If end-user reporting is a burden on your IT department, you’re certainly not alone. The question is…how can you reduce the amount of time your IT department spends creating end-user reports? One way to fix the problem: Create canned reports with run-time options for end users. This lets your users quickly access the data they… Continue reading »
Aug
26
Pivot table comparison: Excel v. Google v. Web-based
Pivot tables are great tools for spotting hidden details and trends in a sea of data. One pivot table lets you quickly examine nearly any aspect of your data. Also, unlike static reports, the user determines what parts of the data to analyze. The big question with pivot tables is this: Which pivot table option… Continue reading »
Aug
15
Difficult Business Intelligence is…dangerous?
One of the biggest keys to Business Intelligence is simplicity. Do you know what happens when you give users difficult BI apps? They revert to whatever they’re already comfortable using, which is usually Excel. Apparently, BI software in general isn’t very easy, as research shows that spreadsheets are the most commonly used tool for Business… Continue reading »
Jun
06
Pivot tables in Google Docs: How do they compare?
A couple of weeks ago, Google announced some big news: Google Docs now has pivot tables! I know what you’re thinking: How is this different than other pivot table options, such as those found in Excel? Are they right for business? I’d like to help you answer these questions. First, how does this differ from… Continue reading »
Mar
25
Create business reports in under 5 minutes
Some people request them from the IT department. Others lock themselves in their offices for a day or two and go crazy with spreadsheets. Others delegate the task. Whatever the method, everyone has a process for creating business reports. But, what if your process wastes time? What if the hours you spend running reports or… Continue reading »
Mar
14
How to keep tabs on your business
Most business owners and executives have one thing in common: They hate surprises. Why? Because they’re rarely good. They’re never, “Surprise! Profits just doubled!” Instead, surprises come right out of the blue and smack you in the side of the head. The best way to avoid business surprises? Monitor your data. Make sure you know… Continue reading »
Oct
25
Building and using Pivot Tables (explained via video)
Pivot tables are great analytical tools—they sum up large amounts of data and let you view it in just about any way possible. More importantly, they help you quickly analyze business information, discover trends, and make better and more informed decisions. Pivot tables are typically found in spreadsheet software, such as Excel. Spreadsheet-based pivot tables… Continue reading »
Jul
26
Three incredibly useful enhancements
We’ve recently made some significant m-Power improvements that I believe could help many companies. In case you missed any of them, I’d like to recap 3 of my favorites. Web-based pivot table – m-Power can now create web-based pivot table reports. They’re easy to create, easy to share, and you won’t have to worry about… Continue reading »
Jun
14
Pervasive BI – so what?
I’d like to introduce you to a relatively new concept: Pervasive business intelligence. It’s not some great new buzzword to throw around at meetings, it’s a truly actionable concept that could save time and money for your company. The idea of pervasive BI is simple: Business intelligence should permeate throughout your business. Real-time data specific… Continue reading »
May
14
New m-Power feature: Pivot-table reporting!
I’m excited to announce m-Power’s newest reporting template: The pivot table reporting template! (If you are unfamiliar with our template/model based approach to application development, please read our “build process” page.) What are pivot tables? Pivot tables are interactive tables that automatically extract, organize, and summarize data. Pivot tables are usually Excel™-based and most often… Continue reading »
About the author
Joe Stangarone is a 30+ year veteran of the IT industry and president of mrc—the software company behind the award winning development platform, m-Power. Joe shares his leadership and technology insights through the Cup of Joe Blog, focusing primarily on ways businesses can save time, money, and increase productivity using technology.
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