#great plains accounting software

[hassanxrazza]

Run Your Business with QuickBooks Accounting Software With your accounting data organized on the cloud, you can track sales, create and send invoices, and know how your business is doing at any time.

[the-magnolia-a]

Student-Friendly Apartment Complex in Auburn

The Magnolia at Auburn is the top choice for a student-friendly apartment complex in Auburn. This is a student-focused apartment complex, chic apartments with per-person leases, private bathrooms, hardwood flooring, in-unit laundry, and high-speed internet. This apartment has free on-site parking, a shuttle bus service to the campus, a 24-hour fitness center, courts for basketball and volleyball, a community clubhouse with TVs and gaming areas, a theater room, a business center with printing, private study spaces, a pet-friendly dog park, 24-hour management, and community courtesy patrols are all features of the community. If you're interested in this kind of student apartment, you should apply immediately to guarantee your spot. The Magnolia at Auburn is a great place to set goals in a well-rounded lifestyle. For a nice apartment complex in Auburn, call Magnolia at Auburn at  (334) 326-1460.

Auburn, AL - Activities to Enjoy

I love Auburn because of many reasons. Auburn has a variety of activities for visitors of all ages. In fact, these outdoor places include six golf courses such as the Robert Trent Jones Grand National golf course. Besides this, visitors can enjoy the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Plus, they can have fun at the dance, theater, and music programs. They can also visit the local restaurants, the Donald-E Davis Arboretum, and over 16 local parks. Some of these parks are my favorite, like the Chewacla State Park, which offers 696-acre hiking and 30 miles of biking trails. Auburn is growing and changing, but the warmth and small-town feel that make Auburn special will always be appreciated.

Jordan-Hare Stadium

The Jordan-Hare Stadium is the nation's 11th-largest stadium that's on-campus. As for the record, this stadium has a capacity of 88,043. This is a very historical place because a lot of activities have been played here. This stadium served as the home of the Auburn Tigers ever since 1939. When it comes to football, Jordan-Hare Stadium becomes Alabama's fifth-largest city. In fact, there are over 75,000 season tickets sold to Auburn. The legendary coach Pat Dye has also had his name forever attached to Jordan-Hare Stadium. Dye, served as the head coach and athletics director at Auburn way back 1981 to 1992 and inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame just around 19 years ago. In December 2005, Auburn led a 99-39-4 record and four SEC Championships during his 12 seasons on the Plains.

Faculty Members from Auburn Included in the Honor

It's really inspiring that two Harbert College of Business faculty members have been awarded the 2024 Auburn University President's Awards for their leadership roles in two significant campus programs. The first award was for Distinguished Faculty Leadership, with Kerry Inger, a Harbert advisory council professor with the School of Accountancy, and N. Hari Narayanan, the chair of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering/Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, receiving the joint award. Also, the Executive Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) program was recognized for the Outstanding Collaborative Units Award. Inger served in a leadership role for a team that developed the Auburn University Strategic Plan 2035: Grounded & Groundbreaking, a 10-year strategic roadmap that will lead Auburn over the next decade.

Link to map

Jordan-Hare Stadium 251 S Donahue Dr, Auburn University, AL 36849, United States Head south on S Donahue Dr toward Heisman Dr 1.2 mi Slight right toward AL-15 S/S College St 180 ft Slight right onto AL-15 S/S College St 1.0 mi Turn right onto W Longleaf Dr 0.2 mi Turn left to stay on W Longleaf Dr 0.1 mi Turn left Destination will be on the left 108 ft The Magnolia at Auburn 211 W Longleaf Dr, Auburn, AL 36832, United States

[craftyfanwasteland]

The Significance of Custom Check Templates in Financial Management for Wellness Centers.

Wellness centers need effective and safe payment methods to handle their finances well, and checks provide a traditional but trustworthy choice. By using checks in their financial operations, wellness centers can better manage fund transfers and have a reliable way to deal with high costs like rent or equipment buys. This shift also lowers cyber risks and boosts protection against fraud, making a check-based system a great improvement for financial management. Using the cloud-based platform makes this even easier, offering affordable, customizable, and secure check templates for printing that help ensure smooth transactions and protect against financial fraud.

What are Check Templates?

A check template is a pre-made layout that ensures a uniform appearance throughout the check. Using check templates guarantees consistency and a professional appearance, enabling firms to produce checks that comply with banking standards.

Why You Should Understand a Check's Format?

Understanding the layout of a check helps to detect any signs of tampering or fraud.

Knowing the different parts of a check, such as the routing number, account number, and check number, ensures funds are properly transferred between the payer and payee.

Checks are legal financial documents, so filling them out correctly is crucial for them to be enforceable.

Incorrectly formatted checks can lead to fees for bounced checks, returned checks, or declined deposits.

How to Use Check Templates?

Select a template that suits the business requirements. Software like Zil Money provide a wide variety of customizable templates.

Once you have chosen a template, fill in the essential information like payee’s name, date and any notes.

After entering the details, you can print checks on either blank check paper or plain white paper, depending on your business and personal preference. Many check printing software provides the option of bulk check printing, which can save a lot of time.

Before proceeding with printing, make sure to double-check all the details to prevent payments from being delayed or rejected.

Tips to Select the Perfect Check Template

To prevent check fraud, look for templates that provide advanced security features.

If having a unique brand is crucial, choose templates that provide extensive customization options.

Before finalizing any template weigh the cost and benefits, they provide.

To avoid payment processing concerns, ensure that the template meets the most recent banking regulations.

How do Wellness Centers Benefit from Using Checks?

With checks, health and wellness facilities have more control over the timing of when funds are transferred.

For larger or less frequent expenses, like lease payments or equipment purchases, checks provide a formal and traceable way to manage these transactions.

Digital payments are susceptible to hacking and fraud, but checks add an extra layer of security. Since the payment details are not electronically transferred, it lowers the risk of cyber threats or identity theft.

Simplify Your Wellness Center’s Payments with the cloud-based platform.

With Zil Money, you can forget about running out of checks or waiting a long time for online orders. Just purchase blank check paper and print checks whenever you need them directly from your office.

Transitioning from standard pre-printed checks to unprinted check paper can lead to savings of up to 80% in the expenses associated with printing checks. This will allow your wellness center to allocate additional funds towards enhancing your services and the care provided to your clients.

Rather than depending on costly services from external check printing companies, you'll gain the ability to print checks whenever necessary, guaranteeing smooth financial processes.

Zil Money provides various check templates that you can customize to match your business brand. With just a few simple steps, you can select from many appealing check designs. The drag-and-drop design feature from the software allows you to easily add background images, logos and unique font style of your choice.

The platform’s positive pay feature provides robust protection against check fraud. This feature lets you notify your financial institution in advance about checks you've written before they're cashed. This ensures that banks will only accept checks that have been reported to them. As a result, you won't have to worry about losing money due to fraudulent activity on your account.

