Can numbers be used as a database for books

The question is not whether you can use Numbers as '... a database for your books', but more what do you want to do with that data?

At its simplest level, if all you're keeping is a one-dimensional inventory of a list of books, then sure. You can even use TextEdit for that - a simple text document could suffice.

If the data is two-dimensional, with additional data for each book such as title, author, publisher, genre, purchase date, cost, location, etc., then a spreadsheet adds some value in tabulating the data and offering basic sorting and filtering.

However, if the data is three-dimensional (for example, you're running a library and also want to track a list of dates each book was checked out, and by whom), then a spreadsheet wouldn't be a the best choice because the 'depth' of data for each book (e.g. the number of times it has been checked out) would vary for each item. Numbers has some mechanisms for helping in this way (e.g. a table of books, and a table of check-outs, with ways to merge and filter the tables), but this kind of functionality is best served by a database application, which adds almost unlimited ways of sorting, filtering, slicing and dicing your data.

For example, "Find all the in-stock sci-fi books loaned out to John Doe between April 2024 and January 2025, sorted by author and publication date" would be trivial in a database app, but tricky (at best) in a spreadsheet.

So, again, the answer depends not only on the data you're trying to store, but also what you're trying to do with it.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

A spreadsheet is not a database. However, depending on what you want to do, it can fill many of the same functions.

If, for example, you want to keep a record of the Author, Title, Year of Publication, Number of Pages, Date You

Finished it, and a Rating, you could easily set that up in a spreadsheet. You would be able to sort by any of the columns. I'm not in front of my Mac right now, but there might even be a Numbers template for something similar.

No template for that specifically, but the “basic” template would be a good starting point. Just add column headings and you can start entering.

A spreadsheet is not a database. However, depending on what you want to do, it can fill many of the same functions.

If, for example, you want to keep a record of the Author, Title, Year of Publication, Number of Pages, Date You

Finished it, and a Rating, you could easily set that up in a spreadsheet. You would be able to sort by any of the columns. I'm not in front of my Mac right now, but there might even be a Numbers template for something similar.

I have a few separate Numbers files to keep track of books I have read or want to read. I have separate files for eBooks (mostly Kindle books), audiobooks, & the few physical books I still have. All have Title & Author & a column to enter the date I completed the book. I have multiple files as some of the other columns pertain to just the eBooks or just the audiobooks, such as number of pages, whether they are in Kindle Unlimited or can be borrowed from the library, the narrators for audiobooks. Then I have multiple tables that are sorted by the different columns. I could just sort one table, but I like having separate ones. It's just a matter of personal preference.

Numbers has some powerful "database" functions built in.

With just a click or two, for example, you can produce this:

With more work, XLOOKUP and other functions can even turn your tables into a "relational" database (if, for example, you are tracking not just book inventory but also checkouts of each book).

The new dynamic array "spill" functions dramatically increase convenience and power to do "database-like" things in Numbers.

If you need sophisticated reporting and transaction tracking then Numbers is not the best tool. But for a wide range of "flat file" database functionality it can be a powerful and easy-to-use tool.

Whether Numbers is for you depends on the specifics of what you need to do in organizing your library.

SG

Lawrence Finch wrote:

No template for that specifically, but the “basic” template would be a good starting point. Just add column headings and you can start entering.

Good to know! I don't use Numbers much, as most of my spreadsheets are work-related and we use Excel. Of course, the OP didn't say which spreadsheet program they would be using.