However, there are some drawbacks. It can be all too easy for a user to insert a line by mistake that upsets a carefully set up series of formulae, or to re- sort just one column instead of all columns, resulting in mismatched data.  

Luckily, Excel is more than just a spreadsheet application. By adding Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code, an Excel application can be 'black-boxed' - that is, can be converted into a system that cannot be broken by any user. Data can be verified at point of entry and special routines can be written to process large data input files, either imported to the spreadsheet or for export to, say, a database. Such applications may contain a full complement of controls, such as list boxes, radio buttons, text entry boxes, tabbed forms, menus etc, locked and fully protected against accidental corruption. Graphs can be included to analyse data in a visually dynamic manner for use in management information systems.

One common use for Excel/VBA applications is to act as electronic questionnaires that can be sent out to branch offices where the latest database technologies may not be available. Such a document may be completed with all data validation carried out locally and sent back to head office by email with the click of a button. Head office staff may then load the returned information automatically into an MS Access database for further analysis. 

Some of the applications that Aircross have helped to develop include: