3 ms·
> I just yell at them and tell them to stop using excel sheets as makeshift databases. What do you recommend to them as an alternative for makeshift databases?
by cpeterso 8y ago
> I just yell at them and tell them to stop using excel sheets as makeshift databases.
What do you recommend to them as an alternative for makeshift databases? There could be a nice product opportunity for a lightweight database web app that is like Microsoft Access or a spreadsheet without formulas. Airtable probably fits that bill, but even it might be more complicated than many people need.
- mr_toad 8y agoIn a small organisation use PostgreSQL. In a large organisation (assuming the IT department won’t let people create ad-hoc databases, which is normal), use SAS, R, Python or whatever tool is available.
- thibautg 8y agoPostgreSQL should be accessible by default to anyone. And Excel should require approbation from higher management and IT after a painful bureaucratic procedure. Unfortunately it’s always the other way around. Don’t get me wrong: I really like Excel. But I don’t encode any data in Excel sheets anymore. Now I store everything in a PostgreSQL DB and use ODBC for native access and Pivot tables.
- Too 8y agoSqllite is probably the easiest makeshift database. There are tons of applications for graphically viewing it and with python which comes with a built in sqllite-module programmatic access is so easy. Otherwise nowadays with Docker almost any DB could be spun up locally within seconds.