![]() Taking this step opens up a whole new category of mid- and enterprise-grade data solutions. ![]() It’s not hard to learn how to switch from Excel to SQL, as the language is fairly simple and was built to query relational databases (the same data structure Excel was built for). Excel vs SQLĪ good entry-level Excel alternative is to get data into a database and start using SQL to run queries instead. It also comes with fewer formatting options than Excel. Like most Google products, it consumes a significant amount of RAM. However, Sheets is very resource-intensive. Sheets is also highly collaborative and supports real-time data sharing. Google Sheets has almost all the same features that Excel offers. Google Sheets enables collaboration and sharing and has compatibility with Microsoft Excel files including many keyboard shortcuts. Google Sheets is one of the closest Excel alternatives that you’ll find on the market, as a spreadsheet-based tool for storing, visualizing, and presenting data. However, for companies that employ data teams dedicated to understanding how their business operates, what drives performance, and how to answer questions that help each team reach their KPIs, Excel is more of a supplemental workaround or fallback tool that’s used alongside a business intelligence platform, R & Python notebooks, and ETL solutions. It’s found in slower-moving industries or on small, siloed teams of analysts. However, as an analysis tool for data-driven companies, Excel is almost entirely obsolete. It’s hard to track changes and comments in Excel’s user interfaceĪnalysts can’t build in guardrails that keep data clean and standardized.Įxcel workflows aren’t secure enough for the modern tech stack.Īs an everyday tool for quick calculations, consumer use cases, and project management, Excel remains an option nearly anyone can use. But putting it up against today’s best solutions for advanced data analysis shows that it’s limitations are pretty prohibitive:Įxcel can’t handle large datasets or combine different data types and formats.Įxcel doesn’t allow for real-time analytics, machine learning, or any cutting-edge analysis. When comparing Excel to other spreadsheet programs like Google Sheets, Zoho Sheet, or Apache OpenOffice’s Calc, the differences are fairly minor. What to rethink: Excel’s biggest limitations Pretty much every enterprise application allows CSV imports and exports from Excel.Īnalysts can emulate more advanced software by creating homegrown solutions in Excel, as long as the use case isn’t too complex. While the spreadsheet program doesn’t support advanced analysis or the intuitive, user-friendly dashboards of its more modern counterparts, it does have a few points in its favor:Įxcel is a simple, no-frills tool that a single analyst can customize to their own workflows.Įvery analyst understands how to use Excel, and if they don’t, the learning curve is shallow for the most common use cases. Most analysts still using Excel for their primary data analysis workflows are doing so for the simplicity and familiarity. Read on for a look at the top Excel alternatives for data analysts and their stakeholders. If you’re looking to move on from the limitations of Excel, this article will help you navigate the crowded market of data analytics tools, find the right feature set for your needs, and learn more about adopting a modern business intelligence solution. Today analysts need solutions for the big data era, with features that allow for deep exploration of data, enable collaboration, and make it easy for anyone to visualize large and complex datasets. With well-known formulas, pivot tables, and simple charts, an Excel spreadsheet mostly did the job-until it didn’t. Best Excel Alternatives for Data AnalystsĮxcel has always been a go-to for analysts who need a basic, reliable data analysis tool.
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