I have a fairly simple database project but the user has only Excel and my experience has been mainly in dBASE.

I'm wondering how hard it would be for me to learn Excel (which I have only used in simple spreadsheet applications) and also how powerful it is as a database tool.

(i.e. Should I learn excel or ask the user to get dBASE?)

Has anyone here had any experience with excel in a database application? Is it as programmable as dBASE?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Babthrower, I've recently started to learn Excel, Access, powerpoint etc. I'm using the Focus range of "Teaching You" CD Roms and I am finding it quite easy. There is no substitute for a one to one tutor but I'm doing OK. There's a lot more to it than I imagined.

Teaching You

babthrower, you will find that Excel is very limited in what you can do with it as it only has spreadsheet capabilities and limited indexing for queries. It will not be hard for you to use coming off of a full featured RDMS system like dbase. Depending on the volume of data expected and the uses for it Excel may not be the best choice. If you will have multiple table requirements with requirements for primary and foreign keys I would go with a full database system. Dbase is fine but Access from Microsoft I personally think is more user friendly. Either would be capable of handling a larger database, Excel is very limited in capability. Hope that helps.

Thanks, that information is just what I needed. The application is quite simple NOW but you know these things grow like Topsy. So I guess it will be MS Access for me.

Again, thanks for the help.

At least it isn't Oracle PL/SQL! YUK!

That's swell, Kwll. What to stay away from is just as important as suggestions as to what to get.

hey hey i'm an oracle fan

but the reason is
because
they got a new
small biz application
that's entirely web based
for $1000 a year
(that doesn't require programming)

i'm a big excel fan though.
(also i'm open to criticism)
but i haven't found that many thing
so impossible to do in it (only 66,000 rows)

like queries are similar to filters
to me,
and they have that custom filter
with a boat load of beginning with
or greater than options.
that can be combined with filters of other
columns to isolate records with ONLY 2 criteria

(yeah it doesn't catch them all
if you have data on different sheets)
but i can copy and paste to force it
for a one time search. if i skipped somethin
let me know anybody,

[This message was edited by Karrow on 02-28-04 at 02:45 PM.]