ToolSleuth Productivity Solutions

Welcome to the Data4Docs solution. The purpose of this system is to allow you to repeatably get information from a Microsoft® Excel® based spreadsheet into your documents when:

• Your spreadsheet source is similar; or from the same ‘template’.
• Your document(s) use the same information repeatedly.
• There is no need to update the spreadsheet source from the document.

The Microsoft® Word application provides several methods to get data out of a Microsoft® Excel® file and into the Microsoft® Word based file.  The Data4Docs system adds to the existing capabilities to handle processes that are supposed to be repeatable.
The Data4Docs solution is useful when you are consistently using a spreadsheet from a master file (either a template, or just another spreadsheet) as source data and consistently need to get that same data into a document that again is based on a master or template file.  Examples are:

• An Estimate is created using Microsoft® Excel® and results in Proposal and Contract documents.
• Lab data is entered into a Microsoft® Excel® based spreadsheet for analysis and the reports is created using Microsoft® Word.
• A Schedule is created/updated in a spreadsheet and is transferred into a plan document which needs to be edited for expectations and variances.
• An Action Item list is maintained in a spreadsheet, which periodically is used to generate a status report that needs to have specific actions and comments entered.

The following table should help determine when Data4Docs will be an improvement:

* Indicates that the file or document came from either

• a template solution, or
• is a copy of a ‘master’ spreadsheet that has specific case or project information entered.

** “Possible” indicates that the method may be an efficient way to get the source data into the result document.
*** Grey boxes indicate that while the method may be feasible, it isn’t likely to be efficient.

Your Data4Docs system may have additional capabilities depending on the package purchased.  Typical additions are the ability to:

• Create one or more documents from the Microsoft® Excel® based file;
• Use a Microsoft® Word based file as the source document;
• Use a different ending when displaying error, empty or missing cell text.