Excel – Formulas and Functions Overview

2012 Midwest SUGA Regional Training Conference

Excel – Formulas and Functions

Overview Presented by Morning Star Computer Training and Consulting

Excel – Formulas and Functions Overview

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Table of Contents About calculation operators ......................................................................................................................... 4

Types of operators .................................................................................................................................... 4

Arithmetic operators ............................................................................................................................. 4

Comparison operators .......................................................................................................................... 4

Text concatenation operator ................................................................................................................ 5

Reference operators ............................................................................................................................. 5

The order in which Excel performs operations in formulas ...................................................................... 5

Operator precedence ............................................................................................................................ 5

Use of parentheses ............................................................................................................................... 6

Use Formula AutoComplete.......................................................................................................................... 6

Combine text from multiple cells into one cell, using a formula .................................................................. 7

Replace formulas with their calculated values ............................................................................................. 8

Using AutoSum .............................................................................................................................................. 9

Insert Function .............................................................................................................................................. 9

Average Function ...................................................................................................................................... 9

MIN function ........................................................................................................................................... 10

MAX function .......................................................................................................................................... 10

Using Absolute References ......................................................................................................................... 10

Database Functions ..................................................................................................................................... 11

DSum Function ........................................................................................................................................ 11

DAverage ................................................................................................................................................. 12

Dcount ..................................................................................................................................................... 13

IF Function ................................................................................................................................................... 14

Calculate the number of days between two dates ..................................................................................... 14

VLOOKUP..................................................................................................................................................... 15

Add cells to the Watch Window ................................................................................................................. 16

Avoid common errors when creating formulas .......................................................................................... 17

Formulas That Produce Error Values .......................................................................................................... 18



About calculation operators

Operators specify the type of calculation that you want to perform on the elements of a formula.

Microsoft Excel includes four different types of calculation operators: arithmetic, comparison, text,

and reference.

Types of operators

Arithmetic operators

To perform basic mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, or multiplication;

combine numbers; and produce numeric results, use the following arithmetic operators.

Arithmetic operator Meaning (Example)

+ (plus sign) Addition (3+3)

– (minus sign) Subtraction (3–1)

Negation (–1)

* (asterisk) Multiplication (3*3)

/ (forward slash) Division (3/3)

% (percent sign) Percent (20%)

^ (caret) Exponentiation (3^2)

Comparison operators

You can compare two values with the following operators. When two values are compared by

using these operators, the result is a logical value either TRUE or FALSE.

Comparison operator Meaning (Example)

= (equal sign) Equal to (A1=B1)

> (greater than sign) Greater than (A1>B1)

< (less than sign) Less than (A1<B1)

>= (greater than or equal to sign) Greater than or equal to (A1>=B1)

<= (less than or equal to sign) Less than or equal to (A1<=B1)

<> (not equal to sign) Not equal to (A1<>B1)

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Text concatenation operator

Use the ampersand (&) to join, or concatenate, one or more text strings to produce a single piece

of text.

Text operator Meaning (Example)

&

(ampersand)

Connects, or concatenates, two values to produce one continuous text value

("North"&"wind")

Reference operators

Combine ranges of cells for calculations with the following operators.

Reference

operator Meaning (Example)

: (colon) Range operator, which produces one reference to all the cells between two

references, including the two references (B5:B15)

, (comma) Union operator, which combines multiple references into one reference

(SUM(B5:B15,D5:D15))

(space) Intersection operator, which produces on reference to cells common to the

two references (B7:D7 C6:C8)

The order in which Excel performs operations in formulas

Formulas calculate values in a specific order. A formula in Excel always begins with an equal sign

(=). The equal sign tells Excel that the succeeding characters constitute a formula. Following the

equal sign are the elements to be calculated (the operands), which are separated by calculation

operators. Excel calculates the formula from left to right, according to a specific order for each

operator in the formula.

Operator precedence

If you combine several operators in a single formula, Excel performs the operations in the order

shown in the following table. If a formula contains operators with the same precedence— for

example, if a formula contains both a multiplication and division operator— Excel evaluates the

operators from left to right.

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Operator Description

: (colon)

(single space)

, (comma)

Reference operators

– Negation (as in –1)

% Percent

^ Exponentiation

* and / Multiplication and division

+ and – Addition and subtraction

& Connects two strings of text (concatenation)

= < > <= >= <> Comparison

Use of parentheses

To change the order of evaluation, enclose in parentheses the part of the formula to be calculated

first. For example, the following formula produces 11 because Excel calculates multiplication

before addition. The formula multiplies 2 by 3 and then adds 5 to the result.

