Spreadsheet to database: when to move and how to plan it
For office administrators, team leads and IT generalists who look after shared spreadsheets that a team relies on, and who are comfortable with Excel tables and lookups. It builds on 'Spreadsheet fundamentals for office work'. You'll recognise the signs that a spreadsheet has outgrown its job, compare staying in Excel with a Microsoft List, Access, Dataverse or a server database such as PostgreSQL, sketch a first table design with keys and relationships, prepare the data for import, and plan the move so nothing is lost. The course describes what each tool's documentation says rather than ranking products; which ones you may use, and who must approve a new system that holds personal data, depends on your company. Ends with a supervisor-graded case.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Length
- About 110 minutes
- Contents
- 5 lessons · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 10 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Identify warning signs that a shared spreadsheet has outgrown its job
- Choose between Excel, a Microsoft List, Access, Dataverse or a server database such as PostgreSQL for a described need
- Design a first table structure with subjects as tables, primary keys, foreign keys and a junction table
- Prepare spreadsheet data for import: atomic values, consistent types, trimmed text and dates
- Plan the move with a backup, validation counts, constraints and access controls
Course outline
- 1.Identify warning signs that a shared spreadsheet has outgrown its jobLesson · 20 min
- 2.Choose between Excel, a Microsoft List, Access, Dataverse or a server databaseLesson · 25 min
- 3.Design a first table structureLesson · 20 min
- 4.Prepare spreadsheet data for importLesson · 15 min
- 5.Plan the move with a backup, validation counts, constraints and access controlsLesson · 15 min
- 6.Spreadsheet to database: when to move and how to plan it: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 14 questions
- 7.Spreadsheet to database: when to move and how to plan it: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 8.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- Microsoft Support: Excel specifications and limits
- Microsoft Support: Collaborate on Excel workbooks at the same time with co-authoring
- Microsoft Support: Move data from Excel to Access
- Microsoft Support: Database design basics
- Microsoft Support: Access specifications
- Microsoft Support: Introduction to lists
- Microsoft Learn: SharePoint limits (Microsoft 365 service description)
- Microsoft Learn: What is Microsoft Dataverse?
- PostgreSQL documentation: Concepts (tutorial)
- PostgreSQL documentation: Constraints
- PostgreSQL documentation: Foreign Keys (tutorial)
- PostgreSQL documentation: Transactions (tutorial)
See it with your own jobs and topics
Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.