Portable Spreadsheet

[Steve B]

My partner in one of my businesses and I would like to each carry around something that has our customer database on it. I will be putting the data on an Excel spreadsheet. We don't have the capability of doing this on our phones and we're thinking in terms of a small laptop or some other device. It can have limited capabilities as long as it can view and update a spreadsheet. We're hoping to not spend much on it.

Besides deciding on the hardware, we're not sure how we will be able to synch up and both be carrying around the same data. We both may be making additions or edits while we're off line.

Any suggestions?

[Patrysha]

mini or netbook with an aircard so it can be synched regularly :-)

My mini cost just over $400 cdn last year...could be more than you wanted though.

[Steve B]

Thanks.

How does the aircard work? Would the changes we make show up immediately on each other's netbook?

[thx4yrtym]

Steve,

Check your private messages. I have a solution for this but don't want to get booted out for promoting.

[Patrysha]

Thanks.

How does the aircard work? Would the changes we make show up immediately on each other's netbook?

It just connects you to the net, like a wireless connection, so if you had a central database that you log into then it would be as updated as the last synchronization.

[Business Attorney]

A simple solution may be Google docs. I am using a shared spreadsheet for an organization I am in and it is working very well for our purposes. The Google spreadsheet program is missing a lot of features that a full-blown program like Excel has, but for what I am using it for it works fine. The advantage is that you can access it from any web-enabled device, including smart phones, though the display on a small screen can be an issue.

[nealrm]

There are several cloud-ware like Google docs what would work. You can also try a VPN solution like GoToMyPC. It will allow you to access you home computer while on the road. You see the screen, and control the mouse, keyboard ect just like you would at home.

Excel is not the best solution for sharing a database. Even when it is set to a shared workbook, I still have had issue with two people over-writing each others data. I would suggest using a database. MS Access would work for a simple system.

[Steve B]

Steve,

Check your private messages. I have a solution for this but don't want to get booted out for promoting.

I look forward to seeing your PM. As of now, there was nothing in my in-box.

Thanks for all the replies - you've thought of things I wasn't aware of.

[thx4yrtym]

Steve ,
Check PM now. Was having a senior moment.

Gregg

[billbenson]

Could also put an excel sheet on your web site. Probablem with that is if two people update it at once, someone looses their changes.

A database such as access would be the best. You put it on your website and both you and your partner can work on it without affecting each other's data. The solutions the others have had are probably just custom database apps.

[Steve B]

I'm sure you're probably right about Access being a better tool. I'm very good at Excel - and have never opened Access - so I try to force things in Excel that I probably shouldn't.

[billbenson]

Not very many people really know excel myself included. Its an incredibly powerful program. Use what you know.

I am a proponent, however, of teaching yourself a database and access is probably the most logical choice for most people. Run through a tutorial every week or two. Eventually you'll get a feeling for it and its a better way of doing a lot of things that many people do in excel. I'm in the process of taking my 2k line 15 y/o excel customer / notes / passwords / etc excel file and putting it in a database.

The value of a db such as access will really multiply if you add all of your business activities to it. The accounting stuff, customer stuff, who's late to work consistently stuff etc.

[nighthawk]

As mentioned by a few posters - if you use an Excel spreadsheet, each of you will be working of a separate file. At the end of each working day, one of you will need to merge the two documents, unfortunately this will be need to do manually, as there is no automated way of doing it. Using an access database would also have the same issue.

What you need to do is either store the file in a centralised location that both of you can access, or use a hosted solution. Store the file on a server, then ensure both of you can access it.

However the far easiest solution is to use Google Docs - they will take care of the hosting, and both of you can then access the documents, working off the same copy. Google Docs can be used for free under a noncommercial license, or the proper business version can be purchased pretty cheaply. One of the advantages is that it is all browser based, so you can access the docs from any device, including iPhones and Blackberrys, or any other smart phone, as well as internet cafe's.

In terms of hardware, if all you need is to edit these spreadsheets, then any simple PC will do, I would suggest looking at netbooks, some of these can be picked up for about £200, add a USB 3G modem (or you may be able to use your phone as a modem depending on model, Blackberrys and iPhone 3GS both support this). They are far more portable than a normal laptop.

Alternatively, you may wish to look at some contact management software, there are many open source solutions you could host on a webserver, again allowing access via any web enabled device.

[Steve B]

Thanks everyone. We're looking into a couple Netbooks - and combining it with the Google Docs might be the perfect solution.

[Steve B]

I just experimented a bit with Google docs. It was easy to use and set up, but it stored the file in a different type (.mht - instead of the .xls excel format). So, when it gets opened it's not quite the same formating etc. This was the free version of Google docs.

Did I do something wrong? Is it possible to share the file without changing the file type?

This really has a lot of potential if I can figure it out.

[The Entrepreneurs Network]

Another option that is maybe not ideal for your situation, but that many other members might want to use is to sign up with www.LogMeIn.con (The FREE Version) It allows you to log into your computer from anywhere. For instance I am spending a lot of time in Mexico and I am maintaining Quickbooks for a company I partner in in Frisco TX. It is easy to use and does not cost you anything.

[dynocat]

I just experimented a bit with Google docs. It was easy to use and set up, but it stored the file in a different type (.mht - instead of the .xls excel format). So, when it gets opened it's not quite the same formating etc. This was the free version of Google docs.

Did I do something wrong? Is it possible to share the file without changing the file type?

This really has a lot of potential if I can figure it out.

I checked out Google docs awhile back and uploaded both .xls and .doc documents. I too use the free version.