[qbasic_forever]

I think of it more like MS Access but a sane backend of sqlite and python. There are thousands and thousands of critical business processes cludged together in Excel and Access--datasette could be a much better choice for those use cases. Something both devs and business people can use.

[simonw]

Yeah Access is a really interesting comparison (Datasette has quite a way to go on that front).

I find it baffling that Microsoft haven't invested more in Access. The world needs a truly great desktop/mobile database solution! Excel isn't enough.

Regular human beings should be able to point a full database at their own problems.

[keybits]

Check out Grist in the ‘Access with sane backend’ space. SQLite, open source and fantastic UX https://www.getgrist.com/ and https://github.com/gristlabs/grist-core

I use and love both Datasette and Grist - they’re complementary.

[qbasic_forever]

Totally agree, so many things people get strong feelings about customizing workflows--note taking, todo lists, personal document management, inventory of goods, etc.--are really just a sqlite database with some nice custom views and interfaces. I could definitely see a future where datasette or similar tools can replace some of that stuff.

Access is probably caught in a weird spot internally at MS. If they put effort into it then it just removes some of the need to sell proper SQL server or azure cloud database tech. Better to just limp it along then start internal wars with bigger organizations/products.

[simonw]

And the great thing about those tools is that Datasette doesn't need to replace them - SQLite becomes the integration layer, so you can use any tool you like that provides a neat UI to storing data in SQLite, then use Datasette itself directly against that same database when you need to run your own SQL or integrate with other JSON apps or run custom plugins.

[qwertox]

I was constantly thinking about MS Access while watching the introductory video. I loved MS Access in the 90s, and this being based on SQLite and Python makes it really great.

The bigger pro is the fact that you can export the data as JSON, which basically means that you have a server for your SQLite file which other applications can query against, without needing a full blown database server like MariaDB or Postgres while you still have the possibility to explore the data manually.

So for small projects this seems to be a really good tool.