Does Filemaker Pro allow for 1) exporting the database to Excel, and 2) updating the database from Excel? A good one certainly would. Do the others just read your database, or do they post to it as well?
I would think that Excel would do just fine, although I haven't used one that large. (I'm working on getting there.) The real advantage of Excel, that I have found, is that a lot of people have it on their machine and know how to use it, while most people never or seldom use a database, and struggle with its interface if they want to do anything more than eyeball it. However, the search/filter function of a real database is far superior to that which is built into Excel -- do you need to do searches that only a good database search/filter engine can do? One can build a userform in Excel that will present each record on multiple lines so that an entire record is readily readable without any scrolling. It "emulates" the Access interface. Stability should be mostly dependent upon how much RAM and swap file space you have in the machines that are running the spreadsheet. Fred Holmes At 03:13 PM 2/6/2008, Constance Warner wrote: >For nine years, I've been working with two FileMaker Pro databases that >keep track of several thousand documents (including titles, >descriptions, categories, authors, etc.). They've been virtually >crash-proof and easy to modify. There are nearly 5,000 records (on >separate pages) in these databases. > > > >Now, several people at work-one of whom is my boss-want to replace all >this with an excel spreadsheet. One co-worker is especially vehement >about this: he isn't really my boss, but he's powerful in the >organization, and he's the type of person who's always right. > > > >I protested that an excel spreadsheet this size would not be stable >(even if half the records were weeded out as being no longer necessary). > > > >Would an excel spreadsheet this size be stable or usable? Has anyone >else had experience with databases of this size? > > > >And does anyone else have any talking points on why it's a bad idea to >replace a perfectly reliable, crash-proof database with an Excel >spreadsheet? > > > >--Constance Warner > > > > > > > >************************************************************************ >* ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== >* ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== >* Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name >* Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST >* Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L >* New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress >* Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >************************************************************************ >* List archive from 1/1/2000 is on the MARC http://marc.info/?l=computerguys-l >* List archive at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ >* RSS at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml >* Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived >************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************************************************ * List archive from 1/1/2000 is on the MARC http://marc.info/?l=computerguys-l * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived ************************************************************************
