> > Files vs. lathes, BASIC (or Java) vs. C or C++, shovels vs. bulldozers > -- whatever the problem, there's a quick & easy way to do a small job > that scales up really poorly, and an efficient way to do a huge job that > scales down really poorly. > > Spreadsheet programs just exacerbate the problem in that while they're > really good for things that can be easily organized in tabular form, you > can wedge other problems into them if you hit them with a big enough > hammer, and 'everybody' knows how to use them. > > Agreed. To further the convo a bit, I did a quick Google search on "when to use a spreadsheet or database". The 1st result had this to say...
As a general rule of thumb, databases should be used for data storage and spreadsheets should be used to analyze data. If you currently use a spreadsheet to store data, ask yourself the following questions: - Do changes made in one spreadsheet force you to make changes in others? - Is the sheer amount of data unmanageable or becoming unmanageable? - Do you have several spreadsheets that contain related information (such as separate sheets with sales for branches in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston)? - Can you see all relevant data on one screen, or do you have to keep scrolling to find information? - Are several people accessing the data at the same time? - Do you have a difficult time viewing specific data sets that you want? If you answered yes to at least two of the questions, you should think about moving your information to a database application. *In a Nutshell Use a database if...* - the information is a large amount that would become unmanageable in spreadsheet form and is related to a particular subject. - you want to maintain records for ongoing use. - the information is subject to many changes (change of address, pricing changes, etc.). - you want to generate reports based on the information. *Use a spreadsheet if...* - you want to crunch numbers and perform automatic calculations. - you want to track a simple list of data. - you want to easily create charts and graphs of your data. - you want to create "What-if" scenarios. In most cases, using the combination of a database to store your business records and a spreadsheet to analyze selected information works best. * Of course, this requires people to actually think about what they're doing... _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list [email protected] http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
