It's debatable that a column reflecting why a business should be using a powerful database like 4D would start out by taking a look at spreadsheets. Arguably, however, there's some merit for those who don't yet appreciate the advantages of using a powerful database in first examining database management from a historical perspective. This would mean, simply, that we are considering the forest first in the discussion and then the trees. It turns out that there's probably more to consider in the forest view than many people realize.
Psychological factors play an important part in database management.
People could readily identify why a word processor was so valuable as a time-saver and mastering a spreadsheet was readily built on that foundation. Also, spreadsheets undoubtedly helped to boost the popularity of computers as number-crunchers since people could instantly see numerical results change on their screen as if by magic. Even today when I see a great graphics presentation, I am immediately impressed as to how much work the presenter has seemingly put into the graphics which, indeed, does boost the credibility of the presenter. I actually forget that it just takes one click of the mouse to generate such stunning graphics these days. Regarding the various benefits of using a spreadsheet, my oldest recollection of spreadsheets was with some friends who were using a spreadsheet to evaluate baseball statistics.