Reminds me of an exchange I was privy to between one of our division controllers and a very senior executive. When the executive asked for a report he had requested the prior month, the controller said something like "I'm sorry, sir, but our computer system won't give us that kind of information". [pause in the room--you could here a pin drop]. The executive fixed his cold stare on the controller and said: "I don't ever want to hear that excuse again. The damned system will do whatever the hell we tell it to do."
And it did--the very next month.