Comments on: Stop Doing Things That Don’t Work (a.k.a: Excel and Virtual Private Servers are Evil)

By: You’re doing it wrong! « Notablog

You’re doing it wrong! « Notablog — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:07:56 +0000

[...] his blog, Brian Jones points out (amongst other things) that you shouldn’t use Excel (or any other spreadsheet product) as a [...]

By: Gerry

Gerry — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:19:51 +0000

As someone with enough knowledge to be dangerous to data reliability, I’ll tell you why (imho) non tech people are comfortable using Excel vs a “real” database. You get a do over if you are in the unfortunate position of having just deleted something. Or another possible way to look at it is a lack of experience when it comes to databases. Most people in my industry (environmental remediation) start out using Excel on a very small scale and track increases in their use and knowledge of it on a low ratio. When we get to databases, it is usually a steep learning curve and a lack of common sense on the part of the end user. What really needs to happen is…well I don’t have an answer, I just have my IT guy’s direct line.

By: James Thiele

James Thiele — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:49:48 +0000

Excel is a database, just a very simple one. If all you need to do is track employees’ names, employee numbers, phone numbers, blah blah blah Excel works fine. But I’ve started working as a consultant to a company with about four thousand employees in over one hundred job categories that needs to track their job risks for OSHA. They have some Excel files that cover parts of each of these issues but ultimately they’ll need a relational DB to do it.

By: Tightwad Technica » Excel, VPS’s and Things That Go Bump in the Night

Tightwad Technica » Excel, VPS’s and Things That Go Bump in the Night — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:18:44 +0000

[...] Jones over at his blog kinda lays waste to two IT tools — Excel and Virtual Private Servers. Brian seems to be a [...]

By: gerard

gerard — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:50:08 +0000

Excel is not a database. I know, I know. Your post should be part of the Windows Office installer, maybe as a popup after the EULA – I will never use Excel as a database. Confirm/Cancel. I’ve seen elaborate, multi-coloured ‘pseudo-dashboard’ spreadsheets; guys adding up columns of numbers in their head or with a calculator(!), and entering the total manually… Honestly, I’ve given up fighting it. There is a way of associating XML schemas with a spreadsheet, then ‘export as XML’ gives you an adherent document, but usually then – ‘Now you’ve got two problems’… Interesting about the VPS’s.