I suspect the problem is that Excel is a superior weapon of choice for number crunching; it does not handle large text or media files well. There was a lengthy discussion here recently debating the pros and cons of spreadsheets vs. databases:
To quote Sean Connery in The Untouchables, “You don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.” Warning…extremely politically incorrect language and opinions:
TapForms is a relatively inexpensive database app that’s been highly recommended by quite a few TIDbits Talkers.