is locked for editing by 'The Person That Always Leaves It Open'"? If you run your business solely on Excel I'd bet it's within the last week. A database or software solution offers the ability to work on the same things at the same time, which is an enormously powerful attribute if you are transitioning from spreadsheets to a software solution. There are several other key points, but if you've stuck with me this far I won't bore you with those. The take home message is this: Excel is not a database, and if you are using it as one you are selling yourself short. Thanks for reading! Let us know if you have questions on this post, or want more information about how The EnFuse Company can help your business grow!!! Sincerely, Tim & The EnFuse Company

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