New Tools Maintain Critical Excel and Access Files

New tools from Microsoft allow organizations to find, analyze, and control departmental solutions built, often ad hoc, using Excel spreadsheets and Access databases. In particular, a pair of server applications released in May 2013 and some features shipped with Office 2013 can help organizations maintain spreadsheets and databases used for critical business tasks such as preparing financial reports, which in turn can help avoid costly errors and legal problems. However, the tools are at best a starting point for processes to maintain critical spreadsheets and databases.

Maintaining Critical Spreadsheets and Desktop Databases

The new tools for Excel and Access came with Microsoft’s acquisition of Prodiance in June 2011. The tools are meant to help users and organizations handle Excel spreadsheets and Access databases that do critical business tasks. Power users and part-time developers in departments often build spreadsheets and desktop databases for department-specific needs that the organization’s IT department might not have time or knowledge to develop. Once created, these “end user computing applications” tend to spawn multiple conflicting versions and accumulate errors, which can have serious consequences if large amounts of money or regulated activities are involved. For example, in Jan. 2013 JPMorgan Chase reported that spreadsheet errors played a role in the “London Whale” incident, which resulted in over US$6 billion in losses on credit derivatives.