ExPDA (Excel Publish/Display Application) FAQs

What is ExPDA ?

ExPDA enables users to import real time data  into Excel ©,  publish real time data to other Excel users and for permissioned users to subscribe to published data over a LAN, private network or the internet.

Its aimed at Excel users who want to:

• share real time data
• add value to data and publish it to authorised users in a secure enviroment
• collect data in real-time from users spreadsheets and aggregate that data into other repositories
• collect data in real-time from users spreadsheets and pass the data to data vendors for redistribution
• and many other uses.

Can ExPDA share data with non Excel databases ?

Yes, our product ExPDA can be used with multiple data sources and repositories. It is primarily designed around the need for users to exchange static and real-time data in spreadsheets (both retrieval and publishing) but it can also be used to publish/retrieve data from other databases and internal applications or web pages for more general viewing.

How will I be able to access the data that is provided by the ExPDA network ?

The data that is available via the ExPDA Server platform is selected using an Excel © Data Selection Tool (“DST”) accessed via an Excel “Add-In” that is provided as part of the solution.

This DST provides a data selection tool-box that inserts a link into a cell in your Excel spreadsheet that connects to one of our server hubs. These hubs provide the data transport and management infrastructure and are designed to work with minimal latency. The server hubs are used to manage the movement of data as well as the complex issue of permissioning.

How do we control who gets access to what data and who can update a particular data element ?

As part of the ExPDA Server solution we have integrated a full permissioning system that is controlled by your IT administrators. There are different levels of permissioning that cover the 2 main aspects of data sharing which are contribution and retrieval.

A detailed set of reports are provided to assist Data Managers and Administrators to control and report on the usage of data to comply with internal restrictions as well as restriction that may be imposed by third party data originators.

How does your product ExPDA control the issue of data validation ?

The facility to undertake data validation is an integral part of the ExPDA setup. Various user defined criteria are used to specify whether data updates are passed around the network to ensure that (within reasonable limits) pieces of “bad” data are not fed into automated processes.

Can we ExPDA to share information with our users in other offices or with our clients over the internet ?

This is one of the many features of DTS's ExPDA. It works by using IP to transfer data and as such will work with any IP based infrastructure. In some cases there may be a need to make minor changes to firewall or router settings to open a port to allow the data to move through those devices.

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