Formula of Embarrassment.

[HarleyDog]

I think we all have these WTF moments, or WTF was I thinking moments. However, today, my boss and I was going over a spreadsheet because there were some issues in the outcome of the numbers. We knew it couldn't be right. So... We started the trace dependence and trace precedence on a few cells to begin our journey (something I taught him how to do a few days ago cause I'm excel smart-NOT). Now, neither one of us created this spreadsheet originally, but both of us have added tweaks here and there in an attempt to gather more information. We get to one cell where the formula would have been to take the daily cost of an expense, figured into cost for the year, divided by amount of employees then divided by workdays per year. Sounds easy right?

He clicks on the cell, see's the formula and says, "Wtf is this?" (Sorry, I'm laughing hard right now typing this because, well, just wait). He starts reading the formula (which he really didn't need too, I could see it on the big screen on the wall) and as I follow along, I just started laughing hard. I told him, you know, I would love to blame this on Russ (guy who originally built the spreadsheet) but, that's my shit right there. He says, What does it mean? (Now I'm laughing hard enough my eyes are watering while preparing to explain). Before I post the formula, I did it 3 yrs ago and had not messed with excel for quit sometime. My knowledge of excel was very beginner level (and still is, but better). So here's the formula:

=SUM(I30*5*4*12/(E26+F27)/222

What did I do wrong and why was the outcome wrong? I mean, I know the answer, NOW!  

[basballguy]

(04-07-2022, 07:45 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: I think we all have these WTF moments, or WTF was I thinking moments. However, today, my boss and I was going over a spreadsheet because there were some issues in the outcome of the numbers. We knew it couldn't be right. So... We started the trace dependence and trace precedence on a few cells to begin our journey (something I taught him how to do a few days ago cause I'm excel smart-NOT). Now, neither one of us created this spreadsheet originally, but both of us have added tweaks here and there in an attempt to gather more information. We get to one cell where the formula would have been to take the daily cost of an expense, figured into cost for the year, divided by amount of employees then divided by workdays per year. Sounds easy right?

He clicks on the cell, see's the formula and says, "Wtf is this?" (Sorry, I'm laughing hard right now typing this because, well, just wait). He starts reading the formula (which he really didn't need too, I could see it on the big screen on the wall) and as I follow along, I just started laughing hard. I told him, you know, I would love to blame this on Russ (guy who originally built the spreadsheet) but, that's my shit right there. He says, What does it mean? (Now I'm laughing hard enough my eyes are watering while preparing to explain). Before I post the formula, I did it 3 yrs ago and had not messed with excel for quit sometime. My knowledge of excel was very beginner level (and still is, but better). So here's the formula:

=SUM(I30*5*4*12/(E26+F27)/222

What did I do wrong and why was the outcome wrong? I mean, I know the answer, NOW!  

you're missing a parenthesis or is that a typo? I would guess typo since Excel tells you in an unfriendly way "dude you forgot to close out your formula".

Inheriting spreadsheets is the worst. I think everyone has had their moment trying to reverse engineer some unnecessarily complex spreadsheet before realizing it may be faster just starting from scratch.

I feel your pain.

edit, i feel like you're missing multiple parenthesis

[HarleyDog]

(04-07-2022, 09:29 PM)basballguy Wrote: you're missing a parenthesis or is that a typo?  I would guess typo since Excel tells you in an unfriendly way "dude you forgot to close out your formula".

Inheriting spreadsheets is the worst.  I think everyone has had their moment trying to reverse engineer some unnecessarily complex spreadsheet before realizing it may be faster just starting from scratch.  

I feel your pain.

edit, i feel like you're missing multiple parenthesis

Typo. But, your right on starting from scratch. We talked about starting over but I really didn’t want to because all the time it would take to rebuild and hoped we could solve the issue. 

[XenoMorph]

Would it be better to just use 52 weeks instead of 4*12 (48) of course your work may be different

Assuming the 5 = days
4= weeks
12= months

=SUM( ((I30*5*52)/(E26+F27))/222 )

[HarleyDog]

(04-08-2022, 09:17 AM)XenoMorph Wrote: Would it be better to just use 52 weeks instead of 4*12 (48)     of course your work may be different

Assuming the 5 = days
4= weeks
12= months

=SUM(  ((I30*5*52)/(E26+F27))/222 )

Nailed it. And yes, it would be better and that's exactly what my boss asked me as we were both laughing. In a million years I can't even think of why I would have typed it that way, but I know I did. So not only did you figure out what the formula meant, you also figured that by doing it the way I did I was missing 4 weeks. Good Job!

[XenoMorph]

(04-08-2022, 10:59 AM)HarleyDog Wrote: Nailed it. And yes, it would be better and that's exactly what my boss asked me as we were both laughing. In a million years I can't even think of why I would have typed it that way, but I know I did. So not only did you figure out what the formula meant, you also figured that by doing it the way I did I was missing 4 weeks. Good Job!

this is basically what i do for a living lol

[HarleyDog]

(04-08-2022, 11:35 AM)XenoMorph Wrote: this is basically what i do for a living lol

I suck at math. Excel is great for someone who sucks at math. Excel is also bad for someone who sucks at math.

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

You lost me at Excel. If I had to do that I’d jab my eyes out. Death by Excel spreadsheets and Power Point presentations are two of the things I hated about the Army. My wife, on the other hand, is an Excel wizard. God bless you both.

[XenoMorph]

(04-08-2022, 02:57 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: You lost me at Excel. If I had to do that I’d jab my eyes out. Death by Excel spreadsheets and Power Point presentations are two of the things I hated about the Army. My wife, on the other hand, is an Excel wizard. God bless you both.

