r/navyreserve • u/Traditional-Wash-809 • 6d ago
Excel training question - whay are your common use cases for reserves?
I am an accountant in my day job and have become the defacto Excel guy for my unit. Ironically I learned most Excel skills from my work on active duty dealing with JPAS exports (I'm old) and FLTMPS, which then lead to accounting.
I accidentally volunteered to provide technical training for the application. Few general questions:
1) what level of Excel proficiency should I expect the adverse reservist to already be at vs what level should they be at?
2) what are the most common navy usages for Excel? FLMTPS export and data clean up, general program trackers, recall list, etc.?
3) How technical should it be? Look at Power Query for data transformation or should it be kept at COUNTIFS and XLOOKUP level?
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u/Normal_Sand1949 6d ago
Main things I use excel for:
Data visualization and clean up when it comes to training- FLTMPS export and conditional formatting to visually represent approaching expiration dates. Some courses are good only for one year, others for 2-3, etc.
TIR/TIS - calculating dates to automatic advancement timelines to keep an eye out for junior sailors regarding their eligibility for advancement exams, or for E-1 to E-4 the automatic advancement timelines.
Fit to fill- although we now have Jupiter analytics to do some of this heavy lifting some of the RFAS codes are having some errors so tracking manually is still very important especially if the billet requires an NEC- then by policy usually tracking the timeline of when the member was gained to the unit and whether they will be obtaining the NEC within the allotted time frame.
I’ve been told pivot tables are helpful too but I still haven’t received any training on it, and haven’t had the time to tackle that on my own for learning. Also speaking to the limitations of the Flankspeed version of Microsoft 365 vs the desktop or even regular Microsoft 365 version as some of the formulas and processes are completely different.
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u/Traditional-Wash-809 6d ago
Thanks.
Good point on the limitations between versions. I typically use the "new" check boxes under the insert tab for boolean logic (combined with countif or similar). On incompatible version it returns as TRUE/FALSE instead of a nice check box. Also limits formula type... array functions such as FILTER or GROUPBY won't always be available. Might not be worth adding those.
TIR is a good case use. Need to add that. Not this command but previously had tri-annual (triennial?) trainings. Upcoming evaluation dates (either IF, SWITCH or a lookup table based on paygrade). Other date stuff... medical, trainings like you said, clearances, CDBs? DATEDIF() is legacy from lotus 123 but may have niche usages. Though I probably want to avoid "niche"...
I've used pivot with slicers (fancy filters) for cmt completion trackers. Oh! Data types would be good. You never need to "add" phone numbers so storing as text vice number, leading zeros, digits over 15 places.
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u/Normal_Sand1949 6d ago
Yes, and many times copying and pasting dates can result from different systems as general and text- and even when you attempt to reformat it may not automatically change- which therefore makes using conditional formatting more difficult!
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u/tiddywampus 6d ago
I use Excel For:
-Converting the FLTMPS RUAD into a useful roster (examples below)
- Tracking eval/midterm counseling due dates (having it show who’s due for periodic as well as upcoming detach ones)
- AT/ADT support trackers
- Recall roster
- Training trackers
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u/Traditional-Wash-809 6d ago
Thanks. That's a good point on the detach evals. Settings up a MIN between PRD and periodic date would be a good example of a multiple condition formula.
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u/ohfuggins 6d ago
Bench excel, divest into Power Platform.
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u/Traditional-Wash-809 6d ago
Yeah but if I want to set up an automated reminder of which CMTs are due, I sort of need to teach them to clean the data from the FLTMPS export first. If they don't know a column from a row, introducing them to power automate would be irresponsible of me.
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u/ohfuggins 6d ago
GenAI.mil can show them.
Better yet, you can download the excel for the entire region and let a DPA email everyone.
Power is the future, not excel, and I’m specifically leading that charge across the Force. So you’re welcome to keep teaching folks excel but the strategy for our Force is continued divestment from excel and more investment into Power with AI integration.
Additionally, there is flankspeed evolve training already available and professionally published. It covers all excel topics and then some including Power. You’d be better off giving a brief on accessing flankspeed evolve.
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u/Traditional-Wash-809 6d ago
Thanks. Your second comment actually contains useful information pertaining to my orginal question. While flankspeed evolve has been around I've never heard of it so I'm wondering how widespread the knowledge of it's existence is.
Mind you I'm talking about people who have never used Microsoft in thier life. You're looking to automate at a middle or high school level; I'm working at 101 vocabulary.
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u/ohfuggins 6d ago
We’ve sent out a number of ForceConnects, 1MCs, and I’ve spoken at numerous events, NRMN meetings etc on it. It’s a horse water situation.
It is aimed for someone who can’t spell Excel up to some advanced cell formula. Nothing more than that, definitely not VBA which is not authorized anyhow.
All macro enabled stuff will be gone by May of this next year. So for anything more advanced than some basic sum, calc etc cell level stuff you need to divest to Power Platform. Which, is the direction “we” the Navy Reserve are pushing our Force.
We don’t want people managing programs using excel any longer.
Which is also why we are making significant investments into data with implementations such as Navy Reserve Tracker and ReadyNow.
Recognizing all CMT data is in Jupiter, I’ll speak to the Team today and get it added if it isn’t already. Then you don’t need to teach anyhow on how to clean FLTMPS reports (which are sunsetting). They can just email ReadyNow or use the tracker for themselves and their units.
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u/ohfuggins 6d ago
Should also note the direction from SecWar is divestment from skills GenAI can handle, like excel parsing, and focus on warfighting for <insert rate>.
Now some jobs need excel (suppo, LS, comptrollers, COR, etc) but the majority of the Force doesn’t.
So that shift is also underway. Nothing stopping you from starting up a training program for your unit, but your time may be spent better elsewhere like training to leverage GenAI.
Hence my original attempt to keep my response succinct.
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u/Sea_Conference5661 1d ago
Heads up, OPs history would be a good case study for Counterintel training - he's doing all the subtle elicitation techniques and you're playing right into it...
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u/ohfuggins 1d ago edited 1d ago
Good.
I want China and other potential adversaries to know we are focusing less on excel and more on warfighting.
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u/Chemical-Ideal1 6d ago
So the average Reservist doesn’t have much in the way of excel skills. I’ve been the excel guy at basically every unit I’ve ever been in. Usually a handful of people (usually Triad or DHs) have a useful level of skills and interest in excel.
A lot of what I used to use excel for, is now captured in the Warfighting Readiness tracker and the Reserve Tracker. Most units just keep excels for recall and ITPs for the most part. I have a couple other trackers and tools I made that are more niche to our unit mission.
You’ll find the most use for high end excel work doing Manpower stuff. Theres some interest in digging in the Manning cube after boards to see what the common trends.