Name
Simon Murphy
Occupation
Work Dodger.
No really…
Excel interoperability nerd. I connect Excel to other corporate resources, either data (eg in Oracle or SQL Server or Access or Essbase or SSAS etc), or logic (eg C# or F# logic functions, or C++ user defined functions)
I use whatever technology fits the bill, so sometimes VBA, Sometimes C#, C++, Dos scripting, javascript, ADO, XML, full on buzzword bingo in fact.
I do consultancy and training, and also contracting, where I may work at the same client for 3 or 6 months.
I will work pretty much anywhere, but have recently set up the family base in Switzerland.
I work through Codematic Ltd an Excel development specialist company.
What topics?
The Excel window – This session is about all the possible ways there is to get that useful corporate info and /or logic into Excel and the pros and cons of each.
Managing Excel developments – Here I talk about how Excel development projects go and what works and what does not work in trying to manage that effort. This is experience based, not book based. It’s also customer based not project management based.
Life summary:
Happy childhood, went to college, hated it, dropped out a few times, then went skiing for a few years. Came back, went into accounting, big mistake, realised technology was my best exit strategy. Did 36 period end closes, by which time I had automated all the boring stuff away, never sat my finals – studied for them loads of times. Went and did a MSc in Software Development part time whilst gradually shifting focus from finance to IT. Always struck by how powerful Excel is as a client and how much traditional IT hate it and waste years reproducing a fraction of the features in a browser based app that everyone hates. Currently treading the fine line between what users need to do their roles and what IT is prepared to deliver, or allow others to deliver.
Other work type stuff
I blog at smurfonspreadsheets where I try and cover spreadsheet risks and quality issues as well as hard core development stuff. Interspersed with occasional rants about a range of topics, including crap McManagement and poor electronic devices. I have spoken at a few development conferences, as well as Eusprig (where my focus is more on wasted time due to poor spreadsheet use rather than ‘errors’).
Hobbies
Kids mainly. I still ski and snowboard although not at the level I used too, I get regularly reminded of this by large wipeouts.
I used to do a bit of woodwork, but I am generally too far from my workshop at the moment. I do a bit of photography, although now the kids are sick of me saying ‘do that jump again I missed it’ my opportunities for action shots are decreasing. I try to capture any nice sunsets, I heard a rumour there are often nice sunrises, but I rarely stay up that late these days.
Favourites:
Beer: Jenlain. Biscuits: Fresh crunch creams (i used to work on the cc line at Foxes, these are delicious as they come out of the oven, hot.). Biking: Downhill. Super hero: Monkey 😉
Other positions
International self declared life president of the Worldwide Extreme Spreadsheeting club:
Unless you have a more extreme spreadsheeting shot?
I was going to call it Extreme Excel which rolls off the tongue a little easier, but it’s Open Office Calc, innit? (on Linux)
(this was on a chairlift 5-10 meters up, in the snow at about-5C)
cheers
simon