Controllers' Q&A
Q: I’m the controller, what’s in for me?
A: Vineyard allows you to get data right inside your Excel spreadsheets. No need to rework tables or running complex queries.
You can also load, check and polish the raw data upon which your reports are based. Save data back to the system to keep on crunching numbers.
Q: Then what should I do for starter?
A: First you must set up the application. You may require your IT help on that. Then read the manual and play a bit to get familiar with the system.
Then the first and most immediate use of the system is to store results and coefficients that are used throughout your work. Allocation coefficients, standard prices, global performance indicators over time are all good candidates.
Do not forget to create the appropriate dimensions first.
Q: What business areas can be analyzed within Vineyard?
A: all the areas you have data for. Channeling the input through Excel make dimension creation and model population an easy task. For each new area, build the appropriate dimensions and models and start using them right away.
Your work may span a wide range of business areas, ranging from cost analysis to profitability analysis to company financials etc. Each area may be associated with one or more specific model covering it. You can also take advantage of the transformations to make hybrids and mix them up in powerful spreadsheets delivering a deep insight.
Q: How Vineyard fits inside my system? That is, I manage a lot of linked worksheets…
A: The controller, usually, is the heaviest spreadsheet producer in the company, thus being the most prone to mistakes. Storing key data in an external system reduces the overall complexity of your system and provides a better coherence, without sacrificing anything of the inherent Excel flexibility.
Q: What kind of analytics may I use?
A: All the Excel analytics! Vineyard is a system to fill Excel cells from a sound database with little effort, not a way to make fancy graphics. We do not sell you the same feature twice! You have already purchased it with Excel!