I think i inherited my dads accounting brain  lol   

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(04-08-2022, 04:14 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: I think i inherited my dads accounting brain  lol   

My wife has a degree in accounting. She handles the taxes. My job is to clean up blood, vomit, and dog poop.

[XenoMorph]

(04-08-2022, 04:19 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: My wife has a degree in accounting. She handles the taxes. My job is to clean up blood, vomit, and dog poop.

My wife also does taxes....  she pays the bills i do the outside work lol

[HarleyDog]

(04-08-2022, 04:19 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: My wife has a degree in accounting. She handles the taxes. My job is to clean up blood, vomit, and dog poop.

I'll have a load for you soon. I'll leave you a tip.

[grampahol]

(04-08-2022, 12:25 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: I suck at math. Excel is great for someone who sucks at math. Excel is also bad for someone who sucks at math.

Once upon a time I was able to install things like this very message board then tinker around with the data whatchamacallits and have things work just fine.. However..The last time I tried it the data appeared as one big blank..every member apparently died, quit or otherwise disappeared as did everything they ever did on the site..
It was as if one day it all made perfect sense and the next day i suddenly became dumber than a box of rocks..  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.. 
Math and me never quite agreed on anything, but the English language and me have always had a fairly decent relationship..  Personally I think anyone who likes math should be deported to Mathania.. 

[Interceptor]

It happens. I mean, which wields more power:

2 million lines of perfect code, or....

One misplaced semi-colon?

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(04-08-2022, 07:57 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: I'll have a load for you soon. I'll leave you a tip.

I also offer a spider relocation service.

[XenoMorph]

(04-11-2022, 12:27 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: I also offer a spider relocation service.

I also relocate spiders... If i can get to them before the Wife...  She just throws shoes at them

[HarleyDog]

(04-11-2022, 12:52 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: I also relocate spiders... If i can get to them before the Wife...  She just throws shoes at them

I don't have a choice. If wife see spider, she screams and tells me to get it but don't kill it and put it outside. HOWEVER, She see's one and I'm not available? She kills it and picks it up with a paper towel.

[grampahol]

(04-11-2022, 01:44 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: I don't have a choice. If wife see spider, she screams and tells me to get it but don't kill it and put it outside. HOWEVER, She see's one and I'm not available? She kills it and picks it up with a paper towel..

Move to SC where we have gigantic orb spiders with webs that can cover half the front yard.. LOL  She's need more than a mere paper towel..more like 5 or 6 bed sheets.. They're basically harmless though..More entertaining than scary..  Although one did build a web across the opening of the back door once..I walked right into it and I may or may not have had a heart attack.. I'm not admitting to it either way.. 

[jfkbengals]

(04-11-2022, 02:38 PM)grampahol Wrote: Move to SC where we have gigantic orb spiders with webs that can cover half the front yard.. LOL  She's need more than a mere paper towel..more like 5 or 6 bed sheets.. They're basically harmless though..More entertaining than scary..  Although one did build a web across the opening of the back door once..I walked right into it and I may or may not have had a heart attack.. I'm not admitting to it either way.. 

True stories.

Almost 20 years ago.  House was on a very wooded lot, which was fine because it backed up to a school's softball field and the trees helped keep the balls from hitting the house.  But that meant lots of bugs.  Roommate and i were about to go catch last call one fine summer evening (okay, night), and we opened the front door to find it completely covered with a giant web.  "Fine", we said, "let's go out the back door and walk around".  Turned on the light to the back deck to find the entire french door coverd in web.  "Try the basement door?" my room mate asked.  "Nope, the back stairs from the basement are always covered in webs", I replied.  We didn't leave the house again until the next afternoon when we were certain the spiders were not on the webs.

Fast forward to last fall.  Current home. I had been complaining to my better half about shoulder pain for some time (frozen shoulder), but kept saying I wasn't ready to go to the doctor about it.  Opened the back door to go out and light the grill.  As I stepped through the door, I simultaneously turned on the light.  Should have done that first.  Web at head level, and I walked right into it - face first.  I yell obscenities, backing back into the house while raising up my arms to get the web out of my face.  That's when I felt the big ass spider on my hair on the right side of my head. Right side of my head, so naturally the right arm is closer to swat it off of me.  So natural reaction kicks in and I try to brush the thing off of my head, but that is the bad shoulder, and the pain of rapidly lifting my arm that high makes me shriek and drop to the floor in pain.  That's when she comes in to investigate what is happening.  I'm in too much pain to even speak, rolling around on the floor in agony trying to force out some words.  "Walked...   Face...   Web" or something similar is the only things I could muster.  She about falls to the floor in laughter, but then starts chastising me about needing to get to the doctor and stating how she didn't realize the problem was so bad.  Finally I was able to mutter the words "Spider on me", and she looked me over and said there was nothing on me.  Moments later she screamed when she saw the damn monstrosity with the 2" long body that had been sitting on top of my head, now crawling across the floor.  He died that day, buried at sea, or at least in the toilet, but I seriously considered impaling the bastard on a toothpick and leaving it at the door to warn others what would happen if they were to try the same thing.  I think the fact that they might put together an even bigger offensive is what led us to the aquatic burial.

[XenoMorph]

(04-11-2022, 01:44 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: I don't have a choice. If wife see spider, she screams and tells me to get it but don't kill it and put it outside. HOWEVER, She see's one and I'm not available? She kills it and picks it up with a paper towel.

Ugh my Wife declared she killed a big one today...   


I told her to leave them alone they make sure there are no bugs in the house...