Databases vs. Spreadsheets Which one should you choose?

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As most of you are aware, computers are an excellent tool for storing and analyzing data. You may also know that there are two types of software applications specifically designed for working with data. What you may not know however, is what exactly the differences are between these applications and which one is best for your purposes. Below is a brief description of each application and its uses. Hopefully, this information will give you the facts you need to choose the appropriate program.

Databases

Two of the most common database programs on the market today are Filemaker Pro and Microsoft Access. Databases are your best choice if you have a large amount of data to work with and you don’t need to analyze it.

Basically, you enter your data into records. A record contains all the information about one person or thing. The different types of data contained in a record are called fields. One record can have as many fields as you choose. All of the records can then be printed as a table or you can choose to produce a personalized document by choosing only the fields you want in the document. This document could be a lesson for your students, a class list or a form letter. Now you may be thinking, “Oh boy, here we go again with all that computer lingo.” Well, the best way to understand tables, records and fields is to think of a telephone book.

Think of the entire phone book as a table or form produced using all of the available records. Each individual entry in the phone book would then be a record and each part of an entry, such as the first name, last name, address and phone number, would be a field.

Once data is stored in a database it is easily accessible using the search/query feature in the database program. Below is an example of a database made using FileMaker Pro 4.0 as well as a sample form letter using certain fields from the database.

Spreadsheets

Three of the most common spreadsheet programs on the market today are Microsoft Excel, Lotus 123 and Corel Quattro Pro. Spreadsheets are your best choice when you need to work with your data to make calculations, analyze or project possible outcomes. A spreadsheet looks very similar to a basic table in a word processing program but it has many more features. Each box in a spreadsheet is called a cell. You can put numbers, text and formulas in cells. Formulas are calculations that use numbers in the spreadsheet. When you enter or change numbers in the spreadsheet, calculations based on these numbers will automatically change as well. This can save you hours of recalculating. Spreadsheets are also the best and easiest choice if you want to create charts and graphs based on your data. If you have to keep track of your expenses or make a budget for your program you should choose a spreadsheet program. To the right you will see a sample spreadsheet showing a purchase order.