Data Entry/Excel Confusion Question

[tcermak84]

So, I work for a company that doesn't want to pay for software to store data in.
So we have large running excel spreadsheets with cells that have over 100 lines in them of data sometimes.

Is there a way to convert this to a cheap program or to maybe run this into access database as a means of a "rigged" data system for us to use for data entry in the meantime?

Or cheap programs that help that'll alow me to run reports after said data is in and also multiple users so that everyones is updated and everyone can see what everyone's entered in live time?

Thanks, i'm a newb, so any help/tips/ideas are appreciated.

[Bob Phillips]

You can store the data in an Access database and run reports from Excel, but it involves a fair bit of development work and if your company won't pay for software I doubt they will pay for developmet.

BTW, where do you get the idea that 100 lines is a lot. 100 million yes, 100 is trivial.

[Pecoflyer]

BTW, where do you get the idea that 100 lines is a lot. 100 million yes, 100 is trivial.

[tcermak84]

I mean it just seems excessive to have a bullet list of 100 comments INSIDE of a cell. I'm not sure if you thought I meant just 100 items on an excel spreadsheet, i've done data entry up to and over 100s of thousands lines long for excel but never a huge bullet list INSIDE a cell.

I'm a little familiar with programming on Access Database, if that's the best route to go. My boyfriend does some other programming but i'm not sure if any C# programming could help me in any form with this.
WE have microsoft office so i'm guessing they just never downloaded the access part of it and it may be free of charge or smaller than paying for another type of software that requires regular outside maintenance/and or updates.

[Bob Phillips]

Now you have confused me.

If you have 100 lines of comments in a single cell, and you want to store that in a database, fine. But you will still need to pull it from the database and show it somehow in Excel. So will you then build a 100 line comment in an Excel cell. OR will you put 1 line comments in 100 cells. If the former, you haven't really achieved much. If the latter, why not just do that without the round-trip to Access.

You don't need Access installed to use the database, it is easily managed from Excel via ADO.

[tcermak84]

Now you have confused me.

If you have 100 lines of comments in a single cell, and you want to store that in a database, fine. But you will still need to pull it from the database and show it somehow in Excel. So will you then build a 100 line comment in an Excel cell. OR will you put 1 line comments in 100 cells. If the former, you haven't really achieved much. If the latter, why not just do that without the round-trip to Access.

You don't need Access installed to use the database, it is easily managed from Excel via ADO.

I thought the idea of a switchboard to be able to view that data clearly in a form on Access would be nice because people have a hard time viewing the comments. Is ADO an access addon for Excel? Thanks,

[Bob Phillips]

An Access switchboard is good to display data but you need a full version of Access to use that facility, plus it has to have some context, those comments have to relate to something.

ADO is not an addon, it is a data access protocol, which connects to the data sources using ODBC or OLEDB.