All large companies run on Excel

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Train

Originally posted by: Ns1
We have a client that can't export ANYTHING out of their accounting/"ERP" software into excel. I hate them.

Are you kidding, ANYTHING can be imported into excel. Tell them to give you a .txt and set up excel to parse it.

We have reports out of Oracle that are a nightmare to bring into Excel because it puts half of a set of data on one line and the other half of the data on the line below it so it isn't linked to anything. To top that off, page breaks might split it up even more.

Yup, then you have to use a third-party program like Monarch to parse the data properly.

 

[foghorn67]

I don't blame them. Peoplesoft sucks.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: Ns1

Originally posted by: Train

Originally posted by: Ns1
We have a client that can't export ANYTHING out of their accounting/"ERP" software into excel. I hate them.

Are you kidding, ANYTHING can be imported into excel. Tell them to give you a .txt and set up excel to parse it.

They can't export to .csv. They can't export to .xls. They still use goddamn dot matrix printers.

Last time they sent us a file I had to setup crystal reports to get useful data out of it.

Their firewall is so locked down, they can't send OR receive pdf's and excel files.

I hate them to the max. This is a 30 million dollar company that wants to grow to a 50m company.

I suppose all they can give you are fixed field layout files?

 

[hiromizu]

ok...ERP is great n all but...how do you manually input that info into Excel?!??

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: Ns1

Originally posted by: Train

Originally posted by: Ns1
We have a client that can't export ANYTHING out of their accounting/"ERP" software into excel. I hate them.

Are you kidding, ANYTHING can be imported into excel. Tell them to give you a .txt and set up excel to parse it.

They can't export to .csv. They can't export to .xls. They still use goddamn dot matrix printers.

Last time they sent us a file I had to setup crystal reports to get useful data out of it.

Their firewall is so locked down, they can't send OR receive pdf's and excel files.

I hate them to the max. This is a 30 million dollar company that wants to grow to a 50m company.

I suppose all they can give you are fixed field layout files?

Better: they give me huge reams of 500+ papers in dot matrix binders. they still have that shit ribbon on the side and are still connected to each other. I once had to "split" 300 documents so I could feed them into the ADF in the copier and make copies.

This was like, 6 months ago, not 15 fucking years ago.

 

[BrownTown]

I don't mean to be closed minded here, but I have never had a point where I was using Excell and suddenly wished there were even more stuff, I mean the problem is more like the fact that even though I have been using it for 10+ years I still only know a small fraction of the possibilities that can be done with the thing, it is VERY powerfull and usefull. Maybe there is something out there better than it, but for 99% of the people Excell does more then they could ever need and why should everyone else have to learn new shit to humor the other 1%?

Excell is one, if not the most usefull program I have ever used in my entire life.

 

[edtsui]

Reminds me of a quote I saw somewhere. Something along the lines of:

No matter what you do, somebody, somewhere, sometime, will want it in Excel format. With graphs.

 

[AmpedSilence]

Originally posted by: Ns1

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: Ns1

Originally posted by: Train

Originally posted by: Ns1
We have a client that can't export ANYTHING out of their accounting/"ERP" software into excel. I hate them.

Are you kidding, ANYTHING can be imported into excel. Tell them to give you a .txt and set up excel to parse it.

They can't export to .csv. They can't export to .xls. They still use goddamn dot matrix printers.

Last time they sent us a file I had to setup crystal reports to get useful data out of it.

Their firewall is so locked down, they can't send OR receive pdf's and excel files.

I hate them to the max. This is a 30 million dollar company that wants to grow to a 50m company.

I suppose all they can give you are fixed field layout files?

Better: they give me huge reams of 500+ papers in dot matrix binders. they still have that shit ribbon on the side and are still connected to each other. I once had to "split" 300 documents so I could feed them into the ADF in the copier and make copies.

This was like, 6 months ago, not 15 fucking years ago.

