this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2025

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The government doesn't use SQL (programming.dev)

submitted 1 week ago by suy@programming.dev to c/programmer_humor@programming.dev

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See the post on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/provisionalidea.bsky.social/post/3lhujtm2qkc2i

According to many comments, the US government DOES use SQL, and Musk is not understanding much what's going on.

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[–] TroublesomeTalker@feddit.uk 31 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I think it was something to do with COVID stats during the initial outbreak, but yes, yes it was the UK government and their bizarre love affair with stupid tech choices.

[–] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 1 points 1 week ago

It was tracking COVID-19 cases and data needed for contact tracing!

https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/05/excel_england_coronavirus_contact_error/

[–] Womble@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

There was also a Harvard paper that was the main justification for austerity in the UK given its conclusion that past a certain GDP/debt ratio al sorts of bad things happen.

Turned out to be an excel error skipping 1/4 of their data and when re-run with the whole set the effect vanished. Horrible abuses of excel and csv files are by no means limited to any one country.