On 6/30/12 5:28 AM, Dan wrote:
When it comes to databases, it is always a matter of planning and designing. Doing this correctly may result in a subcompact car rather than a Mack truck for a simple database. Obviously, when you want more a more complex output, it will increase in complexity.
That is so true. You have to cover all of the "bases" of what your want to be able to do with the data before you even begin to design.
What frustrates me is there seems to be very few "simple and easy" to grasp and use database programs anymore. Everything is migrating to the power that MS Access (the Mack truck) has, when possibly all you need is an electronic 3X5 file card system (compact pickup).
I was going to create a simple relational database for my inlaws, but it didn't require the complexity and sophistication of Access. I thought I'd found one, I knew exactly what I wanted and needed it to do, but when I got far enough along, I found out the reporting section couldn't access data from multiple databases. That did me no good.
I would think that the same thing holds for creating a spreadsheet: take the time to plan and design what you want. This plan must contain enough detail to describe every function to be used in the spreadsheet, and the functions' input requirements and output characteristics. Without a good plan and design, the results are likely to be rather poor. Problems are likely that have to be corrected which takes time and can create frustration.
As I just wrote to Andreas, it wasn't the logic or anything else that was the issue, it was how to get it correctly entered that was the problem. And I personally didn't find the Function Wizard to be that helpful the first time out. I found it easier to just experiment manually entering various combinations till I found the answer. Maybe that way was easier for me, as the first spreadsheet I ever used was VisiCalc for the Atari 800.
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