**head assplodes**

 

[Ns1]

re: AmpedSilence

Yeah right? lol, that was my initial reaction when I first got there too. "You can't send me this in excel!??!"

 

[AmpedSilence]

Originally posted by: edtsui
Reminds me of a quote I saw somewhere. Something along the lines of:

No matter what you do, somebody, somewhere, sometime, will want it in Excel format. With graphs.

It's funny that you say that. A fraternity brother of mine climbed his way up the corporate ladder and is now a marketing head for a major luggage company. He always joked, the only reason he was able to climb up was because he could smouse (sp?) the higher ups and he knew Excel front and back. He do ANYTHING they needed in Excel and fast.

So skills do pay off, I guess.

 

[LegendKiller]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Correct. I have been implementing and supporting Oracle systems for over ten years. Oracle absolutely sucks for reporting and data exporting.

It's a lot less expensive and time consuming a lot of times to just perform a data dump from the database and manipulate it using Excel than it is to have a developer build a custom report or interface.

Where crap in a can reports failed me was taking data and being able to slice charts by specific groupings of finance contracts. Static pool analysis.

Essentially you group contracts of similar types, say by FICO score buckets (450-500 FICO score, 500-550) when they were originated in a certain year (2007). Then matching those buckets and contracts to contracts that defaulted. I needed to know when they defaulted and be able to come up with the %. This also needed to be manipulated so that I can look at the base %'s, not just a pretty chart.

The warehouse and query tool were great for bulk processing, such as determining which contracts fit into the buckets, or when/how the contracts defaulted. However, it utterly failed when trying to combine the numerator (defaulted contract bucket) with the denominator (origination volume bucket).

When it came down to it, they just couldn't match up originations separated out by so many buckets. I had to have this data by FICO, original term length, origination year...etc.

Complex analysis and usage of data for modeling is impossible in ERP systems. When it comes down to it, that type of stuff is just too customized and complicated.

 

[LegendKiller]

Originally posted by: AmpedSilence
It's funny that you say that. A fraternity brother of mine climbed his way up the corporate ladder and is now a marketing head for a major luggage company. He always joked, the only reason he was able to climb up was because he could smouse (sp?) the higher ups and he knew Excel front and back. He do ANYTHING they needed in Excel and fast.

So skills do pay off, I guess.

It's certainly one factor in how my career has been so successful.

You can't get anywhere in ibanking without knowing excel.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: ShawnD1

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Access = IT hell

Fixed.

If you want major data problems, set a bunch of undertrained people to use MS Access or something equivalent. Stuff will be indexed wrong, the fields will be the wrong type, the queries won't make any sense, and you'll spend a great deal of time trying to figure out what stuff means.

Excel is redundant, but it's very straight-forward. You have to be a retard to screw it up.

Wrong. I use Acces and Excel extensively here at work.

With Access....why would you EVER allow a user any sort of access to fields or queries, etc. They should see forms only, period. You shouldn't have to figure out what stuff means because you should be the one who puts it there. I develop Access-based applications used in many business processes here. There really isn't any need for anything else.

Excel is great and has some amazing functionality.

SAP is horrid. I HATE SAP!

 

[brxndxn]

We use Excel for industrial programming.. It seems so wrong.. but it works ohh so right.

 

[Throckmorton]

Someone who doesn't wash his hands after pooping is in no position to criticize companies for using Excel

 

[George P Burdell]

I hate Access like fat kid hates salad.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: George P Burdell
I hate Access like fat kid hates salad.

What do you hate about it?

 

[mb]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I work in Accounting. I have Excel open from the moment I arrive until the moment I leave for the day and usually have 5-6 spreadsheets open at any given time.

Same, but we use AS/400 (the suck) and Citrix (for sales).

Originally posted by: AmpedSilence

Originally posted by: edtsui
Reminds me of a quote I saw somewhere. Something along the lines of:

No matter what you do, somebody, somewhere, sometime, will want it in Excel format. With graphs.

