This page has 0 threads | Add post

Blogs

Finding our blogs useful? Please consider helping us to share more!

The world has a shortage of semi-conductors; are worksheets now running out too?
After shortages of semi-conductors caused by COVID and other global supply problems, are Excel worksheets the latest resource to feel the pinch?

Posted by Andy Brown on 28 March 2022

After semiconductors, are worksheets now running short?

This blog was first created on 1st April 2022.

The COVID crisis has caused resource shortages around the world, with car manufacturers having to scale back production due to a global shortage of microchips. In the UK these shortages may have been exacerbated by Brexit. In this article we look at whether Excel (and even Google) worksheets may be the next resource to feel the pinch.

The Problem

Some clients have been reporting problems in the last week or so when they try to insert new worksheets in Excel:

The problem appears to come when you try to insert a worksheet into an existing workbook.

Here's the error message which appears:

It seems to be the case that if you wait 10-20 seconds you can then insert worksheets again.

Some people have also reported the same problem happening with Google Sheets, suggesting that this isn't confined to Microsoft.

The Outlook

We managed to get through to Brian Jones, head of Excel development at Microsoft, who confirmed that this is an issue (although it's currently confined to Western Europe) and that Microsoft are dedicating their French data centres to mining new worksheets:

A map of Microsoft's data centres from techncrunch.com. The France Central and France South centres are being repurposed to mine new worksheets.

Worksheet-Saving Ideas

In the meantime, Microsoft have released this guide to cutting down on your worksheet use:

Idea	Notes
Reuse old worksheets	If you've got old worksheets that you no longer need, consider erasing their contents and using them to store new numbers and formulae.
Make use of all your cells	An Excel worksheet has 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns. Before creating a new worksheet make sure that you've filled all of your existing one.
Delete unwanted worksheets	It's public-spirited to delete any worksheets that you're not using, as it frees them up for others to access.

Despite all this some companies are reporting a black market developing in second-hand worksheets, with prices of $10 for a hundred worksheets being reported in the worst-affected areas of the UK and Ireland.

This blog has 0 threads

Add a new post

Head office

Kingsmoor House

Railway Street

GLOSSOP

SK13 2AA

London

Landmark Offices

99 Bishopsgate

LONDON

EC2M 3XD

Manchester

Holiday Inn

25 Aytoun Street

MANCHESTER

M1 3AE

Site map

Terms & Conditions

Book any course as classroom, onsite or online training, or as one-to-one consultancy

Free resources

Paid services

Getting help

Where we are

Where you are

Online

Transparent reviews

Delivery of courses

Nicer to work with

Reliable and established

Our training courses

C#

Excel

MySQL

Power Apps

Power Automate

Power BI and DAX

Python

Report Builder

SQL

SQL Server

VBA Macros

Other training resources

Blogs

Exercises

YouTube tutorials

YouTube shorts

Test your skills

Consultancy

Courseware

Self-paced courses

Newsletters

Publications

Our training venues

London

Manchester

Across the UK

At your site

Online

Why we are different

Hundreds of published reviews

Small class sizes

Outstanding courseware

Online classroom

(Almost) no cancellations

Wise Owl trainers only

Genuine integrity

Invoices after training

30+ years of Wise Owl

Our top 100 clients

BLOGS BY TOPIC

BLOGS BY AUTHOR

After semiconductors, are worksheets now running short?

The Problem

The Outlook

Worksheet-Saving Ideas

Head office

London

Manchester