When is Excel better than SQL?

[dbrown1623]

It feels like many people are learning SQL these days. Are there fundamental situations where Excel still remains a better analysis tool?

I'm not talking about the ability to add charts or quickly paste in data. It's more about are there types of analysis that's better done in a grid-like, cell-based interface than querying tables?

Wondering if us Excel power users have a place in the age of data warehouses and Snowflake.

I'll throw in one example. If we're calculating the total addressable market of an industry with lots of drivers (pricing x volume by segment), it feels like Excel is better.

 

[Zot]

I guess to extract data from database is SQL but for final detail processing is Excel

 

[Peter_SSs]

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[Joe4]

A lot of it depends on the nature of the project. It is important to understand one very important fact:
SQL is a Relational Database program, Excel is not.

I have see many people try to use Excel as a database program, for a myriad of reasons:
- They do not have access to database programs like SQL, Microsoft Access, MySQL, Oracle, etc.
- They are very comfortable using Excel, but not so much using database programs
- They don't realize that they actually have a relational database

Now, you can use Excel as a relational database program, and make it work, but it is generally very clunky and inefficient (as an MVP here once said, "you could use a screw driver to pound in nails, though I wouldn't advise it). So it really is about using the best tool for the job.

Because of the robust analysis tools available to Excel, I have seen many people store their data in a relational database program, but then query it into Excel to take advantage of those tools. So that approach takes advantage of the efficiencies of multiple programs working in unison.