How can multiple employees work with the same data?
Efficiency question :
Allowing several employees to work with the same data first requires distinguishing the type of use. Several people may need to view the same information, while in other situations several users must also be able to enter or modify data at the same time.
Applications developed with Microsoft Power Apps can work very well for multi-user needs. In particular, when connected to a Dataverse database, a large number of users can access the application and work with the same data.
In an office-productivity context, Excel or Word files without programmed instructions can also be used in co-authoring mode. Several users can then work in the same document simultaneously.
Key considerations:
The number of users and, above all, how they interact with the data should be considered when the technology is selected.
It is especially important to distinguish users who only need to view data from those who need to modify or add to it. A solution that allows several people to view information simultaneously does not necessarily require the same architecture as an application in which several users enter data at the same time.
Challenges:
Particular care is required with applications developed in Excel using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) when they are used in multi-user mode. Programmed instructions and simultaneous changes can create problems and make this architecture unsuitable for some needs.
It is therefore not enough to determine how many people will use the solution; you must also determine how many will need to enter or modify data simultaneously.
Technology:
The technology choice should consider from the outset how many users will access the data simultaneously and what type of access they will need.
Power Apps combined with Dataverse is particularly well suited when many users need to enter and modify data. For office documents without programming, Microsoft 365 co-authoring features can also allow several users to work simultaneously.
Excel and VBA remain very effective for many needs, but a programmed Excel application should not be used in multi-user mode without carefully analyzing its architecture.
Developer's advice:
When several users need to view the same data simultaneously without necessarily modifying it, they do not always need to work in the same file.
A separate file can be created for each user, with Power Query used so that each person retrieves data from the same information source. Each user can refresh their file and view the information they need without directly affecting the file or source used by others.
The distinction between multiple read-only users and multiple read-and-write users is therefore essential. It can completely change the solution architecture and the choice of technologies.