Excel isn’t the problem. The way it’s treated is.

Source: Dev.to

Excel eventually becomes the villain in almost every ERP conversation.
It gets blamed for data errors, version conflicts, broken processes, and weak controls. Somewhere along the way, “using Excel” quietly became shorthand for “doing things badly”.

That narrative is convenient—when ERP programmes struggle, it’s easy to point at spreadsheets and move on. But it’s also misleading. Excel itself isn’t the problem; the real issue is how casually it’s used in environments where accuracy, validation, and accountability actually matter.

Why Excel never really disappears

Despite modern ERP platforms, APIs, and automation tools, Excel is still everywhere in enterprise data work. Not because organisations are behind the curve, but because Excel does a few things very well:

• Familiarity – most users already know how to work with it.
• Flexibility – it can handle ad‑hoc analysis, quick reporting, and data manipulation without needing a developer.
• Portability – files can be shared and opened on virtually any computer.

Where things usually start going wrong

Excel‑related issues are rarely random; they follow the same patterns.

Lack of structure

Files grow organically. Columns are added, formats change, and logic spreads across sheets. What began as a simple file becomes fragile and difficult to understand.

Business logic hidden in formulas

Important rules end up buried inside formulas that only one or two people understand. When requirements change, those rules are patched instead of redesigned, increasing risk each time.

Little to no validation

Excel allows almost anything unless explicitly restricted. Without validation rules, errors move quietly from one row to thousands.

Unclear ownership

• Who owns the spreadsheet?
• Who approves changes?
• Who validates the final output?

Excel works best as a control layer

Used properly, Excel can still play a valuable role as a control layer—for example, to review data extracted from a system, perform lightweight calculations, or prepare reports that are then fed into a more controlled process.

When Excel genuinely isn’t the right choice

There are scenarios where Excel isn’t the appropriate tool:

• Complex, multi‑entity consolidations that require strict audit trails.
• High‑frequency transactional processing where performance and concurrency matter.
• Situations demanding rigorous data governance, version control, and automated validation.

Excel has survived multiple waves of enterprise technology change for a reason. It brings clarity in environments where black‑box automation can create false confidence. Teams don’t struggle because they use Excel; they struggle when they use it without structure, validation, or ownership.