Excel as a database!

GreenNotM

piggeh wrote:

I didnt use Access until my current job. Then I found people wanting to know purchasing figures for the last year, and would go off to accounts, when we had in right in front of us. Started to get the hang of using it. Not everyone seems to think I'm some Access whizz that knows how to do anything. I can only just about figure out relational databases using the wizard !!!!!!, let alone doing stuff manually! I guess people only learn something when they realise how much easier it makes their job.

I am leaving Powerpoint until I get promoted and need to do fancy presentations to someone.

I hope you are normalising your databases....:rolleyes:

Have a look at using Excel and ODBC to pull data from your tables - the links can be 2-way or is that MS_SQL ... so updates can be done in Excel - or you can see upto date figures by opening a familiar spreadsheet - but all your data is kept in a nice backend system.....

PS Powerpoint has some great Wizards and you can pull in Excel tables/graphs that link to Access ... by using a mobile phone camera :rotfl: :rotfl: of course...

piggeh

Of course I am normalising it all. Who wouldnt?

*goes off to look up what normalisation is again as it's been too long since I've looked at databases, SQL, etc*

I no longer need to use excel really. Or at least, dont need to transfer the data from one to the other, except on rare occassions where instead I'll just run a query and cut & paste (lots of stumps round the office these days though )

GreenNotM

Hmmm no need to cut and paste - unless you are linking through, so that way there will not be any dead data/stumps

MS provide free training in Office here http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/FX100565001033.aspx

Normalising just means getting rid of your repeating data - so if you have to correct/change one item ie an address - you do not have to look in many tables or rows for the address to change - it should be there once in only one place. So the address is referenced by a key .... (data integrity and all that ...)

wolfman

GreenNotM wrote:

Normalising just means getting rid of your repeating data - so if you have to correct/change one item ie an address - you do not have to look in many tables or rows for the address to change - it should be there once in only one place. So the address is referenced by a key .... (data integrity and all that ...)

[geek]
Ah but which normal form, and when do you start sacrificing data integrity for performance!
[/geek]

GreenNotM

wolfman wrote:

[geek]
Ah but which normal form, and when do you start sacrificing data integrity for performance!
[/geek]

just to the third ...... but query optimistaion ain't what it used to be ...