From Excel to a relational database: new infrastructure for an Olympic training centre
In elite sport, small differences often decide – and the basis for them is robust data. At the Olympic training centre (OSP) Niedersachsen, this data has grown over years, much of it in Excel files. Since 2025, OSP Niedersachsen has been working closely with Datico® to develop a future-proof, relational data infrastructure from this Excel-dominated landscape – without losing the people who work with the data every day.
OSP Niedersachsen at a glance
Founded in 1986 and based in Hanover, the Olympiastützpunkt Niedersachsen creates optimal conditions for the development of elite and junior elite athletes. It supports hundreds of national squad and junior squad athletes and combines services from training science, sports psychology, nutrition and career advice, sports medicine and sports physiotherapy. Training science support in particular – from biomechanics and performance physiology to athletic training – continuously produces measurement data that must be available in a structured, comparable form.
The challenge
The training science work of an Olympic training centre has grown over years – and with it a large number of Excel files. Existing data was mainly held in Excel, and in the field data is still often recorded directly in Excel. This is flexible and familiar, but it has its limits: data is hard to compare, analyses across athletes, sports and time periods are laborious, and the advantages of a real database go unused. The central task was therefore not just a technical switch but a carefully judged transition: to take over the existing Excel data without loss while bringing along scientific staff, coaches and support staff who did not want to lose their familiar Excel way of working.
The solution with Datico®
In the first project phase, the Datico® Life Hub was specifically adapted to the requirements of a German Olympic training centre. At its heart was the question of how existing and new Excel data could get into a database as easily as possible. For this, Datico® created the Excel import schemas, a flexible way of taking over existing data and Excel data still recorded in the field in a structured manner.
Equally important was manual data entry in the Datico® Life Hub based on tests and test batteries. Much was adapted here so that input stays as close as possible to familiar Excel functionality. In addition, individual calculation of parameters within the Datico® Life Hub was made possible – so the key figures relevant to training science are produced directly from the recorded values.
To keep the familiar way of working in both directions, a flexible option for Excel export was also created: Excel export schemas allow free export to Excel at any time. This makes it possible to meet Excel-minded staff where they are and move them step by step into the world of a relational database. The long-term goal of the project is clearly defined: to replace Excel completely and carry out both data capture and data analysis in the Datico® Life Hub. What this path looks like in practice is also explored in the session “From Excel to a relational database”.
Connect, Understand and Act – on the foundation of “Secure” – in the project:
- Connect – existing data and Excel data recorded in the field are brought together via Excel import schemas and manual test batteries.
- Understand – in a relational database with individual parameter calculation, raw values become comparable, analysable key figures.
- Act – via Excel export schemas, the data is available at any time, flexibly and in the familiar format.
- Secure – in its own tenant with individual settings, OSP Niedersachsen retains full control over its data.
Results and benefits
With the options created and the individual settings in its own database, OSP Niedersachsen has succeeded in building a completely new data infrastructure – and with it a new way of working for an Olympic training centre. The previously heavily Excel-based infrastructure was integrated in this first project phase: the Excel route remains usable as a transitional solution while a structured database with all the analysis options of the Datico® Life Hub is being built. One long-term goal is to reduce work with Excel to the bare minimum. Data capture and entry into the Datico® Life Hub in particular should be as automated as possible.
After these steps were completed, OSP Niedersachsen decided on a long-term partnership: the decision was taken under the leadership of Dr. Boris Ulrich and the Head of Training Science, Dr. Sebastian Buitrago; the contract fixes the cooperation until December 2028. Further steps are planned for the future in order to consistently continue on the chosen path in health and performance intelligence and to open up new possibilities for athletes and federations.
In the customer’s words
“Our training science team worked with Excel for years. With the Datico® Life Hub we are bringing this vast amount of data and files together in a real database for the first time – while keeping familiar ways of working with Excel in both directions for now. As the Datico® Life Hub develops further, however, the aim is to implement workflows that require little or no use of Excel at all. That would be a completely new basis for work for our Olympic training centre and for others too.”
— Dr. Sebastian Buitrago, Head of Training Science
Conclusion
OSP Niedersachsen shows how the transition from established Excel structures to a relational database can succeed – not as a break, but as a step-by-step path that brings people along. Datico® provides the foundation for this: migrating Excel data without loss, structuring it in a real database and moving the team step by step to a fully database-supported way of working – with the clear goal of replacing Excel completely in the long term. In this way, many individual files become a future-proof, shared data basis for elite sport.
You can find the recording of the webinar “From Excel to a relational database – future-proof in elite sport” with Markus Stadler and Dr. Sebastian Buitrago (OSP Niedersachsen) under Webinars.