Checks continue to be a dependable and universally recognized method of payment for people and companies alike. Their capacity to create a transparent record, facilitate secure big payments, and provide options for payments over the internet maintain their importance in the current financial environment. Thanks to contemporary technologies such as web-based check creation and digital check services, checks have adapted to offer even more ease of use, becoming a crucial part of a comprehensive payment approach. Whether it's for commercial purposes or personal financial matters, checks still provide a sense of security, authority, and reliability in the process of making payments.

[smartonlinenotepad]

Top Online Notepad with Great Features | Smart Online Notepad

Why Choose a Smart Online Notepad?

Smart Online Notepad stands out as the best online notepad free with its impressive range of features designed to enhance user experience. Here’s why it's the top choice among free online notepad tools:

1. Simplicity and Ease of Use

The user-friendly interface makes it incredibly easy for anyone to start writing right away. The clean design ensures that there are no distractions, allowing you to focus purely on your content creation.

2. Auto-Save Functionality

One of the standout features of Smart Online Notepad is its automatic save function. You’ll never have to worry about losing your notes or drafts, as every word is saved in real-time.

3. Rich Text Formatting

For users who need more than just plain text, this online notepad editor offers rich text formatting options. From bold to italic, bullet points to headings, you can format your notes to suit your needs, making them more organized and professional.

4. No Registration Required

You don’t need to create an account to start using Smart Online Notepad. With just one click, you’re ready to write—no hassle, no delays, and completely free.

5. Download and Share Easily

Once you’re finished, you can download your notes in multiple formats, including text files and PDFs. Sharing your work with friends, colleagues, or clients is just as easy, making collaboration a breeze.

How to Use Smart Online Notepad?

It couldn’t be simpler! Here’s how to get started with Smart Online Notepad:

Visit the Smart Online Notepad website.

Begin typing directly in the notepad section.

Format your text as needed using the rich text options.

Your notes will be saved automatically, so there’s no need to worry about losing progress.

When done, download or share your notes with a simple click!

Why Smart Online Notepad is the Best Free Online Notepad

Accessibility: You can access Smart Online Notepad from any device, whether you’re at home, at work, or traveling. All you need is an internet connection.

Time-Saving: It’s perfect for quick note-taking without having to install software or create accounts. Just open your browser and start writing instantly!

Collaboration: Share your notes effortlessly with friends or coworkers, making it ideal for team projects and shared tasks.

Completely Free: Unlike other platforms, Smart Online Notepad offers all these features at no cost, making it the best online notepad free.

[havnblog]

🌱 My App Defaults

Extremely late to the party, I finally got around to write about my app defaults. A bunch of these are paid apps I probably wouldn’t prioritise if I didn’t already subscribe to Setapp 🖇️ – so keep that in mind. I’ll also give alternatives places where I remember some.

Click here to see the hardware I use this software on!

Lastly, I know that these posts are “supposed” to be simple lists – but I thought I’d add a bit more info.

Systems and productivity

📓 Notes, tasks, and writing

I want to get this one out-of-the-way first, as it’s the most complicated one. (The other entries are much shorter!)

All my notes, tasks, and writing is in a bunch of Markdown files held within NotePlan. But these are also local files I can access with other apps, write to with automation, etc.1

I prefer to do as much as possible with Paper, which is a super slick Markdown editor. So I use this for writing of blog posts, note-taking, sticky notes, as the default app for random .md files, etc.

I use Ulysses to edit and publish blog posts to Micro.blog.

And occasionally, I’ll use TaskPaper to manage more complicated projects – but as mentioned, all of these apps points at the same NotePlan files!

This is from NotePlan, and I’ve added one extra feature to every task down the list – and as everything is plain-text, I can add it from wherever.

Farta means “out-and-about” in Norwegian, and is a tag list I use for things I can do if I’m driving around.

If I add a time, and the task is in a daily note, I’ll get a reminder notification at that time.

I can add a date at the end, to move it to a daily note (to give me the notification if I’m not in a daily note, or to schedule it for another day).

You can also create time blocks, by adding an end-time.

I also really, really like Bike Outliner – but I struggle getting it to fit into my workflow.

📖 Journaling

I absolutely fall into this cliché: I wish I journal more than I do. But when I do, I do it in Everlog. I like that it’s Markdown and linkable.

📅 Calendar

I use BusyCal. It’s way cheaper than Fantastical (and included in Setapp), while being almost as good. (There are some things I prefer in BusyCal, as well, actually.) I think this is a nice sweet point if you want something a bit more powerful than Calendar.app, but don’t want to pay Fantastical money.

🌦️ Weather app

Here’s a great tip (that probably mostly Norwegians know about): Here in Norway, we have a publicly funded weather service, called Yr (which means drizzle). It’s good, completely free (and without ads), and has good apps for both Android and iOS. And guess what: It’s available in English as well!

Pronunciation guide: The y is a monophthong, that sounds like the ui sound in “build”.

🛒 Shopping list

My wife and I use Bring, which is a great little uni-tasker!

📮 Mail server

I host through Fastmail 🖇️. I go into why here.

📨 Mail client

I sincerely hope Mimestream gets to building JMAP support because I don’t like any of the mail client options out there… I think I prefer Spark – however my wife is on my Power User Setapp account, so only one of us can use Spark through that. So I let her have it, and just use Mail.app. It’s aggressively “fine” – but I at least like it better than the Fastmail client.

💬 Chat app

The one I use the most, and prefer, is Telegram. I don’t use their more “social media like” features at all, so it’s annoying that these have a tendency of getting them in trouble (for good reasons!). Because as a simple chat app, it’s terrific. It’s very much like if iMessage was better and cross-platform!2

However, I also pay close attention to Signal and Matrix, as I have to evaluate when Telegram does enough things I disagree with that I “have to” switch. (I would rather not switch to one of the more “monopolistic” options.)

🌐 Browser

As I mentioned in this post, I don’t think it’s necessary to use the same browser on desktop and mobile. Sadly, Apple is blocking third-party browsers from having extensions on iOS/iPadOS, so I use Safari on iPad. On iPhone, I switch between Safari and Quiche Browser, which has enough nice things built in to be a good experience.

On the desktop, I think Arc is my favourite browser. But I try to avoid using Chromium/Blink, and I don’t love their direction – so I don’t use it. I’ve used Firefox – and I don’t mind it if I spend some time adjusting it. I’m very interested in how the vertical tab update turns out! However, the two I’ve used the most lately are Zen and SigmaOS.

The latter is a slick WebKit browser with many similar ideas to Arc, and a couple of their own.

The former is a really promising Firefox fork, which is pretty pleasant out-of-the-box, with a good design and built in vertical tabs. But a really cool idea, is a “modification market” of sorts, where you can install little adjustments made by others. In addition to Firefox’s general customisability, you can really make it your own!

