Database
Businesses use database programs to sort through data in order to organize information into relevant output. There are various database programs available for purchase and many more waiting to be developed. I will explore an Excel based database, make comparisons to the limitations of the Excel program compared to other database applications and discuss the use of Excel databases within my organization.
Microsoft Excel is a popular software program that dates back to 1985 when it was developed originally for Apple Macintosh computers. Two years later Excel was included with Microsoft Corporation's Windows operating system (http://www.dssresources.com//history/sshistory.html) and is widely used today for its spreadsheet capabilities. A couple of the features of spreadsheet programs such as Excel ate that it can sort information into rows and columns and perform mathematical calculations. Figure 1 (shown below) is an example of a simple Excel spreadsheet that was created to compare book prices between two major online vendors.
Figure 1 Book price differences
Prices from Amazon.com and Barnesand noble.com
The limitations of an Excel database compares to of a full-blown database program are many. First, as powerful as Excel is it doe not allow for multi-users to simultaneously access and manipulate data. A user of an Excel program is limited to the local dataset file on his or her computer, unlike a more advanced database program that can be used as an online application by multiple users. Second, Excel is limited to the graphics that are included with the program, while a professionally developed database can ...