Missing Covid-19 test data was caused by the ill-thought-out use of Excel
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Re: Missing Covid-19 test data was caused by the ill-thought-out use of Excel
#2It's unlikely this will have had much impact since most reported cases were only a few days late but come on guys, really?
Using an Excel sheet as a database? In week 1, that would be "not great" but could be accepted as being a fast solution that everyone could work with. This far into a pandemic I think we can expect a little more professionalism in data handling.
Re: Missing Covid-19 test data was caused by the ill-thought-out use of Excel
#3Overblown, IMO - only the useless absolute figure is affected, so it just creates another reason it's useless.
Unless positive result files are more likely to exceed the file size limit than negative ones, of course, which I haven't heard suggested is the case.
Edit: Perhaps I should clarify that I'm not suggesting it isn't a cockup. I just don't see it as a massive scandal that renders the data useless - it just decreased the sample size. What particularly wound me up was a Radio 4 presenter this morning objecting to the guest (I missed the start, I'm not sure exactly who - a female public or civil servant) calling it a 'glitch'. ('Really?! Really! 16000 missing cases is a glitch?!') Well, yes. Glitches can have minor, severe, catastrophic, or no consequences.
Re: Missing Covid-19 test data was caused by the ill-thought-out use of Excel
#4It's unlikely this will have had much impact since most reported cases were only a few days late but come on guys, really? Using an Excel sheet as a database? In week 1, that would be "not great" but could be accepted as being a fast solution that everyone could work with. This far into a pandemic I think we can expect a little more professionalism in data handling.
To be fair, there hasn't been any massive irretrievable data loss yet, so not too bad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_FrQnQv0Vw (probably an accurate depiction of what's going on in Whitehall right now, though)
Re: Missing Covid-19 test data was caused by the ill-thought-out use of Excel
#5It's unlikely this will have had much impact since most reported cases were only a few days late but come on guys, really? Using an Excel sheet as a database? In week 1, that would be "not great" but could be accepted as being a fast solution that everyone could work with. This far into a pandemic I think we can expect a little more professionalism in data handling.
People use excel sheets as databases all the time because it doesn't require any specialist knowledge to build or use.
Sure, we techy types prefer a proper database with a web frontend and an API, but that requires significantly more skill to build than an excel file.
No database has the flexibility and flat learning curve that excel has.
Until a database manages to meet these goals, it remains a good tool for certain usecases.
We as engineers should be working towards making a real database thats just as easy to use as excel, and only then can we complain that people are using excel sheets for this kind of stuff.
Re: Missing Covid-19 test data was caused by the ill-thought-out use of Excel
#6It's unlikely this will have had much impact since most reported cases were only a few days late but come on guys, really? Using an Excel sheet as a database? In week 1, that would be "not great" but could be accepted as being a fast solution that everyone could work with. This far into a pandemic I think we can expect a little more professionalism in data handling.
I agree, but I'm genuinely glad they're not[1] using fax machines.
[1] they almost certainly are using fax somewhere.
Re: Missing Covid-19 test data was caused by the ill-thought-out use of Excel
#7Professionalism has been entirely absent from the top-level handling of the pandemic. It's not entirely clear from the article who's responsible for this, but I note that the so-called "NHS" test and trace is in fact an outsourced organisation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NHS_Test_and_Trace run by Tory placewoman Dido Harding.
> "She is a former chief executive of the TalkTalk Group where she faced calls for her to resign after a cyber attack revealed the details of 4 million customers. A member of the Conservative Party, Harding is married to Conservative Party Member of Parliament John Penrose and is a friend of former Prime Minister David Cameron. Harding was appointed as a Member of the House of Lords by Cameron in 2014. She holds a board position at the Jockey Club, which is responsible for several major horse-racing events including the Cheltenham Festival. "
> "In May 2020, Harding was appointed by Health Secretary Matt Hancock to head NHS Test and Trace, established to track and help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in England. In August 2020, after it was announced Public Health England was to be abolished, Harding was appointed interim chair of the new National Institute for Health Protection, an appointment that was criticised by health experts as she did not have a background in healthcare."
Re: Missing Covid-19 test data was caused by the ill-thought-out use of Excel
#8Overblown, IMO - only the useless absolute figure is affected, so it just creates another reason it's useless. Unless positive result files are more likely to exceed the file size limit than negative ones, of course, which I haven't heard suggested is the case. Edit: Perhaps I should clarify that I'm not suggesting it isn't a cockup. I just don't see it as a massive scandal that renders the data useless - it just dec…
Care to explain why you think the absolute figure is useless?
Re: Missing Covid-19 test data was caused by the ill-thought-out use of Excel
#9It's unlikely this will have had much impact since most reported cases were only a few days late but come on guys, really? Using an Excel sheet as a database? In week 1, that would be "not great" but could be accepted as being a fast solution that everyone could work with. This far into a pandemic I think we can expect a little more professionalism in data handling.
People use excel sheets as databases all the time because it doesn't require any specialist knowledge to build or use. Sure, we techy types prefer a proper database with a web frontend and an API, but that requires significantly more skill to build than an excel file. No database has the flexibility and flat learning curve that excel has. Until a database manages to meet these goals, it remains a good tool for certai…
I'm surprised that MS Access didn't take this kind of niche.
I know it's a pretty shitty program to use - excel is much more user friendly. If MS had made excel, but have all the features of access in it...
Re: Missing Covid-19 test data was caused by the ill-thought-out use of Excel
#10It's unlikely this will have had much impact since most reported cases were only a few days late but come on guys, really? Using an Excel sheet as a database? In week 1, that would be "not great" but could be accepted as being a fast solution that everyone could work with. This far into a pandemic I think we can expect a little more professionalism in data handling.
I agree, but I'm genuinely glad they're not[1] using fax machines. [1] they almost certainly are using fax somewhere.
It's probably Japan but that would be the least of the egregiousness.
[1] Japan's COVID-19 Reports - 140KBs of Unadulterated Incompetence https://stdio.sangwhan.com/wtf-japan-covid-19-report/
[2] The previous HN discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22728674