When Excel is no longer enough
Spreadsheets are the backbone of all kinds of business processes in organisations large and small. They're inexpensive, flexible and often the best way to start capturing and analysing data and automating simple processes. But what do you do when the spreadsheet isn't enough any more? As data volumes grow, processes get more complex or several departments need to work on the same data at once, conventional spreadsheets reach their limits.
If any of the following sound familiar, sooner or later you'll need an alternative to replace your current tool:
Collaboration and access rights
When several people need to access and edit the data at the same time, a single central spreadsheet quickly reaches its limits.
Data volume and performance
Once a spreadsheet reaches a certain size and contains lots of formulas, performance starts to suffer.
Security and compliance
If the spreadsheet holds personal or security-sensitive data, access to it needs to be protected accordingly.
Complexity vs usability
As complexity grows, spreadsheets get harder and harder to understand and use for anyone who doesn't work with them every day.
Room for automation
Spotting recurring tasks that could be automated to save time and cut down on errors.
Cost vs benefit
The bigger the team and the more requirements a spreadsheet has to cover, the more effort it takes to use — and the more error-prone it becomes.
Possible alternatives
Flexible data platforms
Database-backed open-source applications that are easy to set up, can be extended as needed and are tailored to your requirements
Cloud-based collaboration tools
Third-party applications that can take your existing spreadsheets as a starting point
ERP systems
Comprehensive systems that can cover a company's requirements end to end.
Low-code/no-code platforms
Specialised applications that, once set up, your own subject-matter experts can adapt to new needs without any particular technical knowledge.
To work out which tool makes the most sense going forward, look at the process as a whole, as well as at the job the spreadsheet does on its own.
Does your company already use business software that could be extended to cover this process too? Or would it make sense to provide a tool that turns the spreadsheet's function into a web application? Or is an existing SaaS tool the answer?
Every approach has its pros and cons — there's simply no one "best way". We can help you map out all the options and explain what each one means for you. And if you decide on custom-built software, we'll be with you all the way from the first prototype to long-term maintenance.
Flexible data platforms
One option that can grow with your needs and keeps initial costs low is an application that lets you store and share data online through simple configuration.
Open-source applications such as Strapi and Payload CMS are ideal for setting up data schemas, storage and input quickly and efficiently.
The platform can be extended however you like to analyse your data. We build custom views for you, such as dashboards, statistics, calculations or automations — so the platform fits your needs exactly.
Imports, exports and data sync with third-party systems are also possible on request, and take little effort to set up.
What we offer
- In a free, no-obligation first conversation, we'll show you which options could work for you.
- We work through your requirements together and help you make the decision
- If a custom product makes sense, we'll build a working prototype as an MVP ("minimum viable product") in no time and at a manageable cost
Tegonal Cooperative
We're a team of analysts, developers and designers based in the city of Bern. What we love is finding the right solutions for our clients — ones that fit into their existing environment and can be implemented efficiently. Wherever we can, we use open-source components.
We use existing tools, extend them — or build new solutions from scratch. Whatever makes the most sense and has the best chance of success in each case.
With 20 years of consulting and delivery experience, we'll find the right solution for you too.
What our clients say
Hotellerie Suisse«"The guys from Tegonal will take care of it". What sounds somewhat sloppy, is something we have been able to experience for 2 years in an uncomplicated and yet very professional manner in our daily work. Very fast response time, high quality, a pragmatic approach to finding good and reliable solutions and great customer orientation are the hallmarks of the Tegonal team. The team's size guarantees agility, their people professionalism, and their know-how sustainable results.»Bernt Maulaz, Head of Marketing, Sales, Communication, HotellerieSuisse
Swisscom AG«I am extremely pleased to collaborate since years with passionate software engineers from Tegonal. Thanks to their deep engineering skills, they can be involved successfully in most of our awesome smart data projects, and in this manner support the digitalization vision at Swisscom.»Sébastien Charnoz, Team Lead BI and Big Data Delivery, Swisscom AG
GLOBE Switzerland«In cooperation with Tegonal, we developed our PhaenoNet app from scratch. We were impressed by how competent, efficient and committed Tegonal was in getting the most out of the limited budget. We also experienced the sincere interest in the content and the charitable goal of our app as particularly positive.»Eric Wyss, Managing Director, GLOBE Schweiz
Bewetec AG«We have valued Tegonal for many years as a reliable partner for the design and implementation of our digitization initiatives.»Mario Becker, Chairman of the Executive Board, BEWETEC AG
Extramet AG«Tegonal has been advising, designing and implementing our projects for many years. And they do so with a great deal of commitment and competence.»Michel Stempfel, CEO, EXTRAMET AG
GPV Group«The Tegonal team has been supporting us for many years in maintaining and further developing our customer portal. We appreciate Tegonal's technical know-how as well as the pleasant and uncomplicated cooperation.»Bernasconi, Head of IT, GPV Switzerland SA
Open Food Network"Due to the great experience of the Tegonal developers in open source projects and in the management of projects, our project Open Food Network Switzerland has started successfully. We are looking forward to future cooperation with the Tegonal team."Martina Brun, co-manager, Open Food Network Switzerland
Swiss Parks Network“Tegonal was able to technically renew our integrated management system and offer a well thought-out design with logical and intuitive functions. The cooperative's human approach to cooperation is pleasant and goal-oriented.”Eric Schaer, Project Manager Nature and Landscape, Swiss Parks Network
SoliTerre Association«soliTerre manages more than 330 subscriptions for vegetables in the city of Bern with OpenOlitor, an OpenSource software developed by Tegonal. We appreciate the developers of Tegonal extraordinarily because they take an interest in our daily business, listen to us, clarify things and so we are able to progress together.»Claudia Schreiber, Lawyer, member of the board of the soliTerre association
Unic AGTegonal complemented our team during the course of the project and impressed throughout. It was impressive how quickly they gained a professional and technical overview and were able to drive the development forward productively. They also improved the software in terms of security, architecture and quality assurance. We are happy to continue working with Tegonal as a reliable partner.Stephan Handschin, CEO, Unic AG
Debrunner Acifer«Our experience with Tegonal Genossenschaft is simply outstanding! Their services are not only fast and efficient, but also extremely straightforward. It's as if they know our needs in advance. As a long-standing partner, they have always proved to be reliable and exceeded our expectations. What particularly impresses us is their commitment to staying at the cutting edge of technology, helping us to implement innovative solutions and achieve our goals efficiently. In Tegonal, we have not only found a service provider, but a strong partner to help us realise our full potential. We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration!»Marc Oefeli, Lead Business Excellence, Debrunner Acifer Bewehrungen AG
AtupriTegonal supported us in a pragmatic way and was able to quickly improve our software quality assurance through targeted use of appropriate tools and methodologies. The continuous integration of test automation and the introduction of technical and security tests guarantee sustained, high quality across systems.Billy Bregy, Test Manager, Atupri