It's funny that you say that. A fraternity brother of mine climbed his way up the corporate ladder and is now a marketing head for a major luggage company. He always joked, the only reason he was able to climb up was because he could smouse (sp?) the higher ups and he knew Excel front and back. He do ANYTHING they needed in Excel and fast.

So skills do pay off, I guess.

Haha so true! My boss is continuously impressed with how much I know about Excel. And for things I don't quite know, but know about, there's always google and I still get it done faster than others could

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: ShawnD1

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Access = IT hell

Fixed.

If you want major data problems, set a bunch of undertrained people to use MS Access or something equivalent. Stuff will be indexed wrong, the fields will be the wrong type, the queries won't make any sense, and you'll spend a great deal of time trying to figure out what stuff means.

Excel is redundant, but it's very straight-forward. You have to be a retard to screw it up.

Wrong. I use Acces and Excel extensively here at work.

With Access....why would you EVER allow a user any sort of access to fields or queries, etc. They should see forms only, period. You shouldn't have to figure out what stuff means because you should be the one who puts it there. I develop Access-based applications used in many business processes here. There really isn't any need for anything else.

Excel is great and has some amazing functionality.

SAP is horrid. I HATE SAP!

The problem with Access is some script monkey writes a little DB to keep track of the widgets in his department. He then tells everyone in the dept. about it, and they get all excited. 12 months later the person is gone, but the DB is growing into some mutant from hell, poorly coded and with no real structure, all of a sudden, it blows up and the department head comes to IT, demanding it be fixed. Sorry, unsupported DB, contact the programmer.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: ShawnD1

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Access = IT hell

Fixed.

If you want major data problems, set a bunch of undertrained people to use MS Access or something equivalent. Stuff will be indexed wrong, the fields will be the wrong type, the queries won't make any sense, and you'll spend a great deal of time trying to figure out what stuff means.

Excel is redundant, but it's very straight-forward. You have to be a retard to screw it up.

Wrong. I use Acces and Excel extensively here at work.

With Access....why would you EVER allow a user any sort of access to fields or queries, etc. They should see forms only, period. You shouldn't have to figure out what stuff means because you should be the one who puts it there. I develop Access-based applications used in many business processes here. There really isn't any need for anything else.

Excel is great and has some amazing functionality.

SAP is horrid. I HATE SAP!

The problem with Access is some script monkey writes a little DB to keep track of the widgets in his department. He then tells everyone in the dept. about it, and they get all excited. 12 months later the person is gone, but the DB is growing into some mutant from hell, poorly coded and with no real structure, all of a sudden, it blows up and the department head comes to IT, demanding it be fixed. Sorry, unsupported DB, contact the programmer.

Why would an end user be allowed to create a DB?

Here we have strict controls on this sort of thing. If someone wants a DB, they gotta go through channels. They *could* make their own since they have access to Access (heh) but it would not last long or grow like that.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

I know of many large construction companies that prepare bids and estimates for projects in the tens and hundreds of millions of dollars using Excel.

 

[elektrolokomotive]

Using Excel on a regualr basis restored my receding hair line. Now I have a god-like mane of glossy hair. Thank you, Microsoft!

 

[spacejamz]

Originally posted by: dullard
Why pay millions of dollars for slow, bulky, difficult programs when Excel will do the same thing in a user-friendly way for a couple hundred dollars? If you can think of it, business-wise, Excel can probably do it quickly if you have half a brain.

Not that Excel is perfect. It has some shortcomings, ones that really don't affect the buisness world. And there are other spreadsheets with similar capabilities. But, most people can open and use Excel files.

because when business units start doing funky calculations in Excel that do not match the reports generated by the source system, the source system gets blamed for being wrong (even thought it is the source of the data)...

I work for a company that provides mortgage servicing software for some of the largest mortgage provides in the US and two of our biggest clients are notorious for importing data into Excel and Access and then wonder why their calculations produce different results than the source system...

 

[AccruedExpenditure]

That's why you're in IT while they're running the business.

 

[sestrugen]

our operations would collapse without excel