🔎 Search Engine

I use, and love, Kagi Search. I wrote more about it here! They also make a WebKit browser, called Orion – but it’s not for me. However, Kagi is still available in every other browser, through an extension.3

🔐 Password management

Another quote from this post:

I use 1Password for passwords (and much more). I like it – but here is the fact that it’s cross-platform significant. The reason is that I have my family members on the plan, and I would rather not force them onto specific devices. For a free alternative, I’d go for something like Bitwarden over the built-in OS or browser features.

I also use it to store things like secure notes, SSL, a scan of my passport, company number, etc.

🔖 Bookmarks

To quite myself, from this post:

For bookmarks, I use Anybox, and I really like it! I love that it’s not a read-later app. It’s specifically built for getting anything in and out of a box – and not for consuming it in-app. Goodlinks and Raindrop are other alternatives.

📶 RSS backend

To make it easy to move between clients (and for some newsletter features), my RSS feeds are in Feedbin.

📰 RSS reader

These are the reasons I use Lire: It’s cheap, feels and looks pretty good, can cache truncated feeds, and display sites (on a site-by-site basis) in inline browser. The latter is so that I can browse blogs on their native websites, while getting new articles in my feed.

☁️ Cloud File Storage

I use, and quite enjoy, Dropbox. I like that it’s a larger player while not being one of the absolute giants. It’s a bit more neutral than something from Apple, Google, or Microsoft.

🌅 Photo storage and management

I do store my photos in Photos.app, though – and use iCloud for the backups. I intend to get a Mac Mini, though – to set up some extra backup. I’ve tried Photomator a bit, and I really like it! If I worked a bit more with photos (which I might in the future), I think I’d pay for that.

📷 Camera app

I just use Camera.app. But in a year or two I intend to upgrade my iPhone 13 Mini, and then perhaps to a Pro phone (for the better cameras). At that time, or maybe before, I think I’ll look into things like Halide or Obscura!

⏲️ Time tracking

I hear everyone mentioning Timery – but I use TimeMator. It’s included in Setapp as well, so “free”, and I like that it doesn’t need another backend. (Timery uses Toggl.) It has slick apps for Mac, iPad and iPhone, and also supports automatic tracking (which I don’t use).

Tools and utilities

🤖 Automation and settings

Much of the lube in my workflows comes from the trifecta of BetterTouchTool, Karabiner-Elements and Keyboard Maestro.

🔩 Text Editor

For coding, I use Nova. It’s a Mac-assed Mac app, and it offers some features that make life easier for a noob like me.4 I’ve also used, and recommend, Zed: It’s even faster than Nova (which is also fast), but a bit more bare-bones and harder to get into. And it’s free, and also available for Linux (and soon Windows)!

📟 Terminal

Speaking of noob friendly tools, I really like the terminal app Warp 🖇️. It looks slick, has a bunch of things that make it behave more like other apps (for instance, in how you select text), and gives a little help here and there. I’ve also used, and like, iTerm.

🧮 Calculator

For good reason, PCalc gets a lot of love. But I don’t think any of its modes reaches my favourite,SC-323PU. I just love the great overview you get! And I’m a maths teacher, so you can trust me.

Screenshot of one of the modes in SC-323PU. (Catchy name, I know!)

🖼️ Screenshots

On Mac, I use the excellent CleanShot X. On iOS/iPadOS, I use a combination of Annotable and Shareshot. The former is a better version of the built-in Annotate tools. The latter is a way to frame screenshots with devices, like the one of the calculator. It’s a bit expensive for what it is, so I would recommend getting the Apple Frames shortcut. But every so often, when I have a little extra money, I like to splurge a bit on apps that I don’t need, but that are nice!

🚀 Launcher

I really, really like Raycast 🖇️. Not only is it a great launcher, but (among other things) I also use it for this:

Setting keyboard shortcuts for opening apps and running shortcuts

Window management

AI chat and commands

Text snippets

It also has tons of extensions you can install. For instance, I have one to create masked emails from Fastmail, and another to search for links in Anybox.

📋 Clipboard manager

Raycast also has a decent clipboard manager – but Paste is better, and included in Setapp.

📄 PDF tool

I use NitroPDF. It’s an app that I would never pay for – but it’s included in Setapp, so I’m happy that I get a slightly better tool than the default one. There are several apps like this on the list, including the next one:

🗜️ Zip tool

Archiver stays out of the way, and does just what you want it to do nicely. However, the free The Unarchiver is also great!

🍸 Menu bar organiser

I also use Bartender through Setapp, and I like it. It did get purchased recently, so if you want an alternative, I’d check out Ice. There are some advanced features I use in Bartender, though, which I fear aren’t in Ice. I like that it can automatically show the battery when it gets low, and that I can automatically change layout when I connect to my Studio Display.

🗑️ Uninstaller

Pearcleaner is a simple app that does what it does so well.

🌍 VPN

I very rarely use a VPN – but when I do, I like that Setapp comes with a nice one, called ClearVPN.

🖌️ Design tools

I use, and greatly recommend, the Affinity Suite of apps. I use all three, but I’m, by far, most comfortable with Designer.

Entertainment

🎬 Video player

I don’t view a lot of video on my Mac, but when I do, I use Elmedia Player. Where it not for Setapp (again), I’d use Iina.

🎙️ Podcast player

I’m a long-time Overcast user. The developer recently released a complete overwrite of the app. This was clearly needed, and absolutely the right move for the app’s future, which I’m excited about. But currently I like it less than I did pre-rewrite.

🐘 Mastodon client

Mastodon is my social media of choice, and there are so many great apps for it out there! But my favourite, is Mona.

🎵 Music

A couple of months ago, I switched from Spotify to Tidal. The better sound quality I viewed as a bonus, while the main reason was due to the higher artist payments. However, I’m not sure I, and most other people, evaluate the payments correctly – so not sure if I got that right. (More on this here!) I also think Spotify is a better app and service, so I do miss it. But I don’t have a plan to move back at the moment.

That’s it! These apps have stayed the same for a while – but I still love checking out new stuff, so there will probably be changes down the line.

Having the files here, as opposed to a regular cloud file storage, does have some drawbacks. But I like that the NotePlan apps are native, has support for both #-tagging and @-tagging, great UI for calendar notes, etc. I will write more about this later! ↩︎

Keep it mind that if as little as one participant in an iMessage chat has regular iCloud backups turned on, it isn’t end-to-end-encrypted. I personally don’t mind this at all! But I think this facts make iMessage and Telegram about the same when it comes to security, as Telegram always “only” encrypts on server. ↩︎

This extension also works with Safari – but Apple is making it a bit hard for them. And the search suggestions gets delivered from the engine you’ve selected in the Safari settings, like DuckDuckGo. ↩︎

Like code folding, path bar and rainbow brackets. ↩︎

[accountingsoftwarepros]

Which accounting applications are the best in India?

