Tory Covid track and trace system used Excel columns to store data, crashed (opens in new tab)

(theneweuropean.co.uk)

19 pointsthomasedwards5y ago12 comments

12 comments

Even if it was Excel, I wonder how many of those people crying for Dido Harding to be sacked would have done better. We're regularly sharing gigabytes of data over the internet all the time, and Excel still cannot deal with not-even-that-big data? What is a non-technical person supposed to do?

czzr5y ago

Excel can deal with it, as long as you store the data in rows not columns.

Storing in columns is so odd and inconvenient that honestly I cannot imagine how someone managed to build this.

(Assuming the stories about this are correct, I don’t think there is a definitive statement yet.)

makomk5y ago

There is - it was stored as rows, but in an old Excel format with a 65,536 row format. Also, apparently neither Dido Harding nor NHS Test and Trace were at fault - they delivered results fine, it was a problem with an internal system developed and run by Public Health England (which is due to be replaced with an agency run by Harding, but hasn't been yet): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54422505 So the article and its headline are both partisan and wrong.

dean1775y ago

> What is a non-technical person supposed to do?

Hire someone that knows what they are doing

AndrewOMartin5y ago

> Hire someone that knows what they are doing

How does a non technical person tell someone who knows what they're doing from someone who is good a looking like they know what they're doing?

I'd like to use your answer to justify my purchasing decisions when I need work done on my house/car/genes.

1 more reply

gtf215y ago

This is really the problem here, the government was more interested in hiring its friends than it was in ensuring a competent response to the pandemic.

If you don't know how to implement this system, then perhaps you're in the wrong job.

TomGullen5y ago

Unbelievable, they reached the maximum number of columns on a spreadsheet (>16k) which caused the issues.

I'm all for using what works in software, but this was obviously not well planned or designed.

rich_sasha5y ago

Is there a source for this in the article? I couldn’t see it.

A comment elsewhere pointed out that many people repeat the Excel story, but there are no primary sources.

nirv5y ago

Apparently, The Telegraph[1] provides a bit more context with links to details[2].

Upd: BBC also updates on this subject[3] now, the facts will come later ("Investigation launched into coronavirus test error").

[1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2020/10/05/excel-erro...

[2] https://twitter.com/standupmaths/status/1313055411285774336

[3] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54422505

1 more reply

stevesimmons5y ago

The budget for UK Test and Trace is £10 billion.

Incompetent is too kind a word for it.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

12 comments

kleiba5y ago

czzr5y ago

Excel can deal with it, as long as you store the data in rows not columns.

Storing in columns is so odd and inconvenient that honestly I cannot imagine how someone managed to build this.

(Assuming the stories about this are correct, I don’t think there is a definitive statement yet.)

makomk5y ago

dean1775y ago

> What is a non-technical person supposed to do?

Hire someone that knows what they are doing

AndrewOMartin5y ago

> Hire someone that knows what they are doing

How does a non technical person tell someone who knows what they're doing from someone who is good a looking like they know what they're doing?

I'd like to use your answer to justify my purchasing decisions when I need work done on my house/car/genes.

1 more reply

gtf215y ago

This is really the problem here, the government was more interested in hiring its friends than it was in ensuring a competent response to the pandemic.

If you don't know how to implement this system, then perhaps you're in the wrong job.

TomGullen5y ago

Unbelievable, they reached the maximum number of columns on a spreadsheet (>16k) which caused the issues.

I'm all for using what works in software, but this was obviously not well planned or designed.

rich_sasha5y ago

Is there a source for this in the article? I couldn’t see it.

A comment elsewhere pointed out that many people repeat the Excel story, but there are no primary sources.

nirv5y ago

Apparently, The Telegraph[1] provides a bit more context with links to details[2].

Upd: BBC also updates on this subject[3] now, the facts will come later ("Investigation launched into coronavirus test error").

[1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2020/10/05/excel-erro...

[2] https://twitter.com/standupmaths/status/1313055411285774336

[3] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54422505

1 more reply

stevesimmons5y ago

The budget for UK Test and Trace is £10 billion.

Incompetent is too kind a word for it.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse