[zwieback]

Article raises some valid points but how do you catch the point where the spreadsheet gets out of control? Maybe MS could build in a warning system and then suggest some potential solutions.

Minor quibble: it's an Apple III in the ad, not an Apple ][ as the post says. I remember running Visicalc on my Apple ][ but it wasn't until Excel appeared that I realized how seductive spreadsheets can be.

[CivBase]

Clippy: I see you're trying to create a database. Would you like to use Access instead?

I'm not sure this is really a problem Microsoft can solve as an Excel feature. I think the better approach would be for MS to identify common ways in which people misuse spreadsheets and create new tools to accommodate those use cases. With how commonly Excel is misused as a database, I think there's a market for an alternative to Access which is more accessible (no pun intended). Something with Excel-like spreadsheets/tabs to represent tables and Excel-like formulas for computed columns would be pretty neat.

[lowercased]

Excel can connect to a Jet DB, IIRC. If it can connect, it could probably also recognize common patterns and create some common Jet/Access structure to replicate the Excel structure on the fly. Basically, transparently use Access-like structure as the original source.

Just thinking off the top of my head. But... if that would be useful/doable, they may have already done it.

[robertlagrant]

Excel is like IE6 - so entrenched that it will take a decade to disrupt. Why innovate when there's no market need?