=5+2*3

In contrast, if you use parentheses to change the syntax, Excel adds 5 and 2 together and then

multiplies the result by 3 to produce 21.

=(5+2)*3

In the example below, the parentheses around the first part of the formula force Excel to calculate

B4+25 first and then divide the result by the sum of the values in cells D5, E5, and F5.

=(B4+25)/SUM(D5:F5)

Use Formula AutoComplete To make it easier to create and edit formulas and minimize typing and syntax errors, use Formula

AutoComplete. After you type an = (equal sign) and beginning letters or a display trigger, Microsoft

Office Excel displays below the cell a dynamic drop-down list of valid functions, names, and text strings

that match the letters or trigger. You can then insert an item in the drop-down list into the formula by

using an insert trigger.



Type the = (equal sign) and beginning letters or a display trigger to start Formula AutoComplete.

As you type, a scrollable list of valid items is displayed with the closest match highlighted.

Icons represent the type of entry, such as a function or table reference.

Detailed ScreenTips help you make the best choice.

Combine text from multiple cells into one cell, using a formula

Use the ampersand (&) operator or the CONCATENATE function to do this task.

Worksheet example

Note: The formula inserts a space between the first and last names by using a space enclosed within

quotation marks. Use quotation marks to include any literal text — text that does not change — in the result.



Replace formulas with their calculated values

Caution When you replace formulas with their values, Microsoft Office Excel permanently removes the formulas. If you accidentally replace a formula with a value and want to restore the formula, click Undo

immediately after you enter or paste the value.

1. Select the cell or range of cells that contains the formulas.

2. Click Copy .

3. Click Paste .

4. Click the arrow next to Paste Options , and then click Values Only.

The following example shows a formula in cell D2 that multiplies cells A2, B2, and a discount derived from C2 to calculate an invoice amount for a sale. To copy the actual value instead of the formula from the cell to another worksheet or workbook, you can convert the formula in its cell to its value by doing the following:

1. Press F2 to edit the cell. 2. Press F9, and then press ENTER.

After you convert the cell from a formula to a value, the value appears as 1932.322 in the formula bar. Note that 1932.322 is the actual calculated value, and 1932.32 is the value displayed in the cell in a currency format.

Tip When you are editing a cell that contains a formula, you can press F9 to permanently replace the formula with its calculated value.



Using AutoSum Add the values in a column or row by using the AutoSum button

You can use AutoSum to quickly sum a range of numbers in a column or row. Click an empty cell below a

column of numbers or to the right of a row of numbers, and then click AutoSum. Excel selects what it

determines to be the most likely range of data. Click AutoSum again to accept the range that Excel

selects, or select your own range and then click AutoSum.

Insert Function The Insert Function simplifies the task of entering complex formulas or elementary formulas. The Insert

Function helps you select a function, assemble the arguments correctly and insert the function into your

formula. As you build the formula using the Insert Function, the formula bar will display all the formula.

The Insert Function utilizes two steps to reach the desired result.

The Insert Function utilizes a prewritten formula. It supplies the equal sign

[ = ], the necessary mathematical operators and parentheses to hold the cell references.

Notes:

1. The Insert Function button looks like the button below. It is located at the far left of the formula

bar.

2. The Most Recently Used function category gives you quick access to the last 10 functions used.

Average Function Returns the average (arithmetic mean) of the arguments. For example, if the range A1:A20 contains

numbers, the formula =AVERAGE(A1:A20) returns the average of those numbers.



MIN function Returns the smallest number in a set of values.

=MIN(A2:A6) Minimum of the numbers in cells A2 through A6. 2

MAX function Returns the largest value in a set of values.

=MAX(A2:A6) Maximum of the numbers in cells A2 through A6. 27

Using Absolute References Relative Referencing adjusts the cell references in the formula when the formula is copied or moved in

relation to the new cell address. Excel uses relative references by default.

Absolute References do not change when they are copied to a new location. Absolute Referencing

allows you to refer back to a specific cell no matter where the formula was copied.

For example, suppose you wish to know what percentage the first quarter sales are of the total yearly

sales. You would apply Absolute Referencing to the total yearly sales in order to copy the formula to the

second, third and fourth quarters. Then when the formula is copied, the last half of the formula stays

the same. This allows each of the other three-quarters to be divided by the yearly total, thus giving you

an accurate result.



To make a cell reference Absolute, insert the dollar sign [ $ ] before the column and row reference. For

example, cell E8 would become $E$8. To place the dollar signs into a cell reference, you may manually

enter the dollar sign [ $ ] with the keyboard. Or, after typing the cell reference, press the F4 key.

Database Functions

DSum Function

Adds the numbers in a field (column) of records in a list or database that match conditions that you

specify.

