Common misread
Complexity alone is not a mandate. Ask who may delete fields and whether a single source of truth exists.
Choose ERP vs spreadsheets by collaborator count, ledger consistency, audit needs, and change rate—not modernity theater. Dual cards first, then the table and Q&A.
Safer framing
Yes. Use permissions, watermarks, and audit—do not kill analysis by banning exports.
- With under three maintainers and no audit pressure, disciplined sheets often win.
- Cross-department, multi-entity month-end makes sheet marginal cost spike.
- ERP fits structured documents; exploratory analysis can stay in BI/sheets.
- Migration cost is mostly master-data cleansing, not UI training.
- Frame which documents must be systemic versus temporary side paths.
| Decision lens | Common trap or cost | Safer cut |
|---|---|---|
| ≤3 editors, no audit | Cheap disciplined sheets | Defer ERP |
| Cross-team month-end | Sheet maintenance explodes | Put documents in ERP |
| Exploratory analysis | Fixed reports too rigid | Parallel BI/exports |
Decide with cost curves, not slogans
Sheets are already complex—must we buy ERP?
Complexity alone is not a mandate. Ask who may delete fields and whether a single source of truth exists.
Can we still export Excel after ERP?
Yes. Use permissions, watermarks, and audit—do not kill analysis by banning exports.
Does a small trading firm need ERP?
Few SKUs and stable orders: light inventory or good sheets; multi-warehouse multi-currency: ERP.
How not to fall back to sheets?
Accept by scenarios; keep temporary side paths with sunset dates; train by job scripts.