While searching for the best accounting software, usually SMEs look out for those that serve their business purposes. Selecting the best business accounting software is important for business growth.

Currently, you'll find a lot of accounting software in India, and being an SME you wouldn't take much time to finalize.

Well, you can have a look at some of the options below: - Busy Accounting Software - ZohoBooks - Marg - TallySolutions

BUSY is the #1 GST, billing and accounting software for micro, small & medium enterprises. It is powerful, easy to use, and scalable as per your business needs.

Key features of BUSY Accounting Software:

- Validate HSN/SAC & GSTIN - Automatic Generation of E-Invoice & E-Way Bill - GST e-returns in JSON format - Ledger Reconciliation - Automatic Data Backup on Google Drive - Reports Export (Plain File / HTML / PDF / MS-Excel)

However, it would be a great idea if you try BUSY for 30 days and then make the right choice.

[srkshaju]

Republican Rivals Duel for Dollars: Net Worths Ahead of First Debate

While the first Republican presidential debate heats up in Wisconsin, the candidates' bank accounts are drawing just as much attention.

https://cutt.ly/fwGJhwR4

With Donald Trump opting out (surprise!), the spotlight falls on the contenders vying for the party's nomination and their financial firepower.

Doug Burgum: This North Dakota governor, boasting a cool $1.1 billion, reigns supreme as the wealthiest candidate. His tech empire, Great Plains Software, built his fortune, leaving him second only to Illinois's Democratic governor in terms of state leader net worth.

Chris Christie: Estimates for the former New Jersey governor's wealth vary, with some whispers of $19 million and others settling around $5 million. His legal career and political ventures, including a stint as US Attorney and governor, have contributed to his coffers.

Ron DeSantis: Florida's controversial governor, despite his recent popularity surge, trails the pack with a modest $1.17 million. His salary and book advance barely hold a candle to his predecessor's $255 million net worth.

Nikki Haley: The former South Carolina governor and ambassador navigated a rocky financial past before her $8 million fortune blossomed. Post-Trump administration, lucrative speaking engagements and book deals fueled her financial comeback.

Asa Hutchinson: Arkansas's ex-governor, raised on a farm, boasts a down-to-earth $1.5 million. His house and government pensions form the bulk of his wealth.

Mike Pence: From congressman to governor to Trump's vice president, it took Pence nearly two decades to become a millionaire.

His public speaking tour and book deals have since quadrupled his net worth to $4 million.

Vivek Ramaswamy: This Ivy League-educated candidate, with a $630 million fortune, is the debate's second-richest contender.

His successful biotech company and "anti-woke" index fund provider have made him a Wall Street heavyweight.

Tim Scott: This South Carolina senator, aiming for historic firsts, has amassed a $3.88 million net worth. His insurance career and congressional salary paved the way for his political aspirations.

The Absent Billionaire: Donald Trump, despite his refusal to participate, remains the financial elephant in the room.

His estimated $2.5 billion, shrouded in secrecy and controversy, continues to be a topic of much speculation.

As the Republican race heats up, the candidates' financial profiles offer another layer of intrigue.

From tech titans to governors on the rise, their diverse fortunes paint a fascinating picture of the party's landscape.

Who will emerge victorious on the debate stage, and will their bank accounts play a role in their ultimate success? Only time will tell.

Feedback Poll

[brianjohnson-blog1]

8 Free Personal Finance Tools to manage your finances

With today’s fast-moving era, we all look for ease and speed, be it shopping with a swipe of our card, making transfers with a click of a button & more. Nowadays most people are so busy to find time to pen down their finances. Instead, we look for apps to do banking, manage our playlists, social media etc. What can be more comfortable than having a free personal finance tool to manage all your expenses, income, savings and investment reports! You can use these tools on your computer or mobile, it depends on your choice.

We share with you the top 8 free personal finance tools to efficiently know where your money goes at the end of the month and how much savings you make.

8 Free Personal Finance tools for you:

#1. GnuCash

GnuCash is an interesting tool to manage your personal finance also can be used as an accounting software for small businesses. It can be used to track bank accounts, income, expenses, stocks, bookkeeping and more. Based on the professional accounting principles, it enables you to create accurate reports, balanced books etc.

#2. AceMoney Lite

AceMoney Lite is mainly used to track investments and it supports 2 financial accounts(for the free version and multiple accounts for the paid version). It is used to manage budgeting, multi-currency finances, expenses etc. The only hassle is to handle sub-accounts within the multiple accounts for expenses, income, savings etc. If you prefer ease then you can go ahead with the alternate options mentioned.

#3. PL Cash

PL Cash is an easy-to-use as the data is stored in plain text format that allows you to use your spreadsheet or word processing tools to read, analyze and store your financial data. It can also be used to track your investments, access multiple accounts and for personal finance accounting. Also, it doesn’t encrypt data. Alternatively, you can import data from Microsoft Money, Quicken and other similar software that support QIF data exports.

#4. Microsoft Money Sunset Deluxe

Microsoft Money Sunset Deluxe is basically for the people who aren’t looking for internet-accessible features with their personal finance tool. As this tool is a Windows-compatible software whose features are not supported by internet such as no automatic transaction updates. It is still the first choice of many people who prefer offline features and are comfortable with importing transaction updates from online accounts.

#5. Buddi

Buddi is a personal favorite of many people and has been translated into multiple languages. Its features include personal finance reports, account tracking, budgeting etc. Additionally, you’ll have to manually enter the data for creating personal finance reports. It also includes a safety feature that enables encryption of financial data with a password. The best thing is you can add additional features by downloading free plugins.

#6. Free Budget Spreadsheets

If you are just concerned about budgeting and not looking for personal finance software with additional features, then there are lots of free budget spreadsheet templates available. These are compatible with Excel, Google Spreadsheet, OpenOffice Calc etc. You can use these free budget templates to simplify your budget management tasks. All you need to do is download them and use it on the spreadsheet software available on your system.

List of free budget Spreadsheet sources:

Vertex42 Spreadsheets

Google Docs Budget Spreadsheets

PearBudget Free Budget Spreadsheets

Its Your Money Budget Spreadsheets

#7. Financial Fate

Financial Fate is an excellent software for those people who are looking at Do-It-Yourself personal finance tools. It is suitable for individual and family to plan their finances. You can track your finances, expenses and create personal finance reports. There is a feature to track your financial reports year-by-year with recommendations on the areas of improvement.

It can be a great tool to analyze your financial decisions and look for the grey areas. However, on the other hand, the drawback is you can view your reports only within this software as there is no option to print your reports. You can download it to free if you’re a windows user.

#8. Personal Finance Apps

If you prefer installing apps and tracking your money on your mobile or online, then here’s a list of personal finance online apps for you.

