ExcelSQL

Comparison between ExcelSQL and Microsoft Query

Points in favor of ExcelSQL

• Query parameters are more flexible in ExcelSQL. In Microsoft Query, you can only use parameters that correspond to actual values in an SQL statement. With ExcelSQL, you can parametrize anything. This means it is possible to build the whole SQL statement with parts from different places on your worksheet. [See References.]
• Duplicating queries is easy. You can have hundreds of variants of the same query, and still be able to make changes in only one place. [See Sharing Identical Queries.]
• ExcelSQL allows cell notes to be returned from a database server. It also allows returning line breaks and formulas. [See Returning Special Data With Queries.]
• In ExcelSQL, you always know where your SQL queries are stored and how they are stored (in cell comments).
• Results can be returned so that columns are returned as rows, and rows as columns (transpose of the data). [See Transposing Output Data.]
• UPDATE queries are as easy to write with ExcelSQL as normal queries. This allows building powerful update solutions in addition to tradional fetch-only solutions. [See Update Queries.]
• ExcelSQL can register datasources automatically. This makes it easy to create a solution and distribute it to users. [See Datasource.]
• Grouping and crosstabbing returned data allows unlimited ways of representing the output data. This corresponds to using Microsoft Query data as input to pivot tables. ExcelSQL, however, offers more options and allows the results to be returned from the database into the final format in a single step. [See Grouping Data and Crosstabbing Data.]
• ExcelSQL can save the query text as a file instead of running it on a database server.

Points in favor of Microsoft Query

• Microsoft Query has a good user-interface that allows beginner SQL writers to build a query without much knowledge of the SQL language. To use ExcelSQL, you have to know the SQL language.
• Microsoft Query might work better than ExcelSQL if your solution is always run by the same user from the same computer, and you only need very basic data retrieval without parameters.
• Microsoft Query is free.

Neutral points

• Both ExcelSQL and Microsoft Query need to be installed on the end-user's computer (Microsoft Query is not included in the default installation of Excel 2000). In our opinion, though, installing ExcelSQL on several end-user's computers is easier than installing Microsoft Query.

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