[vox-tech] collaborative data storage (of excel files)

[Alex Mandel]

Dylan Beaudette wrote:
> On Tuesday 15 January 2008 04:58:13 pm Ken Bloom wrote:
>> On Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:33:44 -0800
>>
>> Dylan Beaudette <dylan.beaudette at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> some of the people in my lab are interested in collaboratively
>>> compiling a large quantity of environmental data- each user appending
>>> several hundred measurements of several variables every week.
>>>
>>> They are currently emailing around a spread sheet file and there have
>>> been numerous data accidents. Now they are asking to put the file
>>> onto a shared drive, so that they can access it remotely. This sounds
>>> like a terrible idea to me- even worse than the previous attempt.
>>>
>>> The data are essentially rows and cols of numbers that are added to
>>> and edited weekly.
>>>
>>> At first I thought subversion might be helpful, but revision control
>>> doesn't work so well with binary data (excel files)... unless there
>>> is something I don't know about. It would be hard to detect
>>> conflicts, or to merge data. However, it would allow for timestamps
>>> and revision numbers to provide some level of authority.
>>>
>>> Designing some kind of database-driven system seems like a logical
>>> choice, but I do not have the time to do this. Perhaps there is
>>> already something out there.
>>>
>>> Does anyone have some insight into how to solve this data management
>>> nighmare?
>> In what format do your colleagues generate their data to begin with?
>> Is this append-only or are there updates too?
>>
>> --Ken
> 
> They work exclusively with Excel. 
> 
> A discussion about this problem with my sig. other last night resulted in 
> mutual distrust of the way most people in academics and "professional" 
> circles are handling data. There really should be a 'data management' course 
> which is either part of the Technical Writing courses (which are required) or 
> taught as a single quarter class. Everyone who is not in computer science or 
> mathematics should be required to either test out of the course or take it.
> 
> Dylan
> _______________________________________________

This is on my list of course to create, and may happen soon if I decide 
to do a Phd. In the meantime we might do a spatial databases group study 
next quarter.

Alex