Few Personal Finance apps for you:

Mint

YodleeMoneycenter

eFinPLAN

BudgetPulse

CalendarBudget

ClearCheckbook

Mvelopes

Summing up:

Now, you can manage your finances on the go irrespective of where you’re using these personal finance tools mentioned above. By tracking your finances monthly, you can look at your weak areas and how you can improvise on your financial situation. This way you can plan your finances well by putting the extra cash into your emergency fund and be prepared for a rainy day. Use these personal finance tools to see which one works best for you.

Visit: https://thefinancialstatement.com/

[mobappdevelopmentcompany]

The Complete Guide to Charts and How They Help Marketers and Businesses to Get Growth

are a visual representation of data. You can use charts to display information quickly and easily. Charts integrate text with graphics or symbols to indicate the relationship between several data sets. Take a look at these examples. You can use a bar chart for indicating the sales pattern of a product over a certain timeline say a few years. The length of a bar in the chart signifies the product sales for a specific year.

Charts are a great way to convey complex information and compare several data sets. This is because pictorial representation is often a more powerful tool to display information. Research has proven the fact that it’s easier to understand and remember data represented visually via charts over plain textual data. This way, viewers can grasp the insights faster and more effortlessly. Google Charts is also an effective tool for data analysis and identifying trends, patterns, and outliers. This is the most popular form of chart leveraged by modern-day entrepreneurs. Businesses are using these charts as a productive way of data visualization on their websites or web/mobile apps. The Google chart gallery comes with a huge variety of ready-made charts starting from simple line-based charts to complicated ones like hierarchical tree maps.

What do you need to know about Google charts?

Google-based charts are web-based solutions that help software development teams visualize their website data in the form of histograms, pictographs, etc. These charts are Cloud-based and allow software development teams to create various types of interactive graphs and charts for displaying crucial data on their websites.

Google’s visualization API powers the charts, So, web app development teams can effortlessly integrate these charts into web apps. Anyone having a Google account can access it.

The charts are exposed as JavaScript classes and rendered with the help of SVG/HTML5 technology. This provides cross-platform portability to Android & iOS devices and cross-browser compatibility including VML for old IE versions. Entrepreneurs can even feed data into charts and create chart-related objects with the help of a selected ID. Users can refer to the google charts documentation to seek assistance and resolve other queries

Why is it important to use Google charts?

It is free to use and comes with a user-friendly interface.

It is an easy way to make a data visualization for your blog post or website.

You can use it to display data in a variety of formats, from bar graphs to pie charts.

Data visualization is the process of converting information into a graphical format that can be quickly comprehended and shared with others.

Features of Google-based charts?

Content Management

Custom Dashboards

Compatibility with different browsers and mobile platforms.

Multitouch Support

Lightweight

Simple Configurations

Visual Discovery

Multiple axes

Configurable tooltips

Date Time support.

Dataset Management

Print using a web page

External data from a server

What are some benefits of using Google-created charts?

Easily create charts with built-in templates.

A large library of chart types to choose from.

Flexible chart options to change colors, fonts, etc.

Simple tools to animate data in a chart or make changes to it over time.

However, in order to reap the benefits of this javascript-based data visualization library to the fullest and achieve your goal, it’s important to select the right kind of chart. There are a wide variety of Google-provided charts. Each type of chart serves a specific purpose. You need to identify your objective and then select the chart type that best fits your requirement.

TYPES OF GOOGLE CHART

How Easy They Are!

Google’s Charts are important because they allow data visualization in the browser with no need to download and install a plug-in.

The Google Chart API is a JavaScript library that lets users create graphs, charts, and maps in the browser without having to download or install a plug-in. With this API, developers can create interactive visualizations for websites and applications.

Some of the Visual EXAMPLES of the charts generated through google’s charts:

In the below Charts, we have merged the dataset to showcase the different formats. The Colored Labels Consists of Their Types:

How to integrate Google chart Pie

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.gstatic.com/charts/loader.js"></script>

<body>

<div

id="myChart" style="width:100%; max-width:600px; height:500px;">

</div>

<script>

google.charts.load('current', {'packages':['corechart']});

google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawChart);

function drawChart() {

var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([

['Contry', 'Mhl'],

['Italy',54.8],

['France',48.6],

['Spain',44.4],

['USA',23.9],

['Argentina',14.5]

]);

var options = {

title:'World Wide Wine Production'

};

var chart = new google.visualization.PieChart(document.getElementById('myChart'));

chart.draw(data, options);

}

</script>

</body>

</html>

Challenges Faced While Integration

Displaying real-time data without reloading the page.

Solution: - By using jQuery. Click Here for Code

2. User interface customization in accordance with the client's requirements.

Solution: - By using bootstrap and with the help of jQuery. Click Here for Code

3. Customizing the filters and labels that appear on the charts.

Solution: - With the help of HTML, CSS, and jQuery. Click Here for Code

4. Retrieve the necessary data from the backend to present the results.

Solution: - Write an API in Laravel (PHP) to get the data and prepare by using jQuery to Display the google chart.

In Conclusion

Data visualization with Google-provided Charts can work wonders in your web development process. And, the good news is that the charts are continuously being updated with new features and enhancements to stay relevant as per the changing trends and offer advanced functionalities to users.

However, you must take care that your chart is captivating enough to make your point more convincing and add credibility to the presentation. Also, follow the best practices while you implement these charts. You may consider hiring professional Google chart developers if your requirements are complex and you lack the necessary expertise.

[amoeboids123]

How to create helpful release notes

Release notes are a great way to inform your users about changes in your product. They're also an excellent opportunity to build trust with your audience by showing them how you understand their needs and challenges. But release notes that don't resonate with their audiences won't do either of those things—and may even create more problems than they solve! To ensure that your release notes are creating value for both you and your users, here are five things you need to know about creating useful ones:

Be consistent

Release notes are a way for your customers to understand the changes you've made to your product. They're also a way for you to communicate with your team and make sure they know what they need to do before each release is deployed. To be effective, release notes should be consistent and timely.

Keep the tone and language consistent across your product when you're writing release notes. Use a compatible template for all release notes to look professional and easy for customers to read.

Be timely

Use the release date as the header so that users can quickly find out when a particular feature was added or a bug was fixed. This will also help you keep track of your releases over time and see how long they take to build and deploy or if any particular releases are taking longer than others (which may indicate that something has changed in your process).

Keep it short and sweet: include only information important for end users- only waste space on technical details if they're relevant to understanding how this affects them as customers or clients!

Be relevant

Your release notes should be relevant to your audience, not just to the product itself. For example, suppose you're writing release notes for an accounting software package that has just been updated with a new feature that allows users to export their financial data as CSV files. In that case, filling your release notes with all of the technical details involved in implementing this feature could be tempting.

However, this information may be more exciting or valuable to developers than it would be for regular users who don't need detailed knowledge about how data gets exported from their system--they want a general overview of what's changed since last week's update (and maybe some tips on how best use those changes).

