ledger sheets in Excel 2008?

[aaron.kempf]

I was reading this article

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=36905

and I noticed 'ledger sheets' in Excel 2008?

What the flying hell is wrong with these people; don't they understand
that ledgers live in DATABASES not in Excel?

I dont think that there is a major accounting application; anywhere in
the world that uses Excel as a database backend.

WHY IN THE HELL DOES MICROSOFT KEEP ON TRYING TO SELL EXCEL AS A
DATABASE?

CANT THEY JUST MAKE A VERSION OF _ACCESS_ IN MAC OFFICE?

and while you're at it.. how about a version of SQL Server that runs on
Linux?
I'm sick and tired of your piece of shit ass so called 'windows'

-Aaron

 

[RobinS]

Why do you care about Excel 2008 anyway? Isn't that a Mac product?

Robin S.

 

[aaron.kempf]

I don't give a shit.

MS shouldn't incorporate Excel into Database activities; they need to
understand the marketing problems that they have had with MS Access and
START FIXING BUGS

they're bastardizing Excel and stepping out of bounds.

Ledgers shouldn't have anything to do with a spreadsheet; they should
be stored in a database.

QUESTION EXCEL AND ANYONE THAT USES IT FOR ANYTHING

 

[BogusID]

I was reading this article

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=36905

and I noticed 'ledger sheets' in Excel 2008?

What the flying hell is wrong with these people; don't they understand
that ledgers live in DATABASES not in Excel?

I dont think that there is a major accounting application; anywhere in
the world that uses Excel as a database backend.

WHY IN THE HELL DOES MICROSOFT KEEP ON TRYING TO SELL EXCEL AS A
DATABASE?

CANT THEY JUST MAKE A VERSION OF _ACCESS_ IN MAC OFFICE?

and while you're at it.. how about a version of SQL Server that runs on
Linux?
I'm sick and tired of your piece of shit ass so called 'windows'

-Aaron

Hmmm, so the product is going to be late, poor maccies.

Adding basic ledgers to the MAC version is probably a benefit for <artistic>
folks that print simple hourly invoices or need to track their expenses.

Ledgers do often live in spreadsheets (since Lotus 1-2-3) especially for
smaller companies, because it makes more sense for accountants to have a
configurable interface tool for their financial data. Accountants work alot
of magic in Excel to produce targeted/filtered/sorted summaries, graphs and
tons of other stuff.

I would not be suprised they were a major driving force for VBS integration
within MS-Office products.

They learn to use the macros, graphs and scripting technologies and then
fish for themselves instead of waiting for some custom application front end
to be created by an IT department that "allows" access to the data for each
specific task.

Most accounting programs today support exporting to Excel so this company
specific magic can be performed, there is even <gasp> automation involved
for monthly activities.

I was not aware M$ was promoting Excel as a database, I was mislead into
believing they want everyone to recursively upsize into the latest SQL
server product and also purchase the OS and every other upgrade license they
could push.

Isn't there a 65535 row limit in Excel, or is that just for importing CSV
files?

My bad.







The article:

Office on the Mac delayed

You probably were not expecting this

By Nick Farrell: Friday 12 January 2007, 08:23

SOFTWARE giant Microsoft has said that it will release the newest version
of Office for Mac OS X, but is not sure when.
With the Windows version out soon, one would expect the Apple version to
follow only a few weeks later but officially the Vole says it will arrive
"in the second half of 2007" but then again so is Christmas.

A spokesVole told BetaNews that Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac would be
compatible with both the PowerPC and Intel platforms. It will also manage
Open XML document format.

Like other Mac versions of Office, Office 2008 will have features that are
unique to the Mac. There will be a Publishing Layout View with tools and
text box entry. Excel gets Ledger Sheets, to simplify basic accounting tasks
and there will be a program called "My Day" to allow for the user to view
scheduling and task viewing.

 

[RobinS]

QUESTION EXCEL AND ANYONE THAT USES IT FOR ANYTHING

In my experience, that would include most of corporate America.

Robin S.
------------------------------------------------

 

[RobinS]

Hmmm, so the product is going to be late, poor maccies.

Adding basic ledgers to the MAC version is probably a benefit for
<artistic> folks that print simple hourly invoices or need to track
their expenses.

Ledgers do often live in spreadsheets (since Lotus 1-2-3) especially
for smaller companies, because it makes more sense for accountants to
have a configurable interface tool for their financial data.
Accountants work alot of magic in Excel to produce
targeted/filtered/sorted summaries, graphs and tons of other stuff.

I would not be suprised they were a major driving force for VBS
integration within MS-Office products.

They learn to use the macros, graphs and scripting technologies and
then fish for themselves instead of waiting for some custom
application front end to be created by an IT department that "allows"
access to the data for each specific task.

Most accounting programs today support exporting to Excel so this
company specific magic can be performed, there is even <gasp>
automation involved for monthly activities.

I was not aware M$ was promoting Excel as a database, I was mislead
into believing they want everyone to recursively upsize into the
latest SQL server product and also purchase the OS and every other
upgrade license they could push.

Isn't there a 65535 row limit in Excel, or is that just for importing
CSV files?