Syntax

DSUM(database,field,criteria)

Database is the range of cells that makes up the list or database. A database is a list of related data in

which rows of related information are records, and columns of data are fields. The first row of the list

contains labels for each column.

Field indicates which column is used in the function. Enter the column label enclosed between double

quotation marks, such as "Age" or "Yield," or a number (without quotation marks) that represents the

position of the column within the list: 1 for the first column, 2 for the second column, and so on.

Criteria is the range of cells that contains the conditions that you specify. You can use any range for the

criteria argument, as long as it includes at least one column label and at least one cell below the column

label in which you specify a condition for the column.



DAverage

Averages the values in a field (column) of records in a list or database that match conditions you specify.

Syntax

DAVERAGE(database,field,criteria)







Criteria is the range of cells that contains the conditions you specify. You can use any range for the

criteria argument, as long as it includes at least one column label and at least one cell below the column

label in which you specify a condition for the column.



Dcount

Counts the cells that contain numbers in a field (column) of records in a list or database that match

conditions that you specify.

The field argument is optional. If field is omitted, DCOUNT counts all records in the database that match

the criteria.

Syntax

DCOUNT(database,field,criteria)







Criteria is the range of cells that contains the conditions that you specify. You can use any range for the

criteria argument, as long as the argument includes at least one column label and at least one cell below

the column label in which you specify a condition for the column.



IF Function

The IF function returns one value if a condition you specify evaluates to TRUE, and another value if that

condition evaluates to FALSE. For example, the formula =IF(A1>10,"Over 10","10 or less") returns "Over

10" if A1 is greater than 10, and "10 or less" if A1 is less than or equal to 10.

Calculate the number of days between two dates To do this task, use the subtraction (-) operator or the NETWORKDAYS function as shown in the

following example.



VLOOKUP You can use the VLOOKUP function to search the first column of a range of cells, and then return a value

from any cell on the same row of the range.

This example searches the Density column of an atmospheric properties table to find corresponding

values in the Viscosity and Temperature columns. (The values are for air at 0 degrees Celsius at sea level,

or 1 atmosphere.)



Add cells to the Watch Window 1. Select the cells that you want to watch.

To select all cells on a worksheet with formulas, on the Home tab, in the Editing group, click Find &

Replace, click Go To Special, and then click Formulas.

2. On the Formulas tab, in the Formula Auditing group, click Watch Window.

3. Click Add Watch .

4. Click Add.

5. Move the Watch Window toolbar to the top, bottom, left, or right side of the window.

6. To change the width of a column, drag the boundary on the right side of the column heading.

7. To display the cell that an entry in Watch Window toolbar refers to, double-click the entry.

Note Cells that have external references to other workbooks are displayed in the Watch Window

toolbar only when the other workbook is open.



Avoid common errors when creating formulas The following table summarizes some of the the most common errors that you can make when entering

a formula and how to correct those errors:

Make sure that you… More information

Match all open and close

parentheses

Make sure that all parentheses are part of a matching pair. When you

create a formula, Excel displays parentheses in color as they are entered.

Use a colon to indicate a

range

When you refer to a range of cells, use a colon (:) to separate the reference

to the first cell in the range and the reference to the last cell in the range.

For example, A1:A5.

Enter all required

arguments

Some functions have required arguments. Also, make sure that you have

not entered too many arguments.

Nest no more than 64

functions

You can enter, or nest, no more than 64 levels of functions within a

function.

Enclose other sheet

names in single

quotation marks

If the formula refers to values or cells on other worksheets or workbooks,

and the name of the other workbook or worksheet contains a

nonalphabetical character, you must enclose its name within single

quotation marks ( ' ).

Include the path to

external workbooks

Make sure that each external reference contains a workbook name and the

path to the workbook.

Enter numbers without

formatting

Do not format numbers as you enter them in formulas. For example, even if

the value that you want to enter is $1,000, enter 1000 in the formula.



Formulas That Produce Error Values

#DIV/O! means a formula is trying to divide by zero.

#N/A means the formula refers to a value that is not available.

#NAME? means the formula uses a name that Excel does not recognize.

#NULL! means the formula specifies an invalid intersection of two areas.

#REF! means the formula refers to a cell that is not valid.

#VALUE! means the formula is using an incorrect argument or operand.

###### means the formula produces a result that is too long to fit into the cell. This is

not actually an error value, but rather an indicator that the column needs to be

widened.

A circular reference error occurs when a formula refers to the cell in which it, the formula, is entered.

When there is a circular reference error, Excel will display a warning message and display in the status

bar which cell contains the circular reference.

Excel – Formulas and Functions Overview

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