Here are a few examples of release notes:

Software Update:

Version: 1.2

Release Date: 6th February 2023

New Features:

Improved user interface

Bug fixes and performance improvements

Mobile App Update:

Version: 3.1

Release Date: 5th February 2023

New Features:

Added support for new languages

Improved camera performance

Bug fixes and security improvements

If you understand your audience, you can create helpful release notes.

Before you write a single word, you must understand your audience. You need to know who they are and what they want from the release notes to create helpful content for them.

Here's how:

Understand what they want to know. What are the main points of interest for your customers? What questions do they have about this release? How will it affect them and their workflows? You can find out by talking with stakeholders or conducting user interviews (and then writing down what people say).

Make sure that everything is clear and easy to read. 

Don't assume anything--explain everything! Use plain language without jargon if possible; otherwise, use simple technical terms where necessary but explain them first, so everyone understands exactly what they mean before moving on with the rest of your message. 

The goal here is not just accuracy but also clarity--you want readers who need to become more familiar with your subject matter (or even English) to be able to understand all parts without having any trouble whatsoever reading through each point carefully enough.

Conclusion

Release notes are an essential part of every software release. They're the first thing users see after installing your product, so they should be easy to understand and provide value. The best way to do this is by understanding your audience and tailoring your content accordingly.

[craftyfanwasteland]

Revolutionizing Payment Management with Online Check Printing for the Mining Industry

Having smooth payment systems is essential for keeping operations running smoothly in the mining industry. Any hold-ups in financial dealings can cause major interruptions, affecting areas such as managing staff and dealing with suppliers. The usual ways of personal check ordering online, from external suppliers, often lead to delays, with some taking as long as two weeks to arrive. Luckily, the cloud-based platform provides cutting-edge solutions to make the process of handling payments more efficient. The platform allows for instant check printing and offers a range of payment options, helping mining businesses handle their financial tasks better. This means they can make payments to their employees and suppliers on time, while also cutting down on expenses significantly.

Online Check Printing: A Smarter Option for Businesses

Digital check printing services provide flexible customization options, providing various choices to tailor checks to showcase your brand or individual flair. From incorporating logos and deciding on particular color palettes to picking distinctive fonts, these services enable a great deal of personalization.

Traditional methods require various steps  such as placing orders and waiting for their delivery. Online services simplify this procedure by allowing instant printing, saving significant time. This efficiency is especially critical in a fast-paced business setting where time equals productivity.

Writing checks manually is a tedious process, takes a lot of time, and can cause mistakes. Using online check writing makes this easier, saving you time and reducing errors.

Online check printing services addresses security issues by utilizing advanced security features. These services use modern encryption technology to keep your financial data secure and not accessible to anyone without permission.

Modern check printing solutions make it easier to track the status of your checks and manage your monthly finances. You can see all your transaction statements for a specific time and get detailed reports on payments made between different banks and people.

Key Elements for Successful Online Check Printing

Reliable check printing software allows you to manage payment options effectively.

A stable internet connection is required to access online check printing services.

Utilize blank check paper for an affordable and secure printing process.

Gather all the necessary details like payee’s name, address etc.

Mention the payment amount and date clearly. You can mention the purpose of payment in the memo line if needed.

Implement necessary security measures to safeguard the payment data.

Paper Checks Vs. eChecks

A check is a written and signed document ordering a financial institution to withdraw money from payers account and transfer it to payee’s account. A digital check functions similarly to traditional paper checks and they exist in electronic form only. eChecks can be sent via email or SMS as one-time printable PDF. It can be printed on blank check paper or plain white paper using a standard printer.

Efficient Payments in Mining Industry: Leveraging the Cloud-Based Platform.

Delays in financial transactions can disrupt the operations of a mining company. When ordering checks online from banks or third-party vendors, it may take as long as two weeks for them to arrive. OnlineCheckWriter.com – Powered by Zil Money enables to print checks as needed, eliminating the hassle of ordering pre-printed checks.

Individuals can print checks on blank check paper or plain white paper using any regular printer. The usage of blank check paper reduces the check printing cost by 80% compared to ordering pre-printed checks. Thanks to the Check 21 Act, you can print checks using a regular printer.

The Cloud-based platform provides excellent customization options. The drag-and-drop design feature from OnlineCheckWriter.com – Powered by Zil Money lets you customize your checks by adding background images, unique font style and logos of your choice.

Mining companies usually handle a big team of workers. They often collaborate with various vendors, such as equipment suppliers, contractors, and service providers.

OnlineCheckWriter.com – Powered by Zil Money helps firms make transactions using various options like like checks, eChecks, ACH, wire transfers, and credit cards. One of the distinctive features of the platform is you can handle payments using credit card even if the vendor doesn’t directly accept credit card payments.

Strengthen Security with Positive Pay

OnlineCheckWriter.com – Powered by Zil Money provides positive pay service. Positive Pay is a system that lets you notify your bank about the checks you have issued in advance. This way, your bank will only process checks that you have reported. Banks typically use this service to control their cash flow and avoid fraud. A payment is approved when the check number, account number, and amount of the issued check match the check being presented. Any checks that do not match are sent back to the issuer.

Efficient payment handling is necessary for the day-to-day operations of your business. Proper payment processing helps maintain positive relationships with employees and vendors, and it can support your business's growth when the opportunity arises. Selecting the right online check printing service is a thoughtful decision that eases the payment processing. Embracing check printing software provides a cost-effective, secure, and reliable way to enhance your business transactions and update your processes. Therefore, any company in search of quick, clear and adaptable payment solutions should consider printing their own checks to witness the benefits.

[omnichannelcommerce]

24SevenCommerce Introduces Microsoft Dynamics GP Integration with 20+ Ecommerce Platforms

24Seven Commerce now connects Microsoft Dynamics GP with ecommerce platforms. This integration mainly focuses on retailers who want to expand their retail businesses online. Using the Octopus Bridge middleware, retailers can easily connect their in-store Microsoft Dynamics GP with the eCommerce storefront of their choice.

As the eCommerce sector is growing rapidly, retailers need to manage their offline and online stores simultaneously. The eCommerce integrated platform can utilize the sales driving potential for small and mid-sized retail businesses that use Dynamics GP. Additionally, this integration helps retailers to provide an omnichannel buying experience.

“Customers are actively looking for convenient options. Going multi-channel without compromising on accuracy is the key to stay on top. By adding Microsoft Dynamics GP in its bouquet, 24SevenCommerce now allows retailers to expand their sales channels and grow exponentially. It utilizes the full potential of Dynamics GP and the eCommerce platforms. Thus, bringing maximum profits in a budget friendly manner”, said one of the key spokespersons at 24Seven Commerce, USA.

Retailers can lower the operating costs of going multi-channel. With this integration, all business processes are automated. Now, retailers can reach potential buyers with accurate data as the information update happens in near real-time. Thus, it enables selling through platforms like Amazon, Ebay, Walmart etc and with storefronts like Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, etc.

