How many times have you opened an Excel file named ‘final_v5_FINAL_REVISED.xlsx’ and thought, “Is this really the latest version?” If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Version control issues, accidental overwrites, and endless hours spent double-checking data are struggles many of us know well.

Last Thursday, I attended the R-Ladies Vienna meetup, where Raiffeisen Research shared a practical solution to this common problem. They’ve moved away from traditional Excel-based workflows to build a modern, secure, and efficient system for managing financial data.

Their new setup combines:

• R/Shiny: A tool for creating interactive web applications directly from R. It allows employees to interact with data in real time, much like Excel, but with useful additions like automated calculations and instant updates.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services): Which securely stores data and makes it accessible from anywhere. This ensures sensitive information is protected and always available to authorized users.
• Docker: To make sure the application works reliably on any system. In this case, Docker ensures their platform runs consistently, whether it’s used locally or in the cloud.

What I found really interesting was how they used rhandsontable to keep the Excel-like experience users were familiar with. This made it easy for employees to adjust to the new system without feeling overwhelmed.

Why This Approach Works

This system solved key challenges:

• No time wasted checking information across multiple files.
• No more wondering if you’re using the right file version.
• No risk of overwriting important data.

Digital Transformation Without Disruption

What I liked about this example is that it shows how improving workflows doesn’t always require big changes. Instead of asking people to learn something completely new, they enhanced a tool people already knew and trusted, adding security and efficiency along the way.

The best changes are often the ones that feel effortless to the user.