# The Spreadsheet Language By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2022-09-13 Spreadsheets continue to be a key tool for businesses and analysts despite the pressure of elite technocrats that programming languages like R and Python are superior. In many ways, programming languages are superior to a spreadsheet. They are often faster, have more specialized functions, and can scale very well. However, they continue to be relegated as specialized [[tools]] for specialized purposes. There are two primary reasons why spreadsheets are often the go-to tool for business analysts. First, spreadsheets are visual by [[nature]] and so are humans. Seeing the calculations and what happens when things change creates an ideal experience for discovery and [[learning]]. Spreadsheets make it easy for the organization to decide whether to trust the outcomes because seeing is often believing. On the other hand, programming languages are not naturally visual. Visualization packages can be added to display data and its impact, but these take significant time and effort to generate. Furthermore, the analyst must anticipate the path that organization will go down when exploring the results. If they guess wrong, then there will be nothing to see but code. Spreadsheets allow for dynamic, unscripted visual exploration that meets the needs of the evaluator. Certainly a skilled programmer can quickly adjust to these needs, but this is rarely the [[reality]]. If you have ever had someone show you analysis via lines of code followed by visuals followed by more lines of code and more visuals, then you'll know that this experience is lacking. The second reason spreadsheets often win out in business is that they are more universally understood and appear simpler to use. Spreadsheets are so common that almost everyone in business knows how to use and explore spreadsheets. This makes them more approachable and less intimidating. Ease of use and commonality essentially creates a language of spreadsheet analysis that nearly everyone speaks. The power of everyone speaking the same language cannot be overstated, especially when it concerns analysis and data. A shared language allows for ideas stemming from data and analysis to flow. Compared to spreadsheets, few people know R or Python, so programming languages will continue to be less popular and accessible in most business settings. There are many factors when choosing a spreadsheet or programming language for analysis. Scale, speed, size, and flexibility are important. But, trying to communicate an idea in German to a group of people who don't speak German is likely a recipe for pain and disappointment. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Spreadsheets]] [[Language]] [[Programming Languages]] [[R]] [[Python]] [[Business]] [[Decision-making]]