Point 4 of the Service Standard requires that you "make services simple to use" – and that applies to spreadsheet templates too, so let's start the conversation about how to do spreadsheet templates well. If you're going to use a spreadsheet template in your service, there are a few design accommodations that you can make to improve the experience for users.

We've seen the challenges that pop up when relying on spreadsheet templates and the resulting frustration from users when they are forced to grapple with submitting their data using one.

We've come to a worrying conclusion: asking users to fill out spreadsheet templates in the way we do it today does not meet user needs and should not be used as a design pattern in usable and accessible government services.

Real world objects are often more complicated than simple databases really understand, and trying to fit those complications into the rigid type system of SQL is much like fitting a round peg into a square hole.

Whether you are a fan of James Bond or not, the latest James Bond movie No Time to Die brings up quite a few interesting data modelling challenges. We lead you through all the double-o shenanigans and we’ll discover some general modelling lessons for operational data.