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#1
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
I have a DVD database spreadsheet that has 167k entries and about 12
columns of never changing data. In Excel, it is a 14MB file that can be searched within milliseconds. In Access, it is a 169MB file, and searches take several seconds. It would appear that Access, the database, has a MAJOR flaw in the way it stores data. It also apparently performs un-needed steps when performing a simple search function as well. That is truly sad, since all the dopes here have been telling me that my spreadsheet is better of as a database. It would appear that Excel is better at doing database type things than the database does. This problem rears its ugly head elsewhere is your processing paradigms as well. If I create a spread sheet that has one sheet that performs lookups to the 14 MB workbook, the spreadsheet that is a single row lookup of the bigger workbook suddenly climbs to the exact same size as the workbook it references. That is absolutely wrong! |
#2
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
It all depends on what you are trying to do, how you intend to use it,
and choosing the right tool for the job. Thanks for sharing your experience on the comparison. I have more comments inline: Mycelium wrote: I have a DVD database spreadsheet that has 167k entries and about 12 columns of never changing data. In Excel, it is a 14MB file that can be searched within milliseconds. In Access, it is a 169MB file, and searches take several seconds. While not a trivial difference in file size, 169MB is not overwhelmingly large by any stretch in terms of today's storage capacities. Also, Access can suffer bloating as things are manipulated. Frequent use of Compact & Repair will keep this in check. This is something new Access users need to learn. It would appear that Access, the database, has a MAJOR flaw in the way it stores data. It also apparently performs un-needed steps when performing a simple search function as well. Access searches will probably be much quicker if appropriate indexing is applied to the table(s). Not sure what you mean by a major flaw. Data storage is much easier to manage in Access compared to Excel. That is truly sad, since all the dopes here have been telling me that my spreadsheet is better of as a database. It would appear that Excel is better at doing database type things than the database does. That is an oversimplification. Access is much more capable than Excel when it comes to core database competencies, such as managing relational data, enforcing business rules/data integrity, returning multiple results from a conditional lookup, filtering or aggregating data on multiple criteria, etc. You may not have hit upon any of those issues in your spreadsheet solution. This problem rears its ugly head elsewhere is your processing paradigms as well. If I create a spread sheet that has one sheet that performs lookups to the 14 MB workbook, the spreadsheet that is a single row lookup of the bigger workbook suddenly climbs to the exact same size as the workbook it references. That is absolutely wrong! Are you saying Excel failed your expectations here? Seems counter to your argument. Maybe I misunderstood. |
#3
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:10:51 -0400, smartin wrote:
While not a trivial difference in file size, 169MB is not overwhelmingly large by any stretch in terms of today's storage capacities. Also, Access can suffer bloating as things are manipulated. Frequent use of Compact & Repair will keep this in check. This is something new Access users need to learn. It is a brand new database. You need to comprehend what you read. Also, the database never changes at the record level. New records would be added, but none have yet. So no optimizations of ANY table in it would yield ANY difference in its size. It has more to do with the amount of characters per field of data that gets stored, regardless of the number of characters the field actually has in it. |
#4
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:10:51 -0400, smartin wrote:
Access searches will probably be much quicker if appropriate indexing is applied to the table(s). Not sure what you mean by a major flaw. Data storage is much easier to manage in Access compared to Excel. It is a flat file database. It requires no management. It is indexed. You failed to read the post. |
#5
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:10:51 -0400, smartin wrote:
You may not have hit upon any of those issues in your spreadsheet solution. The spreadsheet is solved. This is a database issue. |
#6
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.worksheet.functions
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:10:51 -0400, smartin wrote:
If I create a spread sheet that has one sheet that performs lookups to the 14 MB workbook, the spreadsheet that is a single row lookup of the bigger workbook suddenly climbs to the exact same size as the workbook it references. That is absolutely wrong! Are you saying Excel failed your expectations here? Seems counter to your argument. Maybe I misunderstood. I never made an argument "for excel", idiot. Look at the statement. It infers that ALL of the office apps have problems. You seem to thing I was touting excel. I was not. What I said was that a simple, one row spread sheet should be a simple small file size, but if one performs a lookup to a large spreadsheet in it, the file size suddenly grows to the size of the lookup workbook. That is just plain stupid. |
#7
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
Mycelium wrote:
On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:10:51 -0400, smartin wrote: If I create a spread sheet that has one sheet that performs lookups to the 14 MB workbook, the spreadsheet that is a single row lookup of the bigger workbook suddenly climbs to the exact same size as the workbook it references. That is absolutely wrong! Are you saying Excel failed your expectations here? Seems counter to your argument. Maybe I misunderstood. I never made an argument "for excel", idiot. Look at the statement. It infers that ALL of the office apps have problems. You seem to thing I was touting excel. I was not. What I said was that a simple, one row spread sheet should be a simple small file size, but if one performs a lookup to a large spreadsheet in it, the file size suddenly grows to the size of the lookup workbook. That is just plain stupid. The problem you outline here can probably be explained by how Excel caches linked data. There is no need to fling insults around. No one here can fix the applications. If you have an honest question, post it. If you just want to bitch, take it outside. |
