Once these tables become large [in excess of let's say 50 rows, and more than a screens width of columns, it may be time to consider using a data base application. They are fine for smaller lists and for simple calculations of one cell of data calculated from other cells within the same 'table' or within the same workbook. I have 'databases' which I've created in Excel.

Here is a good example of why you might not want to use a spreadsheet for serious work The Reinhart-Rogoff error – or how not to Excel at economics Overall databases are more difficult for a beginner to set up but once set up are easier and safer to use. You can fairly easily set up data integrity checks, particularly for input and databases have strong data typing.ĭepending on how you do data processing, it can be much easier to verify/audit what you have done. It is less likely that you will accidentally scramble the data, calculate something on a wrong column, etc. If you have thousands of rows of data it is much easier to use a data base' at least for storage. In a slightly more forgiving mood, a database is something that you would want to use when you have a lot of data. I tend to be a bit cynical about spreadsheets and feel that they should not be used for anything more complicated than the weekly shopping list. StanH wrote:In what circumstances is it more appropriate and productive to use a database instead ? The phrase 'horses for courses' comes to mind.

Openoffice draw data model