This is a problem I've spent a lot of time pondering. The author makes several suggestions; one in particular (a GitHub for datasets) is an idea I felt strongly

This is a problem I've spent a lot of time pondering. The author makes several suggestions; one in particular (a GitHub for datasets) is an idea I felt strongly enough about that I founded a start-up called BuzzData to address this concern. Unfortunately, we did not find our critical mass and the product has since successfully pivoted into an entirely different product called LookBookHQ. I do have another idea, which is to bring the concept of testing to the Excel world. I think that the combination of: - a framework for building up test cases that can be run against the data as part of the saving process (think rSpec) - an English-like, indented grammar for defining user stories that can potentially generate code for tests (think Cucumber) - a strong push for a culture of testing in the Excel community that would have to include Microsoft I dunno, honestly. Could be crazy. The culture might never accept testing. But then again, one of the basic ways to sell something is to give people insurance against humiliating themselves. It's possible that this thinking would make a lot of sense to the twice shy, highly risk-averse board members of the major financial institutions and governments of the world.