Excel

Function
Dictionary
v1.0 Beta
Copyright © 1998 - 2001 Peter Noneley
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Documentation Page 2 of

What Is In The Dictionary ?

This workbook contains 157 worksheets, each explaining the purpose and usage of
particular Excel functions.

There are also a number of sample worksheets which are simple models of common
applications, such as Timesheet and Date Calculations.

Formatting
Each worksheet uses the same type of formatting to indicate the various types of entry.

North Text headings are shown in grey.

100
100 Data is shown as purple text on a yellow background.
100
300 The results of Formula are shown as blue on yellow.

=SUM(C13:C15) The formula used in the calulations is shown as blue text.

The Arial font is used exclusivley throughout the workbook and should display correctly
with any installation of Windows.

Each sheet has been designed to be as simple as possible, with no fancy macros to
accomplish the desrired result.

Printing
Each worksheet is set to print on to A4 portrait.
The printouts will have the column headings of A,B,C... and the row numbers 1,2,3... which
will assist with the reading of the formula.
The ideal printer would be a laser set at 600dpi.
If you are using a dot matrix or inkjet, it may be worth switching off the colours before printing,
as these will print as dark grey. (See the sheet dealing with Colour settings).

Protection
Each sheet is unprotected so that you will be able to change values and experiment
with the calculations.

Macros
There are only a few very simple macros which are used by the various buttons to
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Documentation Page 3 of

naviagte through the sheets. These have been written very simply, and do not make any attempt
to change your current Toolbars and Menus.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Instructions Page 4 of

What Do The Buttons Do ?

This button will display the This button sorts the list of
worksheet containing the functions into alphabetical order.
function example.

1. Click on the function name,

then
2. Click on the View button.

This describes the category the This shows where the function is
function is a member of. stored in Excel.
Built-in indicates that the function
Click this button to sort is part of Excel itself.
alphabetically. Analysis ToolPak indicates the
function is stored in the Analysis
ToolPak add-in.

Click this button to sort

alphabetically.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Colours Page 5 of

Using Different Monitor Settings

Each sheet has been designed to fit within the visible width of monitors with a low resolution
of 640 x 480. This ensures that you do not need to scroll from left and right to see all the data.

The colours are best suited to monitors capable of 256 colours.

On monitors using just 16 colours the greys may look a bit rough!
You can switch colours off and on using the button below.
This may take a
few minutes on
any computer !
Sample Colour Scheme
North South East West Total
Alan 100 100 100 100 400
Bob 100 100 100 100 400
Carol 100 100 100 100 400
Total 300 300 300 300 1200
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Analysis ToolPak Page 6 of

Analysis ToolPak
What Is The Analysis ToolPak ?
The Analysis ToolPak is an add-in file containing
extra functions which are not built in to Excel.
The functions cover areas such as Date and
Mathematical operations.

The Analysis ToolPak must be added-in to Excel before

these functions will be available.

Any formula using these functions without the ToolPak loaded will show the #NAME error.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FunctionList Page 7 of

EDATE Date Analysis ToolPak Returns the serial number of the date that is the indicated number of months before or after the start date
EOMONTH Date Analysis ToolPak Returns the serial number of the last day of the month before or after a specified number of months
NETWORKDAYS Date Analysis ToolPak Returns the number of whole workdays between two dates
WORKDAY Date Analysis ToolPak Returns the serial number of the date before or after a specified number of workdays
YEARFRAC Date Analysis ToolPak Returns the year fraction representing the number of whole days between start_date and end_date
BIN2DEC Engineering Analysis ToolPak Converts a binary number to decimal
CONVERT Engineering Analysis ToolPak Converts a number from one measurement system to another
DEC2BIN Engineering Analysis ToolPak Converts a decimal number to binary
DEC2HEX Engineering Analysis ToolPak Converts a decimal number to hexadecimal
DELTA Engineering Analysis ToolPak Tests whether two values are equal
GESTEP Engineering Analysis ToolPak Tests whether a number is greater than a threshold value
HEX2DEC Engineering Analysis ToolPak Converts a hexadecimal number to decimal
ISEVEN Information Analysis ToolPak Returns TRUE if the number is even
ISODD Information Analysis ToolPak Returns TRUE if the number is odd
GCD Mathematical Analysis ToolPak Returns the greatest common divisor
LCM Mathematical Analysis ToolPak Returns the least common multiple
MROUND Mathematical Analysis ToolPak Returns a number rounded to the desired multiple
QUOTIENT Mathematical Analysis ToolPak Returns the integer portion of a division
RANDBETWEEN Mathematical Analysis ToolPak Returns a random number between the numbers you specify
DAVERAGE Database Built-in Returns the average of selected database entries
DCOUNT Database Built-in Counts the cells that contain numbers in a database
DCOUNTA Database Built-in Counts nonblank cells in a database
DGET Database Built-in Extracts from a database a single record that matches the specified criteria
DMAX Database Built-in Returns the maximum value from selected database entries
DMIN Database Built-in Returns the minimum value from selected database entries
DSUM Database Built-in Adds the numbers in the field column of records in the database that match the criteria
DATE Date Built-in Returns the serial number of a particular date
DATEDIF Date Built-in Calculates the difference between two dates. Undocumented in v5/7/97
DATEVALUE Date Built-in Converts a date in the form of text to a serial number
DAY Date Built-in Converts a serial number to a day of the month
DAYS360 Date Built-in Calculates the number of days between two dates based on a 360-day year
HOUR Date Built-in Converts a serial number to an hour
MINUTE Date Built-in Converts a serial number to a minute
MONTH Date Built-in Converts a serial number to a month
NOW Date Built-in Returns the serial number of the current date and time
SECOND Date Built-in Converts a serial number to a second
TIME Date Built-in Returns the serial number of a particular time
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FunctionList Page 8 of

TIMEVALUE Date Built-in Converts a time in the form of text to a serial number
TODAY Date Built-in Returns the serial number of today's date
WEEKDAY Date Built-in Converts a serial number to a day of the week
YEAR Date Built-in Converts a serial number to a year
DB Financial Built-in Returns the depreciation of an asset for a specified period using the fixed-declining balance method
SLN Financial Built-in Returns the straight-line depreciation of an asset for one period
SYD Financial Built-in Returns the sum-of-years' digits depreciation of an asset for a specified period
CELL Information Built-in Returns information about the formatting, location, or contents of a cell
COUNTBLANK Information Built-in Counts the number of blank cells within a range
ERROR.TYPE Information Built-in Returns a number corresponding to an error type
INFO Information Built-in Returns information about the current operating environment
ISBLANK Information Built-in Returns TRUE if the value is blank
ISERR Information Built-in Returns TRUE if the value is any error value except #N/A
ISERROR Information Built-in Returns TRUE if the value is any error value
ISLOGICAL Information Built-in Returns TRUE if the value is a logical value
ISNA Information Built-in Returns TRUE if the value is the #N/A error value
ISNONTEXT Information Built-in Returns TRUE if the value is not text
ISNUMBER Information Built-in Returns TRUE if the value is a number
ISREF Information Built-in Returns TRUE if the value is a reference
ISTEXT Information Built-in Returns TRUE if the value is text
N Information Built-in Returns a value converted to a number
NA Information Built-in Returns the error value #N/A
TYPE Information Built-in Returns a number indicating the data type of a value
AND Logical Built-in Returns TRUE if all its arguments are TRUE
IF Logical Built-in Specifies a logical test to perform
NOT Logical Built-in Reverses the logic of its argument
OR Logical Built-in Returns TRUE if any argument is TRUE
CHOOSE Lookup Built-in Chooses a value from a list of values
HLOOKUP Lookup Built-in Looks in the top row of an array and returns the value of the indicated cell
INDEX Lookup Built-in Uses an index to choose a value from a reference or array
INDIRECT Lookup Built-in Returns a reference indicated by a text value
LOOKUP (vector) Lookup Built-in Looks up values in a vector or array
MATCH Lookup Built-in Looks up values in a reference or array
SUM_with_OFFSET Lookup Built-in Sample
TRANSPOSE Lookup Built-in Returns the transpose of an array
VLOOKUP Lookup Built-in Looks in the first column of an array and moves across the row to return the value of a cell
ABS Mathematical Built-in Returns the absolute value of a number
CEILING Mathematical Built-in Rounds a number to the nearest integer or to the nearest multiple of significance
COMBIN Mathematical Built-in Returns the number of combinations for a given number of objects
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FunctionList Page 9 of

COUNTIF Mathematical Built-in Counts the number of nonblank cells within a range that meet the given criteria
EVEN Mathematical Built-in Rounds a number up to the nearest even integer
FACT Mathematical Built-in Returns the factorial of a number
FLOOR Mathematical Built-in Rounds a number down, toward zero
INT Mathematical Built-in Rounds a number down to the nearest integer
MINVERSE Mathematical Built-in Returns the matrix inverse of an array
MMULT Mathematical Built-in Returns the matrix product of two arrays
MOD Mathematical Built-in Returns the remainder from division
ODD Mathematical Built-in Rounds a number up to the nearest odd integer
PI Mathematical Built-in Returns the value of Pi
POWER Mathematical Built-in Returns the result of a number raised to a power
PRODUCT Mathematical Built-in Multiplies its arguments
RAND Mathematical Built-in Returns a random number between 0 and 1
ROMAN Mathematical Built-in Converts an arabic numeral to roman, as text
ROUND Mathematical Built-in Rounds a number to a specified number of digits
ROUNDDOWN Mathematical Built-in Rounds a number down, toward zero
ROUNDUP Mathematical Built-in Rounds a number up, away from zero
SIGN Mathematical Built-in Returns the sign of a number
SUBTOTAL Mathematical Built-in Returns a subtotal in a list or database
SUM Mathematical Built-in Adds its arguments
SUM_as_Running_Total Mathematical Built-in Sample
SUMIF Mathematical Built-in Adds the cells specified by a given criteria
SUMPRODUCT Mathematical Built-in Returns the sum of the products of corresponding array components
TRUNC Mathematical Built-in Truncates a number to an integer
AVERAGE Statistical Built-in Returns the average of its arguments
CORREL Statistical Built-in Returns the correlation coefficient between two data sets
COUNT Statistical Built-in Counts how many numbers are in the list of arguments
COUNTA Statistical Built-in Counts how many values are in the list of arguments
FORECAST Statistical Built-in Returns a value along a linear trend
FREQUENCY Statistical Built-in Returns a frequency distribution as a vertical array
GROWTH Statistical Built-in Returns values along an exponential trend
LARGE Statistical Built-in Returns the k-th largest value in a data set
MAX Statistical Built-in Returns the maximum value in a list of arguments
MEDIAN Statistical Built-in Returns the median of the given numbers
MIN Statistical Built-in Returns the minimum value in a list of arguments
MODE Statistical Built-in Returns the most common value in a data set
PERMUT Statistical Built-in Returns the number of permutations for a given number of objects
QUARTILE Statistical Built-in Returns the quartile of a data set
RANK Statistical Built-in Returns the rank of a number in a list of numbers
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FunctionList Page 10 of

SMALL Statistical Built-in Returns the k-th smallest value in a data set
STDEV Statistical Built-in Estimates standard deviation based on a sample
STDEVP Statistical Built-in Calculates standard deviation based on the entire population
TREND Statistical Built-in Returns values along a linear trend
VAR Statistical Built-in Estimates variance based on a sample
VARP Statistical Built-in Calculates variance based on the entire population
CHAR Text Built-in Returns the character specified by the code number
CLEAN Text Built-in Removes all nonprintable characters from text
CODE Text Built-in Returns a numeric code for the first character in a text string
CONCATENATE Text Built-in Joins several text items into one text item
DOLLAR Text Built-in Converts a number to text, using currency format
EXACT Text Built-in Checks to see if two text values are identical
FIND Text Built-in Finds one text value within another (case-sensitive)
FIXED Text Built-in Formats a number as text with a fixed number of decimals
LEFT Text Built-in Returns the leftmost characters from a text value
LEN Text Built-in Returns the number of characters in a text string
LOWER Text Built-in Converts text to lowercase
MID Text Built-in Returns a specific number of characters from a text string starting at the position you specify
PROPER Text Built-in Capitalises the first letter in each word of a text value
REPLACE Text Built-in Replaces characters within text
REPT Text Built-in Repeats text a given number of times
RIGHT Text Built-in Returns the rightmost characters from a text value
SUBSTITUTE Text Built-in Substitutes new text for old text in a text string
T Text Built-in Converts its arguments to text
TEXT Text Built-in Formats a number and converts it to text
TRIM Text Built-in Removes spaces from text
UPPER Text Built-in Converts text to uppercase
VALUE Text Built-in Converts a text argument to a number
Age Calculation Sample Sample Using DATEDIF()
AutoSum shortcut key Sample Sample Using Alt and =
Brackets in formula Sample Sample Sample
FileName formula Sample Sample Using MID() CELL() and FIND()
Instant Charts Sample Sample Using F11
Ordering Stock Sample Sample Stock Ordering
Percentages Sample Sample How to calculate various percentages
Project Dates Sample Sample Example using date calculation.
Show all formula Sample Sample Using Ctrl and `
Split ForenameSurname Sample Sample Using LEFT() RIGHT() FIND() SUBSTITUTE()
Time Calculation Sample Sample How to calculate time.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FunctionList Page 11 of

TimeSheet For Flexi Sample Sample Example flexi time sheet.

SUM_using_names Sample Sample Using SUM(jan)
-Timesheet Sample Sample Sample
 Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FunctionList Page 12 of

hs before or after the start date

ecified number of months

start_date and end_date

h the criteria
 Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FunctionList Page 13 of

declining balance method

e value of a cell
 Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FunctionList Page 14 of

osition you specify

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Time Calculation Page 15 of

Time Calculation
Excel can work with time very easily.
Time can be entered in various different formats and calculations performed.
There are one or two oddities, but nothing which should put you off working with it.
See the TimeSheet example for an example.

Typing time
When time is entered into worksheet it should be entered with a colon between
the hour and the minutes, such as 12:30, rather than 12.30

1:30 12:30 20:15 22:45

Excel can cope with either the 24hour system or the am/pm system.
To use the am/pm system you must enter the am or pm after the time.
You must leave a space between the number and the text.

1:30 AM 1:30 PM ### ###

Finding the difference between two times

You can subtract two time values to find the length of time between.

Start End Duration

1:30 2:30 1:00 =D24-C24
8:00 17:00 9:00 =D25-C25
8:00 AM 5:00 PM 9:00 AM If the result is not shown correctly,
You may need to reformat the answer.
Look at the section about formatting
further in this worksheet.

Adding time
You can add time to find a total time.
This works well until the total time goes above 24 hours.
For totals greater than 24 hours you may need to apply some special formatting.

Start End Duration

1:30 2:30 1:00
8:00 17:00 9:00
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Time Calculation Page 16 of

7:30 AM 5:45 PM 10:15

20:15

Formatting time
When time is added together the result may go beyond 24 hours.
Usually this gives an incorrect result, as in the example below.
To correct this error, the result needs to be formatted with a Custom format.

Example 1 : Incorrect formatting

Start End Duration
7:00 18:30 11:30
8:00 17:00 9:00
7:30 17:45 10:15
Total 6:45 =SUM(E49:E51)

Example 2 : Correct formatting

Start End Duration
7:00 18:30 11:30
8:00 17:00 9:00
7:30 17:45 10:15
Total 30:45 =SUM(E56:E58)

How To Apply Custom Formatting

The custom format for time use a pair of square brackets [hh] on either side
of the hours indicators.

1. Click on the cell which needs the format.

2. Choose the Format menu.
3. Choose Cells.
4. Click the Number tag at the top right.
5. Choose Custom.
6. Click inside the Type: box.
7. Type [hh]:mm as the format.
8. Click OK to confirm.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Time Calculation Page 17 of
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley TimeSheet For Flexi Page 18 of

TimeSheet for Flexi

Week beginning Mon 05-Jan-98 Normal Hours 37:30

Day Arrive Lunch Out Lunch In Depart Total

Mon 05 8:00 13:00 14:00 17:00 8:00 =(F6-C6)-(E6-D6)
Tue 06 8:45 12:30 13:30 17:00 7:15
Wed 07 9:00 13:00 14:00 18:00 8:00
Thu 08 8:30 13:00 14:00 17:00 7:30
Fri 09 8:00 12:00 13:00 17:00 8:00
Total Hours 38:45 =SUM(G6:G10)

Under worked by - =IF(G3-G11>0,G3-G11, "-")

Over worked by 1:14 =IF(G3-G11<0,ABS(G3-G11),"-")

This is simple example of a timesheet.

Instructions :
Type the week start date in cell C3, the Week beginning.
Use the format dd/mm/yy, the name of the day will appear automatically.
The date is then passed down to the Day column.

Type the amount of hours you are expected to work in G3, the Normal Hours.
This is used later to calculate if have worked over or under the required hours.

Type the times you arrive and leave work in the appropriate columns.
Use the format of hh:mm.

Note
The Total Hours cell has been formatted as [hh]:mm.
This ensures the total hours can be expressed as a value above 24 hours.
If the [hh]:mm format had not been used the Total Hours would show as : 14:44
If the [hh]:mm format does not show in the cell format dialog box
on your computer, it can be created using Format, Cells, Number, Custom.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Split ForenameSurname Page 19 of

Split Forename and Surname

The following formula are useful when you have one cell containing text which needs
to be split up.
One of the most common examples of this is when a persons Forename and Surname
are entered in full into a cell.

The formula use various text functions to accomplish the task.

Each of the techniques uses the space between the names to identify where to split.

Finding the First Name

Full Name First Name

Alan Jones Alan =LEFT(C14,FIND(" ",C14,1))
Bob Smith Bob =LEFT(C15,FIND(" ",C15,1))
Carol Williams Carol =LEFT(C16,FIND(" ",C16,1))

Finding the Last Name

Full Name Last Name

Alan Jones Jones =RIGHT(C22,LEN(C22)-FIND(" ",C22))
Bob Smith Smith =RIGHT(C23,LEN(C23)-FIND(" ",C23))
Carol Williams Williams =RIGHT(C24,LEN(C24)-FIND(" ",C24))

Finding the Last name when a Middle name is present

The formula above cannot handle any more than two names.
If there is also a middle name, the last name formula will be incorrect.
To solve the problem you have to use a much longer calculation.

Full Name Last Name

Alan David Jones Jones
Bob John Smith Smith
Carol Susan Williams Williams
=RIGHT(C37,LEN(C37)-FIND("#",SUBSTITUTE(C37," ","#",LEN(C37)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(C37," ","")))))
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Split ForenameSurname Page 20 of

Finding the Middle name

Full Name Middle Name

Alan David Jones David
Bob John Smith John
Carol Susan Williams Susan
=LEFT(RIGHT(C45,LEN(C45)-FIND(" ",C45,1)),FIND(" ",RIGHT(C45,LEN(C45)-FIND(" ",C45,1)),1))
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Percentages Page 21 of

Percentages
There are no specific functions for calculating percentages.
You have to use the skills you were taught in your maths class at school!

Finding a percentage of a value

Initial value 120

% to find 25%
Percentage value 30 =D8*D9

Example 1
A company is about to give its staff a pay rise.
The wages department need to calculate the increases.
Staff on different grades get different pay rises.

Grade % Rise
A 10%
B 15%
C 20%

Name Grade Old Salary Increase

Alan A £ 10,000 £ 1,000 =E23*LOOKUP(D23,$C$18:$C$20,$D$18:$D$20)
Bob B £ 20,000 £ 3,000 =E24*LOOKUP(D24,$C$18:$C$20,$D$18:$D$20)
Carol C £ 30,000 £ 6,000 =E25*LOOKUP(D25,$C$18:$C$20,$D$18:$D$20)
David B £ 25,000 £ 3,750 =E26*LOOKUP(D26,$C$18:$C$20,$D$18:$D$20)
Elaine C £ 32,000 £ 6,400 =E27*LOOKUP(D27,$C$18:$C$20,$D$18:$D$20)
Frank A £ 12,000 £ 1,200 =E28*LOOKUP(D28,$C$18:$C$20,$D$18:$D$20)

Finding a percentage increase

Initial value 120

% increase 25%
Increased value 150 =D33*D34+D33

Example 2
A company is about to give its staff a pay rise.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Percentages Page 22 of

The wages department need to calculate the new salary including the % increase.
Staff on different grades get different pay rises.

Grade % Rise
A 10%
B 15%
C 20%

Name Grade Old Salary Increase

Alan A £ 10,000 £ 11,000 =E48*LOOKUP(D48,$C$18:$C$20,$D$18:$D$20)+E48
Bob B £ 20,000 £ 23,000 =E49*LOOKUP(D49,$C$18:$C$20,$D$18:$D$20)+E49
Carol C £ 30,000 £ 36,000 =E50*LOOKUP(D50,$C$18:$C$20,$D$18:$D$20)+E50
David B £ 25,000 £ 28,750 =E51*LOOKUP(D51,$C$18:$C$20,$D$18:$D$20)+E51
Elaine C £ 32,000 £ 38,400 =E52*LOOKUP(D52,$C$18:$C$20,$D$18:$D$20)+E52
Frank A £ 12,000 £ 13,200 =E53*LOOKUP(D53,$C$18:$C$20,$D$18:$D$20)+E53

Finding one value as percentage of another

Value A 120
Value B 60
A as % of B 50% =D59/D58

You will need to format the result as % by using the % button

on the toolbar.

Example 3
An manager has been asked to submit budget requirements for next year.
The manger needs to specify what will be required each quarter.
The manager knows what has been spent by each region in the previous year.
By analysing the past years spending, the manager hopes to predict
what will need to be spent in the next year.

Last years figures

Region Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
North 9,000 2,000 9,000 7,000
South 7,000 4,000 9,000 5,000
East 2,000 8,000 7,000 3,000
West 8,000 9,000 6,000 5,000 Total
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Percentages Page 23 of

Total 26,000 23,000 31,000 20,000 100,000

Last years Quarters as % of last years Total

Region Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
North 9% 2% 9% 7% =G74/$H$78
South 7% 4% 9% 5% =G75/$H$78
East 2% 8% 7% 3% =G76/$H$78
West 8% 9% 6% 5% =G77/$H$78
Total 26% 23% 31% 20% =G78/$H$78

Next years budget 150,000

Next years estimated budget requirements
Region Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
North 13,500 3,000 13,500 10,500 =G82*$E$88
South 10,500 6,000 13,500 7,500 =G83*$E$88
East 3,000 12,000 10,500 4,500 =G84*$E$88
West 12,000 13,500 9,000 7,500 Total
Total 39,000 34,500 46,500 30,000 150,000

Finding an original value after an increase has been applied

Increased value 150

% increase 25%
Original value 120 =D100/(100%+D101)

Example 4
An employ has to submit an expenses claim for travelling and accommodation.
The claim needs to show the VAT tax portion of each receipt.
Unfortunately the receipts held by the employee only show the total amount.
The employee needs to split this total to show the original value and the VAT amount.

