Excel Automation

What is Microsoft Excel Automation?

Microsoft Excel Automation is the automation of spreadsheets, and their use of data, in Microsoft Excel using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).  Excel Automation can also include setting up spreadsheets to use tables and advanced formulas.  Advanced Excel setup can allow you to use less VBA code.

Microsoft Excel is extremely powerful. Imagine reporting and analysis that can be completed in minutes, instead of hours.  Our company can automate anything in Excel and can completely customize solutions to fit how you perform your business processes.

Our Process

Approach to providing Microsoft Excel Automation solutions for any of your company’s business processes:

  1. 1Assess the business process with a Subject Matter Expert
    • Can the process be automated in Excel and not require an RPA robot to be built? This can be a good thing because Excel automation can be created much faster than RPA and you will not incur any additional licensing fees, since most companies already use Excel.
    • Is the process consistent and predictable?
    • How long is the current process vs the anticipated timing after Excel Automation?
    • Are there upstream or downstream processes that should be included with the automation?  Can any of these processes be anticipated to change, or be removed, due to better timing, accuracy, etc.?
  2. 2Create a solution plan: determining the process flow and how the Excel Automation is to be built.
  3. 3Build the Excel Automation in a development environment.
  4. 4Have the Subject Matter Expert, and any other users, test the Excel Automation in the Development environment.
  5. 5After all testing is confirmed and approved, setup the Excel Automation to be used in a production environment.

How Can Excel Automation Help Your Business?

The benefits of Excel Automation are very similar to the benefits of RPA

  • Excel Automation can be very flexible and built to match your business processes.
  • Excel Dashboards can be created to help your employees follow specific workflows and complete tasks in the correct order.
    • Each workflow item can be a customized automation.
    • Employee interaction with the solution can be built into the workflow.
    • Excel automation can execute Robotic Process Automation (RPA) robots. In turn, RPA robots can execute Excel Automation.
  • The combination of Excel Automation with RPA robots allows full end-to-end automation solutions to be built with necessary employee interaction.
  • Excel can easily be integrated with SQL, web data via APIs, or any other data source.
  • Significant Time Savings – hours of work can be performed in minutes, or even seconds.
  • Accuracy – calculations and performance are consistent and correct. This can remove downstream work related to handling of errors.
  • More productive and cost-efficient employees.
    • Excel Automation allows analysts to be analysts and managers to be managers.
    • If you remove tasks that normally take employees hours to perform, you can remove the need for excessive overtime.
    • Repetitive task related jobs can also lead to high employee turnover.

Case Study: Excel Automation in Action