[theo_luddite]

That's why you break an Excel Spreadsheet or workbook up into manageable sheets. They couldn't possibly have used up all the possible sheets, rows and columns, but I could believe a thick twat in Downing Street or thereabouts with no real idea of how to use a spreadsheet properly could fill one sheet up (in at least one direction) and not know what to do next. MS Access also has it's limitations and you should always know your limitations.

If the database is likely to get really big (such as one for running a medium to large sized business, which is probably where we really should be) then you don't use MS Orifice applications anyway - you get some proper database software. Dom wouldn't have the brains to work that one out though. You then select the data you need to either analyse it in the proper software you've paid a small fortune for or you pull some small chunks of it into MS Orifice and analyse it.

Far better stuff out there to do it with when it comes to Maths and stats tbh than Orifice apps but don't expect Dom or the Big 4 Accountancy, er sorry, corrupt Gov't advising companies, to know what to use as they don't make these things so can't offer backhanders to Dom and his merry men on that one. Don't expect anyone else in Downing Street to know what else is out there either. You ain't talking a £60/yr Personal MS Orifice 365 license here, but that seems to be what someone has been using.