VAT rate 17.50%

Receipt Total Actual Value Vat Value

Petrol £ 10.00 £ 8.51 £ 1.49 =D113-D113/(100%+$D$110)
Hotel £235.00 £ 200.00 £ 35.00
Petrol £117.50 £ 100.00 £ 17.50
=D115/(100%+$D$110)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Show all formula Page 24 of

Show all formula

You can view all the formula on the worksheet by pressing Ctrl and `.
The ' is the left single quote usually found on the key to left of number 1.

Press Ctrl and ` to see the formula below. (The screen may look a bit odd.)
Press the same combination to see the original view.

10 20 30
30 40 70
50 60 60
70 80 30
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SUM_using_names Page 25 of

SUM using names

You can use the names typed at the top of columns or side of rows in calculations
simply by typing the name into the formula.

Try this example:

Go to cell C16 and then enter the formula =SUM(jan)
The result will show.
This formula can be copied to D16 and E16, and the names change to Feb and Mar.

Jan Feb Mar

North 45 50 50
South 30 25 35
East 35 10 50
West 20 50 5
Total

If it does not work !

The feature may have been switched off on your computer.
You can switch it on by using Tools, Options, Calculation, Accept Labels in Formula.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Instant Charts Page 26 of

Instant Charts
You can create a chart quickly without having to use the chart button on
the toolbar by pressing the function key F11 whilst inside a range of data.

Jan Feb Mar

North 45 50 50
South 30 25 35
East 35 10 50
West 20 50 5

Click anywhere inside the table above.

Then press F11.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Filename formula Page 27 of

Filename formula
There may be times when you need to insert the name of the current workbook
or worksheet in to a cell.

This can be done by using the CELL() function, shown below.

'file:///conversion/tmp/activity_task_scratch/539520658.xlsx'#$ Filename formula
=CELL("filename")

The problem with this is that it gives the complete path including drive letter and folders.
To just pick out the workbook or worksheet name you need to use text functions.

To pick the Path.

#VALUE!
=MID(CELL("filename"),1,FIND("[",CELL("filename"))-1)

To pick the Workbook name.

#VALUE!
=MID(CELL("filename"),FIND("[",CELL("filename"))+1,FIND("]",CELL("filename"))-FIND("[",CELL("filename"))-1)

To pick the Worksheet name.

#VALUE!
=MID(CELL("filename"),FIND("]",CELL("filename"))+1,255)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Brackets in formula Page 28 of

Brackets in formula
Sometimes you will need to use brackets, (also known as 'braces'), in formula.
This is to ensure that the calculations are performed in the order that you need.
The need for brackets occurs when you mix plus or minus with divide or multiply.

Mathematically speaking the * and / are more important than + and - .

The * and / operations will be calculated before + and - .

Example 1 : The wrong answer !

10
20
2
50 =C12+C13*C14

You may expect that 10 + 20 would equal 30

And then 30 * 2 would equal 60

But because the * is calculated first Excel sees the

calculation as 20 * 2 resulting in 40
And then 10 + 40 resulting in 50

Example 2 : The correct answer.

10
20
2
60 =(C27+C28)*C29

By placing brackets around (10+20) Excel performs this

part of the calulation first, resulting in 30
Then the 30 is multipled by 2 resulting in 60
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Age Calculation Page 29 of

Age Calculation
You can calculate a persons age based on their birthday and todays date.
The calculation uses the DATEDIF() function.
The DATEDIF() is not documented in Excel 5, 7 or 97, but it is in 2000.
(Makes you wonder what else Microsoft forgot to tell us!)

Birth date : 1-Jan-60

Years lived : 61 =DATEDIF(C8,TODAY(),"y")

and the months : 8 =DATEDIF(C8,TODAY(),"ym")
and the days : 2 =DATEDIF(C8,TODAY(),"md")

You can put this all together in one calculation, which creates a text version.
Age is 61 Years, 8 Months and 2 Days
="Age is "&DATEDIF(C8,TODAY(),"y")&" Years, "&DATEDIF(C8,TODAY(),"ym")&" Months and "&DATEDIF(C8,TODAY(),"md")&" Days"

Another way to calculate age

This method gives you an age which may potentially have decimal places representing the months.
If the age is 20.5, the .5 represents 6 months.

Birth date : 1-Jan-60

Age is : 61.67 =(TODAY()-C23)/365.25

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley AutoSum Shortcut Key Page 30 of

AutoSum Shortcut Key

Instead of using the AutoSum button from the toolbar,
you can press Alt and = to achieve the same result.

Try it here :
Move to a blank cell in the Total row or column, then press Alt and =.
or
Select a row, column or all cells and then press Alt and =.

Jan Feb Mar Total

North 10 50 90
South 20 60 100
East 30 70 200
West 40 80 300
Total
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ABS Page 31 of

ABS
Number Absolute Value
10 10 =ABS(C4)
-10 10 =ABS(C5)
1.25 1.25 =ABS(C6)
-1.25 1.25 =ABS(C7)

What Does it Do ?
This function calculates the value of a number, irrespective of whether it is positive or negative.

Syntax
=ABS(CellAddress or Number)

Formatting
The result will be shown as a number, no special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used by a company testing a machine which cuts timber.
The machine needs to cut timber to an exact length.
Three pieces of timber were cut and then measured.
In calculating the difference between the Required Length and the Actual Length it does
not matter if the wood was cut too long or short, the measurement needs to be expressed as
an absolute value.

Table 1 shows the original calculations.

The Difference for Test 3 is shown as negative, which has a knock on effect
when the Error Percentage is calculated.
Whether the wood was too long or short, the percentage should still be expressed
as an absolute value.

Table 1
Test Required Actual Error
Difference
Cut Length Length Percentage
Test 1 120 120 0 0%
Test 2 120 90 30 25%
Test 3 120 150 -30 -25%
=D36-E36
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ABS Page 32 of

Table 2 shows the same data but using the =ABS() function to correct the calculations.

Table 2
Test Required Actual Error
Difference
Cut Length Length Percentage
Test 1 120 120 0 0%
Test 2 120 90 30 25%
Test 3 120 150 30 25%
=ABS(D45-E45)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ADDRESS Page 33 of

ADDRESS
Type a column number : 2
Type a row number : 3
Type a sheet name : Hello

$B$3 =ADDRESS(F4,F3,1,TRUE)
B$3 =ADDRESS(F4,F3,2,TRUE)
$B3 =ADDRESS(F4,F3,3,TRUE)
B3 =ADDRESS(F4,F3,4,TRUE)

R3C2 =ADDRESS(F4,F3,1,FALSE)
R3C[2] =ADDRESS(F4,F3,2,FALSE)
R[3]C2 =ADDRESS(F4,F3,3,FALSE)
R[3]C[2] =ADDRESS(F4,F3,4,FALSE)

Hello.$B$3 =ADDRESS(F4,F3,1,TRUE,F5)
Hello.B$3 =ADDRESS(F4,F3,2,TRUE,F5)
Hello.$B3 =ADDRESS(F4,F3,3,TRUE,F5)
Hello.B3 =ADDRESS(F4,F3,4,TRUE,F5)

What Does It Do ?
This function creates a cell reference as a piece of text, based on a row and column
numbers given by the user.
This type of function is used in macros rather than on the actual worksheet.

Syntax
=ADDRESS(RowNumber,ColNumber,Absolute,A1orR1C1,SheetName)
The RowNumber is the normal row number from 1 to 16384.
The ColNumber is from 1 to 256, cols A to IV.
The Absolute can be 1,2,3 or 4.
When 1 the reference will be in the form $A$1, column and row absolute.
When 2 the reference will be in the form A$1, only the row absolute.
When 3 the reference will be in the form $A1, only the column absolute.
When 4 the reference will be in the form A1, neither col or row absolute.
The A1orR1C1 is either TRUE of FALSE.
When TRUE the reference will be in the form A1, the normal style for cell addresses.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ADDRESS Page 34 of

When FALSE the reference will be in the form R1C1, the alternative style of cell address.
The SheetName is a piece of text to be used as the worksheet name in the reference.
The SheetName does not actually have to exist.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley AND Page 35 of

AND
Items To Test Result
500 800 1 =AND(C4>=100,D4>=100)
500 25 0 =AND(C5>=100,D5>=100)
25 500 0 =AND(C6>=100,D6>=100)
12 1 =AND(D7>=1,D7<=52)

What Does It Do?

This function tests two or more conditions to see if they are all true.
It can be used to test that a series of numbers meet certain conditions.
It can be used to test that a number or a date falls between an upper and lower limit.
Normally the AND() function would be used in conjunction with a function such as =IF().

Syntax
=AND(Test1,Test2)
Note that there can be up to 30 possible tests.

Formatting
When used by itself it will show TRUE or FALSE.

Example 1
The following example shows a list of examination results.
The teacher wants to find the pupils who scored above average in all three exams.
The =AND() function has been used to test that each score is above the average.
The result of TRUE is shown for pupils who have scored above average in all three exams.

Name Maths English Physics Passed

Alan 80 75 85 1
Bob 50 30 40 0
Carol 60 70 50 0
David 90 85 95 1
Eric 20 30 Absent 0
Fred 40 60 80 0
Gail 10 90 80 0
Harry 80 70 60 1
Ian 30 10 20 0
Janice 10 20 30 0
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley AND Page 36 of

=AND(C38>=AVERAGE($C$29:$C$38),D38>=AVERAGE($D$29:$D$38),E38>=AVERAGE($E$29:$E$38))

Averages 47 54 60
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley AREAS Page 37 of

AREAS

Pink Name Age #NAME? =AREAS(PeopleLists)

Alan 18
Bob 17
Carol 20

Green Name Age

David 20
Eric 16
Fred 19

What Does It Do?

This function tests a range to determine whether it is a single block of data, or whether
it is a multiple selection.
If it is a single block the result will be 1.
If it is a multiple block the result will be the number of ranges selected.
The function is designed to be used in macros.

Syntax
=AREAS(RangeToTest)

Formatting
The result will be shown as a number.

Example
The example at the top of this page shows two ranges coloured pink and green.
These ranges have been given the name PeopleLists.
The =AREAS(PeopleLists) gives a result of 2 indicating that there are two separate
selections which form the PeopleLists range.

Note
To name multiple ranges the CTRL key must be used.
In the above example the pink range was selected as normal, then the Ctrl key
was held down before selecting the green range.
When a Range Name is created it will consider both Pink and Green as being one range.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley AVERAGE Page 38 of

AVERAGE
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Average
Temp 30 31 32 29 26 28 27 29 =AVERAGE(D4:J4)
Rain 0 0 0 4 6 3 1 2 =AVERAGE(D5:J5)

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Average

Temp 30 32 29 26 28 27 28.6667 =AVERAGE(D8:J8)
Rain 0 0 4 6 3 1 2.33333 =AVERAGE(D9:J9)

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Average

Temp 30 No 32 29 26 28 27 28.6667 =AVERAGE(D12:J12)
Rain 0 Reading 0 4 6 3 1 2.33333 =AVERAGE(D13:J13)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the average from a list of numbers.
If the cell is blank or contains text, the cell will not be used in the average calculation.
If the cell contains zero 0, the cell will be included in the average calculation.

Syntax
=AVERAGE(Range1,Range2,Range3... through to Range30)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Note
To calculate the average of cells which contain text or blanks use =SUM() to get the total and
then divide by the count of the entries using =COUNTA().

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Average

Temp 30 No 32 29 26 28 27 24.5714 =SUM(D31:J31)/COUNTA(D31:J31)
Rain 0 Reading 0 4 6 3 1 2 =SUM(D32:J32)/COUNTA(D32:J32)

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Average

Temp 30 32 29 26 28 27 28.6667 =SUM(D35:J35)/COUNTA(D35:J35)
Rain 0 0 4 6 3 1 2.33333 =SUM(D36:J36)/COUNTA(D36:J36)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley AVERAGE Page 39 of

Further Usage
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley BIN2DEC Page 40 of

BIN2DEC
Binary Number Decimal Equivalent
0 0 =BIN2DEC(C4)
1 1 =BIN2DEC(C5)
10 2 =BIN2DEC(C6)
11 3 =BIN2DEC(C7)
111111111 511 =BIN2DEC(C8)
1111111111 -1 =BIN2DEC(C9)
1111111110 -2 =BIN2DEC(C10)
1111111101 -3 =BIN2DEC(C11)
1000000000 -512 =BIN2DEC(C12)
11111111111 Err:502 =BIN2DEC(C13)

What Does It Do ?
This function converts a binary number to decimal.
Negative numbers are represented using two's-complement notation.

Syntax
=BIN2DEC(BinaryNumber)
The binary number has a limit of ten characters.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CEILING Page 41 of

CEILING
Number Raised Up
2.1 3 =CEILING(C4,1)
1.5 2 =CEILING(C5,1)
1.9 2 =CEILING(C6,1)
20 30 =CEILING(C7,30)
25 30 =CEILING(C8,30)
40 60 =CEILING(C9,30)

What Does It Do ?
This function rounds a number up to the nearest multiple specified by the user.

Syntax
=CEILING(ValueToRound,MultipleToRoundUpTo)
The ValueToRound can be a cell address or a calculation.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example 1
The following table was used by a estate agent renting holiday apartments.
The properties being rented are only available on a weekly basis.
When the customer supplies the number of days required in the property the =CEILING()
function rounds it up by a multiple of 7 to calculate the number of full weeks to be billed.

Days To
Days Required Be Billed
Customer 1 3 7 =CEILING(D28,7)
Customer 2 4 7 =CEILING(D29,7)
Customer 3 10 14 =CEILING(D30,7)

Example 2
The following table was used by a builders merchant delivering products to a construction site.
The merchant needs to hire trucks to move each product.
Each product needs a particular type of truck of a fixed capacity.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CEILING Page 42 of

Table 1 calculates the number of trucks required by dividing the Units To Be Moved by
the Capacity of the truck.
This results of the division are not whole numbers, and the builder cannot hire just part
of a truck.

Table 1
Units To Truck Trucks
Item Be Moved Capacity Needed
Bricks 1000 300 3.33 =D45/E45
Wood 5000 600 8.33 =D46/E46
Cement 2000 350 5.71 =D47/E47

Table 2 shows how the =CEILING() function has been used to round up the result of
the division to a whole number, and thus given the exact amount of trucks needed.

Table 2
Units To Truck Trucks
Item Be Moved Capacity Needed
Bricks 1000 300 4 =CEILING(D54/E54,1)
Wood 5000 600 9 =CEILING(D55/E55,1)
Cement 2000 350 6 =CEILING(D56/E56,1)

Example 3
The following tables were used by a shopkeeper to calculate the selling price of an item.
The shopkeeper buys products by the box.
The cost of the item is calculated by dividing the Box Cost by the Box Quantity.
The shopkeeper always wants the price to end in 99 pence.

Table 1 shows how just a normal division results in varying Item Costs.

Table 1
Item Box Qnty Box Cost Cost Per Item
Plugs 11 £20 1.81818 =D69/C69
Sockets 7 £18.25 2.60714 =D70/C70
Junctions 5 £28.10 5.62000 =D71/C71
Adapters 16 £28 1.75000 =D72/C72
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CEILING Page 43 of

Table 2 shows how the =CEILING() function has been used to raise the Item Cost to
always end in 99 pence.

Table 2
Item In Box Box Cost Cost Per Item Raised Cost
Plugs 11 £20 1.81818 1.99
Sockets 7 £18.25 2.60714 2.99
Junctions 5 £28.10 5.62000 5.99
Adapters 16 £28 1.75000 1.99
=INT(E83)+CEILING(MOD(E83,1),0.99)

Explanation
=INT(E83) Calculates the integer part of the price.
=MOD(E83,1) Calculates the decimal part of the price.
=CEILING(MOD(E83),0.99) Raises the decimal to 0.99
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CELL Page 44 of

CELL
This is the cell and contents to test. 17.50%

The cell address. $D$3 =CELL("address",D3)

The column number. 4 =CELL("col",D3)
The row number. 3 =CELL("row",D3)
The actual contents of the cell. 0.175 =CELL("contents",D3)

The type of entry in the cell. v =CELL("type",D3)

Shown as b for blank, l for text, v for value.
The alignment of the cell.
Shown as ' for left, ^ for centre, " for right. =CELL("prefix",D3)
Nothing is shown for numeric entries.
The width of the cell. 12 =CELL("width",D3)
The number format fo the cell.
P2 =CELL("format",D3)
(See the table shown below)

Formatted for braces ( ) on positive values. 0 =CELL("parentheses",D3)

1 for yes, 0 for no.
Formatted for coloured negatives. 0 =CELL("color",D3)
1 for yes, 0 for no.
The type of cell protection.
1 =CELL("protect",D3)
1 for a locked, 0 for unlocked.
The filename containing the cell. 'file:///conversion/tmp/activity_task_scratch/539520658.xlsx'#$CELL
=CELL("filename",D3)
What Does It Do ?
This function examines a cell and displays information about the contents, position and formatting.

Syntax
=CELL("TypeOfInfoRequired",CellToTest)
The TypeOfInfoRequired is a text entry which must be surrounded with quotes " ".

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Codes used to show the formatting of the cell.

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CELL Page 45 of

Numeric Format Code

General G
0 F0
#,##0 ,0
0.00 F2
#,##0.00 ,2
$#,##0_);($#,##0) C0
$#,##0_);[Red]($#,##0) C0-
$#,##0.00_);($#,##0.00) C2
$#,##0.00_);[Red]($#,##0.00) C2-
0% P0
0.00% P2
0.00E+00 S2
# ?/? or # ??/?? G
m/d/yy or m/d/yy h:mm or mm/dd/yy. D4
d-mmm-yy or dd-mmm-yy D1
d-mmm or dd-mmm D2
mmm-yy D3
mm/dd D5
h:mm AM/PM D7
h:mm:ss AM/PM D6
h:mm D9
h:mm:ss D8

Example
The following example uses the =CELL() function as part of a formula which extracts the filename.

The name of the current file is : #VALUE!

=MID(CELL("filename"),FIND("[",CELL("filename"))+1,FIND("]",CELL("filename"))-FIND("[",CELL("filename"))-1)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CHAR Page 46 of

CHAR
ANSI Number Character
65 A =CHAR(G4)
66 B =CHAR(G5)
169 � =CHAR(G6)

What Does It Do?

This function converts a normal number to the character it represent in the ANSI
character set used by Windows.

Syntax
=CHAR(Number)
The Number must be between 1 and 255.

Formatting
The result will be a character with no special formatting.

Example
The following is a list of all 255 numbers and the characters they represent.
Note that most Windows based program may not display some of the special characters,
these will be displayed as a small box.

1 26 51 3 76 L 101 e 126 ~ 151 � 176 � 201 � 226 � 251 �

2 27 52 4 77 M 102 f 127  152 � 177 � 202 � 227 � 252 �
3 28 53 5 78 N 103 g 128 � 153 � 178 � 203 � 228 � 253 �
4 29 54 6 79 O 104 h 129 � 154 � 179 � 204 � 229 � 254 �
5 30 55 7 80 P 105 i 130 � 155 � 180 � 205 � 230 � 255 �
6 31 56 8 81 Q 106 j 131 � 156 � 181 � 206 � 231 �
7 32 57 9 82 R 107 k 132 � 157 � 182 � 207 � 232 �
8 33 ! 58 : 83 S 108 l 133 � 158 � 183 � 208 � 233 �
9 34 " 59 ; 84 T 109 m 134 � 159 � 184 � 209 � 234 �
10 35 # 60 < 85 U 110 n 135 � 160 � 185 � 210 � 235 �
11 36 $ 61 = 86 V 111 o 136 � 161 � 186 � 211 � 236 �
12 37 % 62 > 87 W 112 p 137 � 162 � 187 � 212 � 237 �
13 38 & 63 ? 88 X 113 q 138 � 163 � 188 � 213 � 238 �
14 39 ' 64 @ 89 Y 114 r 139 � 164 � 189 � 214 � 239 �
15 40 ( 65 A 90 Z 115 s 140 � 165 � 190 � 215 � 240 �
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CHAR Page 47 of

16 41 ) 66 B 91 [ 116 t 141 � 166 � 191 � 216 � 241 �

17 42 * 67 C 92 \ 117 u 142 � 167 � 192 � 217 � 242 �
18 43 + 68 D 93 ] 118 v 143 � 168 � 193 � 218 � 243 �
19 44 , 69 E 94 ^ 119 w 144 � 169 � 194 � 219 � 244 �
20 45 - 70 F 95 _ 120 x 145 � 170 � 195 � 220 � 245 �
21 46 . 71 G 96 ` 121 y 146 � 171 � 196 � 221 � 246 �
22 47 / 72 H 97 a 122 z 147 � 172 � 197 � 222 � 247 �
23 48 0 73 I 98 b 123 { 148 � 173 � 198 � 223 � 248 �
24 49 1 74 J 99 c 124 | 149 � 174 � 199 � 224 � 249 �
25 50 2 75 K 100 d 125 } 150 � 175 � 200 � 225 � 250 �

Note
Number 32 does not show as it is the SPACEBAR character.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CHOOSE Page 48 of

CHOOSE

Index
Value Result
1 Alan =CHOOSE(C4,"Alan","Bob","Carol")
3 Carol =CHOOSE(C5,"Alan","Bob","Carol")
2 Bob =CHOOSE(C6,"Alan","Bob","Carol")
3 18% =CHOOSE(C7,10%,15%,18%)
1 10% =CHOOSE(C8,10%,15%,18%)
2 15% =CHOOSE(C9,10%,15%,18%)

What Does It Do?

This function picks from a list of options based upon an Index value given to by the user.

Syntax
=CHOOSE(UserValue, Item1, Item2, Item3 through to Item29)

Formatting
No special formatting is required.

