Spreadsheet to business application
Turn the process behind your spreadsheet into dependable software.
Trentinian analyses your existing spreadsheet, reconstructs the data, rules, workflows and system interactions it represents, and uses them as the starting point for an independent, production-grade business application.
The result is not tied to Excel or a proprietary conversion platform. It is maintainable software with deployable source code that can run within your organisation’s chosen environment.
You do not need a software specification. Start with the spreadsheet you already use and an explanation of how it supports the business.
The problem
Your spreadsheet may already be a business system
Many spreadsheets do more than store information. They implement calculations, apply rules, track statuses, produce reports and coordinate work between people.
Over time, this can create operational problems:
- multiple copies contain conflicting information;
- formulas and macros are understood by only one person;
- data is copied manually between spreadsheets and other systems;
- approvals take place through email or informal messages;
- several people cannot work safely at the same time;
- changes are difficult to trace;
- access to sensitive information cannot be controlled precisely;
- reporting requires repeated manual preparation;
- one spreadsheet has become critical to an important business process.
At that point, the problem is not merely that the spreadsheet is complicated. The business process has outgrown the tool supporting it.
The approach
More than a spreadsheet import
Spreadsheet-to-app platforms generally take one of two approaches: they generate a plausible interface from the spreadsheet or reproduce its existing structure inside a proprietary platform.
Trentinian takes a different approach.
The spreadsheet is examined to determine:
- what each item of data represents;
- how the information is related;
- which calculations and business rules apply;
- who performs each activity;
- which steps, decisions and approvals make up the workflow;
- where information currently comes from and where it needs to go;
- which exchanges can be replaced by API integrations or automated data flows;
- whether the resulting application should become an authoritative source for other systems;
- what happens when normal processing cannot continue;
- which other systems provide or consume information;
- what must be reported, exported or retained.
This allows the application to be designed around the actual business process rather than around the worksheets, columns and formulas through which it happens to be implemented today.
The spreadsheet is the starting point—not the application specification.
What the application includes
What the resulting application can include
Depending on the process and requirements, the application can provide:
Structured information
A proper relational database designed around the organisation’s actual information and relationships.
Business logic
Calculations, validation rules and process decisions implemented in a controlled and testable backend.
Multi-user operation
Concurrent access without passing files between people or creating conflicting copies.
Identity and access control
Authentication, user management and role-based authorization appropriate to each person’s responsibilities.
Workflows and approvals
Explicit process states, assigned actions, approvals, notifications and controlled handling of exceptions.
Traceability
Audit history showing what changed, when it changed and who performed the action.
Reporting and exports
Operational views, dashboards, reports and exports for further analysis or regulatory and management purposes.
Existing data migration
Historical spreadsheet data cleaned, mapped and transferred into the new application where practical.
Systems integration
Secure API integrations and automated data flows through which the application can retrieve, validate and provide information. Where appropriate, the application can expose its own API or become the authoritative source for the business process it manages.
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Systems integration
Connect the process to other systems
A spreadsheet often sits between systems without being properly connected to any of them. People manually copy information into it, reconcile it against other sources and transfer the results elsewhere.
Once the process becomes an application, those exchanges can be made explicit, controlled and repeatable.
- retrieve information from existing systems through APIs;
- send validated data to downstream systems;
- synchronise selected records with other applications;
- import files or consume scheduled data feeds;
- trigger actions when a process reaches a particular stage;
- publish events for other systems to process;
- expose a secure API through which authorised systems can access its data and capabilities;
- become an authoritative source of information for the process it manages.
Integrations can include authentication, validation, retries, error handling, monitoring and audit history. This makes data exchange more reliable than copying information manually between spreadsheets, emails and business systems.
The result is not simply a better place to maintain the spreadsheet’s data. It becomes an integrated business system that can provide and consume information reliably.
Production delivery
Independent, production-grade software
The objective is not merely to create something that resembles an application. The result is engineered for continued use, maintenance and deployment.
A production delivery can include:
- frontend and backend source code;
- relational database schema and migrations;
- automated tests;
- deployment and infrastructure configuration;
- application and security documentation;
- monitoring and operational diagnostics;
- source control and repeatable build processes;
- defined ownership and handover arrangements.
There is no mandatory dependency on a proprietary spreadsheet-conversion platform. The application can continue to be operated and developed independently of Trentinian.
Deployment
Deployable within your environment
The deployment model follows the organisation’s technical, security and operational requirements.
The application can be deployed:
- on premises;
- within the customer’s Azure or AWS environment;
- in a private cloud environment;
- or as a Trentinian-managed application.
The appropriate model is agreed before production delivery, including responsibilities for hosting, monitoring, maintenance, security and support.
How it works
How the transformation works
Show us the current process
We review the spreadsheet and discuss who uses it, what purpose it serves and where the current way of working causes problems. A sanitised copy can be used initially when the spreadsheet contains confidential or personal information.
Reconstruct the underlying system
We identify the data model, calculations, rules, users, workflows, exceptions, reports and integrations represented by the spreadsheet and surrounding manual activities.
Define the intended application
The current spreadsheet provides evidence, but it does not dictate the new design. Together, we determine what should be preserved, improved, automated or removed.
Produce a working version
An initial working version makes the proposed data structure, workflows and user experience tangible. It can often be available within days for a sufficiently bounded process.
Engineer for production
The application is completed with the required security, validation, testing, migration, deployment and operational capabilities. A well-defined and appropriately scoped application can reach production within weeks.
When to consider it
Not every spreadsheet needs an application
A spreadsheet may remain the right tool when it is used by one or two people, changes frequently, carries limited operational risk and does not require controlled workflows or integrations.
A custom application becomes worth considering when the spreadsheet:
- supports an important or recurring process;
- is used by several people or departments;
- contains substantial business knowledge or complex rules;
- creates errors, delays or duplicated work;
- requires stronger access control or traceability;
- has become difficult to maintain;
- or prevents the process from operating at a larger scale.
The first conversation helps determine whether replacing it with software would create enough value to justify the investment.
Start a conversation
Show us the process behind your spreadsheet.
You do not need to prepare a software specification. Bring the spreadsheet, explain how it is used and identify what has become difficult. Trentinian can assess whether it provides a viable starting point for a dependable business application.
Please do not send confidential, personal or commercially sensitive spreadsheet data before an appropriate handling arrangement has been agreed.