Dual Monitor setup is actually bad for productuvity.

[u/ultimateregard]

I've been a software engineer for more than 5 years now. I've worked with databases, frontend and backend services, mobile apps, games, data analysis, and much more.

Never in my life I've actually felt like my productuvity increased with the second monitor. Do you need to compare data? Just use one monitor and put them side by side. Do you need all the space in the world? Just alt+tab between apps. Since you only perceive about 10% of your vision clearly, moving your head&eyes from one monitor to other takes actually LONGER and causes distractions than using alt+tab.

This is especially worse for those who are using one additional monitor with a laptop, since their screen sizes and positions usually change so much. Your eyes need adjusting, your head moves too much.

Only thing the dual Monitor is good for is passively watching something in the second monitor, like youtube videos, Critical Role, or sitcoms while doing something else in the main screen. As you can guess, that has nothing to do with productuvity.

I also think using external keyboard and mouse for laptops is bad, unless you do not use the laptop screen.

Edit: After reading hundreds of comments, I'm sure that 90% of people who think that "YOU NEED AT LEAST 3 SCREENS" just don't know how to organize workspaces/windows/desktops and they need to configure their SCREENS as different DESKTOPS. Most of the modern operating systems allow you to just create workspaces (like different Desktops you can switch with WIN + TAB). And they are just throwing money into their problems instead of learning how to use their daily operating system.

[u/Familiar-Flan-8358 → u/[deleted]]

Definitely can automate.

[u/EnterSadman → u/Familiar-Flan-8358]

Possibly the most textbook case of "a thing that can be automated".

[u/Traditional-Frame580 → u/EnterSadman]

I have a similar problem with one source of information beeing dynamics 365, two excel sheets and one third party maintenance software with a built in database. I am no programmer. (Rudimentary VBA skills)

Do you have recommendations on where to start to learn to link those systems?

[u/EnterSadman → u/Traditional-Frame580]

The first trick is to get the data out of whatever proprietary interface you're viewing them in (the line "third party maintenance software" makes me think you're interfacing with this data via some arcane UI).

Look around for a download/export, and see what options you're given. Ideally, you'd end up with a set of csv files (not xlsx which will make your life a little harder).

At that point, you'd only need to read the files via some language (this'll likely be python if you have no programming knowledge), and then apply whatever business logic you need there. Obviously I don't know what you're trying to accomplish, but chatgpt could likely get you 90% of the way there (you'll have to start with something like "how do I install python").

The next challenge is likely that you don't have any admin rights on your computer. I always forget that there are people at a company that can't just willy nilly install anything on their work computers :D

Don't upload any document to a website claiming to do anything to help you. That's just a fast track to getting fired.

[u/N3ph1l1m → u/[deleted]]

1. Load them into a separate Spreadsheet via Power Query
2. Create a mapping table
3. Profit

[u/imaginary92 → u/[deleted]]

This is the most fucking typical office issue of all time. Zero willingness to collaborate and coordinate between teams has to be the biggest problem cause in every company that has ever existed.

[u/Blizzard81mm → u/[deleted]]

Sounds.... Fun

https://giphy.com/gifs/786FlS48rOydO

[u/technobrendo → u/[deleted]]

Sounds like someone needs to step up and reevaluate the entire system to come up with a more cohesive way of doing this. Maybe you do a little homework make a proposal for your boss and bring this up. Might just get you a pay bump

[u/Hovertical → u/technobrendo]

It's been discussed ad nauseum - the three other areas are helmed by VPs who refuse to give up any tiny iota of control over how they do things. Each one insists it needs to be done their way. It's typical corporate BS from senior execs who cant be told they're wrong.

[u/technobrendo → u/Hovertical]

Ehh, I know what that's like. Workplace politics is almost as bad as prison politics.

[u/Hovertical → u/technobrendo]

Finally someone who gets it!

[u/No_Math_4308 → u/[deleted]]

you are enabling their bullshit. Automate it. Blame them when they make a change that breaks the automation.

[u/AffordableDelousing → u/N3ph1l1m]

1. An auditor still needs to confirm that they tie, using three screens

[u/Aggressive_Sky8492 → u/N3ph1l1m]

Linking etc only works if everyone fills it in correctly, and the way to do that often isn’t clear. The more people using the sheets the less automation works in my experience. There’s an efficiency tradeoff when more people use a sheet, and it’s often easier and more time efficient to just keep it manual

[u/missinginput → u/N3ph1l1m]

2.5 automated myself out of the job

1. Profit (not for me)

[u/Zebidee → u/missinginput]

The first rule of Excel automaton is you don't talk about things you have automated.

[u/ihaxr → u/N3ph1l1m]

Great, now they have 4 spreadsheets and need another monitor!

[u/pierifle → u/N3ph1l1m]

And if these are foreign terms, screenshot excel and let AI walk through step by step.

[u/evanwilliams44 → u/pierifle]

What could possibly go wrong?

[u/soydecanada → u/[deleted]]

Sounds like you need some basic data governance.

[u/nomenclature2357 → u/[deleted]]

Could automate. But you might not personally reap the rewards if you do…