Example
The following table was used to calculate the medals for athletes taking part in a race.
The Time for each athlete is entered.
The =RANK() function calculates the finishing position of each athlete.
The =CHOOSE() then allocates the correct medal.
The =IF() has been used to filter out any positions above 3, as this would cause
the error of #VALUE to appear, due to the fact the =CHOOSE() has only three items in it.

Name Time Position Medal

Alan 1:30 2 Silver =IF(D30<=3,CHOOSE(D30,"Gold","Silver","Bronze"),"unplaced")
Bob 1:15 4 unplaced =IF(D31<=3,CHOOSE(D31,"Gold","Silver","Bronze"),"unplaced")
Carol 2:45 1 Gold =IF(D32<=3,CHOOSE(D32,"Gold","Silver","Bronze"),"unplaced")
David 1:05 5 unplaced =IF(D33<=3,CHOOSE(D33,"Gold","Silver","Bronze"),"unplaced")
Eric 1:20 3 Bronze =IF(D34<=3,CHOOSE(D34,"Gold","Silver","Bronze"),"unplaced")
=RANK(C34,C30:C34)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CLEAN Page 49 of

CLEAN
Dirty Text Clean Text
Hello Hello =CLEAN(C4)
He_x0007_llHe_x0007_llo =CLEAN(C5)
_x0007_Hell
_x0007_Hello_x0007_
=CLEAN(C6)

What Does It Do?

This function removes any nonprintable characters from text.
These nonprinting characters are often found in data which has been imported
from other systems such as database imports from mainframes.

Syntax
=CLEAN(TextToBeCleaned)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed. The result will show as normal text.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CODE Page 50 of

CODE
Letter ANSI Code
A 65 =CODE(C4)
B 66 =CODE(C5)
C 67 =CODE(C6)
a 97 =CODE(C7)
b 98 =CODE(C8)
c 99 =CODE(C9)
Alan 65 =CODE(C10)
Bob 66 =CODE(C11)
Carol 67 =CODE(C12)

What Does It Do?

This function shows the ANSI value of a single character, or the first character in a piece
of text.
The ANSI character set is used by Windows to identify each keyboard character by using
a unique number.
There are 255 characters in the ANSI set.

Syntax
=CODE(Text)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed, the result will be shown as a number between 1 and 255.

Example
See the example for FREQUENCY.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley COMBIN Page 51 of

COMBIN
Pool Of Items Items In A Group Possible Groups
4 2 6 =COMBIN(C4,D4)
4 3 4 =COMBIN(C5,D5)
26 2 325 =COMBIN(C6,D6)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the highest number of combinations available based upon
a fixed number of items.
The internal order of the combination does not matter, so AB is the same as BA.

Syntax
=COMBIN(HowManyItems,GroupSize)

Formatting
No special formatting is required.

Example 1
This example calculates the possible number of pairs of letters available
from the four characters ABCD.

Total Characters Group Size Combinations

4 2 6 =COMBIN(C25,D25)

The proof ! The four letters : ABCD

Pair 1 AB
Pair 2 AC
Pair 3 AD
Pair 4 BC
Pair 5 BD
Pair 6 CD

Example 2
A decorator is asked to design a colour scheme for a new office.
The decorator is given five colours to work with, but can only use three in any scheme.
How many colours schemes can be created ?
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley COMBIN Page 52 of

Available Colours Colours Per Scheme Totals Schemes

5 3 10 =COMBIN(C41,D41)

The colours
Red
Green
Blue
Yellow
Black

Scheme 1 Scheme 2 Scheme 3 Scheme 4 Scheme 5

Red Red Red Red Red
Green Green Green Blue Blue
Blue Yellow Black Yellow Black

Scheme 6 Scheme 7 Scheme 8 Scheme 9 Scheme 10

Green Green Green Blue ??????
Blue Blue Yellow Yellow
Yellow Black Black Black
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CONCATENATE Page 53 of

CONCATENATE
Name 1 Name 2 Concatenated Text
Alan Jones AlanJones =CONCATENATE(C4,D4)
Bob Williams BobWilliams =CONCATENATE(C5,D5)
Carol Davies CarolDavies =CONCATENATE(C6,D6)
Alan Jones Alan Jones =CONCATENATE(C7," ",D7)
Bob Williams Williams, Bob =CONCATENATE(D8,", ",C8)
Carol Davies Davies, Carol =CONCATENATE(D9,", ",C9)

What Does It Do?

This function joins separate pieces of text into one item.

Syntax
=CONCATENATE(Text1,Text2,Text3...Text30)
Up to thirty pieces of text can be joined.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed, the result will be shown as normal text.

Note
You can achieve the same result by using the & operator.

Name 1 Name 2 Concatenated Text

Alan Jones AlanJones =C25&D25
Bob Williams BobWilliams =C26&D26
Carol Davies CarolDavies =C27&D27
Alan Jones Alan Jones =C28&" "&D28
Bob Williams Williams, Bob =D29&", "&C29
Carol Davies Davies, Carol =D30&", "&C30
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CONVERT Page 54 of

CONVERT
Converte
Amount Converting Converting d
To Convert From To Amount
1 in cm 2.54 =CONVERT(C4,D4,E4)
1 ft m 0.3048 =CONVERT(C5,D5,E5)
1 yd m 0.9144 =CONVERT(C6,D6,E6)

1 yr day 365.25 =CONVERT(C8,D8,E8)

1 day hr 24 =CONVERT(C9,D9,E9)
1.5 hr mn 90 =CONVERT(C10,D10,E10)
0.5 mn sec 30 =CONVERT(C11,D11,E11)

What Does It Do ?
This function converts a value measure in one type of unit, to the same value expressed
in a different type of unit, such as Inches to Centimetres.

Syntax
=CONVERT(AmountToConvert,UnitToConvertFrom,UnitToConvertTo)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used by an Import / Exporting company to convert the weight
and size of packages from old style UK measuring system to European system.

Pounds Ounces Kilograms

Weight 5 3 2.35301
=CONVERT(D28,"lbm","kg")+CONVERT(E28,"ozm","kg")

Feet Inches Metres

Height 12 6 3.81
Length 8 3 2.5146
Width 5 2 1.5748
=CONVERT(D34,"ft","m")+CONVERT(E34,"in","m")

Abbreviations
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CONVERT Page 55 of

This is a list of all the possible abbreviations which can be used to denote measuring systems.

Weight & Mass Distance

Gram g Meter m
Kilogram kg Statute mile mi
Slug sg Nautical mile Nmi
Pound mass lbm Inch in
U (atomic mass) u Foot ft
Ounce mass ozm Yard yd
Angstrom ang
Time Pica (1/72 in.) Pica
Year yr
Day day Pressure
Hour hr Pascal Pa
Minute mn Atmosphere atm
Second sec mm of Mercury mmHg

Temperature Liquid
Degree Celsius C Teaspoon tsp
Degree Fahrenheit F Tablespoon tbs
Degree Kelvin K Fluid ounce oz
Cup cup
Force Pint pt
Newton N Quart qt
Dyne dyn Gallon gal
Pound force lbf Liter l

Energy Power
Joule J Horsepower HP
Erg e Watt W
Thermodynamic
calorie c
IT calorie cal Magnetism
Electron volt eV Tesla T
Horsepower-hour HPh Gauss ga
Watt-hour Wh
Foot-pound flb
BTU BTU
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CONVERT Page 56 of

These characters can be used as a prefix to access further units of measure.

Using "c" as a prefix to meters "m" will allow centimetres "cm" to be calculated.

Prefix Multiplier Abbreviation Prefix Multiplier Abbreviation

exa 1.00E+18 E deci 1.00E-01 d
peta 1.00E+15 P centi 1.00E-02 c
tera 1.00E+12 T milli 1.00E-03 m
giga 1.00E+09 G micro 1.00E-06 u
mega 1.00E+06 M nano 1.00E-09 n
kilo 1.00E+03 k pico 1.00E-12 p
hecto 1.00E+02 h femto 1.00E-15 f
dekao 1.00E+01 e atto 1.00E-18 a
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley CORREL Page 57 of

CORREL
Table 1 Table 2

Air Cond Advertising

Month Avg Temp Sales Costs Sales
Jan 20 100 £2,000 £20,000
Feb 30 200 £1,000 £30,000
Mar 30 300 £5,000 £20,000
Apr 40 200 £1,000 £40,000
May 50 400 £8,000 £40,000
Jun 50 400 £1,000 £20,000

Correlation 0.864 Correlation 28%

=CORREL(D5:D10,E5:E10) =CORREL(G5:G10,H5:H10)

What Does It Do ?
This function examines two sets of data to determine the degree of relationship
between the two sets.
The result will be a decimal between 0 and 1.
The larger the result, the greater the correlation.

In Table 1 the Monthly temperature is compared against the Sales of air conditioning units.
The correlation shows that there is an 0.864 realtionship between the data.

In Table 2 the Cost of advertising has been compared to Sales.

It can be formatted as percentage % to show a more meaning full result.
The correlation shows that there is an 28% realtionship between the data.

Syntax
=CORREL(Range1,Range2)

Formatting
The result will normally be shown in decimal format.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley COUNT Page 58 of

COUNT
Entries To Be Counted Count
10 20 30 3 =COUNT(C4:E4)
10 0 30 3 =COUNT(C5:E5)
10 -20 30 3 =COUNT(C6:E6)
10 1-Jan-88 30 3 =COUNT(C7:E7)
10 21:30 30 3 =COUNT(C8:E8)
10 0.951883 30 3 =COUNT(C9:E9)
10 30 2 =COUNT(C10:E10)
10 Hello 30 2 =COUNT(C11:E11)
10 #DIV/0! 30 2 =COUNT(C12:E12)

What Does It Do ?
This function counts the number of numeric entries in a list.
It will ignore blanks, text and errors.

Syntax
=COUNT(Range1,Range2,Range3... through to Range30)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used by a builders merchant to calculate the number of sales
for various products in each month.

Item Jan Feb Mar

Bricks £1,000
Wood £5,000
Glass £2,000 £1,000
Metal £1,000
Count 3 2 0
=COUNT(D29:D32)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley COUNTA Page 59 of

COUNTA
Entries To Be Counted Count
10 20 30 3 =COUNTA(C4:E4)
10 0 30 3 =COUNTA(C5:E5)
10 -20 30 3 =COUNTA(C6:E6)
10 1-Jan-88 30 3 =COUNTA(C7:E7)
10 21:30 30 3 =COUNTA(C8:E8)
10 0.977086 30 3 =COUNTA(C9:E9)
10 30 2 =COUNTA(C10:E10)
10 Hello 30 3 =COUNTA(C11:E11)
10 #DIV/0! 30 3 =COUNTA(C12:E12)

What Does It Do ?
This function counts the number of numeric or text entries in a list.
It will ignore blanks.

Syntax
=COUNTA(Range1,Range2,Range3... through to Range30)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used by a school to keep track of the examinations taken by each pupil.
Each exam passed was graded as 1, 2 or 3.
A failure was entered as Fail.

The school needed to known how many pupils sat each exam.
The school also needed to know how many exams were taken by each pupil.

The =COUNTA() function has been used because of its ability to count text and numeric entries.

Maths English Art History Exams Taken

By Each Pupil
Alan Fail 1 2
Bob 2 1 3 3
Carol 1 1 1 3
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley COUNTA Page 60 of

David Fail Fail 2

Elaine 1 3 2 Fail 4
=COUNTA(D39:G39)
How many pupils sat each Exam.
Maths English Art History
4 3 5 2
=COUNTA(D35:D39)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley COUNTBLANK Page 61 of

COUNTBLANK
Range To Test Blanks
1 2 =COUNTBLANK(C4:C11)
Hello
3
0

1-Jan-98

What Does It Do ?
This function counts the number of blank cells in a range.

Syntax
=COUNTBLANK(RangeToTest)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used by a company which was balloting its workers on whether
the company should have a no smoking policy.
Each of the departments in the various factories were questioned.
The response to the question could be Y or N.
As the results of the vote were collated they were entered in to the table.
The =COUNTBLANK() function has been used to calculate the number of departments which
have no yet registered a vote.

Admin Accounts Production Personnel

Factory 1 Y N
Factory 2 Y Y N
Factory 3
Factory 4 N N N
Factory 5 Y Y
Factory 6 Y Y Y N
Factory 7 N Y
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley COUNTBLANK Page 62 of

Factory 8 N N Y Y
Factory 9 Y
Factory 10 Y N Y

Votes not vet registered : 16 =COUNTBLANK(C32:F41)

Votes for Yes : 14 =COUNTIF(C32:F41,"Y")

Votes for No : 10 =COUNTIF(C32:F41,"N")

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley COUNTIF Page 63 of

COUNTIF
Item Date Cost
Brakes 1-Jan-98 80
Tyres 10-May-98 25
Brakes 1-Feb-98 80
Service 1-Mar-98 150
Service 5-Jan-98 300
Window 1-Jun-98 50
Tyres 1-Apr-98 200
Tyres 1-Mar-98 100
Clutch 1-May-98 250

How many Brake Shoes Have been bought. 2 =COUNTIF(C4:C12,"Brakes")

How many Tyres have been bought. 3 =COUNTIF(C4:C12,"Tyres")
How many items cost £100 or above. 5 =COUNTIF(E4:E12,">=100")

Type the name of the item to count. service 2 =COUNTIF(C4:C12,E18)

What Does It Do ?
This function counts the number of items which match criteria set by the user.

Syntax
=COUNTIF(RangeOfThingsToBeCounted,CriteriaToBeMatched)
The criteria can be typed in any of the following ways.
To match a specific number type the number, such as =COUNTIF(A1:A5, 100)
To match a piece of text type the text in quotes, such as =COUNTIF(A1:A5, "Hello")
To match using operators surround the expression with quotes, such as =COUNTIF(A1:A5, ">100")

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DATE Page 64 of

DATE
Day Month Year Date
25 12 99 12/25/99 =DATE(E4,D4,C4)
25 12 99 25-Dec-99 =DATE(E5,D5,C5)
33 12 99 January 2, 2000 =DATE(E6,D6,C6)

What Does It Do?

This function creates a real date by using three normal numbers typed into separate cells.

Syntax
=DATE(year,month,day)

Formatting
The result will normally be displayed in the dd/mm/yy format.
By using the Format,Cells,Number,Date command the format can be changed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DATEDIF Page 65 of

DATEDIF
FirstDate SecondDate Interval Difference
1-Jan-60 10-May-70 days 3782 =DATEDIF(C4,D4,"d")
1-Jan-60 10-May-70 months 124 =DATEDIF(C5,D5,"m")
1-Jan-60 10-May-70 years 10 =DATEDIF(C6,D6,"y")
1-Jan-60 10-May-70 yeardays 130 =DATEDIF(C7,D7,"yd")
1-Jan-60 10-May-70 yearmonths 4 =DATEDIF(C8,D8,"ym")
1-Jan-60 10-May-70 monthdays 9 =DATEDIF(C9,D9,"md")

What Does It Do?

This function calculates the difference between two dates.
It can show the result in weeks, months or years.

Syntax
=DATEDIF(FirstDate,SecondDate,"Interval")
FirstDate : This is the earliest of the two dates.
SecondDate : This is the most recent of the two dates.
"Interval" : This indicates what you want to calculate.
These are the available intervals.
"d" Days between the two dates.
"m" Months between the two dates.
"y" Years between the two dates.
"yd" Days between the dates, as if the dates were in the same year.
"ym" Months between the dates, as if the dates were in the same year.
"md" Days between the two dates, as if the dates were in the same month and year.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Birth date : 1-Jan-60

Years lived : 61 =DATEDIF(C8,TODAY(),"y")

and the months 8 =DATEDIF(C8,TODAY(),"ym")
and the days : 2 =DATEDIF(C8,TODAY(),"md")
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DATEDIF Page 66 of

You can put this all together in one calculation, which creates a text version.
Age is 61 Years, 8 Months and 2 Days
="Age is "&DATEDIF(C8,TODAY(),"y")&" Years, "&DATEDIF(C8,TODAY(),"ym")&" Months and "&DATEDIF(C8,TODAY(),"md")&" Days"
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DATEVALUE Page 67 of

DATEVALUE
Date Date Value
25-dec-99 36519 =DATEVALUE(C4)
25/12/99 Err:502 =DATEVALUE(C5)
25-dec-99 36519 =DATEVALUE(C6)
25/12/99 Err:502 =DATEVALUE(C7)

What Does It Do?

The function is used to convert a piece of text into a date which can be used in calculations.
Dates expressed as text are often created when data is imported from other programs, such as
exports from mainframe computers.

Syntax
=DATEVALUE(text)

Formatting
The result will normally be shown as a number which represents the date. This number can
be formatted to any of the normal date formats by using Format,Cells,Number,Date.

Example
The example uses the =DATEVALUE and the =TODAY functions to calculate the number of
days remaining on a property lease.

The =DATEVALUE function was used because the date has been entered in the cell as
a piece of text, probably after being imported from an external program.

Days Until
Property Ref. Expiry Date Expiry
BC100 25-dec-99 4/21/1878
FG700 10-july/99 Err:502
TD200 13-sep-98 1/8/1877
HJ900 30/5/2000 Err:502
=DATEVALUE(E32)-TODAY()
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DAVERAGE Page 68 of

DAVERAGE
This is the Database range.
Life Unit Box Boxes In Value Of
Product Wattage Hours Brand Cost Quantity Stock Stock
Bulb 200 3000 Horizon £4.50 4 3 £54.00
Neon 100 2000 Horizon £2.00 15 2 £60.00
Spot 60 £0.00
Other 10 8000 Sunbeam £0.80 25 6 £120.00
Bulb 80 1000 Horizon £0.20 40 3 £24.00
Spot 100 unknown Horizon £1.25 10 4 £50.00
Spot 200 3000 Horizon £2.50 15 0 £0.00
Other 25 unknown Sunbeam £0.50 10 3 £15.00
Bulb 200 3000 Sunbeam £5.00 3 2 £30.00
Neon 100 2000 Sunbeam £1.80 20 5 £180.00
Bulb 100 unknown Sunbeam £0.25 10 5 £12.50
Bulb 10 800 Horizon £0.20 25 2 £10.00
Bulb 60 1000 Sunbeam £0.15 25 0 £0.00
Bulb 80 1000 Sunbeam £0.20 30 2 £12.00
Bulb 100 2000 Horizon £0.80 10 5 £40.00
Bulb 40 1000 Horizon £0.10 20 5 £10.00

To calculate the Average cost of a particular Brand of bulb.

Brand These two cells are the Criteria range.

Type the brand name : sunbeam

he Average cost of sunbeam is : £1.24 =DAVERAGE(B3:I19,F3,E23:E24)

What Does It Do ?
This function examines a list of information and produces and average.

Syntax
=DAVERAGE(DatabaseRange,FieldName,CriteriaRange)
The DatabaseRange is the entire list of information you need to examine, including the
field names at the top of the columns.
The FieldName is the name, or cell, of the values to be averaged, such as "Unit Cost" or F3.
The CriteriaRange is made up of two types of information.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DAVERAGE Page 69 of

The first set of information is the name, or names, of the Fields(s) to be used as the basis
for selecting the records, such as the category Brand or Wattage.
The second set of information is the actual record, or records, which are to be selected, such
as Horizon as a brand name, or 100 as the wattage.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Examples

The average Unit Cost of a particular Product of a particular Brand.

Product Brand
Bulb Horizon

The average of Horizon Bulb is : £1.16 =DAVERAGE(B3:I19,F3,E49:F50)

This is the same calculation but using the actual name "Unit Cost" instead of the cell address.

£1.16 =DAVERAGE(B3:I19,"Unit Cost",E49:F50)

The average Unit Cost of a Bulb equal to a particular Wattage.

Product Wattage
Bulb 100

Average of Bulb 100 is : £0.53 =DAVERAGE(B3:I19,"Unit Cost",E60:F61)

The average Unit Cost of a Bulb less then a particular Wattage.

Product Wattage
Bulb <100

Average of Bulb <100 is : £0.17 =DAVERAGE(B3:I19,"Unit Cost",E67:F68)

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DAY Page 70 of

DAY
Full Date The Day
25-Dec-98 25 =DAY(C4)
3-Sep-21 Tue 2 =DAY(C5)
3-Sep-21 3 =DAY(C6)

What Does It Do?

This function extracts the day of the month from a complete date.

Syntax
=DAY(value)

Formatting
Normally the result will be a number, but this can be formatted to show the actual
day of the week by using Format,Cells,Number,Custom and using the code ddd or dddd.

Example
The =DAY function has been used to calculate the name of the day for your birthday.

Please enter your date of birth in the format dd/mm/yy : 3/25/1962

You were born on : Wednesday 24 =DAY(F21)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DAYS360 Page 71 of

DAYS360
StartDate EndDate Days Between * See the Note below.
1-Jan-98 5-Jan-98 4 =DAYS360(C4,D4,TRUE)
1-Jan-98 1-Feb-98 30 =DAYS360(C5,D5,TRUE)
1-Jan-98 31-Mar-98 89 =DAYS360(C6,D6,TRUE)
1-Jan-98 31-Dec-98 359 =DAYS360(C7,D7,TRUE)

What Does It Do?

Shows the number of days between two dates based on a 360-day year (twelve 30-day months).
Use this function if your accounting system is based on twelve 30-day months.

Syntax
=DAYS360(StartDate,EndDate,TRUE of FALSE)
TRUE : Use this for European accounting systems.
FALSE : Use this for USA accounting systems.

Formatting
The result will be shown as a number.

Note
The calculation does not include the last day. The result of using 1-Jan-98 and 5-Jan-98 will
give a result of 4. To correct this add 1 to the result. =DAYS360(Start,End,TRUE)+1
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DB Page 72 of

DB
Purchase Price : £5,000
Life in Years : 5
Salvage value : £200

Year Deprecation
1 £2,375.00 =DB(E3,E5,E4,D8)
2 £1,246.88 =DB(E3,E5,E4,D9)
3 £654.61 =DB(E3,E5,E4,D10)
4 £343.67 =DB(E3,E5,E4,D11)
5 £180.43 =DB(E3,E5,E4,D12)

Total Depreciation : £4,800.58 * See example 4 below.

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates deprecation based upon a fixed percentage.
The first year is depreciated by the fixed percentage.
The second year uses the same percentage, but uses the original value of the item less
the first years depreciation.
Any subsequent years use the same percentage, using the original value of the item less
the depreciation of the previous years.
The percentage used in the depreciation is not set by the user, the function calculates
the necessary percentage, which will be vary based upon the values inputted by the user.

