Below we will explain why each specific set of technologies was chosen for each tool

• Google Sheets vs. Microsoft Excel
• InDesign vs. Microsoft Word
• Etc…

Google Sheets vs. Microsoft Excel

While most of our automation tools can be similarly accomplished in Excel, we use Google Sheets for the following reasons:

1. Ease of creating reports. i.e. presenting specific information from one sheet in anther tab or sheet (using SQL syntax).
2. Ease of importing data from one sheet to another sheet.
3. Ability to use programming to automate messages and other tasks within the sheets. This is not used for this item specifically, but it is used for other features that get member information from this database.
4. Ease of sharing with specific users or with the public. Microsoft Office 365 is very behind the times with this.

Winner: Google Sheets

G Suite vs. Office 365: This is a discussion that can fill a book. I want to bring out one point as it relates to this specifically. In G Suite Groups, when adding a member, unless the email address is part of your organization [i.e. an email address issued by you @yourshul.com] it will show on the list as the email address only. It is often very difficult or impossible to decipher the recipient based on email addresses. This makes the list very difficult to manage. With Office 365 it is the opposite, you will see a list of names, not email addresses. This is a strong point in favor of Office 365.

Winner: Office 365