Comments on: Excel as a Really Bad Database

By: Nancy Liebross

Nancy Liebross — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:14:00 +0000

Spire.XLS can do this well, I recommanded it, which support excel 97 ~ 2010 without office ole automation, very easy to use and performance hight.

http://www.e-iceblue.com/Introduce/excel-for-net-introduce.html

By: Barba

Barba — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:03:00 +0000

There are better ways to Read/Write XLS/CSV/HTML/XLSX files than Excel Automation (http://www.gemboxsoftware.com/GBSpreadsheet.htm). You can use our Free Spreadsheet .NET Component (http://www.gemboxsoftware.com/GBSpreadsheetFree.htm) even in your commercial applications.

By: Andy Duncan

Andy Duncan — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:38:00 +0000

to solve this problem take a look at this:
http://boardwalktech.com

By: Dick Kusleika

Dick Kusleika — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 19:33:00 +0000

Colin, et al: I have many fish to fry, and this is a small one. That’s why I didn’t invest more than 5 minutes in it.

By: Colin Banfield

Colin Banfield — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:32:00 +0000

Dick,

Why not simply use ADO to write and read records to a single Excel file (which can remain closed when you read or write records)? Am I missing something?

By: John Wilson

John Wilson — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 04:36:00 +0000

The entire reason for my existence in my current job is a workbook (actually, many) that is absolutely screaming to be a database (FoxPro, preferably, if I ever get the time to convert everything).
I do use John's XL4 macro in a few places but I find it easier (and quicker) to just import my main "database" into a sheet on each of my dependent workbooks when necessary. Not pretty, but it works (for me).
Question.....
In the latest and greatest Excel version (which I may never have a use for), did MS ever get the VLookup function on a closed workbook to ever match the incredible speed (compared to Excel) that Lotus does in 123)?
That feature alone would be enough to make me an upgrade convert, eliminate my need for my inefficient "import" process, get rid of my scattered XL4 macros (and thank you, John. That XL4 routine does come in handy) and maybe stop me from wishing that I had started my whole project in FoxPro.

By: Jan

Jan — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 10:28:00 +0000

I think my point is "You Can, but you Shouldn't".

Today it is only 30 files, tomorrow it will be all of them, as soon as "they" (the luddites and philistines) have seen what data is available. The day after that someone will save one of the files as Excel 97 and create some bizzare problem with a french installation and you will end up with VRAI and FAUX in the columns in place of TRUE and FALSE, and then the day after that some one will insert a column in the file having managed to open it up in some convoluted way. What if you want to add columns? do you extend all of the files by one column? What if there is an older version withouth this field in the headings? Will your ADO command still work without the header row still work? All of this has happened to me already. Bite the bullet and get the data from the central location with data types and indexes and scalability.

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 06:52:00 +0000

Dick,

You dont need to open a file to read or write. Just use ADO
You dont have to to depend on the XL4 macro command either its relatively slower.

If data is stored in a structured way it doest matter whether it is stored in an Access file or an Excel file or in a Text file

The key thing is structured storage.

Sam

By: Jan

Jan — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:57:00 +0000

Chuck it into a database and build a simple extraction spreadsheet for when they want to review it in Excel.
I refuse to try to solve this problem in this way I have tried and it only creates more problems for yourself, you are only encouraging the luddites to believe they might have been correct.

By: fzz

fzz — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:10:00 +0000

Looks like I forgot to mention importing the text file in TEMP.