My bad.

Using Excel as a ledger is hardly a new idea. In my last job at a huge
corporation, they used it for all kinds of data because the general
corporate user can use it, while they can't use Access. I actually spent
a considerable amount of time centralizing data for one group by
accessing
and importing data from spreadsheets used and maintained by other
groups.

There *is* a 65K row limit in Excel, but I heard that it has been
raised significantly in Office 2007. I can't speak for 2008 because
being for the Mac, it is developed by a different group w/i MS, and
unfortunately (for people who use Macs and home and PCs at the office),
they do not have identical features.

Robin S.

 

[aaron.kempf]

yeah that's right

**** anyone that uses excel

fire them and then spit on them; it is not a real reporting tool

reports should come out of a database; based on real data.

if you need better reporting than that; then you need to find a real db
programmer

-aaron

 

[aaron.kempf]

not some more promotional crap about a stupid fucking spreadsheet.

spreadsheets are for losers that can't graduate from high school

-Aaron

 

[aaron.kempf]

anyone that is stuck usign a spreadsheet-- because they don't know how
to deliver a real solution that uses SQL Server?

I mean seriously

if Excel had ETL capabilities then MAYBE just MAYBE it would be worth a
measly dollar
as it is it is half of a db program

half of a reporting program

half of a calculator

 

[Martin Fishlock]

Hi please can you post again as there is no details in the text area.

 

[aaron.kempf]

Robin

your so called 'huge corporation' is a bunch of fucking idiots that
don't understand how these techs relate to each other:

SQL Server - the only solution for data entry and reporting; especially
Olap.
Access - great reporting tool, mostly obsolete
Oracle - has no place in modern corporations
Excel - has no place in modern corporations

anyone that uses Excel for Accounting purposes is a lazy fat retard
that needs to lose the training wheels and learn databases

-Aaron

 

[aaron.kempf]

i mean what happens when your so called 'huge corporation' buys another
company; or starts a new division.. and all of a sudden they need 2
people to enter data at the same time?

I've built spreadsheet replacement solutions to put idiots like you out
of business

and at least I'm not a sissy-pants female programmer.. LoL

female programmer.. get it?

ROFL

 

[ilia]

i mean what happens when your so called 'huge corporation' buys another
company; or starts a new division.. and all of a sudden they need 2
people to enter data at the same time?

I've built spreadsheet replacement solutions to put idiots like you out
of business

and at least I'm not a sissy-pants female programmer.. LoL

female programmer.. get it?

ROFL

I'm with this. Screw Excel users and corporate america. I pity the
fool!

 

[aaron.kempf]

re:
they used it for all kinds of data because the general

corporate user can use it, while they can't use Access

my first job out of college; they taught me how to write queries in
about an hour; they trained all of us.

people would be more powerful; more empowering; less levels of
management bullshit if you just teach your beancounters some basic SQL
and drag and drop basics

-Aaron

 

[RobinS]

I never said the corporation didn't have some problems because they
were using Excel spreadsheets. That's one reason they hired me --
to put all the data in a database and write a front-end for them.

And there you go, making assumptions again.

Robin S.

 

[BogusID]

?

You work for a company that lets all it's employees poke around their SQL
server database structures, create their own ad-hoc tables and change other
tables because they needed something?

As Dag would say, "that's just nuts".

Most companies have an IT department with DB specialists that design and
validate structures, and then only allow users VIEWS or compiled reports.

I have a $300 program that the IT department wants to rewrite so its not a
"shadow IT" application.
They only want $40K and $500 per report (and ship the work over to India of
course...)

Sometimes keeping users in virtual compartments prevents their brain farts
from stinking up the whole operation, think about it, most users do not have
the whole company operational profile picture ... the lesser evil gets the
job done quickly and without harming others.


<insert clue here>

 

[aaron.kempf]

I RECCOMEND _SOME_ FLAVOR OF SQL ON EVERY SINGLE DESKTOP
MSDE is an optional component of Microsoft Office 2003. It's not that
complex; lose the training wheels

drag and drop

Having people develop in Excel and Access and word is just fucking
ridiculous
everything that people do in corporations-- should be done in SQL
Server.

not a dozen people making spreadsheets and a couple of db specialists
DB Specialists are a thing of the past

everyone in every company should be able to write sql; maybe if people
were qualified over here then they wouldn't ship stuff to india

-Aaron

 

[ilia]

Aaron,

Are you a communist, or just repressed?

-Ilia

 

[aaron.kempf]

SQL Server is LESS COMPLEX than Excel

SQL Server SCALES
SQL Server _HAS_ security.

Excel doesn't and Excel doesn't.

Instead of the typical company having 50% of their employees cutting
and pasting crap in Excel; you should double your database staff and do
things RIGHT the first time.

 

[aaron.kempf]

im not a communist

I just don't believe that SQL Server is _ANY_ more complex than Excel.

a) using SQL Server on the desktop doesn't put your security at stake
b) Excel macro viruses are the most common form of malware in the real
world.
c) cutting and pasting is not the same as ETL
d) if Excel had some decent reporting abilities; if it had some decent
ETL abilities; then it would be worthwhile

-Aaron