Spreadsheet Vs Education ERP Software - Which One is More Accomplished?

Educational campus means abundance of data which needs nurturing, organizing and maintenance. From admissions to fee collection to exam, each task involves piles of paperwork which is to be maintained forever. For decades excel sheets have been an excellent platform for storing, calculating and analyzing copious amounts of data. But ERP, with its analytics tools and business intelligence, is swiftly becoming a more preferable choice of institutions worldwide.

There are some major shortcomings of excel which have been easily overcome by education ERP. Below are listed some drawbacks in excel which prove that its high time these sheets must be replaced with the much more efficient, empowering and robust ERP.

Version

In every few years a new version of excel sheets is available which has different features from the previous one. Some of these features may be useful but some of these may lack an important portion of the previous version. This may lead to loss of important time and even information. Whereas an ERP has no issues regarding versions as it is updated and will work as efficiently as ever.

Human resources

Excel sheets cannot be operated by just anyone. Only a skilled person having sound knowledge about it can work productively on a sheet. Skilled workforce is required. On the other hand, any person who can type can enter data into the ERP system and the information is automatically processed by the ERP engine.

Flexibility

A lot of worksheets are to be looped-in so as to create a meaningful and usable database. Data pooling is required to be done manually and only then a resourceful database is obtained. Contrarily an education management software is designed to handle, process and control extensive amounts of data in a complex form. Also, if any kind of changes are made in a sheet then this updated or changed sheet must be redistributed to all the stakeholders. An ERP has eliminates any process as such since any changes are automatically made in one central database from where it is visible to anyone, anytime from anywhere. All modifications are applied simultaneously and latest report is available from then on.

Security

The information entered in an excel sheet is vulnerable to corruption. Once a workbook gets corrupted its difficult to retrieve the data from it and sometimes it's even impossible depending on the severity of corruption. Any educational institution cannot afford to lose even a small amount of data since it is a significant part of their organization. Distinctively a campus management software is protected with multiple layers of security which protects every bit of vital information. This information is stored in a protected environment.

Access

Granting access of a sheet to a person means giving him total control over every bit of that particular sheet. They are enabled to alter the values, delete or modify any part of the sheet or make as many changes as they want. These changes, whether deliberate or unintentional, will certainly be a huge loss to the organization. For instance, marks of a student can or salary of an employee if altered can make a big difference. An ERP system provides every user a role-based access which means any person will have access to a particular part of the system based on their role in the education hierarchy. A teacher will have the right to make changes in the attendance and marks of a student but won't have access to the fees or payments section. This makes the ERP highly secured.

Read more - Cloud Based Education ERP - A Cost Effective Solution For Higher Education

Backup

Multiple copies of workbooks need to be saved in different devices. This uses up a lot of space and requires time and devices for backups. Whereas an education ERP software has the facility of automatic backup which saves time and efforts and eases hassle free operations.

Customization

Excel sheets have a set of vast albeit predefined options for use. This means that one has to work with what is provided to him even if there the software lacks something crucial. On the other hand, an ERP solution can not only be customized but can be tailor made to suit one's precise requirements. Any kind of changes can be made and the whole solution is designed keeping in mind the specific needs of a particular institution.

Integration

The best part of a campus management software is that it can be integrated with as many digital devices as needed and it supports latest technologies. This is especially important since the expectations and demands of students and parents are increasing with rapid advancements in technology on a regular basis. A biometric device, for example, can be integrated with ERP and faculty timings can be automatically be recorded. An excel sheet proves inadequate and cannot be integrated or modified on a continuous basis.

All these factors prove that ERP in education sector is most certainly dominating excel sheets profusely.