An additional feature of this function is the ability to take into account when the item was
originally purchased.
If the item was purchased part way through the financial year, the first years depreciation
will be based on the remaining part of the year.

Syntax
=DB(PurchasePrice,SalvageValue,Life,PeriodToCalculate,FirstYearMonth)
The FirstYearMonth is the month in which the item was purchased during the
first financial year. This is an optional value, if it not used the function will assume 12 as
the value.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DB Page 73 of

Example 1
This example shows the percentage used in the depreciation.
Year 1 depreciation is based upon the original Purchase Price alone.
Year 2 depreciation is based upon the original Purchase Price minus Year 1 deprecation.
Year 3 deprecation is based upon original Purchase Price minus Year 1 + Year 2 deprecation.
The % Deprc has been calculated purely to demonstrate what % is being used.

Purchase Price : £5,000

Salvage value : £1,000
Life in Years : 5

Year Deprecation % Deprc

1 £1,375.00 27.50%
2 £996.88 27.50%
3 £722.73 27.50%
4 £523.98 27.50%
5 £379.89 27.50%
=DB(E47,E48,E49,D56)

Total Depreciation : £3,998.48

Example 2
This example is similar to the previous, with the exception of the deprecation being calculated
on a monthly basis. This has been done by multiplying the years by 12.

Purchase Price : £5,000

Life in Years : £5
Salvage value : 100

Month Deprecation
56 £8.79
57 £8.24
58 £7.72
59 £7.23
60 £6.78
=DB(E66,E68,E67*12,D75)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DB Page 74 of

Example 3
This example shows how the length of the first years ownership has been taken into account.

Purchase Price : £5,000

Life in Years : 5
Salvage value : £1,000
First Year Ownership In Months : 6

Year Deprecation % Deprc

1 £687.50 13.75%
2 £1,185.94 27.50%
3 £859.80 27.50%
4 £623.36 27.50%
5 £451.93 27.50%
=DB(E74,E76,E75,D84,E77)

Total Depreciation : £3,808.54

Why Is The Answer Wrong ?

In all of the examples above the total depreceation may not be exactly the expected value.
This is due to the way in which the percentage value for the depreceation has been calculated
by the =DB() fumction.
The percentage rate is calculated by Execl using the formula = 1 - ((salvage / cost) ^ (1 / life)).
The result of this calculation is then rounded to three decimal places.
Although this rounding may only make a minor change to the percentage rate, when applied
to large values, the differnce is compounded resulting in what could be considered as
approximate values for the the depreceation.

Example 4
This example has been created with both the Excel calculated percentage and the 'real'
percentage calculated manually.
The Excel Deprecation uses the =DB() function.
The Real Deprecation uses a manual calculation.

This is the 'real' deprecation percentage, calculated manually : 27.522034%

=1-((E117/E116)^(1/E118))
Purchase Price : £5,000 = 1 - ((salvage / cost) ^ (1 / life)).
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DB Page 75 of

Salvage value : £1,000

Life in Years : 5

Excel Real Excel

Year Deprecation Depreciation % Deprc
1 £1,375.0000 £1,376.1017 27.500%
2 £996.8750 £997.3705 27.500%
3 £722.7344 £722.8739 27.500%
4 £523.9824 £523.9243 27.500%
5 £379.8873 £379.7297 27.500%

Total Depreciation : £3,998.48 £4,000.00

Error difference : £1.52

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DCOUNT Page 76 of

DCOUNT
This is the Database range.
Life Unit Box Boxes In Value Of
Product Wattage Hours Brand Cost Quantity Stock Stock
Bulb 200 3000 Horizon £4.50 4 3 £54.00
Neon 100 2000 Horizon £2.00 15 2 £60.00
Spot 60 £0.00
Other 10 8000 Sunbeam £0.80 25 6 £120.00
Bulb 80 1000 Horizon £0.20 40 3 £24.00
Spot 100 unknown Horizon £1.25 10 4 £50.00
Spot 200 3000 Horizon £2.50 15 1 £37.50
Other 25 unknown Sunbeam £0.50 10 3 £15.00
Bulb 200 3000 Sunbeam £5.00 3 2 £30.00
Neon 100 2000 Sunbeam £1.80 20 5 £180.00
Bulb 100 unknown Sunbeam £0.25 10 5 £12.50
Bulb 10 800 Horizon £0.20 25 2 £10.00
Bulb 60 1000 Sunbeam £0.15 25 1 £3.75
Bulb 80 1000 Sunbeam £0.20 30 2 £12.00
Bulb 100 2000 Horizon £0.80 10 5 £40.00
Bulb 40 1000 Horizon £0.10 20 5 £10.00

Count the number of products of a particular Brand which have a Life Hours rating.

Brand These two cells are the Criteria range.

Type the brand name : Horizon

The COUNT value of Horizon is : 7 =DCOUNT(B3:I19,D3,E23:E24)

What Does It Do ?
This function examines a list of information and counts the values in a specified column.
It can only count values, the text items and blank cells are ignored.

Syntax
=DCOUNT(DatabaseRange,FieldName,CriteriaRange)
The DatabaseRange is the entire list of information you need to examine, including the
field names at the top of the columns.
The FieldName is the name, or cell, of the values to Count, such as "Value Of Stock" or I3.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DCOUNT Page 77 of

The CriteriaRange is made up of two types of information.

The first set of information is the name, or names, of the Fields(s) to be used as the basis
for selecting the records, such as the category Brand or Wattage.
The second set of information is the actual record, or records, which are to be selected, such
as Horizon as a brand name, or 100 as the wattage.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Examples

The count of a particular product, with a specific number of boxes in stock.

Boxes In
Product Stock
Bulb 5

The number of products is : 3 =DCOUNT(B3:I19,H3,E50:F51)

This is the same calculation but using the name "Boxes In Stock" instead of the cell address.

3 =DCOUNT(B3:I19,"Boxes In Stock",E50:F51)

The count of the number of Bulb products equal to a particular Wattage.

Product Wattage
Bulb 100

The count is : 2 =DCOUNT(B3:I19,"Boxes In Stock",E61:F62)

The count of Bulb products between two Wattage values.

Product Wattage Wattage

Bulb >=80 <=100

The count is : 4 =DCOUNT(B3:I19,"Boxes In Stock",E68:G69)

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DCOUNTA Page 78 of

DCOUNTA
This is the Database range.
Life Unit Box Boxes In Value Of
Product Wattage Hours Brand Cost Quantity Stock Stock
Bulb 200 3000 Horizon £4.50 4 3 £54.00
Neon 100 2000 Horizon £2.00 15 2 £60.00
Spot 60 £0.00
Other 10 8000 Sunbeam £0.80 25 6 £120.00
Bulb 80 1000 Horizon £0.20 40 3 £24.00
Spot 100 unknown Horizon £1.25 10 4 £50.00
Spot 200 3000 Horizon £2.50 15 1 £37.50
Other 25 unknown Sunbeam £0.50 10 3 £15.00
Bulb 200 3000 Sunbeam £5.00 3 2 £30.00
Neon 100 2000 Sunbeam £1.80 20 5 £180.00
Bulb 100 unknown Sunbeam £0.25 10 5 £12.50
Bulb 10 800 Horizon £0.20 25 2 £10.00
Bulb 60 1000 Sunbeam £0.15 25 1 £3.75
Bulb 80 1000 Sunbeam £0.20 30 2 £12.00
Bulb 100 2000 Horizon £0.80 10 5 £40.00
Bulb 40 1000 Horizon £0.10 20 5 £10.00

Count the number of products of a particular Brand.

Brand These two cells are the Criteria range.

Type the brand name : Horizon

The COUNT value of Horizon is : 8 =DCOUNTA(B3:I19,E3,E23:E24)

What Does It Do ?
This function examines a list of information and counts the non blank cells in a specified column.
It counts values and text items, but blank cells are ignored.

Syntax
=DCOUNTA(DatabaseRange,FieldName,CriteriaRange)
The DatabaseRange is the entire list of information you need to examine, including the
field names at the top of the columns.
The FieldName is the name, or cell, of the values to Count, such as "Value Of Stock" or I3.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DCOUNTA Page 79 of

The CriteriaRange is made up of two types of information.

The first set of information is the name, or names, of the Fields(s) to be used as the basis
for selecting the records, such as the category Brand or Wattage.
The second set of information is the actual record, or records, which are to be selected, such
as Horizon as a brand name, or 100 as the wattage.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Examples

The count of a product with an unknown Life Hours value.

Life
Product Hours
Bulb unknown

The number of products is : 1 =DCOUNTA(B3:I19,D3,E50:F51)

This is the same calculation but using the name "Life Hours" instead of the cell address.

1 =DCOUNTA(B3:I19,"Life Hours",E50:F51)

The count of the number of particular product of a specific brand.

Product Brand
Bulb Horizon

The count is : 5 =DCOUNTA(B3:I19,"Product",E61:F62)

The count of particular products from specific brands.

Product Brand
Spot Horizon
Neon Sunbeam

The count is : 3 =DCOUNTA(B3:I19,"Product",E68:F70)

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DEC2BIN Page 80 of

DEC2BIN
Decimal Number Binary Equivalent
0 0 =DEC2BIN(C4)
1 1 =DEC2BIN(C5)
2 10 =DEC2BIN(C6)
3 11 =DEC2BIN(C7)
511 111111111 =DEC2BIN(C8)
512 Err:502 =DEC2BIN(C9)
-1 1111111111 =DEC2BIN(C10)
-2 1111111110 =DEC2BIN(C11)
-3 1111111101 =DEC2BIN(C12)
-511 1000000001 =DEC2BIN(C13)
-512 1000000000 =DEC2BIN(C14)

Decimal Number Places To Pad Binary Equivalent

1 1 1 =DEC2BIN(C17,D17)
1 2 01 =DEC2BIN(C18,D18)
1 3 001 =DEC2BIN(C19,D19)
1 9 000000001 =DEC2BIN(C20,D20)
-1 1 1111111111 =DEC2BIN(C21,D21)

What Does It Do ?
This function converts a decimal number to its binary equivalent.
It can only cope with decimals ranging from -512 to 511.
The result can be padded with leading 0 zeros, although this is ignored for negatives.

Syntax
=DEC2BIN(DecimalNumber,PlacesToPad)
The PlacesToPad is optional.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DEC2HEX Page 81 of

DEC2HEX
Decimal Number Hexadecimal
0 0 =DEC2HEX(C4)
1 1 =DEC2HEX(C5)
2 2 =DEC2HEX(C6)
3 3 =DEC2HEX(C7)
25 19 =DEC2HEX(C8)
26 1A =DEC2HEX(C9)
27 1B =DEC2HEX(C10)
28 1C =DEC2HEX(C11)
-1 FFFFFFFFFF =DEC2HEX(C12)
-2 FFFFFFFFFE =DEC2HEX(C13)
-3 FFFFFFFFFD =DEC2HEX(C14)
-2 FFFFFFFFFE =DEC2HEX(C15)
-1 FFFFFFFFFF =DEC2HEX(C16)
549,755,813,887 7FFFFFFFFF =DEC2HEX(C17)
-549,755,813,888 8000000000 =DEC2HEX(C18)
549,755,813,888 8000000000 =DEC2HEX(C19)
-549,755,813,889 7FFFFFFFFF =DEC2HEX(C20)

Decimal Number Places To Pad Hexadecimal

1 1 1 =DEC2HEX(C23,D23)
1 2 01 =DEC2HEX(C24,D24)
26 3 01A =DEC2HEX(C25,D25)
26 9 00000001A =DEC2HEX(C26,D26)
-26 1 FFFFFFFFE6 =DEC2HEX(C27,D27)

What Does It Do ?
This function converts a decimal number to its hexadecimal equivalent.
It can only cope with decimals ranging from -549,755,813,888 to 549,755,813,887.
The result can be padded with leading 0 zeros, although this is ignored for negatives.

Syntax
=DEC2HEX(DecimalNumber,PlacesToPad)
The PlacesToPad is optional.

Formatting
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DEC2HEX Page 82 of

No special formatting is needed.

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DELTA Page 83 of

DELTA
Number1 Number2 Delta
10 20 0 =DELTA(C4,D4)
50 50 1 =DELTA(C5,D5)
17.5 17.5 1 =DELTA(C6,D6)
17.5 18 1 =DELTA(C7,D7)
17.50% 0.175 1 =DELTA(C8,D8)
Hello Hello #VALUE! =DELTA(C9,D9)
1 =DELTA(C10,D10)

What Does It Do ?
This function compares two values and tests whether they are exactly the same.
If the numbers are the same the result will be 1, otherwise the result is 0.
It only works with numbers, text values produce a result of #VALUE.
The formatting of the number is not significant, so numbers which appear rounded due
to the removal of decimal places will still match correctly with non rounded values.

Syntax
=DELTA(FirstNumber,SecondNumber)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table is used to determine how may pairs of similar numbers are in a list.
The =DELTA() function tests each pair and then the =SUM() function totals them.

Number1 Number2 Delta

10 20 0 =DELTA(C30,D30)
50 50 1 =DELTA(C31,D31)
30 30 1 =DELTA(C32,D32)
17.5 18 1 =DELTA(C33,D33)
12 8 0 =DELTA(C34,D34)
100 100 1 =DELTA(C35,D35)
150 125 0 =DELTA(C36,D36)
Total Pairs 4 =SUM(E30:E36)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DGET Page 84 of

DGET
This is the Database range.
Life Unit Box Boxes In Value Of
Product Wattage Hours Brand Cost Quantity Stock Stock
Bulb 200 3000 Horizon £4.50 4 3 £54.00
Neon 100 2000 Horizon £2.00 15 2 £60.00
Spot 60 £0.00
Other 10 8000 Sunbeam £0.80 25 6 £120.00
Bulb 80 1000 Horizon £0.20 40 3 £24.00
Spot 100 unknown Horizon £1.25 10 4 £50.00
Spot 200 3000 Horizon £2.50 15 1 £37.50
Other 25 unknown Sunbeam £0.50 10 3 £15.00
Bulb 200 3000 Sunbeam £5.00 3 2 £30.00
Neon 100 2000 Sunbeam £1.80 20 5 £180.00
Bulb 100 unknown Sunbeam £0.25 10 5 £12.50
Bulb 10 800 Horizon £0.20 25 2 £10.00
Bulb 60 1000 Sunbeam £0.15 25 1 £3.75
Bulb 80 1000 Sunbeam £0.20 30 2 £12.00
Bulb 100 2000 Horizon £0.80 10 5 £40.00
Bulb 40 1000 Horizon £0.10 20 5 £10.00

How many boxes of a particular item do we have in stock?

Life
Product Wattage Hours Brand
Bulb 100 Horizon

The number in stock is : 5 =DGET(B3:I19,H3,C23:F24)

What Does It Do ?
This function examines a list of information and produces one result.
If more than one record matches the criteria the error #NUM is shown.
If no records match the criteria the error #VALUE is shown.

Syntax
=DGET(DatabaseRange,FieldName,CriteriaRange)
The DatabaseRange is the entire list of information you need to examine, including the
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DGET Page 85 of

field names at the top of the columns.

The FieldName is the name, or cell, of the values to Get, such as "Value Of Stock" or I3.
The CriteriaRange is made up of two types of information.
The first set of information is the name, or names, of the Fields(s) to be used as the basis
for selecting the records, such as the category Brand or Wattage.
The second set of information is the actual record which needs to be selected, such
as Horizon as a brand name, or 100 as the wattage.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example 1
This example extracts information from just one record.

How many boxes of a particular item do we have in stock?

Life
Product Wattage Hours Brand
Bulb 100 Horizon

The number in stock is : 5 =DGET(B3:I19,H3,C51:F52)

Example 2
This example extracts information from multiple records and therefore shows the #NUM error.

How many boxes of a particular item do we have in stock?

Life
Product Wattage Hours Brand
Bulb 100

The number in stock is : Err:502 =DGET(B3:I19,H3,C63:F64)

Example 3
This example extracts information from no records and therefore shows the #VALUE error.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DGET Page 86 of

How many boxes of a particular item do we have in stock?

Life
Product Wattage Hours Brand
Bulb 9999

The number in stock is : #VALUE! =DGET(B3:I19,H3,C64:F65)

Example 4
This example uses the =IF() function to display a message when an error occurs.

How many boxes of a particular item do we have in stock?

Life
Product Wattage Hours Brand
Bulb 9999

The number in stock is : #VALUE! =DGET(B3:I19,H3,C85:F86)

#NAME?
=IF(ISERR(F88),CHOOSE(ERROR.TYPE(F88)/3,"No such product.","Duplicates products found."),"One product found.")
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DMAX Page 87 of

DMAX
This is the Database range.
Life Unit Box Boxes In Value Of
Product Wattage Hours Brand Cost Quantity Stock Stock
Bulb 200 3000 Horizon £4.50 4 3 £54.00
Neon 100 2000 Horizon £2.00 15 2 £60.00
Spot 60 £0.00
Other 10 8000 Sunbeam £0.80 25 6 £120.00
Bulb 80 1000 Horizon £0.20 40 3 £24.00
Spot 100 unknown Horizon £1.25 10 4 £50.00
Spot 200 3000 Horizon £2.50 15 0 £0.00
Other 25 unknown Sunbeam £0.50 10 3 £15.00
Bulb 200 3000 Sunbeam £5.00 3 2 £30.00
Neon 100 2000 Sunbeam £1.80 20 5 £200.00
Bulb 100 unknown Sunbeam £0.25 10 5 £12.50
Bulb 10 800 Horizon £0.20 25 2 £10.00
Bulb 60 1000 Sunbeam £0.15 25 0 £0.00
Bulb 80 1000 Sunbeam £0.20 30 2 £12.00
Bulb 100 2000 Horizon £0.80 10 5 £40.00
Bulb 40 1000 Horizon £0.10 20 5 £10.00

To calculate largest Value Of Stock of a particular Brand of bulb.

Brand These two cells are the Criteria range.

Type the brand name : Horizon

The MAX value of Horizon is : £200.00 =DMAX(B3:I19,I3,E23:E24)

What Does It Do ?
This function examines a list of information and produces the largest value from a specified column.

Syntax
=DMAX(DatabaseRange,FieldName,CriteriaRange)
The DatabaseRange is the entire list of information you need to examine, including the
field names at the top of the columns.
The FieldName is the name or cell, of the values to pick the Max from, such as "Value Of Stock" or I3.
The CriteriaRange is made up of two types of information.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DMAX Page 88 of

The first set of information is the name, or names, of the Fields(s) to be used as the basis
for selecting the records, such as the category Brand or Wattage.
The second set of information is the actual record, or records, which are to be selected, such
as Horizon as a brand name, or 100 as the wattage.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Examples

The largest Value Of Stock of a particular Product of a particular Brand.

Product Brand
Bulb sunbeam

The largest value is : £30.00 =DMAX(B3:I19,I3,E49:F50)

This is the same calculation but using the name "Value Of Stock" instead of the cell address.

£30.00 =DMAX(B3:I19,"Value Of Stock",E49:F50)

The largest Value Of Stock of a Bulb equal to a particular Wattage.

Product Wattage
Bulb 100

The largest Value Of Stock is : £40.00 =DMAX(B3:I19,"Value Of Stock",E60:F61)

The largest Value Of Stock of a Bulb less than a particular Wattage.

Product Wattage
Bulb <100

The largest Value Of Stock is : £24.00 =DMAX(B3:I19,"Value Of Stock",E67:F68)

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DMIN Page 89 of

DMIN
This is the Database range.
Life Unit Box Boxes In Value Of
Product Wattage Hours Brand Cost Quantity Stock Stock
Bulb 200 3000 Horizon £4.50 4 3 £54.00
Neon 100 2000 Horizon £2.00 15 2 £60.00
Spot 60 £0.00
Other 10 8000 Sunbeam £0.80 25 6 £120.00
Bulb 80 1000 Horizon £0.20 40 3 £24.00
Spot 100 unknown Horizon £1.25 10 4 £50.00
Spot 200 3000 Horizon £2.50 15 1 £37.50
Other 25 unknown Sunbeam £0.50 10 3 £15.00
Bulb 200 3000 Sunbeam £5.00 3 2 £30.00
Neon 100 2000 Sunbeam £1.80 20 5 £180.00
Bulb 100 unknown Sunbeam £0.25 10 5 £12.50
Bulb 10 800 Horizon £0.20 25 2 £10.00
Bulb 60 1000 Sunbeam £0.15 25 1 £3.75
Bulb 80 1000 Sunbeam £0.20 30 2 £12.00
Bulb 100 2000 Horizon £0.80 10 5 £40.00
Bulb 40 1000 Horizon £0.10 20 5 £10.00

To calculate lowest Value Of Stock of a particular Brand of bulb.

Brand These two cells are the Criteria range.

Type the brand name : Horizon

The MIN value of Horizon is : £10.00 =DMIN(B3:I19,I3,E23:E24)

What Does It Do ?
This function examines a list of information and produces smallest value from a specified column.

Syntax
=DMIN(DatabaseRange,FieldName,CriteriaRange)
The DatabaseRange is the entire list of information you need to examine, including the
field names at the top of the columns.
The FieldName is the name, or cell, of the values to pick the Min from, such as "Value Of Stock" or I3.
The CriteriaRange is made up of two types of information.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DMIN Page 90 of

The first set of information is the name, or names, of the Fields(s) to be used as the basis
for selecting the records, such as the category Brand or Wattage.
The second set of information is the actual record, or records, which are to be selected, such
as Horizon as a brand name, or 100 as the wattage.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Examples

The lowest Value Of Stock of a particular Product of a particular Brand.

Product Brand
Bulb sunbeam

The lowest value is : £3.75 =DMIN(B3:I19,I3,E49:F50)

This is the same calculation but using the name "Value Of Stock" instead of the cell address.

£3.75 =DMIN(B3:I19,"Value Of Stock",E49:F50)

The lowest Value Of Stock of a Bulb equal to a particular Wattage.

Product Wattage
Bulb 100

The lowest Value Of Stock is : £12.50 =DMIN(B3:I19,"Value Of Stock",E60:F61)

The lowest Value Of Stock of a Bulb between two Wattage values.