#8
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.worksheet.functions
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
If your argument is strong enough, you don't have to sink to personal
attacks. When you attack the other person (by saying things like "idiot" and "stupid") you have lost the argument. Whatever strength your argument had at the beginning has now been destroyed by your ad hominem attacks. Regards, Fred "Mycelium" wrote in message ... On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:10:51 -0400, smartin wrote: If I create a spread sheet that has one sheet that performs lookups to the 14 MB workbook, the spreadsheet that is a single row lookup of the bigger workbook suddenly climbs to the exact same size as the workbook it references. That is absolutely wrong! Are you saying Excel failed your expectations here? Seems counter to your argument. Maybe I misunderstood. I never made an argument "for excel", idiot. Look at the statement. It infers that ALL of the office apps have problems. You seem to thing I was touting excel. I was not. What I said was that a simple, one row spread sheet should be a simple small file size, but if one performs a lookup to a large spreadsheet in it, the file size suddenly grows to the size of the lookup workbook. That is just plain stupid. |
#9
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.worksheet.functions
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:48:20 -0400, smartin wrote:
Mycelium wrote: On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:10:51 -0400, smartin wrote: If I create a spread sheet that has one sheet that performs lookups to the 14 MB workbook, the spreadsheet that is a single row lookup of the bigger workbook suddenly climbs to the exact same size as the workbook it references. That is absolutely wrong! Are you saying Excel failed your expectations here? Seems counter to your argument. Maybe I misunderstood. I never made an argument "for excel", idiot. Look at the statement. It infers that ALL of the office apps have problems. You seem to thing I was touting excel. I was not. What I said was that a simple, one row spread sheet should be a simple small file size, but if one performs a lookup to a large spreadsheet in it, the file size suddenly grows to the size of the lookup workbook. That is just plain stupid. The problem you outline here can probably be explained by how Excel caches linked data. There is no need to fling insults around. No one here can fix the applications. If you have an honest question, post it. If you just want to bitch, take it outside. I can post whatever I wish, ya little twit. Here or "outside". Go be a netcop somewhere else, bitch. |
#10
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:53:17 -0600, "Fred Smith"
wrote: If your argument is strong enough, you don't have to sink to personal attacks. When you attack the other person (by saying things like "idiot" and "stupid") you have lost the argument. That claim has always been false from the get go. Ooops, you lose, and ooops, you are also an idiot, and no, that does not trigger an automatic loss of the argument, you never properly raised, undereducated,pointless ditz. |
#11
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
Thank you for proving my point. I love personal attacks because it means
I've won the argument. Anyone who has a strong case never has to resort to personal attacks. Regards, Fred. "Mycelium" wrote in message ... On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:53:17 -0600, "Fred Smith" wrote: If your argument is strong enough, you don't have to sink to personal attacks. When you attack the other person (by saying things like "idiot" and "stupid") you have lost the argument. That claim has always been false from the get go. Ooops, you lose, and ooops, you are also an idiot, and no, that does not trigger an automatic loss of the argument, you never properly raised, undereducated,pointless ditz. |
#12
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.worksheet.functions
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:27:30 -0600, "Fred Smith"
wrote: Thank you for proving my point. I proved only that you are completely stupid about the facts of life. One such fact is that your claim is false and your announcement that you love it shows evidence of additional mental convolution. I love personal attacks because it means I've won the argument. Except that it does not, you absolute retard. Anyone who has a strong case never has to resort to personal attacks. You can mouth your petty words all you wish. It does not change the fact that your claim is false. |
#13
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.worksheet.functions
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
Do you think anyone is paying attention to your original argument now?
That's the problem when you degenerate to personal attacks. People lose sight of the point you were trying to make. What was it again? Regards, Fred. "Archimedes' Lever" wrote in message ... On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:27:30 -0600, "Fred Smith" wrote: Thank you for proving my point. I proved only that you are completely stupid about the facts of life. One such fact is that your claim is false and your announcement that you love it shows evidence of additional mental convolution. I love personal attacks because it means I've won the argument. Except that it does not, you absolute retard. Anyone who has a strong case never has to resort to personal attacks. You can mouth your petty words all you wish. It does not change the fact that your claim is false. |
#14
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.worksheet.functions
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Spreadsheet or database? No contest
On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:11:49 -0600, "Fred Smith"
wrote: Do you think anyone is paying attention to your original argument now? That's the problem when you degenerate to personal attacks. People lose sight of the point you were trying to make. What was it again? It takes a true retard to be so thick as to not be able to utilize the tools contained on the computer in front of you. If you do not know how to read a thread, you should not be in Usenet. Whether you know it or not, Usenet is where you pathetic excuses for computer savvy twits are at. |
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