Avoiding or escaping spreadsheet hell is one of my favourite talking points (sorry Simon.) So when I had the opportunity to speak with an accounting application customer that is using a CODA upgrade as a way of solving this problem, I could not resist getting her words onto this short video. The interviewee is Sally East, deputy FD at the Royal Veterinary College.
Watch for the Systems Union Vision name check. Now there's a blast from the past! But seriously, after so many years, why is it that most commonly used business accounting applications still drive accountants into the arms of spreadsheets?
The short answer is they were never designed with reporting in mind but with transaction recording. It is Pacioli-esque thinking. Developers have conceded that spreadsheets are the reporting tool of choice and largely given up trying to make reporting a priority. Contrast that with what we see in the SaaS world where reporting is either an easy add-on or baked into the solution.
But what's your experience? Do you have a favourite reporting tool or is the spreadsheet here to stay for the forseeable future?