Spreadsheets are error-prone, unwieldy, and often contain out-of-date data. They are difficult to manage and time-consuming to correct. One bad formula can ruin hours' worth of work. Still, business users just can't seem to break the spreadsheet habit.

Despite spreadsheets' well-known drawbacks, many workers continue to use them for a multitude of reporting and analytical tasks, even as better alternatives beckon, according to a new report from San Mateo, Calif.-based Ventana Research. Users are simply too comfortable with Microsoft Excel and other spreadsheet programs to make a switch, the report said, choosing instead to live with the consequences.