Hello, perhaps someone can help me?

We are looking at reporting systems for linking into a SQL Database. Top of the list at the moment is Applix TM1, which I have used before and is very good. One of the things I like is the ability to use the software to drill down and find an answer to a problem, click a button and it drops it into Excel - either with direct access to the database or hard coded.

Our IT Developer has suggested we use Excel Pivot tables to access directly into the SQL database and one of my concerns is that pivot tables never make good looking reports, you always have to use lookups to read off the pivot tables.

However I was wondering whether anyone has any experience of this and does anyone know if you can have an individual cell linking straight into the database or addressing the pivot table? I know you can address the pivot table, but you can't copy and paste the cells and have it change the data in that cell, it is always anchored to the first cell you chose in the pivot table, so they have to be done individually.

I hope that makes sense - anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

Simon