In today’s fast-paced engineering and industrial environments, seamless integration of tools is crucial for maintaining efficiency and accuracy. Polarion ALM is a powerful platform for managing application lifecycle processes, but many users face challenges when it comes to working with Excel files within this environment. This article will explore how SCell, a specialized plugin, addresses these challenges by enabling direct Excel editing within Polarion ALM.
Throughout this article, you will discover practical use cases for Excel in the Polarion environment, understand the key features of SCell, and learn about the tangible benefits it brings to your workflow. Whether you’re an engineer looking to streamline your processes or a project manager aiming to enhance team collaboration, this article promises to equip you with the knowledge to make informed decisions about integrating Excel into your Polarion ALM system.
By the end of this article, you’ll not only understand how SCell can improve your daily operations, but also gain insights into its future developments, ensuring you stay ahead in your field.
Use Cases: Excel in the Polarion environment
Excel is a ubiquitous tool in engineering and industrial projects, used for everything from data analysis to project tracking. However, when working within Polarion ALM, integrating these crucial Excel files into your workflow can be challenging. Common use cases include managing project timelines, tracking complex datasets, and sharing critical information among team members. By seamlessly integrating Excel files into the Polarion environment, SCell allows teams to maintain the flexibility of spreadsheets while benefiting from the robust features of Polarion ALM.
Case Study “Side-by-side comparator”: A convenient mechanism for side-by-side comparing two Excel files. These can be identical attachements of different work items or the revised version of the same work item attachement. You can compare the data on the screen with a file from the user’s file system or network. This functionality will allow you to track changes in data, or formulas, or the results of formula calculations, styles, and more. By displaying these comparisons directly within Polarion, teams can quickly identify differences, ensuring consistency and accuracy in their data management processes.
Challenges of using Excel in Polarion
While Polarion ALM is a powerful platform for managing application lifecycle processes, its lack of native support for Excel-spreadsheets can pose significant challenges. Under certain circumstances, users have had to download, edit, and re-upload Excel files, a process that is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors and version control issues. This disrupts the seamless nature of project management in Polarion, leading to inefficiencies and potential data inconsistencies. Additionally, the lack of interaction with Excel files directly within Polarion limits collaboration, as team members cannot easily view or edit improtant data in real time.
These challenges highlight the need for a solution like SCell, which bridges the gap between Excel’s versatility and Polarion’s structured environment.
Excel integration in Polarion ALM: Why it matters
Integrating Excel into Polarion ALM is crucial for organizations that rely heavily on spreadsheet data to manage their projects. Excel is often used for its flexibility and familiarity, making it the go-to tool for tasks such as data analysis, budget tracking, and project planning. However, without proper integration, users are forced to juggle between Excel and Polarion ALM, leading to inefficiencies and potential errors in data handling.
A seamless Excel integration within Polarion ALM ensures that all critical project data is centralized, reducing the need for manual updates and minimizing the risk of version control issues. It allows teams to collaborate more effectively, as Excel files can be viewed, edited, and managed directly within the Polarion environment. This not only saves time, but also increases the accuracy of the information required for quick decision-making processes.
To address these challenges and unlock the full potential of Excel within Polarion ALM, SCell emerges as the ideal solution.
SCell: The solution for Excel in Polarion
The SCell Spreadsheet Editor extension seamlessly integrates into the Polarion ALM environment, offering users a convenient way to view and edit XLSX files without the need to switch between multiple applications.
Key features
In-App Viewing and Editing: This extension allows users to directly view and modify Excel files within the Polarion ALM environment, eliminating the need to download or use external software.
File Format Support: It is fully compatible with the Excel *.xlsx file format.
Enhanced Interaction: Users can interact with Excel sheets by navigating tabs, sorting data, and applying basic formatting, all within Polarion ALM for a more engaging experience.
Maintaining Data Integrity: The extension ensures that original Excel files, including over 135 functions and formulas, as well as other complex elements, are accurately displayed and preserved within Polarion ALM.
Working with Polarion Objects: The plugin facilitates interaction with file attachments across various areas, including work item forms, a dedicated page for filtered work items with attached xlsx files, LiveDoc attachments, and work item properties within LiveDoc. It also supports a widget for LiveReport.
Version Management: Any changes made within the embedded spreadsheet editor are saved as separate revisions of the attachment, ensuring consistent version control and data integrity across the system.
Fullscreen and Tab Navigation: A fullscreen mode enhances the experience when handling large data files, while the tab bar allows users to switch between multiple XLSX attachments within a single window.
Advanced Clipboard Functionality: The clipboard feature supports copying and pasting data between external applications and the Polarion environment, maintaining styles and formatting during the transfer.
Benefits
- Increased Efficiency: Users can directly access and review Excel files within Polarion ALM, minimizing the time spent toggling between different applications and optimizing workflow efficiency.
- Improved Collaboration: Teams can work together more effectively by sharing and discussing Excel data within their project management environment, which enhances communication and supports better decision-making.
- Greater Visibility: Integrating Excel files into Polarion ALM provides stakeholders with clearer insights into project data, allowing them to make well-informed decisions based on up-to-date information.
- Minimized Errors: By removing the need to download and re-upload Excel files, the risk of errors and data inconsistencies is significantly reduced, ensuring that teams always have access to the most current and accurate information.
If you are wondering who these benefits are applicable in your workflow, we invite you to get in touch with us to schedule a free consultation. Together we can shed light on your potentials using SCell.
Technical details and installation
The installation of SCell is simple and designed to fit easily into your existing Polarion ALM environment. The plugin operates efficiently by as it is embedded within the Polarion interface and allows users to interact with Excel files without the need of additional software or tools. For optimal performance, it is recommended to install a dedicated SCell server in your network, although the plugin also provides a connection to the SCell demo server (max. file size 1MB) for evaluation purposes without installation.
Need help or got any questions? Just shoot us a message on our contact form, we are here to help you with the installation or with the application!
Outlook and future developments
Scalable Components is committed to continually enhancing SCell to meet the evolving needs of Polarion users. Planned features include a side-by-side comparator for Excel files, which will allow users to easily identify differences between two versions of a spreadsheet, whether they are attached to work items or stored locally.
Additionally, future updates will expand support for more file formats, such as CSVs and files with macros, as well as introduce advanced Excel functionalities like conditional formatting, filtering, grouping, and charting. These enhancements are aimed at providing even greater flexibility and efficiency, ensuring that SCell remains a valuable tool for organizations that rely on both Excel and Polarion ALM.
Conclusion: Why SCell is the perfect addition to Polarion ALM
By embedding Excel editing capabilities directly within Polarion, SCell bridges the gap between the flexibility of spreadsheets and the structured environment of Polarion ALM. This integration not only improves efficiency and collaboration but also ensures that data integrity and version control are maintained across your projects.
Ready to enhance your Polarion ALM experience? Explore the full potential of SCell by visiting our website or contacting our team for a personalized demo. Don’t miss the opportunity to streamline your workflows and simplify your day-to-day project work!
