Compare
IT-TIDY vs. Excel-to-SQL add-ins
A factual, dated comparison by approach — never by price. Covers SQL Spreads, Plainsight.
Excel-to-SQL add-ins
SQL Spreads and similar add-ins connect Excel directly to a SQL database, letting users read and write database rows from a spreadsheet. They move data efficiently but stop there: no built-in field-level validation at entry, no audit trail of who changed what, and no data quality scoring. Source: SQL Spreads (sqlspreads.com, checked 2026-10).
By approach
| Dimension | IT-TIDY | Excel-to-SQL add-ins |
|---|---|---|
| Change management required | None — connects to existing workbooks | None — also connects to existing workbooks |
| Departments covered | Any process, any department | Any process, any department |
| What is governed | Data connection, plus validation at entry, audit trail, workflow and quality scoring | The data connection only |
| Time to go live | Days | Days |
Both approaches avoid rebuilding your spreadsheets. The difference is what happens after the connection is made: a plain connector moves data, while IT-TIDY also validates it at the source, records every change, and measures its quality over time.