Why not to use Excel for Data Gathering(caseelse.net)
caseelse.net
Why not to use Excel for Data Gathering
http://caseelse.net/2008/08/06/why-not-to-use-excel-for-data-gathering/
5 comments
Excel actually can do data validation. You can allow input only on certain cells, and allow the input to take values only in a range. Alternatively, you could do the validation in VBA.
Thanks for posting my article here. I had no idea it would generate interest =]
Yes, Excel can do all sorts of data validation, etc. What wasn't clear in the article (I didn't know I was writing for public consumption) is that the projects in question are ongoing surveys reaching (potentially) literally tens of thousands of people.
But GavinB, I agree with you; and would like a one-second fade for data validations on the web page, also.
Yes, Excel can do all sorts of data validation, etc. What wasn't clear in the article (I didn't know I was writing for public consumption) is that the projects in question are ongoing surveys reaching (potentially) literally tens of thousands of people.
But GavinB, I agree with you; and would like a one-second fade for data validations on the web page, also.
One good way to get people to enter data the right way is to use conditional formatting to make it change a color when they enter the word that you want. It's very satisfying to turn a line from yellow to green (in progress to complete for instance) and gives feedback as to whether the form is being used correctly.
Which is not to say that a web form isn't a better way to do it.
Which is not to say that a web form isn't a better way to do it.
Also, you could use CSV, though it's not a great idea (parsing CSV is a nightmare, maybe using the right libraries it stops being a bad thing).
Great Quote: "This kind of project is a knock-off for a web-developer. It’s a career for a scripter."