Earlier quoted context omitted.
from the _what_
From the gayest
That sounds like me, but I don’t issue csvs.
Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table
51–60 of 85 posts
Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
The two planks of wood across the canyon work fine, there's no valid reason to build a bridge! That would require planning, architects, engineers, safety inspections, construction, etc. Let's just keep ferrying cars across the wood planks, we all know how wood planks work, and we've got plenty of duct tape for when they break!
This is a deeply flawed analogy. Hosted cloud spreadsheet has effectively perfect availability and durability compared to most database solutions, and never requires maintenance, and costs nothing.
Google Sheets, the product, may have excellent reliability, but business processes that rely on spreadsheets certainly do not. The point in my analogy was not that the planks of wood were bad products, it's that they were being misused by ignorant people.
Use wood planks as a temporary crossing, don't ferry cars over them. Run your bake sale with spreadsheets, don't run a multimillion business with them.
I don't need to link you to the resources on the astronomical number of problems that are caused by spreadsheet-oriented business processes and shadow IT. Using spreadsheets instead of proper systems shifts the operational burden onto humans, who certainly do not have perfect availability and durability.
Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a deeply flawed analogy. Hosted cloud spreadsheet has effectively perfect availability and durability compared to most database solutions, and never requires maintenance, and costs nothing.
Google Sheets, the product, may have excellent reliability, but business processes that rely on spreadsheets certainly do not. The point in my analogy was not that the planks of wood were bad products, it's that they were being misused by ignorant people. Use wood planks as a temporary crossing, don't ferry cars over them. Run your bake sale with spreadsheets, don't run a multimillion business with them. I don't need…
> but business processes that rely on spreadsheets certainly do not
I wonder if this migration from spreadsheets to databases is what helps ossify business culture in older companies. With spreadsheets, change and iteration are easy with fast cycles. With a database, change is a pain and iteration cycles are very long since everything has to though multiple stages of review, approval, and implementation.
Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table
#54Last project I was involved with deals with Google Sheets. They were using it as their multiuser read/write database. I offered to migrate it all to a proper database for FREE during my own personal time outside of work. Blank stares were all I got. I really hope AGI will soon be able to replace those humans that cannot be reasoned with logic. Millions were involved, hundreds of employees, thousands of sales, all bei…
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Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
Google Sheets, the product, may have excellent reliability, but business processes that rely on spreadsheets certainly do not. The point in my analogy was not that the planks of wood were bad products, it's that they were being misused by ignorant people. Use wood planks as a temporary crossing, don't ferry cars over them. Run your bake sale with spreadsheets, don't run a multimillion business with them. I don't need…
> but business processes that rely on spreadsheets certainly do not I wonder if this migration from spreadsheets to databases is what helps ossify business culture in older companies. With spreadsheets, change and iteration are easy with fast cycles. With a database, change is a pain and iteration cycles are very long since everything has to though multiple stages of review, approval, and implementation.
That's why your standard IT guy loves databases and hates democratized software like Sheets. You can run a 80% of business in a spreadsheet but IT Guy doesn't want to be disintermediated.
Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
Google Sheets, the product, may have excellent reliability, but business processes that rely on spreadsheets certainly do not. The point in my analogy was not that the planks of wood were bad products, it's that they were being misused by ignorant people. Use wood planks as a temporary crossing, don't ferry cars over them. Run your bake sale with spreadsheets, don't run a multimillion business with them. I don't need…
> but business processes that rely on spreadsheets certainly do not I wonder if this migration from spreadsheets to databases is what helps ossify business culture in older companies. With spreadsheets, change and iteration are easy with fast cycles. With a database, change is a pain and iteration cycles are very long since everything has to though multiple stages of review, approval, and implementation.
Interesting idea. I'd say probably yes, to some extent. Bringing back the human element, I'd say the businesses still stuck on spreadsheets are much less open to change than those who are willing to adopt database technology.
While long review cycles for schema changes are annoying, I find it more worrying that most businesses have zero review process at all for spreadsheets.
Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table
#57Spreadsheets are rather peculiar. I don't think anyone would come up with the concept of them today. This "fill formula down/right" feature is so strange. A developer would be like: let's just set a formula for the entire column, and make it refer to another column. And let's name the columns something. Like Airtable. But its surpringly flexible and hackable. I wish there was something like GSheets + Airtable.
> let's just set a formula for the entire column, and make it refer to another column Meet Lotus Improv (1991): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Improv I think the patents have expired now.
Improv brought me joy. There isn’t anything like it.
Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
> but business processes that rely on spreadsheets certainly do not I wonder if this migration from spreadsheets to databases is what helps ossify business culture in older companies. With spreadsheets, change and iteration are easy with fast cycles. With a database, change is a pain and iteration cycles are very long since everything has to though multiple stages of review, approval, and implementation.
That's why your standard IT guy loves databases and hates democratized software like Sheets. You can run a 80% of business in a spreadsheet but IT Guy doesn't want to be disintermediated.
No, as an actual IT guy myself, our job is to support and improve business technical operations. Most of us want _less_ work. If we wanted to be intermediaries, we'd be middle managers.
I don't know how much time you've spent supporting spreadsheet users, but I work with them daily and I see first-hand the amount of energy being wasted. Stuff that takes them all day, they could do in a single SQL query. Probably wouldn't take them more than a day to learn how.
It's not about democracy, it's about doing things in a sensible way. I'd be happy if they used another "democratic" tool like Microsoft PowerBI and a fully-managed database.
Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's why your standard IT guy loves databases and hates democratized software like Sheets. You can run a 80% of business in a spreadsheet but IT Guy doesn't want to be disintermediated.
No, as an actual IT guy myself, our job is to support and improve business technical operations. Most of us want _less_ work. If we wanted to be intermediaries, we'd be middle managers. I don't know how much time you've spent supporting spreadsheet users, but I work with them daily and I see first-hand the amount of energy being wasted. Stuff that takes them all day, they could do in a single SQL query. Probably woul…
You're just gatekeeping. You have tautologically defined "sensible" to be the same as your personal preferences.
Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, as an actual IT guy myself, our job is to support and improve business technical operations. Most of us want _less_ work. If we wanted to be intermediaries, we'd be middle managers. I don't know how much time you've spent supporting spreadsheet users, but I work with them daily and I see first-hand the amount of energy being wasted. Stuff that takes them all day, they could do in a single SQL query. Probably woul…
You're just gatekeeping. You have tautologically defined "sensible" to be the same as your personal preferences.
Eh, maybe. I'll hazard that my preferences for business technical operations are more informed than those of my users. I seek only to help them.
Side note, I'm quite surprised that somebody in this form is so staunchly in favor of spreadsheets.