Database: Databases vs. Spreadsheets

Databases provide many advantages over spreadsheets for storing and analyzing environmental data (as well as other types of data).

Spreadsheets

Widely used for environmental data
Conceptually easy to understand rows and columns of data
Can relate data between worksheets in the same workbook (Microsoft Excel terminology)

Data stored in “tables” -- conceptually similar to a spreadsheet with one row for each observation and different types of data in each column
A well-designed database can handle data that does not fit nicely into spreadsheet-like tables since relationships (links) between tables are the essence of databases. A good example is being able to easily handle observations where the number of values can vary between observations.
Repetitive data entry is reduced, along with the risk of inconsistent data
Greater analytical capabilities - sorting, grouping, basic calculations and statistics are inherent in modern databases
In the worst case, generally relatively easy to export the database into a format that can be easily processed in spreadsheet software or other special purpose analytical tools