Fig. 13.1.4 There are many reasons why the spreadsheet is widely used.But there are some disadvantages to the spreadsheet. The first disadvantage is that the
spreadsheet can be changed at will. Anyone building and managing a spreadsheet can
place any value at any time into the spreadsheet, and the spreadsheet won’t complain.
This means that the source of data going into the spreadsheet is not able to be audited. If
an analyst wishes to give himself/herself a raise, as far as the spreadsheet is concerned,
the raise has been granted. This of course may not be a reflection of reality. But the
spreadsheet does not know or care. Making corporate decisions that are governed by
management, contracts, legislature, and shareholders is not advisable when the source of
data is a spreadsheet because of this lack of integrity of data.
Another disadvantage of the spreadsheet is that the systems that are created on the
spreadsheet are not created with the discipline and the rigor of the corporate-based
systems. It is always easy to change a system created on a spreadsheet. But where rigor
and discipline of processing are required, that ease of a change in functionality is a
liability, not an asset.
Fig. 13.1.5 shows that there are some drawbacks with the spreadsheet.
Chapter 13.1: Personal Analytics