Your complete guide to replacing spreadsheets with real databases
Practical, no-nonsense guides for business owners, IT professionals, and data managers who've outgrown Excel and Calc — and need a real database without the guesswork.
12 books in 3 phases — from decision to mastery
The honest self-assessment. Warning signs, cost of staying, and what "replacing a spreadsheet" actually means for your workflow.
Coming SoonSQLite vs. MySQL vs. MariaDB vs. PostgreSQL vs. SQL Server — feature comparison, cost analysis, and honest recommendations for your situation.
Coming SoonData audit, schema design, timeline planning, and stakeholder communication. Everything before you touch a single row of data.
Coming SoonLearn SQL through the lens of what you already know. VLOOKUP becomes JOIN. Pivot tables become GROUP BY. Filters become WHERE clauses.
Coming SoonThe simplest path from spreadsheet to database. Single-file databases, zero configuration, and perfect for smaller datasets.
Coming SoonStep-by-step migration using MySQL Workbench and command-line tools. Schema conversion, data import, and MySQL-specific optimization.
Coming SoonMySQL-compatible migration with MariaDB-specific features. Cost-effective open-source path with enterprise capabilities.
Coming SoonMigration guide for the most standards-compliant open-source database. Advanced data types, JSON support, and query optimization.
Coming SoonEnterprise migration using SSMS and SSIS. T-SQL conversion, ODBC setup, and integration with the Microsoft ecosystem.
Coming SoonConnect your new database to a real front end. Basic CRUD screens, forms, and reports that replace your spreadsheet workflow.
Coming SoonScheduled reports, triggers, stored procedures, and scripted workflows. Automate the manual processes your spreadsheet couldn't handle.
Coming SoonQuick-reference troubleshooting guide for post-migration problems. Find the fix fast when something goes wrong.
Coming SoonQuick-reference guides for your desk during migration
Side-by-side translation of spreadsheet formulas and functions to their SQL equivalents. The decoder ring you'll use every day.
Coming SoonWhat your spreadsheet columns become in each database. Text, numbers, dates, booleans — mapped across all five targets.
Coming SoonEvery connection string format you'll need for SQLite, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server. Copy-paste ready.
Coming SoonVisual guide to INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, and FULL joins with spreadsheet analogies. Stop guessing which join you need.
Coming Soon1NF through 3NF explained with spreadsheet examples. Turn your flat sheet into properly structured tables.
Coming SoonExtract, Transform, Load patterns for getting spreadsheet data into your database cleanly and repeatably.
Coming SoonSoftware to speed up your migration
Upload your spreadsheet and get a complexity score. Find out how hard your migration will actually be before you start.
FREE — Coming SoonAnalyze your columns and get recommended database data types for each one. Catches mixed types and formatting issues.
FREE — Coming SoonValidate your CSV before import. Finds encoding issues, inconsistent delimiters, malformed rows, and data quality problems.
FREE — Coming SoonPaste your spreadsheet headers and sample data. Get CREATE TABLE statements and INSERT queries for your target database.
Coming Soon — $14.99Generate Python scripts that read your spreadsheet and load it into your target database. Pandas + SQLAlchemy, ready to run.
Coming Soon — $19.99Analyze your spreadsheet tabs and suggest table relationships. Finds candidate keys, foreign keys, and normalization opportunities.
Coming Soon — $19.99Compare your source spreadsheet against the migrated database. Row counts, data type checks, and value-level verification.
Coming Soon — $14.99Generate documentation for your new database schema. Table descriptions, column details, relationships, and ER diagrams.
Coming Soon — $9.99Point it at your database and get basic Create, Read, Update, Delete screens. Replace your spreadsheet UI in minutes.
Coming Soon — $24.99Download these free guides and assessments
Answer 10 questions about your spreadsheet and find out if you've outgrown it. Honest scoring with clear next steps.
FREE — Coming SoonEverything to verify in your spreadsheet before you start migrating. Data quality, structure, dependencies, and gotchas.
FREE — Coming SoonFollow the flowchart based on your team size, budget, data volume, and technical comfort. Lands you on the right database.
FREE — Coming SoonSELECT, WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY, ORDER BY — the queries that replace your most common spreadsheet operations.
FREE — Coming SoonSave with bundled packages
All 12 books + all cheat sheets. The complete spreadsheet-to-database reference library.
Coming SoonBooks 1–3 (assessment, comparison, planning). Everything you need to decide and plan before touching data.
Coming SoonBooks 1–4 + all cheat sheets. Planning through SQL fundamentals with quick-reference cards.
Coming SoonBooks 1–4 + Book 8 (Spreadsheet to PostgreSQL) + relevant cheat sheets. The complete PostgreSQL migration path.
Coming SoonBooks 1–4 + Book 7 (Spreadsheet to MariaDB) + relevant cheat sheets. The complete MariaDB migration path.
Coming SoonBooks 1–4 + Book 6 (Spreadsheet to MySQL) + relevant cheat sheets. The complete MySQL migration path.
Coming SoonBooks 1–4 + Book 9 (Spreadsheet to SQL Server) + relevant cheat sheets. The complete SQL Server migration path.
Coming SoonA.F. Cross has spent decades working with data systems — from the "quick little spreadsheets" that grew into mission-critical business tools to the databases that replaced them.
This series was born from years of watching spreadsheets buckle under the weight of data they were never designed to hold, and from the realization that most available guidance either assumes you're already a DBA or glosses over the hard parts.
These books are written for the people who actually have to do the work — not the ones who approve the budget.