13. Spreadsheets#
So far, we’ve seen relational, matrix, and dataframe data models with rigid requirements (fixed, atomic, etc.), and we’ve also seen semi-structured data models with more relaxed requirements (nested, flexible, non-atomic). In this note, we’ll introduce another data model with “relaxed” requirements: the cell-structured data model.
Spreadsheets are a ubiquitous tool, used by as many as 10% of the world, or 800 million people, and dates back to 1969, about as old as databases. There are many use cases for spreadsheets, ranging from professional, personal, and even here in education.