How to Create an Excel Database (With Templates and Examples)

As a business owner or project manager, you’re handling most things on your own at the beginning. Marketing, brand strategy, client communication—the list goes on! But there’s one thing you must have to scale: data management.

Databases aren’t just for big companies with hundreds or thousands of clients and products. It’s for anyone who wants to put manual work on autopilot, so they can track, retrieve, and protect all types of information.

If you’re using Excel as a temporary tool to import and export work, try ClickUp! You’ll have free access to actionable reports, change records, and powerful integrations—without the tech headache.

ClickUp Table View: Data Validation excel — Create powerful and visual databases with ClickUp Table View

How to Create a Database in Excel (With Templates and Examples)

How to Create a Database in Excel

If you’ve struggled with creating or maintaining a database, you might feel every day is Day One because tracking is a labor-intense task in Excel.

So let’s learn how to create a database in Excel to sidestep the complexities and get to the good part: interacting with our data!

In this guide, we use Microsoft Word for Mac Version 16.54 to demonstrate a Client Management database. The features mentioned may look different if you’re on another platform or version.

Step 1: Set up a data spreadsheet framework

Open an Excel spreadsheet, place your cursor in the A1 cell, and type in your database title.

Go to the next row, and from left to right, use the Tab key to move through your blank database to add your column headers. Feel free to use this list as inspiration for your spreadsheet:

Client Name
Contact Name
Email
Health Level (drop down)
Support Level (drop down)
Engagement Level (drop down)
Last Touchpoint
NPS Score

Add column headings to the second row of the excel database table — Created in Microsoft Excel

Go back to your database title and highlight the first row up to the last column of your table. From the Home tab in the menu toolbar, click Merge & Center.

Center the title of the excel database in the first row — Created in Microsoft Excel

Step 2: Add or import data

You have the option to manually enter data or import data from an existing database using the External Data tab. Keep in mind you will have a database field for certain columns. Here’s another list for inspiration:

Client Name
Contact Name
Email
Health Level (drop down: At Churn Risk, Average, Very Good)
Support Level (drop down: Gold, Silver)
Engagement Level (drop down: High, Medium, Low)
Last Touchpoint
NPS Score

Enter data in the excel database under the first row title — Created in Microsoft Excel

Bulk editing can be scary in Excel, so take this part slow!

Step 3: Convert your data into a table

Now let’s convert your data into a data model table!

Click inside any cell with data (avoid blank rows), and from the menu toolbar, go to Insert tab > Table. All the rows and columns with your data will be selected. We don’t want the title to be included in the table, so we have to manually highlight the table without the title. Then, click OK.

Use excel functions like the table dialog box to create database fields — Created in Microsoft Excel

Step 4: Format the table

From the Table tab in the menu toolbar, choose any table design to fit your preference. Knowing where your table will be displayed will help you decide. Looking at a spreadsheet on a big screen in a conference room versus a 16-inch laptop makes all the difference to a person’s experience with the data!

Format the data type in the excel database to create a drop down menu — Created in Microsoft Excel

Step 5: Save your database spreadsheet

Finally, save your spreadsheet because you will have to come back and manually edit your database multiple times a day or week with the latest information. Set up Future You for success, so you don’t risk starting over!

Go to File > Save As > Name your database > click Save.

create database excel template or workbook — Created in Microsoft Excel

Free Excel Database Templates

Check out these pre-made database templates to jumpstart your database-building task!

Related Resources:

Limitations of Creating a Database in Excel

Excel is undoubtedly an essential tool widely used by professionals worldwide and indeed it enables users to create a basic database. However, before you decide to build an Excel database, it’s important to consider the limitations that come with it:

Limited Data Capacity: Excel has a row limit, which currently stands at 1,048,576 rows. Once your database exceeds this size, Excel becomes unusable and you’ll need to move to a more sophisticated database system.
Lack of Simultaneous Users Support: If you wish to have multiple users inputting or updating data at the same time, Excel isn’t the best solution. It does not support simultaneous users editing the same document, and user collaboration could lead to data corruption.
Weak Data Safety and Reliability: Due to its limited security features, Excel is vulnerable to data breaches. Also, accidental data deletion can occur, and without a proper backup system, valuable data might be lost forever.
Complex Queries and Data Management: With a full-scale database, you can perform complex queries and analyze data far more effectively. Though Excel does have data analysis capabilities, they aren’t as sophisticated and robust as the tools used on database-specific software.

How to Make a Database With ClickUp’s Table View

If you’re in a position where you’ll be using the database daily—meaning it’s an essential tool to get your work done—Excel won’t support your growth long-term.

Excel isn’t a database software built for the modern workplace. Workers are on-the-go and mobile-first. An Excel workflow sucks up time that should be spent making client connections and focusing on needle-moving tasks.

Bonus: Database software for Mac!

If you need a solution to bring project and client management under one roof, try ClickUp!

The process of building a simple but powerful database is easy in ClickUp. Import your work from almost anywhere with ClickUp’s free Excel and CSV import feature. Or vice versa! After you build a database in ClickUp, you can export it as an Excel or CSV file.

Export a table view in clickup as an excel database — Database name and column calculations are included in the export from ClickUp

Is end-to-end security a non-negotiable term for your database tool? Same for ClickUp!

ClickUp has one of the strictest policies in our industry to ensure your data never gets into the hands of third parties. If you have a security question or concern, please feel free to ask us any time!

Using a Table view in ClickUp is like using an Excel spreadsheet, only:

Data organization possibilities are endless with ClickUp Custom Fields
Advanced filtering options make searching for data and activity stress-free
Tasks in ClickUp empower you to plan, organize, and collaborate on any project
Native or third-party integrations in ClickUp connect your favorite tools together
Formatting options take fewer clicks to view only the data you need right away

ClickUp 3.0 Table view with Calendar bundle — Move between the versatile ClickUp 3.0 Table view and Calendar view to best visualize all your work

There’s a stocked library of free templates for you to play in a digital sandbox with data examples if you want to see the potential of ClickUp—or get a few database ideas for your own. To get started try out ClickUp’s Blog Database Template!