Step $1$: Spreadsheets vs Databases

Since the advent of spreadsheets, managers and their staff been using them as a way to do everything including keeping data. Functionally, spreadsheets and databases are similar. They are both sets of data organized into rows and columns. But that is where the similarities end, though. There are significant differences between them that are important for any manager to understand.

As you know by now, a database is a logically structured collection of data designed in a way so that the information contained within may be retrieved for later use by a software program. A database, like a spreadsheet, may be shown in a tabular format. However, databases allow tables to be linked logically $($with relationships$),$ allowing for more flexible and effective data usage.

A spreadsheet is a two$-$dimensional document that is designed for data storage and processing. If the data is numerical, spreadsheets allow users to apply different formulas to execute predefined operations. Spreadsheets have also started to be utilized for other activities such as to create content calendars, project trackers, inventory management, etc. A spreadsheet is usually the choice to track a very small amount of data and apply formulas to it$.$

A spreadsheet is simple to share, however they are difficult for collaboration. Databases are intended for multi$-$user collaboration. If your business utilizes a centralized database to keep its data, it allows users to change information in one area without updating the data in all of the downstream sites to which it is linked.

What ways the transitioning to a centralized source of data helped Lund's business?