On Sunday 26 May 2002 17:40, you wrote: > > Now I also wondered whether there was such a thing as a gui front > > end to this backend type programme. Anyone got any knowledge ? > > They probably exist. StarOffice has a data wizard kinda like > Access in the front end -- in other words, the interface works > more or less like Access, For a backend, there are a variety of > possibilities. It seems though, that the 'right' way to do it is > to use Web-based forms to do the data entry or whatever, and have > CGI scripts to do the actual insertions or queries or whatever. > > > Also, I would like to understand, what if any is the difference > > between using a spreadsheet programme and using a database > > programme. > > They both can be used for the same thing. Obviously, some things > are better suited for a database. For a lot of people, spreadsheets > are easier, because yuo don't need to define any of the > relationships betweeen data - just making column headers is > sufficient, and putting the necessary formulas for the other > columns and so forth. And as a plus, the reporting is in the sheet > itself - no need to use an external app to produce nice looking > reports from the database. This alos presents problems: in a > spreadsheet, if you want to change the report, you change the > spreadsheet - and change it back, or make a new sheet from the data > in the old one. With a database, you just create a different report > (or view). > > Spreadsheets are better if there's mostly computation going on, > less so if there's going to be a lot of lookups/finds and so forth. > A real-world expample: one of my main tasks at a temporary position > I had ca. 18 months ago was to set up reporting and tracking > methods for a 'database' of parts. I got some of the original data > from our internal database, some from outside sources (f.e., > outstanding parts reports over the Net) and combined all this in a > way that was useful for other engineers and management. My platform > was a P-100 with 64 emgs of RAM, running Windows 98 probably, and > Excel. Plus, the "real-world" databases I have used at work would > likely be way too cumbersome as a spreadsheet, or series of related > spreadsheets. But a sheet would make some things easier if just a > subset of the data were available. Like if you just have a simple > list of names/addressses/etc., you really don't need to go out and > get Oracle :). > > The data overall ended up at many megabytes worth - it was probably > 5 megs or so xls file. Inside, there were quite a few lookups > (i.e.., =vlookup() ) to external tables (i.e., spreadsheets) to > derive things like part name-part number translation, price info, > availability, return status and so forth. Of course, these > 'forests' of vlookups and so sort made working with the spreadsheet > extremely cumbersome at times, and setting up a database, > especially given the 2000+ vlookup formulas in the sheet, might > have made better sense. There were several times when the machine > simply swapped itself for hours, and I couldn't do anything. I did > manage to find out that Excel thought the file much bigger than it > was originally (I had highlighted some rows and such) -- which no > doubt contributed to the heavy memory use, and might be something > worth looking into in your kspread issue. > > > different ways. In the spreadsheet programmes it would seem , the > > programme and the data are all loaded into memory, perhaps > > database > > Correct. All the spreadsheet needs to fit within memory. VM does > exist, of course (back in the DOS days, I evaluated some VM extras > on 1-2-3 and the like) but as someone more knowledgeable than I at > the time said, '' spreadsheets have poor locality of reference'' > which loosely means that a formula in cell AE2156 might reference > one in cell G23, and the poor box has to swap parts of the sheet > back in and out to resolve everything. > > > John Richard Smith > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I would like to thank you all very much in helping me to get to grips with the whole question of data and how you use it. It is quite obvious to me that spreadsheets are OK, But, and here think I am beginning to see the wood from the trees, that they will do for the moment, but in the long term I need a database setup. One thing I have not mentioned to date is that , moving averages is only one small element of a far wider programme of achievement in the use of Computers to upgrade and assist me in the provision, use, and dissemination of a whole lot of mainly financial data. Being a newcomer to the world of computers, indeed I have only owned a computer , for just over 2 years, I now have 5 (some are on behalf of others) . I made all the usual mistakes learners make,the first computer had mainly the wrong programmes, but my very newest I built myself from parts,together with the help and assistance of my son in law. I cannot afford to keep buying a $1,000 OS's every couple of years which comes with so many restrictions as to use and ownership. It is not on for me. I therefore suppose that I for one want MySQL for linux to come along a pace together with a front end. it would make a good foundation ? on which to build any requirement that may occur, would it not ? and if it is essentially a harddrive database inwhich programmes that make use of that data are loaded into memory, surely this is going to be the more productive in the long run. Not only that but large harddrives are thesedays cheap and reliable, however I can see that there is of course the question of backup. Still I own CD writers and they ought to do for that. I should think another way might be to have two harddrives and store info on both one as the working directory and the other as a backup, that way the odds of both going down together must be long odds.I will think about that though. In passing I found reference on some mysql website :- mysql-1.75-1-linux-static.tar.gz mysqlgui-src-1.7.5.tar.gz which seems to imply someone is working on a front end already. I think these are probably too technical for me without aid to cope with on my own. Still I wish them well. In the meantime I will endeavour to report kspread memory problem. many thanks, John -- John Richard Smith [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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