Product Wattage Wattage

Bulb >=80 <=100

The lowest Value Of Stock is : £12.00 =DMIN(B3:I19,"Value Of Stock",E67:G68)

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DOLLAR Page 91 of

DOLLAR

Original Converted
Number To Text
10 $10.00 =DOLLAR(C4)
10 $10 =DOLLAR(C5,0)
10 $10.0 =DOLLAR(C6,1)
10 $10.00 =DOLLAR(C7,2)
10.25 $10.25 =DOLLAR(C8)
10.25 $10 =DOLLAR(C9,0)
10.25 $10.3 =DOLLAR(C10,1)
10.25 $10.25 =DOLLAR(C11,2)

What Does It Do?

This function converts a number into a piece of text formatted as currency.

Syntax
=DOLLAR(Number,DecimalPlaces)
Number : This is the number which needs to be converted.
DecimalPlaces : This is the amount of decimal places needed in the converted number.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
The result will be shown as a text entry.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DSUM Page 92 of

DSUM
This is the Database range.
Life Unit Box Boxes In Value Of
Product Wattage Hours Brand Cost Quantity Stock Stock
Bulb 200 3000 Horizon £4.50 4 3 £10.00
Neon 100 2000 Horizon £2.00 15 2 £10.00
Spot 60 3 Horizon £4.00 5 6 £120.00
Other 10 8000 Sunbeam £0.80 25 6 £120.00
Bulb 80 1000 Horizon £0.20 40 3 £10.00
Spot 100 unknown Horizon £1.25 10 4 £10.00
Spot 200 3000 Horizon £2.50 15 0 £10.00
Other 25 unknown Sunbeam £0.50 10 3 £15.00
Bulb 200 3000 Sunbeam £5.00 3 2 £30.00
Neon 100 2000 Sunbeam £1.80 20 5 £180.00
Bulb 100 unknown Sunbeam £0.25 10 5 £12.50
Bulb 10 800 Horizon £0.20 25 2 £10.00
Bulb 60 1000 Sunbeam £0.15 25 0 £0.00
Bulb 80 1000 Sunbeam £0.20 30 2 £12.00
Bulb 100 2000 Horizon £0.80 10 5 £10.00
Bulb 40 1000 Horizon £0.10 20 5 £10.00

To calculate the total Value Of Stock of a particular Brand of bulb.

Brand These two cells are the Criteria range.

Type the brand name : Horizon

The stock value of Horizon is : £200.00 =DSUM(B3:I19,I3,E23:E24)

What Does It Do ?
This function examines a list of information and produces the total.

Syntax
=DSUM(DatabaseRange,FieldName,CriteriaRange)
The DatabaseRange is the entire list of information you need to examine, including the
field names at the top of the columns.
The FieldName is the name, or cell, of the values to be totalled, such as "Value Of Stock" or I3.
The CriteriaRange is made up of two types of information.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley DSUM Page 93 of

The first set of information is the name, or names, of the Fields(s) to be used as the basis
for selecting the records, such as the category Brand or Wattage.
The second set of information is the actual record, or records, which are to be selected, such
as Horizon as a brand name, or 100 as the wattage.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Examples

The total Value Of Stock of a particular Product of a particular Brand.

Product Brand
Bulb sunbeam

Total stock value is : £54.50 =DSUM(B3:I19,I3,E49:F50)

This is the same calculation but using the name "Value Of Stock" instead of the cell address.

£54.50 =DSUM(B3:I19,"Value Of Stock",E49:F50)

The total Value Of Stock of a Bulb equal to a particular Wattage.

Product Wattage
Bulb 100

Total Value Of Stock is : £22.50 =DSUM(B3:I19,"Value Of Stock",E60:F61)

The total Value Of Stock of a Bulb less than a particular Wattage.

Product Wattage
Bulb <100

Total Value Of Stock is : £42.00 =DSUM(B3:I19,"Value Of Stock",E67:F68)

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley EAST Page 94 of

Eastern data.
Used by the example for the =INDIRECT() function.

Jan Feb Mar Total

Alan 1000 2000 3000 6000
Bob 4000 5000 6000 15000
Carol 7000 8000 9000 24000
Total 12000 15000 18000 45000
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley EDATE Page 95 of

EDATE
Start Date Plus Months End Date
1-Jan-98 3 1-Apr-98 =EDATE(C4,D4)
2-Jan-98 3 2-Apr-98 =EDATE(C5,D5)
2-Jan-98 -3 2-Oct-97 =EDATE(C6,D6)

What Does It Do?

This function is used to calculate a date which is a specific number of months in the past or
in the future.

Syntax
=EDATE(StartDate,Months)

Formatting
The result will normally be expressed as a number, this can be formatted to represent
a date by using the Format,Cells,Number,Date command.

Example
This example was used by a company hiring contract staff.
The company needed to know the end date of the employment.
The Start date is entered.
The contract Duration is entered as months.
The =EDATE() function has been used to calculate the end of the contract.

Start Duration End

Tue 06-Jan-98 3 Mon 06-Apr-98 =EDATE(C27,D27)
Mon 12-Jan-98 3 Sun 12-Apr-98 =EDATE(C28,D28)
Fri 09-Jan-98 4 Sat 09-May-98 =EDATE(C29,D29)
Fri 09-Jan-98 3 Thu 09-Apr-98 =EDATE(C30,D30)
Mon 19-Jan-98 3 Sun 19-Apr-98 =EDATE(C31,D31)
Mon 26-Jan-98 3 Sun 26-Apr-98 =EDATE(C32,D32)
Mon 12-Jan-98 3 Sun 12-Apr-98 =EDATE(C33,D33)

The company decide not to end contracts on Saturday or Sunday.

The =WEEKDAY() function has been used to identify the actaul weekday number of the end date.
If the week day number is 6 or 7, (Sat or Sun), then 5 is subtracted from the =EDATE() to
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley EDATE Page 96 of

ensure the end of contract falls on a Friday.

Start Duration End

Tue 06-Jan-98 3 Mon 06-Apr-98
Mon 12-Jan-98 3 Fri 10-Apr-98
Fri 09-Jan-98 4 Fri 08-May-98
Fri 09-Jan-98 3 Thu 09-Apr-98
Mon 19-Jan-98 3 Fri 17-Apr-98
Mon 26-Jan-98 3 Fri 24-Apr-98
Mon 12-Jan-98 3 Fri 10-Apr-98

=EDATE(C48,D48)-IF(WEEKDAY(EDATE(C48,D48),2)>5,WEEKDAY(EDATE(C48,D48),2)-5,0)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley EOMONTH Page 97 of

EOMONTH
StartDate Plus Months End Of Month
5-Jan-98 2 3/31/1998 =EOMONTH(C4,D4)
5-Jan-98 2 31-Mar-98 =EOMONTH(C5,D5)
5-Jan-98 -2 30-Nov-97 =EOMONTH(C6,D6)

What Does It Do?

This function will show the last day of the month which is a specified number of months
before or after a given date.

Syntax
=EOMONTH(StartDate,Months)

Formatting
The result will normally be expressed as a number, this can be formatted to represent
a date by using the Format,Cells,Number,Date command.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ERROR.TYPE Page 98 of

ERROR.TYPE
Data The Error Error Type
10 0 #DIV/0! #NAME? =ERROR.TYPE(E4)
10 3 #REF! #NAME? =ERROR.TYPE(E5)
10 3 #REF! #NAME? =ERROR.TYPE(E6)
10:00 13:00 21:00 #NAME? =ERROR.TYPE(E7)

What Does It Do?

This function will show a number which corresponds to an error produced by a formula.

Syntax
=ERROR.TYPE(Error)
Error is the cell reference where the error occurred.

Formatting
The result will be formatted as a normal number.

Example
See Example 4 in the =DGET() function.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley EVEN Page 99 of

EVEN
Original Value Evenly Rounded
1 2 =EVEN(C4)
1.2 2 =EVEN(C5)
2.3 4 =EVEN(C6)
25 26 =EVEN(C7)

What Does It Do ?
This function round a number up the nearest even whole number.

Syntax
=EVEN(Number)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table is used by a garage which repairs cars.
The garage is repairing a fleet of cars from three manufactures.
Each manufacturer uses a different type of windscreen wiper which are only supplied in pairs.

Table 1 was used to enter the number of wipers required for each type of car
and then show how many pairs need to be ordered.

Table 1
Car Wipers To Order Pairs to Order
Vauxhall 5 3 =EVEN(D28)/2
Ford 9 5 =EVEN(D29)/2
Peugeot 7 4 =EVEN(D30)/2
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley EXACT Page 100 of

EXACT
Text1 Text2 Result
Hello Hello 1 =EXACT(C4,D4)
Hello hello 0 =EXACT(C5,D5)
Hello Goodbye 0 =EXACT(C6,D6)

What Does It Do?

This function compares two items of text and determine whether they are exactly the same.
The case of the characters is taken into account, only words which are spelt the same and
which have upper and lower case characters in the same position will be considered as equal.

Syntax
=EXACT(Text1,Text2)
Only two items of text can be compared.

Formatting
If the two items of text are exactly the same the result of TRUE will be shown.
If there is any difference in the two items of text the result of FALSE will be shown.

Example
Here is a simple password checking formula.
You need to guess the correct password.
The password is the name of a colour, either red blue or green.
The case of the password is important.
The =EXACT() function is used to check your guess.

Guess the password : red

Is it correct : No

(To stop you from cheating, the correct password has been entered as a series of =CHAR()
functions, which use the ANSI number of the characters rather than the character itself!)
Its still very easy though.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FACT Page 101 of

FACT
Number Factorial
3 6 =FACT(C4)
3.5 6 =FACT(C5)
5 120 =FACT(C6)
10 3,628,800 =FACT(C7)
20 2,432,902,008,176,640,000 =FACT(C8)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the factorial of a number.
The factorial is calculated as 1*2*3*4..etc.
The factorial of 5 is calculated as 1*2*3*4*5, which results in 120.
Decimal fractions of the number are ignored.

Syntax
=FACT(Number)

Formatting.
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FIND Page 102 of

FIND
Text Letter To Find Position Of Letter
Hello e 2 =FIND(D4,C4)
Hello H 1 =FIND(D5,C5)
Hello o 5 =FIND(D6,C6)
Alan Williams a 3 =FIND(D7,C7)
Alan Williams a 11 =FIND(D8,C8,6)
Alan Williams T #VALUE! =FIND(D9,C9)

What Does It Do?

This function looks for a specified letter inside another piece of text.
When the letter is found the position is shown as a number.
If the text contains more than one reference to the letter, the first occurrence is used.
An additional option can be used to start the search at a specific point in the text, thus
enabling the search to find duplicate occurrences of the letter.
If the letter is not found in the text, the result #VALUE is shown.

Syntax
=FIND(LetterToLookFor,TextToLookInside,StartPosition)
LetterToLookFor : This needs to be a single character.
TextToLookInside : This is the piece of text to be searched through.
StartPosition : This is optional, it specifies at which point in the text the search should begin.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed, the result will be shown as a number.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FIXED Page 103 of

FIXED

Original Converte
Number d To Text
10 10.00 =FIXED(C4)
10 10 =FIXED(C5,0)
10 10.0 =FIXED(C6,1)
10 10.00 =FIXED(C7,2)
10.25 10.25 =FIXED(C8)
10.25 10 =FIXED(C9,0)
10.25 10.3 =FIXED(C10,1)
10.25 10.25 =FIXED(C11,2)
1000 1,000.00 =FIXED(C12)
1000.23 1,000 =FIXED(C13,0)
1000.23 1000 =FIXED(C14,0,TRUE)

What Does It Do ?
This function converts a numeric value to text.
During the conversion the value can be rounded to a specific number of decimal places,
and commas can be inserted at the 1,000's.

Syntax
=FIXED(NumberToConvert,DecimalPlaces,Commas)
If DecimalPlaces places is not specified the function will assume 2.
The Commas option can be TRUE for commas or FALSE for no commas.
If the Commas is not specified the function will assume TRUE.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Note that any further formatting with the Format, Cells, Number command will not have any effect.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FLOOR Page 104 of

FLOOR
Number Rounded Down
1.5 1 =FLOOR(C4,1)
2.3 2 =FLOOR(C5,1)
2.9 2 =FLOOR(C6,1)
123 100 =FLOOR(C7,50)
145 100 =FLOOR(C8,50)
175 150 =FLOOR(C9,50)

What Does It Do ?
This function rounds a value down to the nearest multiple specified by the user.

Syntax
=FLOOR(NumberToRound,SignificantValue)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used to calculate commission for members of a sales team.
Commission is only paid for every £1000 of sales.
The =FLOOR() function has been used to round down the Actual Sales to the
nearest 1000, which is then used as the basis for Commission.

Name Actual Sales Relevant Sales Commission

Alan £23,500 £23,000 £230
Bob £56,890 £56,000 £560
Carol £18,125 £18,000 £180
=FLOOR(D29,1000)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FORECAST Page 105 of

FORECAST
Month Sales
1 £1,000
2 £2,000
3 £2,500
4 £3,500
5 £3,800
6 £4,000

Type the month number to predict : 12

The Forecast sales figure is : £7,997 =FORECAST(E11,F4:F9,E4:E9)

What Does It Do ?
This function uses two sets of values to predict a single value.
The predicted value is based on the relationship between the two original sets of values.
If the values are sales figures for months 1 to 6, (Jan to Jun), you can use the function
to predict what the sales figure will be in any other month.
The way in which the prediction is calculated is based upon the assumption of a Linear Trend.

Syntax
=FORECAST(ItemToForeCast,RangeY,RangeX)
ItemToForecast is the point in the future, (or past), for which you need the forecast.
RangeY is the list of values which contain the historical data to be used as the basis
of the forecast, such as Sales figures.
RangeX is the intervals used when recording the historical data, such as Month number.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used by a company considering expansion of their sales team.
The Size and Performance of the previous teams over a period of three years were entered.
The size of the New Sales team is entered.
The =FORECAST() function is used to calculate the predicted performance for the new sales
team based upon a linear trend.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FORECAST Page 106 of

Size Of Known
Year Sales Team Performance
1996 10 £5,000
1997 20 £8,000
1998 30 £8,500

Size Of The New Sales Team : 40

Estimated Forecast Of Performance : £10,667 =FORECAST(E43,E39:E41,D39:D41)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FREQUENCY Page 107 of

FREQUENCY
Jan Feb Mar
North £5,000 £6,000 £4,500
South £5,800 £7,000 £3,000
East £3,500 £2,000 £10,000
West £12,000 £4,000 £6,000

Sales £4,000 and below. £4,000 4 {=FREQUENCY(D4:F7,E9:E11)}

Sales above £4,000 up to £6,000 £6,000 5 {=FREQUENCY(D4:F7,E9:E11)}
Sales above £6,000 ### 3 {=FREQUENCY(D4:F7,E9:E11)}

What Does It Do ?
This function compares a range of data against a list of intervals.
The result shows how many items in the range of data fall between the intervals.
The function is entered in the cells as an array, that is why it is enclosed in { } braces.

Syntax
=FREQUENCY(RangeOfData,ListOfIntervals)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example 1
The following tables were used to record the weight of a group of children.
The =FREQUENCY() function was then used to calculate the number of children whose
weights fell between specified intervals.

Weight Kg Number Of Children:

Child 1 20.47 Between 0 - 15 Kg 2
Child 2 22.83 Above 15 but less than or equal to 20 Kg 4
Child 3 15.74 Above 20 Kg 3
Child 4 10.80 {=FREQUENCY(C30:C38,C41:C43)}
Child 5 8.28 {=FREQUENCY(C30:C38,C41:C43)}
Child 6 20.66 {=FREQUENCY(C30:C38,C41:C43)}
Child 7 17.36
Child 8 16.67
Child 9 18.01
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FREQUENCY Page 108 of

Kg Weight Intervals
15
20
100

Example 2
This example uses characters instead of values.
A restaurant has asked 40 customers for their rating of the food in the restaurant.
The ratings were entered into a table as a single letter, E, V, A, P or D.
The manager now wants to calculate how many responses fell into each category.
Unfortunately, the =FREQUENCY() function ignores text entries, so how can the frequency
of text be calculated?

The answer is to use the =CODE() and =UPPER() functions.

The =UPPER() forces all the text entries to be considered as capital letters.
The =CODE() function calculates the unique ANSI code for each character.
As this code is a numeric value, the =FREQUENCY() function can then be used!

Rating Frequency
Excellent E 6 {=FREQUENCY(CODE(UPPER(B67:I71)),CODE(UPPER(C60:C64)))}
Very Good V 8 {=FREQUENCY(CODE(UPPER(B67:I71)),CODE(UPPER(C60:C64)))}
Average A 9 {=FREQUENCY(CODE(UPPER(B67:I71)),CODE(UPPER(C60:C64)))}
Poor P 8 {=FREQUENCY(CODE(UPPER(B67:I71)),CODE(UPPER(C60:C64)))}
Disgusting D 9 {=FREQUENCY(CODE(UPPER(B67:I71)),CODE(UPPER(C60:C64)))}

Customer Ratings
V D V A p A D D
V P a D A P V d
A V E P p E D A
A E d V D P a E
V e P P A V E D
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FREQUENCY 2 Page 109 of

FREQUENCY 2
This example shows how the =FREQUENCY() function has been used to calculate
how often certain numbers appear in the Lottery results.

Table 1 is a record of all the results from the past seven weeks.

Table 1
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7
1st Number 3 36 5 3 2 41 45
2nd Number 6 3 19 37 23 15 4
3rd Number 15 44 35 20 47 29 44
4th Number 32 15 32 46 6 45 23
5th Number 37 31 13 22 49 13 43
6th Number 5 22 30 8 49 11 46
Bonus Ball 17 13 15 25 18 17 1

Table 2 is the list of possible number from 1 to 49, and how many appearances
each number has made during the past seven weeks.

Table 2
Lottery How Many
Number Appearances
1 1 {=FREQUENCY(C10:I16,B24:B72)}
2 1 {=FREQUENCY(C10:I16,B24:B72)}
3 3 {=FREQUENCY(C10:I16,B24:B72)}
4 1 {=FREQUENCY(C10:I16,B24:B72)}
5 2
6 2
7 0
8 1
9 0 Special tip!
10 0 To count how many unique numbers in a range
11 1 use the following formula. It has to be entered,
12 0 as an array, so press Ctrl+Shift+Enter rather than,
13 3 just Enter alone.
14 0
15 4 Unique values. 31
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley FREQUENCY 2 Page 110 of

16 0
17 2 =SUM(1/COUNTIF(C10:I16,C10:I16))
18 1
19 1
20 1
21 0
22 2
23 2
24 0
25 1
26 0
27 0
28 0
29 1
30 1
31 1
32 2
33 0
34 0
35 1
36 1
37 2
38 0
39 0
40 0
41 1
42 0
43 1
44 2
45 2
46 2
47 1
48 0
49 2
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley GCD Page 111 of

GCD

Greatest
Numbers Divisor
6 15 3 =GCD(C4,D4)
28 49 7 =GCD(C5,D5)
5 99 1 =GCD(C6,D6)

Greatest
Numbers Divisor
18 72 96 6 =GCD(C9,D9,E9)
300 500 200 100 =GCD(C10,D10,E10)
2.5 4 6 2 =GCD(C11,D11,E11)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the largest number which can be used to divided all the
values specified.
The result is always a whole number.
Where there is no common divisor the value of 1 is used.
Decimal fractions are ignored.

Syntax
=GCD(Number1,Number2,Number3... through to Number29)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley GESTEP Page 112 of

GESTEP
Number1 Number2 GESTEP
10 20 0 =GESTEP(C4,D4)
50 20 1 =GESTEP(C5,D5)
99 100 0 =GESTEP(C6,D6)
100 100 1 =GESTEP(C7,D7)
101 100 1 =GESTEP(C8,D8)
2 1 =GESTEP(C9,D9)
2 0 =GESTEP(C10,D10)

What Does It Do ?
This function test a number to see if it is greater than or equal to another number.
If the number is greater than or equal, the result of 1 will be shown, otherwise 0 is shown.

Syntax
=GESTEP(NumberToTest,NumberToTestAgainst)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used to calculate how many sales staff achieved their targets.
The =GESTEP() function compares the Sales with Target, and the results are totalled.

Name Sales Target GESTEP

Alan £3,000 £4,000 0 =GESTEP(D27,E27)
Bob £5,000 £4,000 1 =GESTEP(D28,E28)
Carol £1,000 £2,000 0 =GESTEP(D29,E29)
David £2,000 £2,000 1 =GESTEP(D30,E30)
Eric £8,000 £7,000 1 =GESTEP(D31,E31)

Targets Achieved 3 =SUM(F27:F31)

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley HEX2DEC Page 113 of

HEX2DEC
Hexadecimal Decimal Number
0 0 =HEX2DEC(C4)
1 1 =HEX2DEC(C5)
2 2 =HEX2DEC(C6)
3 3 =HEX2DEC(C7)
1A 26 =HEX2DEC(C8)
1B 27 =HEX2DEC(C9)
7FFFFFFFFF 549,755,813,887 =HEX2DEC(C10)
8000000000 -549,755,813,888 =HEX2DEC(C11)
FFFFFFFFFF -1 =HEX2DEC(C12)
FFFFFFFFFE -2 =HEX2DEC(C13)
FFFFFFFFFD -3 =HEX2DEC(C14)

What Does It Do ?
This function converts a hexadecimal number to its decimal equivalent.

Syntax
=HEX2DEC(HexaDecimalNumber)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used to add two hexadecimal values together.

Hexadecimal
Value 1 F
Value 2 1A
Result 29 =DEC2HEX(HEX2DEC(C29)+HEX2DEC(C30))
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley HLOOKUP Page 114 of

HLOOKUP
Jan Feb Mar
10 80 97
20 90 69
30 100 45
40 110 51
50 120 77

Type a month to look for : Feb

Which row needs to be picked out : 4

The result is : 100 =HLOOKUP(F10,D3:F10,F11,FALSE)

What Does It Do ?
This function scans across the column headings at the top of a table to find a specified item.
When the item is found, it then scans down the column to pick a cell entry.

Syntax
=HLOOKUP(ItemToFind,RangeToLookIn,RowToPickFrom,SortedOrUnsorted)
The ItemToFind is a single item specified by the user.
The RangeToLookIn is the range of data with the column headings at the top.
The RowToPickFrom is how far down the column the function should look to pick from.
The Sorted/Unsorted is whether the column headings are sorted. TRUE for yes, FALSE for no.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example 1
This table is used to find a value based on a specified month and name.
The =HLOOKUP() is used to scan across to find the month.
The problem arises when we need to scan down to find the row adjacent to the name.
To solve the problem the =MATCH() function is used.

