It might look like an odd question but the fact is I currently have a existing spreadsheet with data, not a lot, of hundreds of rows. What I am willing to do is a web app provide “search” interface for data (maybe some more advanced features in future, like data update). Thus I have two options:
- I can programme on top of the excel, i.e. read/write spreadsheet directly
- Or I can export the whole data to a database, say mysql, and work around it. The data conversion does take time but will not be very bad.
What I need to consider is:
- if it is easy to code, for either solution. I have some experiences coding C with mysql but never touch Excel programming. If the learning curve is too steep I would rather spend days to export all data to database.
- if it is easy to maintain. Day to day work like search or update will be done through web once the app is on. It needs to be stable and easy to expand. More features like comparing different columns or, reformating some data and emailing out could be considered.
Any suggestions? And, what language, libraries or framework I should pick up?
You’ll definitely want to use a database. Excel wasn’t made for quickly accessing data, it was made for calculations. Trying to build on it will likely cause lots of hassle and lag.