> The most important point about Excel in the work environment is that it's often the only tool people have so they make it do things way beyond what is sensibl

> The most important point about Excel in the work environment is that it's often the only tool people have so they make it do things way beyond what is sensible. > I'm a consultant and at every client (mostly public sector) I discover new ways of solving problems with Excel which would otherwise not get solved because the blockers to buying "the right tool" are simply too great. I just don't get this. Most of the tasks where I've seen incredibly creative/perverse Excel gymnastics used in real life could have been solved far better with a bit of Python (or whatever). What "tools need to be bought" in the vast majority of cases?