The =MATCH() looks through the list of names to find the name we require. It then calculates
the position of the name in the list. Unfortunately, because the list of names is not as deep
as the lookup range, the =MATCH() number is 1 less than we require, so and extra 1 is
added to compensate.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley HLOOKUP Page 115 of

The =HLOOKUP() now uses this =MATCH() number to look down the month column and
picks out the correct cell entry.

The =HLOOKUP() uses FALSE at the end of the function to indicate to Excel that the
column headings are not sorted, even though to us the order of Jan,Feb,Mar is correct.
If they were sorted alphabetically they would have read as Feb,Jan,Mar.

Jan Feb Mar

Bob 10 80 97
Eric 20 90 69
Alan 30 100 45
Carol 40 110 51
David 50 120 77

Type a month to look for : feb

Type a name to look for : alan

The result is : 100

=HLOOKUP(F54,D47:F54,MATCH(F55,C48:C52,0)+1,FALSE)

Example 2
This example shows how the =HLOOKUP() is used to pick the cost of a spare part for
different makes of cars.
The =HLOOKUP() scans the column headings for the make of car specified in column B.
When the make is found, the =HLOOKUP() then looks down the column to the row specified
by the =MATCH() function, which scans the list of spares for the item specified in column C.

The function uses the absolute ranges indicated by the dollar symbol $. This ensures that
when the formula is copied to more cells, the ranges for =HLOOKUP() and =MATCH() do
not change.

Maker Spare Cost

Vauxhall Ignition £50 Vauxhall Ford VW
VW GearBox £600 GearBox 500 450 600
Ford Engine £1,200 Engine 1000 1200 800
VW Steering £275 Steering 250 350 275
Ford Ignition £70 Ignition 50 70 45
Ford CYHead £290 CYHead 300 290 310
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley HLOOKUP Page 116 of

Vauxhall GearBox £500

Ford Engine £1,200
=HLOOKUP(B79,G72:I77,MATCH(C79,F73:F77,0)+1,FALSE)

Example 3
In the following example a builders merchant is offering discount on large orders.
The Unit Cost Table holds the cost of 1 unit of Brick, Wood and Glass.
The Discount Table holds the various discounts for different quantities of each product.
The Orders Table is used to enter the orders and calculate the Total.

All the calculations take place in the Orders Table.

The name of the Item is typed in column C.

The Unit Cost of the item is then looked up in the Unit Cost Table.
The FALSE option has been used at the end of the function to indicate that the product
names across the top of the Unit Cost Table are not sorted.
Using the FALSE option forces the function to search for an exact match. If a match is
not found, the function will produce an error.
=HLOOKUP(C127,E111:G112,2,FALSE)

The discount is then looked up in the Discount Table

If the Quantity Ordered matches a value at the top of the Discount Table the =HLOOKUP will
look down the column to find the correct discount.
The TRUE option has been used at the end of the function to indicate that the values
across the top of the Discount Table are sorted.
Using TRUE will allow the function to make an approximate match. If the Quantity Ordered does
not match a value at the top of the Discount Table, the next lowest value is used.
Trying to match an order of 125 will drop down to 100, and the discount from
the 100 column is used.
=HLOOKUP(D127,E115:G118,MATCH(C127,D116:D118,0)+1,TRUE)

Unit Cost Table

Brick Wood Glass
£2 £1 £3

Discount Table
1 100 300
Brick 0% 6% 8%
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley HLOOKUP Page 117 of

Wood 0% 3% 5%
Glass 0% 12% 15%

Orders Table
Item Units Unit Cost Discount Total
Brick 100 £2 6% £188
Wood 200 £1 3% £194
Glass 150 £3 12% £396
Brick 225 £2 6% £423
Wood 50 £1 0% £50
Glass 500 £3 15% £1,275

Unit Cost =HLOOKUP(C127,E111:G112,2,FALSE)

Discount =HLOOKUP(D127,E115:G118,MATCH(C127,D116:D118,0)+1,TRUE)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley HOUR Page 118 of

HOUR
Number Hour
21:15 21 =HOUR(C4)
0.25 6 =HOUR(C5)

What Does It Do?

The function will show the hour of the day based upon a time or a number.

Syntax
=HOUR(Number)

Formatting
The result will be shown as a normal number between 0 and 23.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley IF Page 119 of

IF
Name Sales Target Result
Alan 1000 5000 Not Achieved =IF(C4>=D4,"Achieved","Not Achieved")
Bob 6000 5000 Achieved =IF(C5>=D5,"Achieved","Not Achieved")
Carol 2000 4000 Not Achieved =IF(C6>=D6,"Achieved","Not Achieved")

What Does It Do?

This function tests a condition.
If the condition is met it is considered to be TRUE.
If the condition is not met it is considered as FALSE.
Depending upon the result, one of two actions will be carried out.

Syntax
=IF(Condition,ActionIfTrue,ActionIfFalse)
The Condition is usually a test of two cells, such as A1=A2.
The ActionIfTrue and ActionIfFalse can be numbers, text or calculations.

Formatting
No special formatting is required.

Example 1
The following table shows the Sales figures and Targets for sales reps.
Each has their own target which they must reach.
The =IF() function is used to compare the Sales with the Target.
If the Sales are greater than or equal to the Target the result of Achieved is shown.
If the Sales do not reach the target the result of Not Achieved is shown.
Note that the text used in the =IF() function needs to be placed in double quotes "Achieved".

Name Sales Target Result

Alan 1000 5000 Not Achieved =IF(C31>=D31,"Achieved","Not Achieved")
Bob 6000 5000 Achieved =IF(C32>=D32,"Achieved","Not Achieved")
Carol 2000 4000 Not Achieved =IF(C33>=D33,"Achieved","Not Achieved")

Example 2
The following table is similar to that in Example 1.
This time the Commission to be paid to the sales rep is calculated.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley IF Page 120 of

If the Sales are greater than or equal to the Target, the Commission is 10% of Sales.
If the Sales do not reach Target, the Commission is only 5% of Sales.

Name Sales Target Commission

Alan 1000 5000 50 =IF(C43>=D43,C43*10%,C43*5%)
Bob 6000 5000 600 =IF(C44>=D44,C44*10%,C44*5%)
Carol 2000 4000 100 =IF(C45>=D45,C45*10%,C45*5%)

Example 3
This example uses the =AND() within the =IF() function.
A builders merchant gives 10% discount on certain product lines.
The discount is only given on products which are on Special Offer, when the Order Value
is £1000 or above.
The =AND() function is used with the =IF() to check that the product is on offer and that
the value of the order is above £1000.

Special Order
Product Offer Value Discount Total
Wood Yes £ 2,000 £ 200 £ 1,800
Glass No £ 2,000 £ - £ 2,000
Cement Yes £ 500 £ - £ 500
Turf Yes £ 3,000 £ 300 £ 2,700
=IF(AND(C61="Yes",D61>=1000),D61*10%,0)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley INDEX Page 121 of

INDEX
Holiday booking price list.

People
Weeks 1 2 3 4
1 £500 £300 £250 £200
2 £600 £400 £300 £250
3 £700 £500 £350 £300

How many weeks required : 2

How many people in the party : 4

Cost per person is : £250 =INDEX(D7:G9,G11,G12)

What Does It Do ?
This function picks a value from a range of data by looking down a specified number
of rows and then across a specified number of columns.
It can be used with a single block of data, or non-continuos blocks.

Syntax
There are various forms of syntax for this function.

Syntax 1
=INDEX(RangeToLookIn,Coordinate)
This is used when the RangeToLookIn is either a single column or row.
The Co-ordinate indicates how far down or across to look when picking the data from the range.
Both of the examples below use the same syntax, but the Co-ordinate refers to a row when
the range is vertical and a column when the range is horizontal.

Colours
Red
Green
Blue Size Large Medium Small

Type either 1, 2 or 3 : 3 Type either 1, 2 or 3 : 2

The colour is : Blue The size is : Medium
=INDEX(D32:D34,D36) =INDEX(G34:I34,H36)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley INDEX Page 122 of

Syntax 2
=INDEX(RangeToLookIn,RowCoordinate,ColumnColumnCordinate)
This syntax is used when the range is made up of rows and columns.

Country CurrencyPopulation Capitol

England Sterling 50 M London
France Franc 40 M Paris
Germany DM 60 M Bonn
Spain Peseta 30 M Barcelona

Type 1,2,3 or 4 for the country : 2

Type 1,2 or 3 for statistics : 2

The result is : 40 M =INDEX(D45:F48,F50,F51)

Syntax 3
=INDEX(NamedRangeToLookIn,RowCoordinate,ColumnColumnCordinate,AreaToPickFrom)
Using this syntax the range to look in can be made up of multiple areas.
The easiest way to refer to these areas is to select them and give them a single name.

The AreaToPickFrom indicates which of the multiple areas should be used.

In the following example the figures for North and South have been named as one
range called NorthAndSouth.

NORTH Qtr1 Qtr2 Qtr3 Qtr4

Bricks £1,000 £2,000 £3,000 £4,000
Wood £5,000 £6,000 £7,000 £8,000
Glass £9,000 £10,000 £11,000 £12,000

SOUTH Qtr1 Qtr2 Qtr3 Qtr4

Bricks £1,500 £2,500 £3,500 £4,500
Wood £5,500 £6,500 £7,500 £8,500
Glass £9,500 £10,500 £11,500 £12,500

Type 1, 2 or 3 for the product : 1

Type 1, 2, 3 or 4 for the Qtr : 3
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley INDEX Page 123 of

Type 1 for North or 2 for South : 2

The result is : #NAME? =INDEX(NorthAndSouth,F76,F77,F78)

Example
This is an extended version of the previous example.
It allows the names of products and the quarters to be entered.
The =MATCH() function is used to find the row and column positions of the names entered.
These positions are then used by the =INDEX() function to look for the data.

EAST Qtr1 Qtr2 Qtr3 Qtr4

Bricks £1,000 £2,000 £3,000 £4,000
Wood £5,000 £6,000 £7,000 £8,000
Glass £9,000 £10,000 £11,000 £12,000

WEST Qtr1 Qtr2 Qtr3 Qtr4

Bricks £1,500 £2,500 £3,500 £4,500
Wood £5,500 £6,500 £7,500 £8,500
Glass £9,500 £10,500 £11,500 £12,500

Type 1, 2 or 3 for the product : wood

Type 1, 2, 3 or 4 for the Qtr : qtr2
Type 1 for North or 2 for South : west

The result is : #NAME?

=INDEX(EastAndWest,MATCH(F100,C91:C93,0),MATCH(F101,D90:G90,0),IF(F102=C90,1,IF(F102=C95,2)))
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley INDIRECT Page 124 of

INDIRECT
Jan Feb Mar
North 20 20 30
South 10 50 60
East 70 80 90
West 100 110 120

Type address of any of the cells in the above table, such as G6 : f4

The value in the cell you typed is : 20 =INDIRECT(H9)

What Does It Do ?
This function converts a plain piece of text which looks like a cell address into a usable
cell reference.
The address can be either on the same worksheet or on a different worksheet.

Syntax
=INDIRECT(Text)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example 1
This example shows how data can be picked form other worksheets by using
the worksheet name and a cell address.
The example uses three other worksheets named NORTH, SOUTH and EAST.
The data on these three sheets is laid out in the same cells on each sheet.

When a reference to a sheet is made the exclamation symbol ! needs to be placed

between the sheet name and cell address acting as punctuation.

Type the name of the sheet, such as North : North

Type the cell to pick data from, such as C8 : C8
The contents of the cell C8 on North is : 120 =INDIRECT(G33&"!"&G34)

The =INDIRECT() created a reference to =NORTH!C8

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley INDIRECT Page 125 of

Example 2
This example uses the same data as above, but this time the =SUM() function is
used to calculate a total from a range of cells.

Type the name of the sheet, such as South : South

Type the start cell of the range, such as C5 : C5
Type the end cell of the range, such as C7 : C7
The sum of the range C5:C7 on South is : 1200
=SUM(INDIRECT(G44&"!"&G45&":"&G46))

The =INDIRECT() created a reference to =SUM(SOUTH!C5:C7)

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley INFO Page 126 of

INFO
System Information
Current directory #N/A =INFO("directory")
Available bytes of memory #N/A =INFO("memavail")
Memory in use #N/A =INFO("memused")
Total bytes of memory #N/A =INFO("totmem")
Number of active worksheets 1 =INFO("numfile")
Cell currently in the top left of the window #N/A =INFO("origin")
Operating system Windows (32-bit) NT 5.01 =INFO("osversion")
Recalculation mode Automatic =INFO("recalc")
Excel version 20(Build:2) =INFO("release")
Name of system. (PC or Mac) LINUX =INFO("system")

What Does It Do?

This function provides information about the operating environment of the computer.

Syntax
=INFO(text)
text : This is the name of the item you require information about.

Formatting
The results will be shown as text or a number depending upon what was requested.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley INT Page 127 of

INT
Number Integer
1.5 1 =INT(C4)
2.3 2 =INT(C5)
10.75 10 =INT(C6)
-1.47589 -2 =INT(C7)

What Does It Do ?
This function rounds a number down to the nearest whole number.

Syntax
=INT(Number)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used by a school to calculate the age a child when the
school year started.
A child can only be admitted to school if they are over 8 years old.
The Birth Date and the Term Start date are entered and the age calculated.
Table 1 shows the age of the child with decimal places

Table 1
Birth Date Term Start Age
1-Jan-80 1-Sep-88 8.6680355921 =(D27-C27)/365.25
5-Feb-81 1-Sep-88 7.5701574264
20-Oct-79 1-Sep-88 8.8678986995
1-Mar-81 1-Sep-88 7.5044490075

Table 2 shows the age of the child with the Age formatted with no decimal places.
This has the effect of increasing the child age.

Table 2
Birth Date Term Start Age
1-Jan-80 1-Sep-88 9 =(D38-C38)/365.25
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley INT Page 128 of

5-Feb-81 1-Sep-88 8
20-Oct-79 1-Sep-88 9
1-Mar-81 1-Sep-88 8

Table 3 shows the age of the child with the Age calculated using the =INT() function to
remove the decimal part of the number to give the correct age.

Table 3
Birth Date Term Start Age
1-Jan-80 1-Sep-88 8 =INT((D49-C49)/365.25)
5-Feb-81 1-Sep-88 7
20-Oct-79 1-Sep-88 8
1-Mar-81 1-Sep-88 7

Note
The age is calculated by subtracting the Birth Date from the Term Start to find the
age of the child in days.
The number of days is then divided by 365.25
The reason for using 365.25 is to take account of the leap years.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISBLANK Page 129 of

ISBLANK
Data Is The Cell Blank
1 0 =ISBLANK(C4)
Hello 0 =ISBLANK(C5)
1 =ISBLANK(C6)
### 0 =ISBLANK(C7)

What Does It Do?

This function will determine if there is an entry in a particular cell.
It can be used when a spreadsheet has blank cells which may cause errors, but which
will be filled later as the data is received by the user.
Usually the function is used in conjunction with the =IF() function which can test the result
of the =ISBLANK()

Syntax
=ISBLANK(CellToTest)

Formatting
Used by itself the result will be shown as TRUE or FALSE.

Example
The following example shows a list of cheques received by a company.
When the cheque is cleared the date is entered.
Until the Cleared date is entered the Cleared column is blank.
While the Cleared column is blank the cheque will still be Outstanding.
When the Cleared date is entered the cheque will be shown as Banked.
The =ISBLANK() function is used to determine whether the Cleared column is empty or not.

Cheques Received Date Date

Num From Received Amount Cleared Banked Outstanding
chq1 ABC Ltd 1-Jan-98 £100 2-Jan-98 £100 0
chq2 CJ Design 1-Jan-98 £200 7-Jan-98 £200 0
chq3 J Smith 2-Jan-98 £50 0 £50
chq4 Travel Co. 3-Jan-98 £1,000 0 £1,000
chq5 J Smith 4-Jan-98 £250 6-Jan-98 £250 0
=IF(ISBLANK(F36),0,E36)
=IF(ISBLANK(F36),E36,0)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISBLANK Page 130 of

Totals £550 1050

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISERR Page 131 of

ISERR
Cell to test Result
3 0 =ISERR(D4)
#DIV/0! 1 =ISERR(D5)
#REF! 1 =ISERR(D6)
#REF! 1 =ISERR(D7)
#VALUE! 1 =ISERR(D8)
#VALUE! 1 =ISERR(D9)
#N/A 0 =ISERR(D10)

What Does It Do ?
This function tests a cell and shows TRUE if there is an error value in the cell.
It will show FALSE if the contents of the cell calculate without an error, or if the error
is the #NA message.

Syntax
=ISERR(CellToTest)
The CellToTest can be a cell reference or a calculation.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following tables were used by a publican to calculate the cost of a single bottle
of champagne, by dividing the cost of the crate by the quantity of bottles in the crate.

Table 1 shows what happens when the value zero 0 is entered as the number of bottles.
The #DIV/0 indicates that an attempt was made to divide by zero 0, which Excel does not do.

Table 1
Cost Of Crate : £24
Bottles In Crate : 0
Cost of single bottle : #DIV/0! =E32/E33

Table 2 shows how this error can be trapped by using the =ISERR() function.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISERR Page 132 of

Table 2
Cost Of Crate : £24
Bottles In Crate : 0
Cost of single bottle : Try again! =IF(ISERR(E40/E41),"Try again!",E40/E41)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISERROR Page 133 of

ISERROR
Cell to test Result
3 0 =ISERROR(D4)
#DIV/0! 1 =ISERROR(D5)
#REF! 1 =ISERROR(D6)
#REF! 1 =ISERROR(D7)
#VALUE! 1 =ISERROR(D8)
#VALUE! 1 =ISERROR(D9)
#N/A 1 =ISERROR(D10)

What Does It Do ?
This function tests a cell or calculation to determine whether an error has been generated.
It will show TRUE for any type of error and FALSE if no error is found.

Syntax
=ISERROR(CellToTest)
The CellToTest can be a cell reference or a formula.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following tables was used to calculate the difference between two dates.

Table 1 shows an error due to the fact that the first entry was entered using an inappropriate
date format.

Table 1
Start date : Jan 01 98
End date : 5-Jan-98
Difference : 3-Jan-00 =D31-D30

Table 2 shows how the =ISERROR() function has been used to trap the error and inform the
user that there has been an error in the data entry.

Table 2
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISERROR Page 134 of

Start date : Jan 01 98

End date : 5-Jan-98
Difference : 3-Jan-00
=IF(ISERROR(D40-D39),"Error in data entry",D40-D39)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISEVEN Page 135 of

ISEVEN
Number Is it Even
1 0 =ISEVEN(C4)
2 1 =ISEVEN(C5)
2.5 1 =ISEVEN(C6)
2.6 1 =ISEVEN(C7)
3.5 0 =ISEVEN(C8)
3.6 0 =ISEVEN(C9)
Hello Err:504 =ISEVEN(C10)
1-Feb-98 0 =ISEVEN(C11)
1-Feb-96 1 =ISEVEN(C12)

What Does It Do ?
This function tests a number to determine whether it is even.
An even number is shown as TRUE an odd number is shown as FALSE.
Note that decimal fractions are ignored.
Note that dates can be even or odd.
Note that text entries result in the #VALUE! error.

Syntax
=ISEVEN(CellToTest)

Formatting
No special formatting is required.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISLOGICAL Page 136 of

ISLOGICAL
Cell To Test Result
0 0 =ISLOGICAL(D4)
1 0 =ISLOGICAL(D5)
0 =ISLOGICAL(D6)
20 0 =ISLOGICAL(D7)
1-Jan-98 0 =ISLOGICAL(D8)
Hello 0 =ISLOGICAL(D9)
#DIV/0! 0 =ISLOGICAL(D10)

What Does It Do ?
This function tests a cell to determine whether the cell contents are logical.
The logical values can only be TRUE or FALSE.
If the cell does contain a logical value, the result TRUE is shown.
If the cell does not contain a logical value, the result FALSE is shown.

Syntax
=ISLOGICAL(CellToTest)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISNA Page 137 of

ISNA
Number Result
1 0 =ISNA(C4)
isna Hello 0 =ISNA(C5)
0 =ISNA(C6)
1-Jan-98 0 =ISNA(C7)
#N/A 1 =ISNA(C8)

What Does It Do?

This function tests a cell to determine whether it contains the Not Available error #N/A.
The #N/A is generated when a function cannot work properly because of missing data.
The #N/A can also be typed in to a cell by the user to indicate the cell is currently empty,
but will be used for data entry in the future.
The function is normally used with other functions such as the =IF() function.

Syntax
=ISNA(CellToTest)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISNONTEXT Page 138 of

ISNONTEXT
Item To Test Is It A Number?
10 1 =ISNONTEXT(C4)
Hello 0 =ISNONTEXT(C5)
1 =ISNONTEXT(C6)
1-Jan-98 1 =ISNONTEXT(C7)
1OO 0 =ISNONTEXT(C8)

What Does It Do?

This functions tests an entry to determine whether it is a number, rather than text.
It would be used to ensure that only numeric entries are used in calculations, rather
than text which looks like a number, such as typing the letter O instead of zero 0.
The function is normally used with other function such as the =IF() function.

Syntax
=ISNONTEXT(CellToTest)

Formatting
No special formatting.

Examples
The following table is used by an electrical retailer to calculate the selling price
of an item based on the buying price and the shop mark-up.

Table 1 shows the #VALUE! error generated when a number, 300, is entered
using the letter O instead of the zero 0.

Table 1
Item Buying Price Mark-up Profit
Radio 400 150% 600
TV 800 200% 1600
Video 3OO 150% #VALUE! =D32*E32

Table 2 shows how the error is trapped using the =ISNONTEXT function and
the =IF() function in the calculation.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISNONTEXT Page 139 of

Table 2
Item Buying Price Mark-up Profit
Radio 400 150% 600
TV 800 200% 1600
Video 3OO 150% Retype the Price
=IF(ISNONTEXT(D40),D40*E40,"Retype the Price")
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISNUMBER Page 140 of

ISNUMBER
Cell Entry Result
1 1 =ISNUMBER(D4)
1-Jan-98 1 =ISNUMBER(D5)
0 =ISNUMBER(D6)
#DIV/0! 0 =ISNUMBER(D7)
Hello 0 =ISNUMBER(D8)

What Does It Do ?
This function examines a cell or calculation to determine whether it is a numeric value.
If the cell or calculation is a numeric value the result TRUE is shown.
If the cell or calculation is not numeric, or is blank, the result FALSE is shown.