Using the intelligent reporting feature of Dynamics GP, retailers can strategically plan to drive foot traffic in-store. It also allows retailers to adopt various retail models like BOPIS or curbside pickup hassle-free.

Dynamics GP eCommerce integration synchronizes inventory details across platforms, reduces stock outs, overselling, and order cancellations. It improves operational efficiency in a cost-effective manner.

About Microsoft Dynamics GP

Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software that manages several business departments with its advanced tech features. It supports integrations and offers greater flexibility for the users. It is an ideal option for small and mid-size enterprises. The feature list includes Human Resource Management, financial management, Bank Management, supply chain management and accounting management.

About Octopus Bridge

Octopus Bridge is a cloud-based middleware that enables POS eCommerce integrations. It supports leading shopping carts and marketplaces. This software automates processes and reduces manual labor. It eliminates double data entry, manages inventory, and streamlines your workflow.

About 24SevenCommerce

24SevenCommerce is a US based integration service provider with over 19 years of experience. We provide a robust and customizable system that can enhance your retail business. Our solutions are unique and innovative so as to manage your online and in-store businesses efficiently. With our solution, you can easily access all business data in real-time. For more details, visit https://www.24sevencommerce.com/microsoft-dynamics-gp-ecommerce-integration.html or call us 408-643-0097

[number1salesman1997]

Do the little Spamtons you attack with have their own consciousness or are they just extensions of you?

"[[yes to all]] ! UNL1MITED !! SOCK PUPPET ACCOUT [[free with purchase]] OF SP4M BOT. BOT ANYWHERE: ANYTIME. "

Spamton NEO conjures a little Spamton in demonstration.

After locking eyes with the smaller double of himself, there is a visible flash of communicated intent between the robotic half and puppet half as a flash of electricity arcs between their shades. The two then proceed to dance a synchronized Fortnite dance, and when they're done, NEO lifts the smaller puppet-y double of himself up by the scruff of his neck like a small kitten.

The spamling protests and flails his limbs all over the place in an attempt to get free. He spits profanities at the tall bastard holding him to release him and then bites down hard on NEO's wrist.

NEO gives a warbly autotuned yell and hurls the spamling at the wall, which cackles as he slides down to the floor and then takes off scurrying away like the little rat he is.

"DOES THAT ? ANSER YOU'Re QUASTION?"

[workingnahas]

Microsoft accounting software great plains

#MICROSOFT ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE GREAT PLAINS SOFTWARE#

Much like switching to the latest iPhone from an older model, there will be some new features you will have to learn, but you’ll still have that Microsoft look and feel. First, because you are a current Dynamics GP user, the transition to Dynamics 365 will be familiar. And there are a few good reasons why you should hear them out. Microsoft will work with existing clients to transition to their cloud-based platform: Microsoft Dynamics 365.

#MICROSOFT ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE GREAT PLAINS SOFTWARE#

Microsoft is a leader in the software space for a reason, and they’re not going to leave their clients high and dry. Option 1: Transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365 As you start to think about the future, here are two options for you to consider as you look ahead. My fellow independent ERP experts and I at Third Stage are here to help you navigate this latest industry news. If you’re a current Dynamics GP user, there’s no need to panic. Now, as the Microsoft Dynamics GP journey comes to a close, existing customers are facing hard decisions and a deadline of 2025 as they start planning for the future. It even serves as the accounting and finance center of other solutions, like Epicor’s Prophet 21.Īs one of Microsoft’s first offerings for ERP, Dynamics GP quickly spread across organizations and industries, gaining traction with manufacturing and field-service organizations thanks to Microsoft’s good reputation and easy integration with the rest of their stack. Since its acquisition by Microsoft in 2000, Great Plains was merged into the Dynamics Business Solutions brand and widely adopted by small and medium-sized businesses across the world. One of those companies was Great Plains Software, an organization that built a respectable client base with its high-end accounting and financial software. When Microsoft first got into the ERP space, they did so by acquiring smaller, well-established companies in the industry. Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains, or Microsoft Dynamics GP as it is often abbreviated, is one of Microsoft’s most established ERP solutions. Most people are familiar with Microsoft’s offerings - Windows, Office, Azure, to name a few. In an effort to help organizations unpack this latest announcement from Microsoft, let’s dive into the history of GP, what this end-of-life announcement means for Microsoft, and how current GP clients can navigate their future in ERP. This news left many small and medium-sized businesses feeling uncertain. The Great Plains system itself is considered a giant in the industry and has delivered a reliable ERP and accounting solution for decades. Recently, Microsoft announced that they would be discontinuing support for Dynamics Great Plains by 2025. For others, the transition can feel like a surprise eviction. When the time comes, many businesses are ready to move to the next chapter. At some point, aging systems become a hassle to support and must be replaced, leaving ERP providers the choice to continue supporting legacy products or establish an “end-of-life” plan in hopes customers transition to the latest version. While many consider ERP software to be a worthwhile investment, it is, by no means, an immortal solution. These systems require a certain level of attention to function successfully, even after implementation is complete. In many ways, an ERP system acts as a living, breathing entity within an organization.

[blubberquark]

Excel, Word, Access, Outlook

Previously on computer literacy: A Test For Computer Literacy

If you’re a computer programmer, you sometimes hear other programmers complain about Excel, because it mixes data and code, or about Word, because it mixes text and formatting, and nobody ever uses Word and Excel properly.

If you’re a computer programmer, you frequently hear UX experts praise the way Excel allows non-programmers to write whole applications without help from the IT department. Excel is a great tool for normal people and power users, I often hear.

I have never seen anybody who wasn’t already versed in a real programming language write a complex application in an Excel spreadsheet. I have never seen anybody who was not a programmer or trained in Excel fill in a spreadsheet and send it back correctly.

Computer programmers complain about the inaccessibility of Excel, the lack of discoverability, the mixing of code and data in documents that makes versioning applications a proper nightmare, the influence of the cell structure on code structure, and the destructive automatic casting of cell data into datatypes.

UX experts praise Excel for giving power to non-programmers, but I never met a non-programmer who used Excel “properly”, never mind developed an application in it. I met non-programmers who used SPSS, Mathematica, or Matlab properly a handful of times, but even these people are getting rarer and rarer in the age of Julia, NumPy, SymPy, Octave, and R. Myself, I have actually had to learn how to use Excel in school, in seventh grade. I suspect that half of the “basic computer usage” curriculum was the result of a lobbying campaign by Microsoft’s German branch, because we had to learn about certain features in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on Windows 95, and non-Microsoft applications were conspicuously absent.

