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Excel Functions Formulas

The document provides an overview of formulas and functions in Excel. It discusses the key elements of formulas including operators, cell references, values, and functions. It covers topics like relative and absolute cell references, naming ranges, nested parentheses in complex formulas, and common errors. The document also provides tips for editing formulas, using the auditing toolbar to troubleshoot errors, and describes many commonly used functions.

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isaac
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
92 views

Excel Functions Formulas

The document provides an overview of formulas and functions in Excel. It discusses the key elements of formulas including operators, cell references, values, and functions. It covers topics like relative and absolute cell references, naming ranges, nested parentheses in complex formulas, and common errors. The document also provides tips for editing formulas, using the auditing toolbar to troubleshoot errors, and describes many commonly used functions.

Uploaded by

isaac
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Excel

Formulas & Functions

Val Singler
Formulas

 5 Elements of a
Formula
– Operators
– Cell References
– Literal Values
– Worksheet Functions
and their Arguments
– Parentheses
Operators/Precedence

 Operator Precedence
 Parentheses
– Override Excel’s built-in order of precedence
– Control the order of the operations
– Expressions in parentheses always get evaluated
first
Relative & Absolute References

 “Relative” Addressing
– A formula adjusts “relative” to its location in the
worksheet
 Absolute Cell References
– Used to prevent a formula from adjusting to its
location
 Mixed Cell References
– Placement of $ determines the portion of a cell
reference that will remain constant
Relative & Absolute References

 Absolute and Mixed Cell References


$A1 Always refers to Column A, row will vary

A$1 Always refers to Row 1, column will vary

$A$1 Always refers to cell A1

 Press F4 to make a cell reference absolute


or mixed
Ranges

 Cells, Columns, Rows, Worksheets


 Why Name a Range?
– Make Navigating Lists Easier
– Use in Formulas
 Rules for Naming a Range
– Names must start with a letter or an underscore
– Don’t use spaces or hyphens; use underscore or periods
– Keep Names Short
Structure of Complex Formulas

 Nested Parentheses
– Parentheses within parentheses
– Excel evaluates the deepest nested expression first and then
works its way out
– Every left nested parenthesis must have a matching right
parenthesis

(((((B2)))))
Tips for Editing a Formula

 Before editing a formula


– Remove the equal (=) sign from the beginning of the
formula and press Enter
– Copy the formula to another cell
 Use the Insert Function dialog box as a proofreading
and reference tool
 Use Range Finder to locate parts of a formula
Formula & Function Problems

 Common Problems
– Incorrect type of data for function arguments or missing
arguments
– Trying to nest more than seven (7) functions
– Parentheses not correctly balanced and paired
– When referring to another worksheet or workbook in a formula
or function, make sure any names are set off with quotation
marks
– Some functions will not work properly if you enter numbers
using format code (i.e. %) -- most functions require plain
numbers
Errors

 Types of Errors
– #REF!
– #VALUE
– #NAME
– #DIV/0
– #N/A
– #NUM
– #NULL
Auditing Toolbar
 What’s It For?
– Double-checking results
– Troubleshooting error codes
 Where is it?
– ToolsFormula AuditingShow Formula Auditing Toolbar or
– ViewToolbarsFormula Auditing
Error Checking

 Find error values on a large


worksheet
– Tools  Error Checking or
– Click the Error Checking
button on the Formula
Auditing toolbar
– When the error is hard to find,
click the Show Calculation
Steps button
 Evaluating and auditing
complex formulas
– Tools Formula Auditing 
Evaluate Formula
Watch Window

 Allows you to watch how a formula changes in


response to:
– Changes made to other parts of a worksheet
– Changes made in workbooks that supply information to a
worksheet
Functions

 Insert Functions Dialog


Box
– Insert  Function
– Click the down arrow
next to the AutoSum
button on the Standard
toolbar
– Click the Function (fx)
button next to the
Formula Window
Add-Ins

 Analysis Toolpak
 Where to Find the
Add-Ins
– ToolsAdd-Ins
– If the add-ins are
available, just check the
boxes and click Okay
Everyday Functions

 TRIM and CLEAN


– Data clean up
 LEFT, RIGHT, MID
– Extracting strings from a cell
 UPPER, LOWER, PROPER
– Change case
 CONCATENATION, &
– Combining cell contents, literal values, etc.
Everyday Functions

 VLOOKUP
– Help track down specific information in a table based on the
contents of a cell used for comparison
 NETWORKDAYS**
– Find the total number of workdays between two dates,
excluding holidays
 WORKDAYS**
– Calculates a finish date
 SUMIF/COUNTIF
– Sum or count when a specified
condition is met
Bonus Function Tricks

 Using Conditional Formatting and the MOD


function for alternate row shading
 Measuring and Displaying Elapsed Time
 Avoiding Error Displays
(when you don’t want #DIV/0 or #REF! Errors to show)
Custom Functions

 When none of Excel’s 300+ built-in functions


will do, create your own!
– A custom function allows you to encapsulate a
sequence of calculations so that you can perform
those calculations with a single formula
References
Bott, Ed and Leonhard, Woody, Special Edition Using Microsoft
Office XP, Que, 2001
Dodge, Mark and Stinson, Craig, Microsoft Excel Version 2002
Inside Out, Microsoft Press, 2001**
Frye, Curtis, Excel Annoyances, O’Reilly Media Inc., 2005
Walkenbach, John, John Walkenbach’s Favorite Excel Tips &
Tricks, Wiley Publishing Inc., 2005
Walkenbach, John, Microsoft Excel 2000 Formulas, M&T Books,
1999**

**Book is available on Books 24X7 (CSC Learning Place)

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