What tools do you use?
The Lua programming language is a primary tool used due to it’s very impressive power and speed and the fact that it is cross-platform.
The relatively new Groovy scripting language is used because it is cross-platform and has all the power of Java and the Java class libraries without the loathsome syntax requirements.
Unix command line utilities are used to sort and format data. Mysql and Sqlite3 databases are used. The emphasis is on Open Source tools which are free and legal. Windows or proprietary tools such as Excel and Access can be used as required.