Advanced Excel: exercises

Module 1: Advanced Formulas and Functions

Exercise 1: Logical Functions

Scenario: You need to evaluate sales performance and categorise it based on predefined
criteria.

Dataset:

Product Jan Feb Mar Apr

A 100 150 200 250
B 200 250 300 350
C 300 350 400 450

Instructions:

1.​ IF Function:
○​ Use the IF function to categorize the total sales of each product as "Good" if
the total sales are above 1000, otherwise "Needs Improvement".
○​ Formula: =IF(SUM(B2:E2)>1000, "Good", "Needs Improvement")
2.​ AND Function:
○​ Use the AND function to check if the sales for each product are above 100 in
all months.
○​ Formula: =IF(AND(B2>100, C2>100, D2>100, E2>100),
"Consistent", "Inconsistent")
3.​ OR Function:
○​ Use the OR function to check if the sales for each product exceeded 300 in
any month.
○​ Formula: =IF(OR(B2>300, C2>300, D2>300, E2>300), "High
Sales", "Average Sales")
IF Function

Purpose: Performs a logical test and returns one value if the condition is TRUE and another
if it’s FALSE.​
Syntax:

=IF(logical_test, value_if_true, value_if_false)

AND Function

Purpose: Checks if all conditions are TRUE. Returns TRUE only if all conditions are met.​
Syntax:

=AND(condition1, condition2, ...)

OR Function

Purpose: Checks if at least one condition is TRUE. Returns TRUE if any condition is met.​
Syntax:

=OR(condition1, condition2, ...)

Exercise 2: Lookup and Reference Functions

Scenario: You need to extract specific data from a larger dataset.

Dataset:

Product ID Product Name Price

101 Widget A 10

102 Widget B 15

103 Widget C 20

Instructions:

1.​ VLOOKUP:
○​ Use the VLOOKUP function to find the price of "Widget B".
○​ Formula: =VLOOKUP("Widget B", B2:C4, 2, FALSE)
2.​ INDEX and MATCH:
○​ Combine INDEX and MATCH to find the price of "Widget C".
○​ Formula: =INDEX(C2:C4, MATCH("Widget C", B2:B4, 0))
The formulas VLOOKUP and the combination INDEX and MATCH both perform lookup
operations in Excel, but they differ in functionality, flexibility, and use cases.

Usage:

●​ Vertical Lookup: VLOOKUP stands for Vertical Lookup. It searches for the value in
the first column of the specified range and returns a value from a specified column in
the same row.
●​ Simple and Intuitive: It's straightforward to use for simple lookups where the lookup
column is to the left of the return column.

Limitations:

●​ Fixed Structure: The lookup value must be in the first column of the table array.
●​ Less Flexible: It cannot look to the left of the lookup column or handle more complex
scenarios.
●​ Performance: May be slower with large datasets.

INDEX and MATCH

Usage:

●​ Flexibility: INDEX and MATCH can look up values in any direction—left, right, up, or
down—making it more versatile than VLOOKUP.
●​ Dynamic Arrays: They allow for more dynamic ranges and arrays, which can
change based on other calculations.
●​ Two-Part Function: While more complex, this combination is powerful for more
advanced lookup requirements.

When to Use Each

●​ Use VLOOKUP:
○​ When the data structure is simple and you are looking up values to the right
of the lookup column.
○​ When ease of use and quick setup are priorities.
○​ When working with small to moderately sized datasets.
●​ Use INDEX and MATCH:
 ○​ When you need to look up values to the left of the lookup column or in any
direction.
○​ When dealing with large datasets where performance is a concern.
○​ When you need more flexibility and dynamic range references.
○​ When working with complex datasets that require advanced lookup
capabilities.

VLOOKUP Function

Purpose: Searches for a value in the first column of a table and returns a value in the same
row from another column.​
Syntax:

=VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

INDEX Function

Purpose: Returns the value of a cell at a specific row and column in a range.​
Syntax:

=INDEX(array, row_num, [column_num])

●​ array: The range of cells.

●​ row_num: The row number in the array.
●​ [column_num]: (Optional) The column number in the array.

MATCH Function

Purpose: Searches for a value in a range and returns its position.​

Syntax:

=MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type])

●​ lookup_value: The value you’re searching for.

●​ lookup_array: The range to search in.
●​ [match_type]: 0 for an exact match, 1 for the closest smaller match, -1 for the
closest larger match.
Exercise 3: Text Functions
Scenario: You have a list of product codes that need to be manipulated and formatted.

Dataset:

Product Code

A12345

B67890

C54321

D98765

E24680

Instructions:

1.​ TEXT Function:

○​ Format the product codes as "Code: A12345".
○​ Example Formula for Cell B2: ="Code: " & A2
2.​ LEFT Function:
○​ Extract the first letter of each product code.
○​ Example Formula for Cell C2: =LEFT(A2, 1)
3.​ RIGHT Function:
○​ Extract the last five digits of each product code.
○​ Example Formula for Cell D2: =RIGHT(A2, 5)
4.​ MID Function:
○​ Extract the numeric part of each product code.
○​ Example Formula for Cell E2: =MID(A2, 2, 5)
5.​ LEN Function:
 ○​ Find the length of each product code.
○​ Example Formula for Cell F2: =LEN(A2)
6.​ SUBSTITUTE Function:
○​ Replace the letter "A" with "Z" in the product code "A12345".
○​ Example Formula for Cell G2: =SUBSTITUTE(A2, "A", "Z")

TEXT Function

Purpose: Formats a number or date into text using a specific format.​

Syntax:

=TEXT(value, format_text)

●​ value: The number or date you want to format.

●​ format_text: The format you want to apply (in quotes).

LEFT Function

Purpose: Extracts a specific number of characters from the start (left) of a text string.​
Syntax:

=LEFT(text, num_chars)

●​ text: The text to extract from.

●​ num_chars: The number of characters to extract.

RIGHT Function

Purpose: Extracts a specific number of characters from the end (right) of a text string.​
Syntax:

=RIGHT(text, num_chars)

●​ text: The text to extract from.

●​ num_chars: The number of characters to extract.

MID Function

Purpose: Extracts a specific number of characters from the middle of a text string.​
Syntax:
=MID(text, start_num, num_chars)

●​ text: The text to extract from.

●​ start_num: The position to start extracting from.
●​ num_chars: The number of characters to extract.

LEN Function

Purpose: Counts the number of characters in a text string (including spaces).​

Syntax:

=LEN(text)

●​ text: The text to count characters in.

SUBSTITUTE Function

Purpose: Replaces specific text in a string with new text.​

Syntax:

=SUBSTITUTE(text, old_text, new_text, [instance_num])

●​ text: The text to search in.

●​ old_text: The text you want to replace.
●​ new_text: The new text to replace it with.
●​ [instance_num]: (Optional) Which occurrence to replace (if omitted, all are
replaced).