Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Don't Touch My Swiss Army Knife

I got a Swiss Army Knife for Christmas (okay, it wasn't a "name-brand, trademarked Swiss Army Knife, but it had lots of blades and things...it was cool). Those things are cool. They have different kinds of knives, different kinds of tools (mine even has an LED light on it!), and maybe even a cool case. They're handy to have around when you need to do some cutting or sawing or snipping (if it has scissors) or whatever. It's great...

Unless, of course, you need to fillet a fish, skin a deer, saw a tree limb off, or cut up a cardboard box for your daughter so that she can make whatever it was she dreamed up. Then...well, it's not so handy. Then you have to go get "the real tool," whichever it is for the situation.

Of course, some people who get Swiss Army Knives use it, anyway. They use it to cut up their perfectly barbecued steak, or saw that tree limb (it's only a half inch thick...), or see how far they can throw it and still stick it in the tree, or even stick it under their pillows at night (okay, okay, maybe no one uses their Swiss Army Knife for any of those things...it's funny to think so, though).

It's just not the right tool for everything, but it *seems* like an *adequate* tool for nearly anything. And that's the problem.

At least, if it's a spreadsheet. That is, a spreadsheet is the "Swiss Army Knife" of the electronic world. It can be used as a database, a word processor, a calculator...I'm sure that it could even help you do your laundry. It's great for those simple jobs. But, it's amazing how it gets used for those difficult jobs. I'm sure you've seen them: a complete implementation of a general ledger, a metrics database, a process diagramming solution, a complete ad hoc reporting tool, a form processor, or whatever. I can't tell you how excited I was when I created my first pivot table...and I still don't really know what they are!

Sometimes, when you're all alone and you have a desperate need to cut something and all you have is a Swiss Army Knife, it's like a wonderful friend who you're glad to have along. But, sometimes...well, I think you know what I mean. Sometimes, you need the right kind of knife.

You can always keep the Swiss Army Knife in your pocket...it won't get lonely.

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