Syntax
=ISNUMBER(CellToTest)
The cell to test can be a cell reference or a calculation.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used by a personnel department to lookup the salary of an employee.
The employee can be entered as a Name or as a Numeric value.
The =ISNUMBER() function has been used to identify the type of entry made, and then
the =IF() decides which VLOOKUP to perform.

ID No. Name Salary

1 Alan £10,000
2 Eric £12,000
3 Carol £8,000
4 Bob £15,000
5 David £12,000

Type Employee Name or ID : eric

The Salary is : £12,000
=IF(ISNUMBER(E35),VLOOKUP(E35,C29:E33,3,FALSE),VLOOKUP(E35,D29:E33,2,FALSE))
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISODD Page 141 of

ISODD
Number Is it Odd
1 1 =ISODD(C4)
2 0 =ISODD(C5)
2.5 0 =ISODD(C6)
2.6 0 =ISODD(C7)
3.5 1 =ISODD(C8)
3.6 1 =ISODD(C9)
Hello Err:504 =ISODD(C10)
1-Feb-98 1 =ISODD(C11)
1-Feb-96 0 =ISODD(C12)

What Does It Do ?
This function tests a number to determine whether it is odd.
An odd number is shown as TRUE an even number is shown as FALSE.
Note that decimal fractions are ignored.
Note that dates can be odd or even.
Note that text entries result in the #VALUE! error.

Syntax
=ISODD(CellToTest)

Formatting
No special formatting is required.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISREF Page 142 of

ISREF
1 =ISREF(A1)
1 1 =ISREF(B99)
0 =ISREF(Hello)
0 =ISREF(10)
0 =ISREF(NOW())
0 =ISREF("A1")
1 =ISREF(XX99)

What Does It Do ?
This function shows TRUE if given a cell address, or FALSE for any other type of value.
Its a bit of an odd one, and is normally used in macros rather than on the worksheet.

Syntax
=ISREF(ValueToTest)
The ValueToTest can be any type of data, but when used on the worksheet, it cannot be a
reference to the contents of another cell, as the reference will itself be evaluated by the function.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ISTEXT Page 143 of

ISTEXT
Cell To Test Result
Hello 1 =ISTEXT(D4)
1 0 =ISTEXT(D5)
25-Dec-98 0 =ISTEXT(D6)
0 =ISTEXT(D7)

What Does It Do ?
This functions tests an entry to determine whether it is text.
If the entry is text is shows TRUE.
If the entry is any other type it shows FALSE.

Syntax
=ISTEXT(CellToTest)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used by a personnel department to lookup the salary of an employee.
The employee can be entered as a Name or as a Numeric value.
The =ISTEXT() function has been used to identify the type of entry made, and then
the =IF() decides which VLOOKUP to perform.

ID No. Name Salary

1 Alan £10,000
2 Eric £12,000
3 Carol £8,000
4 Bob £15,000
5 David £12,000

Type Employee Name or ID : 3

The Salary is : £ 8,000
=IF(ISTEXT(E33),VLOOKUP(E33,D27:E31,2,FALSE),VLOOKUP(E33,C27:E31,3,FALSE))
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley LARGE Page 144 of

LARGE
Values Highest Value 800 =LARGE(C4:C8,1)
120 2nd Highest Value 250 =LARGE(C4:C8,2)
800 3rd Highest Value 120 =LARGE(C4:C8,3)
100 4th Highest Value 120 =LARGE(C4:C8,4)
120 5th Highest Value 100 =LARGE(C4:C8,5)
250

What Does It Do ?
This function examines a list of values and picks the value at a user specified position
in the list.

Syntax
=LARGE(ListOfNumbersToExamine,PositionToPickFrom)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used to calculate the top 3 sales figures between Jan, Feb and Mar.

Sales Jan Feb Mar

North £5,000 £6,000 £4,500
South £5,800 £7,000 £3,000
East £3,500 £2,000 £10,000
West £12,000 £4,000 £6,000

Highest Value £12,000 =LARGE(D24:F27,1)

2nd Highest Value £10,000 =LARGE(D24:F27,2)
3rd Highest Value £7,000 =LARGE(D24:F27,3)

Note
Another way to find the Highest and Lowest values would have been to use
the =MAX() and =MIN() functions.

Highest £12,000 =MAX(D24:F27)

Lowest £2,000 =MIN(D24:F27)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley LCM Page 145 of

LCM

Least
Common
Numbers Multiple
6 20 60 =LCM(C4,D4)
12 18 36 =LCM(C5,D5)
34 96 1632 =LCM(C6,D6)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculate the Least Common Multiple, which is the smallest number
that can be divided by each of the given numbers.

Syntax
=LCM(Number1,Number2,Number3... through to Number29)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley LEFT Page 146 of

LEFT

Number Of
Characters
Text Required Left String
Alan Jones 1 A =LEFT(C4,D4)
Alan Jones 2 Al =LEFT(C5,D5)
Alan Jones 3 Ala =LEFT(C6,D6)
Cardiff 6 Cardif =LEFT(C7,D7)
ABC123 4 ABC1 =LEFT(C8,D8)

What Does It Do ?
This function displays a specified number of characters from the left hand side of a
piece of text.

Syntax
=LEFT(OriginalText,NumberOfCharactersRequired)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used to extract the first name of a person from their full name.
The =FIND() function was used to locate position of the space between the first and second name.
The length of the first name is therefore the position of the space minus one character.
The =LEFT() function can now extract the first name based on the position of the space.

Full Name First Name

Alan Jones Alan =LEFT(C27,FIND(" ",C27)-1)
Bob Smith Bob =LEFT(C28,FIND(" ",C28)-1)
Carol Williams Carol =LEFT(C29,FIND(" ",C29)-1)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley LEN Page 147 of

LEN
Text Length
Alan Jones 10 =LEN(C4)
Bob Smith 9 =LEN(C5)
Carol Williams 14 =LEN(C6)
Cardiff 7 =LEN(C7)
ABC123 6 =LEN(C8)

What Does It Do ?
This function counts the number of characters, including spaces and numbers, in a piece of text.

Syntax
=LEN(Text)

Formatting
No Special formatting is needed.

Example
This example shows how the =LEN() function is used in a formula which extracts the
second name from a text entry containing both first and second names.

Original Text
Carol Williams 6 =FIND(" ",C24)
This is the position of the space.

Carol Williams 8 =LEN(C24)-FIND(" ",C24)

This is the length of the second name.
Calculated by taking the overall length of the complete
name and subtracting the position of the space.

=RIGHT(C24,LEN(C24)-FIND(" ",C24))
This is just the second name.
Calculated by using the =RIGHT() function to extract
the rightmost characters up to the length of
the second name.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley LOOKUP (Array) Page 148 of

LOOKUP (Array)
Name Jan Feb Mar
Alan 10 80 97
Bob 20 90 69
Carol 30 100 45
David 40 110 51
Eric 50 120 77
Francis 60 130 28
Gail 70 140 73

Type a Name in this cell : Eric

The March value for this person is : 77 =LOOKUP(F12,D4:G10)

What Does It Do ?
This function looks for a piece of information in a list, and then picks an item from the
last cell in the adjacent row or column.

It always picks the data from the end of the row or column, so it is no good if you need
to pick data from part way across a list, (use VLOOKUP or HLOOKUP).

The way in which the function decides whether to pick from the row or column is based
on the size of the table.

If the table has more rows than columns : the function will look down the left most column
trying to find a match for the piece of information
you asked it to look for.
When a match is found, the function will look
across to the right most column to pick the
last entry on the row.

If the table has the same amount of rows and columns :

the function will look down the left most column and
work in just the same way as if the table had more
rows than columns, as in the description above.

If the table has more columns than rows : the function will look across the top row trying
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley LOOKUP (Array) Page 149 of

to find a match for the piece of information you

have asked it to look for.
When a match is found, the function will then look
down to the bottom cell of the column to pick
the last entry of the column.

Syntax
=LOOKUP(WhatToLookFor,RangeToLookIn)
The WhatToLookFor should be a single item.
The RangeToLook in can be either horizontal or vertical.
Be careful not to include unnecessary heading in the range as these will cause errors.

Example 1 Example 2
In this table there are more In this table there are more columns than rows, so
rows than columns, so the the row heading of Jan is not included in the
column heading of Jan is lookup range.
not included in the lookup
range. Alan Bob Carol David
Jan Jan 100 100 100 100
Alan 100
Bob 100
Carol 100
David 100
Eric 100
Fred 100

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Problems
The list of information to be looked through must be sorted in ascending order, otherwise errors
will occur, either as #N/A or incorrect results.

Table 1 shows the Name column sorted alphabetically, the results of using =LOOKUP() will
be correct.

Table 2 shows the same data, but not sorted. Sometimes the results will be correct, but other
times the result will be an #N/A error or incorrect figure.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley LOOKUP (Array) Page 150 of

Table 1 Table 2
Name Jan Feb Mar Name Jan Feb Mar
Alan 10 80 97 David 40 110 51
Bob 20 90 69 Eric 50 120 77
Carol 30 100 45 Alan 10 80 97
David 40 110 51 Bob 20 90 69
Eric 50 120 77 Carol 30 100 45
Francis 60 130 28 Francis 60 130 28
Gail 70 140 73 Gail 70 140 73

Name : Eric Name : Eric

Value : 77 Value : 45
=LOOKUP(C88,B80:E86) =LOOKUP(H88,G80:J86)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley LOOKUP (Vector) Page 151 of

LOOKUP (Vector)
Name Jan Feb Mar
Alan 10 80 97
Bob 20 90 69
Carol 30 100 45
David 40 110 51
Eric 50 120 77
Francis 60 130 28
Gail 70 140 73

Type a Name in this cell : Eric

LOOKUP(what,where,for whom)
The Feb value for this person is : 120 =LOOKUP(F12,D4:G10,F4:F10)

What Does It Do ?
This function looks for a piece of information in a list, and then picks an item from
a second range of cells.

Syntax
=LOOKUP(WhatToLookFor,RangeToLookIn,RangeToPickFrom)
The WhatToLookFor should be a single item.
The RangeToLook in can be either horizontal or vertical.
The RangeToPickFrom must have the same number of cells in it as the RangeToLookin.
Be careful not to include unnecessary heading in the ranges as these will cause errors.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following example shows how the =LOOKUP() function was used to match a name typed
in cell G41 against the list of names in C38:C43. When a match is found the =LOOKUP() then
picks from the second range E38:J38.
If the name Carol is used, the match is made in the third cell of the list of names, and then
the function picks the third cell from the list of values.

RangeToLookIn RangeToPickFrom
Alan 5 10 15 20 25 30
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley LOOKUP (Vector) Page 152 of

Bob
Carol
David Type a name : Carol
Eric Value : 15
Fred =LOOKUP(G41,C38:C43,E38:J38)

Problems
The list of information to be looked through must be sorted in ascending order, otherwise errors
will occur, either as #N/A or incorrect results.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley LOWER Page 153 of

LOWER
Upper Case Text Lower Case
ALAN JONES alan jones =LOWER(C4)
BOB SMITH bob smith =LOWER(C5)
CAROL WILLIAMS carol williams =LOWER(C6)
CARDIFF cardiff =LOWER(C7)
ABC123 abc123 =LOWER(C8)

What Does It Do ?
This function converts all characters in a piece of text to lower case.

Syntax
=LOWER(TextToConvert)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MATCH Page 154 of

MATCH
Names Values
Bob 250
Alan 600
David 1000
Carol 4000

Type a name to look for : Alan Type a value : 1000

The position of Alan is : 2 Value position : 3

=MATCH(E9,E4:E7,0) =MATCH(I9,I4:I7,1)

What Does It Do ?
This function looks for an item in a list and shows its position.
It can be used with text and numbers.
It can look for an exact match or an approximate match.

Syntax
=MATCH(WhatToLookFor,WhereToLook,TypeOfMatch)
The TypeOfMatch either 0, 1 or -1.

Using 0 will look for an exact match. If no match is found the #NA error will be shown.

Using 1 will look for an exact match, or the next lowest number if no exact match exists.
If there is no match or next lowest number the error #NA is shown.
The list of values being examined must be sorted for this to work correctly.

Using -1 will look for an exact match, or the next highest number if no exact match exists.
If there is no exact match or next highest number the error #NA is shown.
The list must be sorted for this to work properly.

Examples 1
Using the 0 option suitable for an exact match.
The Ascending list gives the exact match.
The Descending list gives the exact match.
The Wrong Value list cannot find an exact match, so the #NA is shown.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MATCH Page 155 of

Ascending Descending Wrong Value

10 40 10
20 30 20
30 20 30
40 10 40

20 20 25
2 3 #N/A
=MATCH(G45,G40:G43,0)

Example 2
Using the 1 option suitable for a ascending list to find an exact or next lowest match.
The Ascending list gives the exact match.
The Descending list gives the #NA error.
The Wrong Value list finds the next lowest number..

Ascending Descending Wrong Value

10 40 10
20 30 20
30 20 30
40 10 40

20 20 25
2 4 2
=MATCH(G62,G57:G60,1)

Example 3
Using the -1 option suitable for a descending list to find an exact or next highest match.
The Ascending list gives the #NA error.
The Descending list gives the exact match.
The Wrong Value list finds the next highest number.

Ascending Descending Wrong Value

10 40 40
20 30 30
30 20 20
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MATCH Page 156 of

40 10 10

20 20 25
4 3 2
=MATCH(G79,G74:G77,-1)

Example 4
The tables below were used to by a bus company taking booking for bus tours.
They need to allocate a bus with enough seats for the all the passengers.
The list of bus sizes has been entered in a list.
The number of passengers on the tour is then entered.
The =MATCH() function looks down the list to find the bus with enough seats.
If the number of passengers is not an exact match, the next biggest bus will be picked.
After the =MATCH() function has found the bus, the =INDEX() function has been used
to look down the list again and pick out the actual bus size required.

Bus Size Passengers on the tour : 23

Bus 1 54 Bus size needed : 50
Bus 2 50 =INDEX(D95:D99,MATCH(H94,D95:D99,-1),0)
Bus 3 22
Bus 4 15
Bus 5 6

Example 5
The tables below were used by a school to calculate the exam grades for pupils.
The list of grade breakpoints was entered in a list.
The pupils scores were entered in another list.
The pupils scores are compared against the breakpoints.
If an exact match is not found, the next lowest breakpoint is used.
The =INDEX() function then looks down the Grade list to find the grade.

Exam Score Grade Pupil Score Grade

0 Fail Alan 60 Pass
50 Pass Bob 6 Fail
90 Merit Carol 97 Distinction
95 Distinction David 89 Pass
=INDEX(D111:D114,MATCH(G114,C111:C114,1),0)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MAX Page 157 of

MAX
Values Maximum
120 800 100 120 250 800 =MAX(C4:G4)

Dates Maximum
1-Jan-98 25-Dec-98 31-Mar-98 27-Dec-98 4-Jul-98 27-Dec-98 =MAX(C7:G7)

What Does It Do ?
This function picks the highest value from a list of data.

Syntax
=MAX(Range1,Range2,Range3... through to Range30)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
In the following example the =MAX() function has been used to find the highest value for
each region, month and overall.

Sales Jan Feb Mar Region Max

North £5,000 £6,000 £4,500 £6,000 =MAX(C23:E23)
South £5,800 £7,000 £3,000 £7,000
East £3,500 £2,000 £10,000 £10,000
West £12,000 £4,000 £6,000 £12,000

Month Max £12,000 £7,000 £10,000

=MAX(E23:E26)
Overall Max £12,000
=MAX(C23:E26)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MEDIAN Page 158 of

MEDIAN
Value1 Value2 Value3 Value4 Value5 Median
20 50 10 30 40 30 =MEDIAN(C4:G4)

2000 1000 10 20 8000 1000 =MEDIAN(C6:G6)

10 20 40 40 40 40 =MEDIAN(C8:G8)

Value1 Value2 Value3 Value4 Median

20 40 30 10 25 =MEDIAN(C11:F11)

40 20 40 20 30 =MEDIAN(C13:F13)

What Does It Do ?
This function finds the median value of a group of values.
The median is not the average, it is the half way point where half the numbers in the group are
larger than it and half the numbers are less than it.
If there is no exact median number in the group, the two nearest the half way point are
added and their average is used as the median.

Syntax
=MEDIAN(Range1,Range2,Range3... through to Range30)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MID Page 159 of

MID

Start How Many

Text Position Characters Mid String
ABCDEDF 1 3 ABC =MID(C4,D4,E4)
ABCDEDF 2 3 BCD =MID(C5,D5,E5)
ABCDEDF 5 2 ED =MID(C6,D6,E6)

ABC-100-DEF 100 =MID(C8,5,3)

ABC-200-DEF 200 =MID(C9,5,3)
ABC-300-DEF 300 =MID(C10,5,3)

Item Size: Large Large =MID(C12,12,99)

Item Size: Medium Medium =MID(C13,12,99)
Item Size: Small Small =MID(C14,12,99)

What Does It Do ?
This function picks out a piece of text from the middle of a text entry.
The function needs to know at what point it should start, and how many characters to pick.
If the number of characters to pick exceeds what is available, only the available characters
will be picked.

Syntax
=MID(OriginalText,PositionToStartPicking,NumberOfCharactersToPick)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example 1
The following table uses the =MID() function to extract a post code from a branch ID used
by a company.
It is assumed that all branch ID's follow the same format with the letters identifying the
postal region being in the 5th and 6th positions.

Branch ID Postal Region

DRS-CF-476 CF =MID(C35,5,2)
DRS-WA-842 WA =MID(C36,5,2)
HLT-NP-190 NP =MID(C37,5,2)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MID Page 160 of

Example 2
This example shows how to extract an item which is of variable length, which is inside
a piece of text which has no standard format, other than the required text is always
between two slash / symbols.

Full Branch Code Postal Region

DRS/STC/872 STC
HDRS/FC/111 FC
S/NORTH/874 NORTH
HQ/K/875 K
SPECIAL/UK & FR/876 UK & FR
=MID(C50,FIND("/",C50)+1,FIND("/",C50,FIND("/",C50)+1)-FIND("/",C50)-1)

Find the first /, plus 1 for the Start of the code.

Find the second /, occurring after the first /
Calculate the length of the text to extract, by subtracting the position
of the first / from the position of the second /
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MIN Page 161 of

MIN
Values Minimum
120 800 100 120 250 100 =MIN(C4:G4)

Dates Maximum
1-Jan-98 25-Dec-98 31-Mar-98 27-Dec-98 4-Jul-98 1-Jan-98 =MIN(C7:G7)

What Does It Do ?
This function picks the lowest value from a list of data.

Syntax
=MIN(Range1,Range2,Range3... through to Range30)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
In the following example the =MIN() function has been used to find the lowest value for
each region, month and overall.

Sales Jan Feb Mar Region Min

North £5,000 £6,000 £4,500 £4,500 =MIN(C23:E23)
South £5,800 £7,000 £3,000 £3,000
East £3,500 £2,000 £10,000 £2,000
West £12,000 £4,000 £6,000 £4,000

Month MIN £3,500 £2,000 £3,000

=MIN(E23:E26)
Overall MIN £2,000
=MIN(C23:E26)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MINUTE Page 162 of

MINUTE
Number Minute
9/3/2021 2:58 58 =MINUTE(D4)
9:15:00 PM 15 =MINUTE(D5)
0.02 28 =MINUTE(D6)
0.52 28 =MINUTE(D7)
1.52 28 =MINUTE(D8)

What Does It Do?

The function will show the minute of the hour based upon a time or a number.
Only the fraction part of the number is used as it is this which relates to time of day.

Syntax
=MINUTE(Number)

Formatting
The result will be shown as a normal number between 0 and 59.

Example
The =REPT() function has been used to make a digital display for the current time.
The time functions of =HOUR(), =MINUTE() and =SECOND() have been used in conjunction
with the =NOW() as the basis for the number of repeats.
To update the clock press the function key F9.

Clock
Hour || 02
Minute |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 58
Second ||||||||||||||||||| 19
=REPT("|",HOUR(NOW()))&" "&TEXT(HOUR(NOW()),"00")
=REPT("|",MINUTE(NOW()))&" "&TEXT(MINUTE(NOW()),"00")
=REPT("|",SECOND(NOW()))&" "&TEXT(SECOND(NOW()),"00")

Related Information
To convert a time in hh:mm format to decimal format.

Enter a time in hh:mm format : 2:45

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MINUTE Page 163 of

The same time converted to a decimal : 18:00 =F38*24

To extract the hours as a decimal : 2 =INT(F38*24)

To extract the minutes as a decimal : 18:00 =MOD(F38*24,1)

To convert a time in decimal format to hh:mm format.

Enter a time in decimal format : 3.75

The same time converted to hh:mm format is : 3:45 =F49/24

To extract the hours in hh:mm format : 3:00 =INT(F49)/24

To extract the minutes in hh:mm format : 0:45 =MOD(F49,1)/24

The three formula above have also been formatted as hh:mm using
the Format, Cells, Number, Time command.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MMULT Page 164 of

MMULT
What Does It Do ?
This function multiplies one range of values with another range of values.
The ranges do not have to be of equal size.
The dimensions of the result range is in direct proportion to dimensions of the two input ranges.
It is an Array function and must be entered using the Ctrl+Shift+Enter combination.

Syntax
=MMULT(Range1,Range2)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following tables were used by a company producing boxes of chocolates.
The types of chocolate produced were Milk, Dark and White.
The company boxed the chocolates in three differing mixtures of Milk, Dark and White.
In the run up to Christmas customers ordered various quantities of each box.
The chocolate company now needed to know what quantity of each type of chocolate to produce.
The =MMULT() function was used to multiply the contents of boxes by the customer orders.
The result of the =MMULT() is the total number of each type of chocolate to produce.

Chocolates in the box

Size Milk Dark White
Giant 50 50 50
Standard 30 20 10
Economy 20 5 5

Customers Orders
Giant Standard Economy
300 400 500

Quantity To Produce
Milk Dark White
37,000 25,500 21,500

{=MMULT(C32:E32,C26:E28)}
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MMULT Page 165 of

In all three cells

How It Was Done

Cells C36 to E36 were selected.
The formula =MMULT(C32:E32,C26:E28) was typed, (but not yet entered).
The keys Ctrl+Shift+Enter were pressed to confirm the entry as an array.
The formula then showed the correct result.

