I want to share an example of a Chris21 client success story that I was involved in. The client asked me to look at a current Chris21 reporting process and to help them to improve this process.

The answer was to create an Excel macro. While I don’t want to go into detail about the requirements, I will describe the outcome and the benefits the client has achieved.

The Problem

The source Chris21 report is run over the Account History (EMPIT) file. The raw data is published to Excel and then requires significant formatting to produce the required reports for managers and finance.

The problem was that this formatting takes between one and two days to complete and this process is undertaken each fortnight after the payrun is completed.

To enable this process there was some customisation to Chris21 and this has meant there is some duplication of data entered into Chris21.

Obviously all of this is at significant cost to the organisation.

The Solution

An Excel macro was developed to take care of all the manual processing without using any customised forms in Chris21. The solution is a macro that does the following:

• Sorts the data from the Chris21 report (PIT) based on the Account Number string.
• Adds report breaks and totals.
• Emails segments of the report to the appropriate recipients.
• Password protection is enabled on reports that are emailed.

The macro formats and emails more than 80 reports. The process requires no user intervention, except to get the macro started. It takes approximately five minutes for the macro to do the work.

The Benefits to the Client

The client has benefited greatly from this solution. The major benefits are:

• Significant cost and time savings.
• Improved reporting accuracy.
• Reduced maintenance – no customised Chris21 forms to maintain.
• Any employee can run the process – it no longer requires specialised knowledge.

This macro has been running successfully for the last four years.

This example shows how taking a different approach can deliver greater efficiencies and cost savings. Sometimes it’s worth going through the exercise of analysing current processes and looking for a better way. For more information about using Excel macros see my blog: Chris21 Reporting – How Excel Macros Can Reduce Processing From Days to Minutes.

Leave a comment or email me at tony.danher@systemlogic.com.au if you currently have a similar situation that you think may be able to be improved. I’ll make some suggestions if I think it can be done better.

The post Chris21 Reporting – A Client Success Story appeared first on System Logic.

You might be wondering about the title – what do Chris21 Reporting and macros have to do with each other? It’s more to do with what macros can do for you once you have produced your Chris21 report output. They will help you to gain major efficiencies in your processing.

What is a Macro?

A macro is simply code that is written within a Microsoft Excel workbook that will automate what happens in an Excel worksheet. For instance, if you have a spreadsheet and you create filters, calculations, and other formatting, you can make this happen automatically.

You probably already have Excel so all you need is someone who can develop the macro for you.

How Can Macros Help?

Think about how you may have used a macro to convert your spreadsheet into GTR format so that data can be automatically uploaded into your database. Imagine having to format that spreadsheet, which could comprise thousands of records, without the help of a macro. Or you may use a macro to import timesheets via TCB.

Macros will reduce processing time by a huge amount.

There are many other instances where macros can help but today I want to talk about how they can help with your Chris21 reporting requirements.

Using Macros With Your Chris21 Reporting

If you are running a report from Chris21 on a regular basis and then spending time formatting this report, think about how a macro may be able to save you a lot of time and effort.

I recently developed a macro to improve the headcount reporting for a client. They needed to reconcile their headcount figures on a monthly basis and this process took the best part of a day to complete.

Even worse, if the regular person who undertook this task was absent, the task would have to fall to someone else. In this case the process would take even longer.

This scenario is ideal for a macro, the advantages being:

• Speed. Macros are incredibly fast and can reduce the processing time from days to a matter of seconds.
• Accuracy. Macros take the element of human error out of the process.
• Anyone can run a macro. The task can be delegated to another employee without the need for a lengthy handover process.

If you currently run similar processes in your organisation you may want to consider using a macro to make your life easier and to deliver tangible benefits.

You may already be using macros to help with your processing. If so, leave a comment and let us know how they are helping you.

The post Chris21 Reporting and Macros – How Excel Macros Can Reduce Processing from Days to Minutes appeared first on System Logic.