The spreadsheet market has been stagnant for a long, long time. Excel at its core has been fundamentally the same for the last 10 years. OpenOffice's spreadsheet tool just blindly copied it, and Google Sheets is just a dumbed down, otherwise uninteresting wannabe. DabbleDB however is a fresh look at how spreadsheets should work.
I've long seen Excel as a kind of 'database prototype' space -- people
muck with semi-structured information -- when those structures stabilise they would then naturally go into a database -- but they don't. Why?
Because most databases are just too difficult for people to understand, even really slick ones like FileMaker (which allows you to create multichoice fields without a master/detail relationship....), and, critically, the support for migrating from loose spreadsheet structures to more strict database / table structures is hugely lacking. Dabble fits this gap beautifully, swinging a serious punch at Excel and all its old school clones.
How DabbleDB works
DabbleDB is incredibly good at taking textual data and manipulating it to represent rich formats (in tech jargon -- refactoring data). Two great bits in the demo; the following are drop-dead easy:
- Moving a repeating field into a separate 'category' (aka database table)
- Representing information with time values in a calendar view (Excel eat your heart out!)
- All views can be exposed as RSS feeds.
- All data can be edited collaboratively, with a log of all changes (borrowing from wikis)
I must apologise if I sound a little evangelical, but as I mentioned in previous posts, I really dig elegant interfaces, things well made, things which have clearly had love and attention. DabbleDB is the kind of app that makes you sigh and think, thank God there is still some innovation in the world -- and more interestingly, hope that there is yet a way to challenge Microsoft Office without spending billions. (If DabbleDB cost more than $500k to make, something's wrong.)
Where DabbleDB should go
- Extend its 'rich type' concept to support more types -- e.g. allow just 'time only' fields without needing a date.
- There's mention of a mashup (aka SOAP) interface -- this will mean that you could expose and relate your data into other systems, such as google maps (no brainer there). In fact, why not have a rich data type which is a geolocation in DabbleDB. Or have types be pluggable via other mashups. Now there's power.
- Tie it up with a wiki for content. Then you could build bespoke content management systems easily. Then expose it to javascript so you can write your own situational apps (IBMese for 'apps created quickly for specific purposes written by people with no programming expertise -- a kind of 'visual script' concept).
Undo!
Like a true office app, DabbleDB has undo. This is definitely a significant delineator between the 'web page app' concept and the 'rich internet app'. Undo is so important to preserve integrity, but so rarely implemented. And it's not like technically it's that hard! Programmers have got lazy, and business owners have forgotten the value customers place on it.
The small print
Just a word of warning with those interested in looking further -- they have a 1 month free trial -- for these specific terms in their T&C list you have to agree to:
"You may terminate your account at any time upon ten (10) days prior notice to us" -- written notice? You kidding??
"We will do our best to preserve and protect your data, but make no
guarantees that it won’t get lost, corrupted, or inadvertantly leaked" -- Ouch!
Go and have a Dabble