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Can you talk more about using Excel for this type of design work? Sounds interesting, but I’m not exactly sure what you mean.

• bob1029 5y ago
  One worksheet per table you think you would want to create in an ideal SQL database representing the business domain. For instance: Worksheet #1: Customers ColA: Id ColB: Name ColC: Email ... Worksheet #2: Orders ColA: Id ColB: CustomerId ColC: ItemId ColD: OrderDateUtc ... You probably want to fill in a few example rows per table to illustrate intent and how things relate together. The advantages with this approach are impossible to overstate. Being able to send a dead-simple spreadsheet via email to your domain experts can save a ton of frustration and meetings.
  • Jtsummers 5y ago
    You can also implement rudimentary logic strictly with Excel functions, no need for VB, to create a kind of MVP/prototype of the system. Then it can be migrated to a real database or other representation format and program once you have a solid idea of what you're representing and why. And since it's data-centric there's less of a tendency to screw up by mixing the data layer and logic layer too much within this prototype, you're almost forced to create a clean separation. Then you have a data model that you can use in the core of a variety of applications with various business and view logics distinct or common between each.