Now we’ve got the data into a MySQL database, so next step is accessing it from our prefered application (sometimes, that means MS Excel, i.e.). So, let’s go:
1) Make sure you system is up to date (specially the Jet Engine).
2) Download and install the last MySQL ODBC Connector.
3) Go to Start_Settings_Control Panel_32bit ODBC and create a new DNS (choose MySQL driver).
Once finished, you’ll be able to access the data from MS Excel. However, you have to take into account you can’t view the data in the spreadsheet since the volume of rows is huge. The good thing is you’ll be able to calculate the statistics from there, or get data from pivot table, etc.
When analysing investment projects someone has to deal with the golden question “is it going to be profitable?”, followed by, “when?”. There are so many ways of answering these questions, but at the moment I’m going to focus on 3, very briefly:
1) Net Present Value (NPV).-
Get all the cash flows the project is going to generate (money invested, money spent, money earned), choose a reference interest rate (i.e. weighted average cost of capital, risk-free interest rate…), discount’em to present, and add’em up. If this value is positive then the project is worthwhile.
2) Internal Rate of Return (IRR).-
It is the interest rate that makes the NPV equal zero (IRR | NPV=0). If this rate is above your reference interest rate, then the project will have a positive NPV. Both measures are complementary, and both accept at the same time the project, rejecting the project at the same time, as well.
3) Pay-back Period.-
It is the time that takes the project to pay itself, so we’re talking from a cash-flow perspective exclusively. So, for instance, if the value is 2.25 years, that means the project will start generating profit after 2 years and a quarter.
When calculating this period I like to first discount all the cash-flows using the reference interest rate, so $1 is $1 for every flow (you know the first principle in finance: how much?-when?).
For easing the calculations I’ve prepared a spreadsheet to help. You can download it from the link below.
ROI Simulator v.1.10
Dashboard reports allow managers to step back from the details and see the key trends and relationships that drive their companies. Excel is an excellent tool for creating these reports.
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You bet they can! In this e-book plus worksheets Charles W. Kyd explains some practical advantages to dashboard reporting with Excel.
Give it a try! Its ROI is more than good!!!
Now we’ve got the data into a MySQL database, so next step is accessing it from our prefered application (sometimes, that means MS Excel, i.e.). So, let’s go:
