Replace Excel
Replace Excel with a web application — without rebuilding it first
Most projects to replace a spreadsheet fail at the same step: someone has to specify, from scratch, what the spreadsheet already knows. Dosyon skips that step. It reads the file and proposes the application.
Why replacing a spreadsheet usually stalls
The spreadsheet is never just a table. Years of decisions are encoded in its columns, its status values, its colour rules and the conventions people carry in their heads. A replacement project asks someone to write all of that down before a single screen exists — and that specification phase is where most of these projects quietly die.
- Nobody has time to document a file that is in use every day.
- The person who built it has usually left.
- By the time the spec is agreed, the process has moved on.
- The team keeps using the spreadsheet throughout, so the new system is behind before it launches.
What you actually need instead of the spreadsheet
The spreadsheet is not failing at storing data. It is failing at everything around the data. These are the capabilities that make the difference, and none of them require you to redesign your model.
- One live record instead of copies that drift apart.
- Permissions per role, per field, and per assigned record.
- An audit trail: who changed what, when.
- Validation at entry, so a bad date or a missing required field never lands.
- Usable on a phone, so field staff record work when it happens.
- A safe way for people outside the team to submit data — into a review queue, not straight into the record.
The migration is the upload
Dosyon analyses the workbook in your browser: it infers field types, recognises status vocabularies, and detects where the same customer or supplier appears repeatedly and should be one linked record instead of a repeated string. It proposes a structure and asks you about anything it is unsure of. Nothing is published until you approve it, and the original file is never modified.
- Upload .xlsx, .xlsm or .csv.
- Review and correct the proposed fields and relationships.
- Publish, invite the team, set who sees what.
- Upload a second department’s file and the two link on the entity they share.
- Export back to .xlsx or CSV whenever you want.
What changes
| With a shared file | With Dosyon | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Specify the whole system first | Upload the file you already have |
| Time to first result | Months | The same day |
| Permissions | All or nothing per file | Role, field and assigned record |
| History | Overwritten silently | Changes kept and timestamped |
| Outside contributors | Email the file | Form link into a review queue |
| Getting your data out | It is already yours | .xlsx or CSV export, any time |
Frequently asked questions
How do I replace a spreadsheet with a web application?
Upload it. Dosyon reads the sheet structure, infers field types and relationships, and proposes a working app with table, form and Kanban views. You review the mapping and publish. There is no specification phase and no builder to learn.
Do I have to migrate everything at once?
No, and you should not. Start with the single file causing the most trouble. Once it works, upload the next one — the two link automatically on any entity they share, such as a customer or a part code.
What happens to my original file?
Nothing. The upload is read-only; Dosyon creates a working copy. Your spreadsheet stays exactly where it is.
Can I still use Excel for analysis?
Yes, and you probably should. Export your records to .xlsx or CSV whenever you need to model or analyse. What moves out of the spreadsheet is the shared operational record, not your ability to calculate.
Does this replace our accounting software?
No. Dosyon organises the operational layer — records, forms, statuses, permissions and reporting. Invoicing and statutory accounting stay in the system you already use.
What if the structure it proposes is wrong?
You correct it before publishing, and you can keep changing it afterwards. Adding a field or a view later does not require rebuilding the app.
Other solutions
Start with your own file
Upload your file and see the proposed structure. Nothing publishes until you approve it, and your original file stays unchanged.
Upload your file