Book Image

Turning Spreadsheets into Corporate Data

By : Bill Inmon
Book Image

Turning Spreadsheets into Corporate Data

By: Bill Inmon

Overview of this book

Spreadsheets are a popular way to store and communicate business data, but, although they are easy to create and update, they are not reliable enough to be used for making important corporate decisions. With this book, you can gain insight into how to maintain spreadsheets, how to format them, and then convert them into a database of reliable and useful information. Turning Spreadsheets into Corporate Data starts with a quick history of spreadsheet usage. You’ll learn the basics of formatting spreadsheets, including how to handle special characters and column headings, and how to convert the spreadsheet first into an intermediate database and then into corporate data. You will also learn how to utilize the mnemonic dictionary that is created along with the intermediate database. The later chapters discuss the immutability of data and the importance of organizational and political considerations during the data transformation. By the end of this book, you’ll have the skills and knowledge needed to convert your spreadsheets into reliable corporate data.
Table of Contents (16 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Introduction
14
13: Case Study
15
Glossary
16
Index

Applying Naming Conventions

When building the mnemonic dictionary, there is an opportunity to start applying meaningful naming conventions. When a spreadsheet is built, there is rarely much thought given to naming conventions. Furthermore, when a spreadsheet is being built, it’s not common to consider what other organizations have named things. Every organization is different, and every organization is free to name spreadsheet items however they wish. There really are no standards or conventions for naming spreadsheet data.

However, when it comes to using the alternate name, the organization can enforce whatever naming standards and conventions it wishes.