Visual Basic and VBS seemed like a natural choice to give power to end users in the 90s. People who had already used a home computer during the 8-bit/16-bit era (or even an IBM-compatible PC) were familiar with BASIC because that was how end-users were originally supposed to interact with their computers. BASIC was for end users, and machine code/compiled languages were for “real programmers” - BASIC was documented in the manual that came with your home computer, machine code was documented in MOS data sheets. From today’s point of view, programming in BASIC is real programming. Calling Visual Basic or .Net scripting in Excel “not programming“ misrepresents what modern programmers do, and what GUI users have come to expect after the year 2000.

Excel is not very intuitive or beginner-friendly. The “basic computer usage” curriculum was scrapped shortly after I took it, so I had many opportunities to observe people who were two years younger than me try to use Excel by experimenting with the GUI alone.

The same goes fro Microsoft Word. A friend of mine insists that nobody ever uses Word properly, because Word can do ligatures and good typesetting now, as well as footnotes, chapters, outline note taking, and so on. You just need to configure it right. If people used Word properly, they wouldn’t need LaTeX or Markdown. That friend is already a programmer. All the people I know who use Word use WYSIWYG text styling, fonts, alignment, tables, that sort of thing. In order to use Word “properly“, you’d have to use footnotes, chapter marks, and style sheets. The most “power user” thing I have ever seen an end user do was when my father bought a CD in 1995 with 300 Word templates for all sorts of occasions - birthday party invitation, employee of the month certificate, marathon completion certificate, time table, cooking recipe, invoice, cover letter - to fill in and print out.

Unlike Excel, nobody even claims that non-programmer end users do great things in Word. Word is almost never the right program when you have email, calendars, wikis, to-do lists/Kanban/note taking, DTP, vector graphics, mind mapping/outline editors, programmer’s plain text editors, dedicated novelist/screenwriting software, and typesetting/document preparation systems like LaTeX. Nobody disputes that plain text, a wiki, or a virtual Kanban board is often preferable to a .doc or .docx file in a shared folder. Word is still ubiquitous, but so are browsers.

Word is not seen as a liberating tool that enables end-user computing, but as a program you need to have but rarely use, except when you write a letter you have to print out, or when you need to collaborate with people who insist on e-mailing documents back and forth.

I never met an end user who actually liked Outlook enough to use it for personal correspondence. It was always mandated by an institution or an employer, maintained by an IT department, and they either provided training or assumed you already had had training. Outlook has all these features, but neither IT departments nor end users seemed to like them. Outlook is top-down mandated legibility and uniformity.

Lastly, there is Microsoft Access. Sometimes people confused Excel and Access because both have tables, so at some point Microsoft caved in and made Excel understand SQL queries, but Excel is still not a database. Access is a database product, designed to compete with products like dBase, Cornerstone, and FileMaker. It has an integrated editor for the database schema and a GUI builder to create forms and reports. It is not a networked database, but it can be used to run SQL queries on a local database, and multiple users can open the same database file if it is on a shared SMB folder. It is not something you can pick up on one afternoon to code your company’s billing and invoicing system. You could probably use it to catalogue your Funko-Pop collection, or to keep track of the inventory, lending and book returns of a municipal library, as long as the database is only kept on one computer. As soon as you want to manage a mobile library or multiple branches, you would have to ditch Access for a real SQL RDBMS.

Microsoft Access was marketed as a tool for end-user computing, but nobody really believed it. To me, Access was SQL with training wheels in computer science class, before we graduated to MySQL and then later to Postgres and DB2. UX experts never tout Access as a big success story in end-user computing - yet they do so for Excel.

The narrative around Excel is quite different from the narrative around Yahoo Pipes, IFTTT, AppleScript, HyperCard, Processing, or LabView. The narrative goes like this: “Excel empowers users in big, bureaucratic organisations, and allows them to write limited applications to solve business problems, and share them with co-workers.”

Excel is not a good tool for finance, simulations, genetics, or psychology research, but it is most likely installed on every PC in your organisation already. You’re not allowed to share .exe files, but you are allowed to share spreadsheets. Excel is an exchange format for applications. Excel files are not centrally controlled, like Outlook servers or ERP systems, and they are not legible to management. Excel is ubiquitous. Excel is a ubiquitous runtime and development environment that allows end-users to create small applications to perform simple calculations for their jobs.

Excel is a tool for office workers to write applications to calculate things, but not without programming, but without involving the IT department. The IT department would like all forms to be running on some central platform, all data to be in the data warehouse/OLAP platform/ERP system - not because they want to make the data legible and accessible, but because they want to minimise the number of business-critical machines and points of failure, because important applications should either run on servers in a server rack, or be distributed to workstations by IT.

Management wants all knowledge to be formalised so the next guy can pick up where you left off when you quit. For this reason, wikis, slack, tickets and kanban boards are preferable to Word documents in shared folders. The IT department calls end-user computing “rogue servers“ or “shadow IT“. They want all IT to have version control, unit tests, backups, monitoring, and a handbook. Accounting/controlling thinks end-user computing is a compliance nightmare. They want all software to be documented, secured, and budgeted for. Upper management wants all IT to be run by the IT department, and all information integrated into their reporting solution that generates these colourful graphs. Middle management wants their people to get some work done.

Somebody somewhere in the C-suite is always viewing IT as a cost centre, trying to fire IT people and to scale down the server room. This looks great on paper, because the savings in servers, admins, and tech support are externalised to other departments in the form of increased paperwork, time wasted on help hotlines, and

Excel is dominating end-user computing because of social reasons and workplace politics. Excel is not dominating end-user computing because it is actually easy to pick up for end-users.

Excel is dominating end-user computing neither because it is actually easy to pick up for non-programmers nor easy to use for end-users.

This is rather obvious to all the people who teach human-computer interaction at universities, to the people who write books about usability, and the people who work in IT departments. Maybe it is not quite as obvious to people who use Excel. Excel is not easy to use. It’s not obvious when you read a book on human-computer interaction (HCI), industrial design, or user experience (UX). Excel is always used as the go-to example of end-user computing, an example of a tool that “empowers users”. If you read between the lines, you know that the experts know that Excel is not actually a good role model you should try to emulate.

Excel is often called a “no code“ tool to make “small applications“, but that is also not true. “No Code” tools usually require users to write code, but they use point-and-click, drag-and-drop, natural language programming, or connecting boxes by drawing lines to avoid the syntax of programming languages. Excel avoids complex syntax by breaking everything up into small cells. Excel avoids iteration or recursion by letting users copy-paste formulas into cells and filling formulas in adjacent cells automatically. Excel does not have a debugger, but shows you intermediate results by showing the numbers/values in the cells by default, and the code in the cells only if you click.

All this makes Excel more like GameMaker or ClickTeam Fusion than like Twine. Excel is a tool that doesn’t scare users away with text editors, but that’s not why people use it. It that were the reason, we would be writing business tools and productivity software in GameMaker.

The next time you read or hear about the amazing usability of Excel, take it with a grain of salt! It’s just barely usable enough.