Number Dilemma

[akosirap]

Lately at work, I've been encountering a dilemma. Being a very O.C. person, I know this won't be solved anytime soon. As an analyst, a major part of my job is to crunch a lot of numbers. Of course, that's very easy given MS tools. But what if I need to present them? We just cannot go to the client and show them an Excel model or an Access query; of

Comments

[migoyski]

Numbers scare me. And just reading your entry made me dizzy. Me and numbers would never jive. Sorry. I hope you're not having supah dupah hard time...

*smile*

[anonymous]

just don't perform operations on the rounded-off numbers?

[akosirap]

hello anonymous,

yeah, if i can only perform operations on rounded off numbers and don't show them the expanded version at all. You see, a $0.5MM might have a small difference from a $0.6MM but expanded wise, it's gonna be $100,000! So there goes the dilemma. Since we have to show them the presentation and the back up, it depends on me to show that it ties. We cannot just let them believe all along that we're saving $100,000 more when in fact we're not.:c

[crisgee]

i guess it just depends on what their accountants what to see. If it's the season to divulge numbers to shareholders, it's time to round up. If it's tax season it's round off. Although i'm just talking about earnings here. Hehehe. And yeah, you must only round up/off the grand total. Yan yung sabi sa min ni Rudy Ang sa stat dati. heheh

[akosirap]

The hard thing is, we're dealing on the cost side. So mga procurement guys kausap namin and they would want to see itemized, grouped, and totaled numbers? Example, sa bahay, may bill sa electricity, water, TV cable, phone. We cannot just say that we must pay 100 for all, we have to tell the ones involved each and every costs. Pwede sigurong sabihing "mga 100 ang babayaran". Kaso paano kung "mga 100 million siguro"... hehe, tataas ang kilay ng mga executives niyan.

But it's true, back in college, we would use the totals to round up. Hirap lang talga kapag sa presentation, we have to show certain items in their rounded off version and their totals wouldnt match the expanded ones.

[wesoid]

hay nako this happened to me a looooot of times.

and pinagalitan pa ko ni AK nang ni-correct ko to make the totals match. hrrrmmph.

[akosirap]

yeah, the exact dilemma, where will i deduct the 1 from? waaah! imagine ten addends (all rounded off to the nearest $MM with two decimal points) then summing it up, you see that there will be at least a $0.01MM difference! wah!