By Hiran de Silva
Listen to the podcast discussion above.
Today I came across a LinkedIn post by Mary Knoeferl, who describes herself as a data analytics educator and lead of technical content. Hers is not unusual—posts like this appear almost daily—and they always leave me perplexed.
The format is familiar:
- The author praises Excel for certain qualities.
- Then, almost inevitably, comes the list of frustrations, usually framed as proof that Excel “doesn’t scale” or “isn’t fit” for the task at hand.
At first glance, these posts look like constructive critique. But read them closely, and something doesn’t add up. The problems described are not intrinsic flaws in Excel. They are symptoms of not using Excel as it was designed to be used in a collaborative, enterprise environment.
The Missing Engine
Let me illustrate with an analogy.
Imagine someone writes a blog about their motorcar. They say:
- I love the car’s seats, the view out of the windows, the sunroof on a warm day, and the radio that plays my favourite station.
So far, so good.
But then they complain:
- It takes hours to get from A to B.
- You’re not allowed on the motorway.
- People stare at you as if you’re some kind of curio.
- Worst of all, it smells when the horses relieve themselves.
At that moment, you realise they’re not actually driving a motorcar. They’re sitting in a horse-drawn carriage with a motorcar body bolted on top.
They have no idea why the word “motor” is there in the first place.
The Digital Librarian
This is exactly how many people talk about Excel.
They enjoy the user interface—the formulas, charts, formatting, the familiarity. But when they describe what they don’t like, they reveal that they’re using Excel in the wrong mode entirely.
In a collaborative environment, storing data in a spreadsheet is unnecessary. Microsoft Office already includes Access, a relational database designed to work hand-in-hand with Excel. With a client-server mindset—what I call the Digital Librarian—Excel becomes the front-end, not the storage bin.
Your workbook retrieves the latest data from the database. Your updates flow back seamlessly. No version chaos. No reconciliation nightmare. No “Excel Hell.”
In other words, the engine has been there all along. You just need to lift the hood and turn the key.
Ignorance on Display
So when someone says, “Excel sucks because my team ends up emailing different versions of spreadsheets back and forth,” what they’re really saying is:
- I never learned how to start the engine.
- I don’t know that Excel was designed to do this better.
That’s not a critique of Excel. That’s a confession of ignorance.
Why Post It?
And here’s what baffles me most: why make these posts at all?
When you complain publicly about problems that only exist because of mis-use, you aren’t highlighting a flaw in Excel. You’re highlighting a gap in your own understanding.
The motivation is unclear. Perhaps it’s meant to resonate with others who share the same frustrations. Perhaps it’s a way of signalling solidarity or sparking debate. But the effect is the opposite: it simply displays a lack of depth in the subject.
The Real Question
So my challenge to anyone writing such a post is this:
What’s your motivation?
- To criticise a tool you haven’t yet understood?
- To normalise a broken way of working?
- Or to genuinely explore how we can do better?
Because there is a better way. The motorcar really does have an engine. And when you start it, you’ll discover you can go five or six times faster, drive on the motorway, and still enjoy all the comforts you praised in the first place.
The seats stay comfortable. The sunroof still opens. The radio still plays your favourite station.
Only this time, you’re moving forward and the best part is – you’re not having to see a horse’s arse constantly in front of you!
Add comment