Microsoft 365 Technology Stack for Finance Professionals
- If you have a Microsoft 365 license, not only do you have the standard applications like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, you also have access to a wide range of powerful online tools, that enable you to share reports, write online apps, and integrate your data.
- Some of these products have been around since the 1990s, and they continue to be as useful now as they were then. More recently, a suite of powerful products have been introduced, such as Power BI. These take full advantage of a secure and integrated online environment and are often quick and simple to setup and use.
- I will be referring to the key tools in the Microsoft 365 Technology Stack that are most useful for finance professionals (see image) in my 'how to' articles. The stack is comprised of a selected mix of tools across three 'layers' (Data / Integration / Reporting) that are particularly relevant to finance professionals as well as many other users.
- Remember that old does not mean obsolete, far from it, and the tried and tested tools such as Excel and Access have retained their importance over the years. I will be showing examples of how to utilise this stack, and to guide you on how to select the best product for the job in hand.
- For example, a local database (MS Access) is a great way to get going and define your data model. Once it is built and working as you want it, you can migrate to an online database (MS Dataverse) with a few clicks - thereby enabling a data source for online apps and real time dashboard reporting.
- I hope you find this useful, and watch this space for examples of how to use this stack to your advantage as you continue your journey as 'citizen developers' - meaning that IT is no longer the realm of IT departments - we are all developers now.