Databases are useful, but if you've had to grapple with tools like Access you'll know how fiendishly complicated they can be. Little wonder that most of us turn to spreadsheets instead, which may not be as powerful but are at least easy to understand. That's something the people at Significant Data Systems appreciate, so they've come up with Datawasp, the aim of which is to let you build and manage databases using a spreadsheet-like interface.

All you need to get started is a reasonably fast PC running Windows 2000 or later. Download the free 30-day trial and it can be installed in a matter of minutes, including a copy of the supporting .NET Framework 2.0 which is loaded automatically if not already present.

Launch the program and the first thing you have to do is either create a new database or open an existing one. The files involved are stored in folders on the local hard disk or on a network share where others can access and work on them at the same time. Access is managed by username and password and no special setup is required to share databases this way, although an optional server component is included to make it simpler over low-bandwidth links, including the Internet.

The same user interface is used to both design databases and to access the data they contain, an approach that takes a little getting used to. Moreover, you don't get the usual spreadsheet grid when the program first starts, rather it's built up and displayed as you go along.

It's not immediately obvious what to do to get started. However, a number of one-minute tutorials, complete with "follow me" example databases, are provided. These are far from exhaustive, but we found it worthwhile working through them to both understand what the application can do and see how to go about it.

The structure of the database is built by defining columns that make up the various tables, with the data in the tables stored in rows. The data can be text, numbers, dates and so on, together with so-called rich text complete with formatting and embedded pictures.

Files of any kind can also be stored in the database, with a 'check-out' option to enable users to copy files to and from their PC for editing and other purposes. The database structure can also be saved as a template for re-use.

Other useful facilities include the ability to nest tables within tables and to apply spreadsheet-like calculations to, for example, total or otherwise summarise values. Data can be viewed in lots of different ways, plus it's possible to use calculations to build dynamic “virtual tables” based on information extracted from rows in different tables.

Datawasp isn't too difficult to use, but it's definitely more for the enthusiast than the casual user. A lot of technical knowledge is assumed, especially relating to databases and database concepts which, for the newcomer, can make your head swim.

Discovering how to perform simple tasks can be problematic too, since, apart from a collection of help files and the tutorials, there's not much in the way of documentation. There is a free support forum, but not much activity within it. It can also take a while to get to grips with some of the terms and symbols used by the interface, plus we noticed numerous spelling errors which we found irritating.

According to the developers, Datawasp is “what you use when a traditional database is more trouble than it's worth and a spreadsheet is not up to the job.” That kind of rings true but, based on our experiences, it still errs more towards being a database than a spreadsheet as far as usability is concerned.

Datawasp makes it possible to build, manage and manipulate hierarchical databases using a spreadsheet-like interface. Data is organised using familiar columns and rows and calculations can be applied to both summarise the information and build dynamic virtual tables based on the results. It's easier to use than some database products, with some nice features, but you still need to know what you're doing.