Getting The Dimensions Correct

The dimensions of the Result range are directly related to the two input ranges.
The number of rows in the Result should be equal to the rows in Range1.
The number of columns in the Result should be equal to the columns in Range2.

Example 2
The following tables were used by the chocolate company to calculate the amount of
ingredients needed to produce batches of chocolate.

The company has four factories, each of which has to order enough Butter, Eggs and Sugar
to ensure they can meet production targets.

Range 1 contains the planned production of Milk and Dark chocolate for each factory.
Range 2 contains the amount Butter, Eggs and Sugar needed to make 1 unit of Milk or Plain.
The Result range shows the quantities of each ingredient that will have to be ordered to
meet the production target.

Note the depth of the Result is the same as the depth of Range 1, and the width of
the Result is the same as the width of Range 2.

Range 1 Range 2
Production Milk Dark Ingredients Butter Eggs Sugar
Factory 1 20 0 Milk 1 3 10
Factory 2 20 1 Dark 2 2 5
Factory 3 10 5
Factory 4 20 10

Result
Ingredients To Order Butter Eggs Sugar
Factory 1 20 60 200
Factory 2 22 62 205
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MMULT Page 166 of

Factory 3 20 40 125
Factory 4 40 80 250

{=MMULT(C69:D72,G69:I70)}
In all cells

Hint
To get a feel for how the =MMULT() function operates, set all values in Range1 and Range2
to zero 0, then change a single value in each.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MOD Page 167 of

MOD
Number Divisor Remainder
12 5 2 =MOD(C4,D4)
20 7 6 =MOD(C5,D5)
18 3 0 =MOD(C6,D6)
9 2 1 =MOD(C7,D7)
24 7 3 =MOD(C8,D8)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the remainder after a number has been divided by another number.

Syntax
=MOD(Number,Divisor)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MODE Page 168 of

MODE
Value1 Value2 Value3 Value4 Value5 Mode
20 50 10 10 40 10 =MODE(C4:G4)

40 20 40 10 40 40 =MODE(C6:G6)

10 10 99 20 20 10 =MODE(C8:G8)
20 20 99 10 10 10 =MODE(C9:G9)
10 20 20 99 10 10 =MODE(C10:G10)

20 20 30 40 50 20 =MODE(C12:G12)

What Does It Do ?
This function displays the most frequently occurring number in a group of numbers.
For it to work correctly there must be at least two numbers which are the same.
If all the values in the group are unique the function shows the error #N/A.
When there is more than one set of duplicates, the number closest to the beginning
of the group will be used. (Which is not really an accurate answer!)

Syntax
=MODE(Range1,Range2,Range3... through to Range30)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table shows garments sold in a clothes shop.
The shopkeeper wants to keep track of the most commonly sold size.
The =MODE() function has been used to calulate this.

Order Garmet Size

001 Blouse 10 Most frequently ordered size : 10
002 Skirt 10 =MODE(D33:D52)
003 Shirt 8
004 Blouse 10
005 Skirt 12 Count of size 8 : 6
006 Dress 8 =COUNTIF(D33:D52,"8")
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MODE Page 169 of

007 Shirt 10
008 Blouse 10 Count of size 10 : 11
009 Dress 8 =COUNTIF(D33:D52,"10")
010 Shirt 10
011 Dress 12 Count of size 12 : 3
012 Skirt 12 =COUNTIF(D33:D52,"12")
013 Skirt 10
014 Shirt 10
015 Dress 8
016 Shirt 10
017 Blouse 10
018 Blouse 8
019 Dress 10
020 Skirt 8

Note
If the =AVERAGE() function had been used the answer would have bee 9.7
This figure is of no benefit to the shopkeeper as there are no garmets of this size!
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MONTH Page 170 of

MONTH
Original Date Month
1-Jan-98 1 =MONTH(C4)
1-Jan-98 December =MONTH(C5)

What Does It Do?

This function extracts the month from a complete date.

Syntax
=MONTH(Date)

Formatting
Normally the result will be a number, but this can be formatted to show the actual
month by using Format,Cells,Number,Custom and using the code mmm or mmmm.

Example
The =MONTH function has been used to calculate the name of the month for your birthday.

Please enter your date of birth in the format dd/mm/yy 3/25/1962

You were born in January =MONTH(F20)

1
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley MROUND Page 171 of

MROUND

Rounded
Number Multiple Value
110 50 100 =MROUND(C4,D4)
120 50 100 =MROUND(C5,D5)
150 50 150 =MROUND(C6,D6)
160 50 150 =MROUND(C7,D7)
170 50 150 =MROUND(C8,D8)

What Does It Do ?
This function rounds a number up or down to the nearest multiple specified by the user.

Syntax
=MROUND(NumberToRound,MultipleToUse)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley N Page 172 of

N
Original Converted
1 1 =N(C4)
3 1/2 3.5 =N(C5)
3.5 3.5 =N(C6)
3.50% 0.035 =N(C7)
25-Dec-98 36154 =N(C8)
1 1 =N(C9)
0 0 =N(C10)
Hello 0 =N(C11)
32 32 =N(C12)

What Does It Do ?
This function converts a numeric entry to its mathematical value.
Anything which will not convert is shown as 0 zero.
Excel does not really need this function, due to the fact that Excel calculates in this way
naturally. The function is included for compatibility with other spreadsheet programs.

Syntax
=N(NumericEntry)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley NA Page 173 of

NA
#N/A =NA()

Value Test
10 11 =IF(ISBLANK(C6),NA(),C6+1)
#N/A =IF(ISBLANK(C7),NA(),C7+1)
30 31 =IF(ISBLANK(C8),NA(),C8+1)

Sales
North 100
South #N/A =NA()
East #N/A =NA()
West 200
Total #N/A =SUM(D11:D14)

What Does It Do ?
This function is a place marker used to indicate that required information is Not Available.
It can be type directly in to a cell as =NA() or it can be used as part of a calculation.
When the =NA() is used, any calculations which depend upon the cell will also show #NA.
It is used to indicate that all the data has not yet been entered in to the spreadsheet.

Syntax
=NA()

Formatting
No special formatting is required.

Example
The following table was used by a company to calculate the monthly Wage of an employee.
The Salary and Tax percentage are entered.
The Tax is then deducted from the Salary to calculate the Wage.

Table 1 shows that when the Tax is not entered, the Wage is still calculated.
On a large spreadsheet this may go unnoticed and the wrong Wage paid.

Table 1
Salary Tax % Pay
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley NA Page 174 of

Alan 1000 25% 750 =C39-C39*D39

Bob 1000 1000 =C40-C40*D40
Carol 1000 20% 800 =C41-C41*D41

Table 2 shows how the =NA() has been inserted in the unknown Tax to act as a
reminder that the Tax still needs to be entered.

Table 2
Salary Tax % Pay
Alan 1000 25% 750 =C49-C49*D49
Bob 1000 #N/A #N/A =C50-C50*D50
Carol 1000 20% 800 =C51-C51*D51
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley NETWORKDAYS Page 175 of

NETWORKDAYS
Start Date End Date Work Days
1-Mar-98 7-Mar-98 5 =NETWORKDAYS(C4,D4)
25-Apr-98 30-Jul-98 69 =NETWORKDAYS(C5,D5)
24-Dec-98 5-Jan-99 9 =NETWORKDAYS(C6,D6)

What Does It Do?

This function will calculate the number of working days between two dates.
It will exclude weekends and any holidays.

Syntax
=NETWORKDAYS(StartDate,EndDate,Holidays)
Holidays : This is a list of dates which will be excluded from the calculation, such as Xmas
and Bank holidays.

Formatting
The result will be shown as a number.

Note
The calculation does not include the last day. The result of using 1-Jan-98 and 5-Jan-98 will
give a result of 4. To correct this add 1 to the result. =NETWORKDAYS(Start,End,Holidays)+1

Example
The following example shows how a list of Holidays can be created.

Start Date End Date Work Days

Mon 02-Mar-98 Fri 06-Mar-98 5 =NETWORKDAYS(B28,C28,C33:C37)
Mon 02-Mar-98 Fri 13-Mar-98 10 =NETWORKDAYS(B29,C29,C33:C37)
Mon 27-Apr-98 Fri 01-May-98 4 =NETWORKDAYS(B30,C30,C33:C37)

Holidays
Bank Holiday 1-May-98
Xmas 25-Dec-98
New Year 1-Jan-97
New Year 1-Jan-98
New Year 1-Jan-99
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley NORTH Page 176 of

Northern data.
Used by the example for the =INDIRECT() function.
Alan
Jan Feb Mar Total
Alan 10 20 30 60
Bob 40 50 60 150
Carol 70 80 90 240
Total 120 150 180 450
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley NOT Page 177 of

NOT
Cells To Test Result
10 20 1 =NOT(C4>D4)
10 20 1 =NOT(C5=D5)
10 20 0 =NOT(C6<D6)
1-Jan-98 1-Feb-98 1 =NOT(C7>D7)
Hello Goodbye 1 =NOT(C8=D8)
Hello Hello 0 =NOT(C9=D9)

What Does It Do ?
This function performs a test to see if the test fails. (A type of reverse logic).
If the test fails, the result is TRUE.
If the test is met, then the result is FALSE.

Syntax
=NOT(TestToPerform)
The TestToPerform can be reference to cells or another calculation.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used by a library to track books borrowed.
The date the book was Taken out is entered.
The period of the Loan is entered.
The date the book was returned is entered.
The =NOT() function has been used to calculate whether the book was returned within
the correct time, by adding the Loan value to the Taken date.
If the book was not returned on time the result Overdue is shown, otherwise OK is shown.

Taken Loan Returned Status

1-Jan-98 14 5-Jan-98 OK =IF(NOT(D33<=B33+C33),"Overdue","OK")
1-Jan-98 14 ### OK =IF(NOT(D34<=B34+C34),"Overdue","OK")
1-Jan-98 14 ### Overdue =IF(NOT(D35<=B35+C35),"Overdue","OK")
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley NOW Page 178 of

NOW
The current Date and Time
9/3/2021 2:58 =NOW()
9/3/2021 2:58:19 =NOW()

What Does It Do?

This function shows the current date and time. The result will be updated each time the
worksheet is opened and every time an entry is made anywhere on the worksheet.

Syntax
=NOW()

Formatting
The result will be shown as a date and time. If it is formatted to show as a number
the integer part is used for the date and the decimal portion represent the time.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ODD Page 179 of

ODD

Rounded To
Number Next Odd
2 3 =ODD(C4)
2.4 3 =ODD(C5)
2.9 3 =ODD(C6)
3 3 =ODD(C7)
3.4 5 =ODD(C8)
3.9 5 =ODD(C9)

What Does It Do ?
This function rounds a number up to the next highest whole odd number.

Syntax
=ODD(NumberToBeRounded)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley OR Page 180 of

OR

Order Payment Handling

No. Cost Type Charge
AB001 1000 Cash £ - =IF(OR(E4="Visa",E4="Delta"),5,0)
AB002 1000 Visa £ 5 =IF(OR(E5="Visa",E5="Delta"),5,0)
AB003 2000 Cheque £ - =IF(OR(E6="Visa",E6="Delta"),5,0)
AB004 5000 Delta £ 5 =IF(OR(E7="Visa",E7="Delta"),5,0)

What Does It Do?

This function tests two or more conditions to see if any of them are true.
It can be used to test that at least one of a series of numbers meets certain conditions.
Normally the OR() function would be used in conjunction with a function such as =IF().

Syntax
=OR(Test1,Test2)
Note that there can be up to 30 possible tests.

Formatting
When used by itself it will show TRUE or FALSE.

Example
The following table shows a list of orders taken by a company.
A handling charge of £5 is made on all orders paid by Visa or Delta cards.
The =OR() function has been used to determine whether the charge needs to be applied.

Order Payment Handling

No. Cost Type Charge
AB001 1000 Cash £ - =IF(OR(E27="Visa",E27="Delta"),5,0)
AB002 1000 Visa £ 5
AB003 2000 Cheque £ -
AB004 5000 Delta £ 5
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Ordering Stock Page 181 of

Ordering Stock
This is an example of a spreadsheet to calculate the best time interval to order stock.

Scenario
A garage fits exhaust systems.
The manager orders the exhausts on a regular basis.
Each time an order is made for new stock, there is a fixed administrative cost.
The exhausts are kept in stock until needed.
Keeping the exhausts in stock incurs a cost due to capital tied up and warehouse costs.
The supplier of the Exhausts gives a discount on large orders.

Objective
Find the time interval to order stock which will result in the lowest Admin and Warehouse costs.

Input Data
Cost of a single Exhaust system : £75
Cost of keeping Exhaust in stock. (As a % of the stock value) : 12%
Quantity of Exhausts used per day : 10
Admin cost each time new Exhausts are ordered : £25
Average quantity of Exhausts in stock (As % of ordered quantity) : 0.5
Ordering Intervals to evaluate. (Expressed in Days) : 2

Suppliers first Price Break and Discount% offered : 200 1%

Suppliers second Price Break and Discount% offered : 750 5%

Output
Annual
Ordering Annual Ware The Best
Interval Quantity Order Order Orders Admin house Annual Ordering
In Days Per Order Value Discount Per Year Cost Costs Total Interval
1 10 £ 750 £ - 365 £ 9,125 £ 45 £ 9,170 -
2 20 £ 1,500 £ - 183 £ 4,575 £ 90 £ 4,665 -
4 40 £ 3,000 £ - 92 £ 2,300 £ 180 £ 2,480 -
6 60 £ 4,500 £ - 61 £ 1,525 £ 270 £ 1,795 -
8 80 £ 6,000 £ - 46 £ 1,150 £ 360 £ 1,510 -
10 100 £ 7,500 £ - 37 £ 925 £ 450 £ 1,375 -
12 120 £ 9,000 £ - 31 £ 775 £ 540 £ 1,315 -
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Ordering Stock Page 182 of

14 140 £ 10,500 £ - 27 £ 675 £ 630 £ 1,305 -

16 160 £ 12,000 £ - 23 £ 575 £ 720 £ 1,295 -
18 180 £ 13,500 £ - 21 £ 525 £ 810 £ 1,335 -
20 200 £ 15,000 £ 150 19 £ 475 £ 900 £ 1,225 Best
22 220 £ 16,500 £ 165 17 £ 425 £ 990 £ 1,250 -
24 240 £ 18,000 £ 180 16 £ 400 £ 1,080 £ 1,300 -
26 260 £ 19,500 £ 195 15 £ 375 £ 1,170 £ 1,350 -
28 280 £ 21,000 £ 210 14 £ 350 £ 1,260 £ 1,400 -
30 300 £ 22,500 £ 225 13 £ 325 £ 1,350 £ 1,450 -
32 320 £ 24,000 £ 240 12 £ 300 £ 1,440 £ 1,500 -
34 340 £ 25,500 £ 255 11 £ 275 £ 1,530 £ 1,550 -
36 360 £ 27,000 £ 270 11 £ 275 £ 1,620 £ 1,625 -
38 380 £ 28,500 £ 285 10 £ 250 £ 1,710 £ 1,675 -
40 400 £ 30,000 £ 300 10 £ 250 £ 1,800 £ 1,750 -
42 420 £ 31,500 £ 315 9 £ 225 £ 1,890 £ 1,800 -
44 440 £ 33,000 £ 330 9 £ 225 £ 1,980 £ 1,875 -
46 460 £ 34,500 £ 345 8 £ 200 £ 2,070 £ 1,925 -
48 480 £ 36,000 £ 360 8 £ 200 £ 2,160 £ 2,000 -
50 500 £ 37,500 £ 375 8 £ 200 £ 2,250 £ 2,075 -
52 520 £ 39,000 £ 390 8 £ 200 £ 2,340 £ 2,150 -
54 540 £ 40,500 £ 405 7 £ 175 £ 2,430 £ 2,200 -
56 560 £ 42,000 £ 420 7 £ 175 £ 2,520 £ 2,275 -
58 580 £ 43,500 £ 435 7 £ 175 £ 2,610 £ 2,350 -
60 600 £ 45,000 £ 450 7 £ 175 £ 2,700 £ 2,425 -

Things To Try
Change the Discount % to 0% and 0%.
Change the Ordering Interval to 1 or 30.
Change the Cost of the Exhaust making it cheaper or more expensive.
Change the Quantity used per day to a larger or smaller number.

Explanation
Column A Ordering Interval In Days
The first of these cells has the value 1 entered in it.
This is the smallest ordering period, which would require stock to be ordered every day.
The second cell picks the ordering interval from the Input Data table.
The third and subsequent cells add the ordering interval to the previous cell to create
a list of values of the same interval.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Ordering Stock Page 183 of

Column B Quantity Per Order

This is the number of Exhausts which will need to be ordered.

Calculation : OrderingInterval * QuantityUsedPerDay

Column C Order Value

This is the value of the Order before any discount.

Calculation : QuantityOrdered * CostOfExhaust

Column D Order Discount

The discount which can be subtracted from the order value.
The discount is only given on orders which are equal to or greater than the
Price Break values set by the supplier.

Calculation : OrderValue * SupplierDiscount

The supplier discount is calculated using the =IF() and the =AND() functions.

If the OrderQuantity is equal to or above the first Price Break, but below
the second Price Break, then the first Price Break discount is used.
=C29*IF(AND(B29>=$G$24,B29<$G$25),$H$24,IF(B29>=$G$25,$H$25,0))

If the OrderQuantity is equal to or above the second Price Break,

the second Price Break discount is used.
=C29*IF(AND(B29>=$G$24,B29<$G$25),$H$24,IF(B29>=$G$25,$H$25,0))

If the OrderQuantity does not qualify for a discount, zero discount is used.
=C29*IF(AND(B29>=$G$24,B29<$G$25),$H$24,IF(B29>=$G$25,$H$25,0))

Column E Orders Per Year

This is how many orders will need to be made based upon the ordering interval.
With an interval of 1, there will have to be 365 orders.

Calculation : 365/OrderingInterval
This calculation may give results which are decimal, such as 2.3
This decimal will cause problems, due to the fact that the number of
orders must always be a whole number.
The =CEILING() function has been used to 'round up' any decimals to
the next highest whole number.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Ordering Stock Page 184 of

=CEILING(365/A29,1)

Column F Annual Admin Costs

This is the administration costs involved in making the orders.

Calculation : OrdersPerYear * AdminCost

=E29*$G$20

Column G Annual Warehouse Costs

This is the cost of keeping the stock in the warehouse.
It is based on the managers knowledge that on average the stock level is 50% of the
quantity ordered.

Calculation : QuantityOrdered * AverageStockLevel) * ExhaustCost * WarehousingCost

=(B29*$G$21)*$G$17*$G$18

Column H Annual Total

This is the full yearly cost of ordering the Exhausts, based upon how frequently the
orders are made.
It does not take in to account the actual costs of the Exhausts, as the manager only
wants to know what the lowest values for the overheads associated with ordering and
storing the exhaust systems.
However, the Discount figure is taken into account as this can be used to offset some
of the overheads.

Calculation : AnnualAdminCosts + AnnualWarehouseCosts - OrderDiscount

=F29+G29-D29

Column I The Best Ordering Interval

This shows the Best ordering interval, giving the lowest annual overheads.
It compares the value in column H against the minimum value for all of column H.
If the two values match the word Best is shown, otherwise a dash is shown.
=IF(H29=MIN($H$29:$H$59),"Best","-")
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Ordering Stock Page 185 of
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley PERMUT Page 186 of

PERMUT
Pool Of Items Items In A Group Permutations
4 2 12 =PERMUT(C4,D4)
4 3 24 =PERMUT(C5,D5)
10 4 5040 =PERMUT(C6,D6)
26 6 165,765,600 =PERMUT(C7,D7)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the maximum number of permutations given a fixed number of items.
The internal order is significant, so AB and BA will be considered as two possible permutations.
It could be used to calculate the possible number of 4 digit passwords from the digits 0 to 9.

Syntax
=PERMUT(PoolToPickFrom,ItemsInAGroup)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used to calculate the total number of 8 letter passwords which can
be created by using all 26 letters of the alphabet.

Letter In Alphabet 26
Password Size 8
Permutations 62,990,928,000

In the case of a two letter password made from the letter A, B, C and D, the following
twelve permutations would be possible.

ABCD

Password 1 AB Password 7 BA
Password 2 AC Password 8 CA
Password 3 AD Password 9 DA
Password 4 BC Password 10 CB
Password 5 BD Password 11 DB
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley PERMUT Page 187 of

Password 6 CD Password 12 DC
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley PI Page 188 of

PI
p
3.14159265400000 =PI()

What Does It Do ?
This function is equal to the value of Pi.
It is correct to 15 decimal places.
It does not need any input, it is a self contained function.

Syntax
=PI()

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
To calculate the area of a circle.

Radius Area
5 78.54 =PI()*(C21^2)
25 1963.50
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley POWER Page 189 of

POWER
Number Power Result
3 2 9 =POWER(C4,D4)
3 4 81 =POWER(C5,D5)
5 2 25 =POWER(C6,D6)
5 4 625 =POWER(C7,D7)

What Does It Do ?
This function raises a number to a user specified power.
It is the same as using the ^ operator, such as 3^4, which result is 81.
Both the POWER() function and the ^ operator are the same as using 3*3*3*3.

Syntax
=POWER(NumberToBeRaised,Power)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
To calculate the area of a circle.

Radius Area
5 78.54 =PI()*POWER(C22,2)
25 1963.50
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley PRODUCT Page 190 of

PRODUCT
Numbers Product
2 3 6 =PRODUCT(C4,D4)
5 10 50 =PRODUCT(C5:D5)
3 7 210 =PRODUCT(C6:D6,10)
6300 =PRODUCT(C4:D6)

What Does It Do ?
This function multiples a group of numbers together.
It is the same as using 2*3*5*10*3*7, which results in 6300.

Syntax
=PRODUCT(Number1,Number2,Number3... through to Number30)
or
=PRODUCT(RangeOfNumbers)
or
=PRODUCT(Number1,Range,Number2...)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley PROPER Page 191 of

PROPER
Original Text Proper
alan jones Alan Jones =PROPER(C4)
bob smith Bob Smith =PROPER(C5)
caRol wILLIAMS Carol Williams =PROPER(C6)
cardiff Cardiff =PROPER(C7)
ABC123 Abc123 =PROPER(C8)

What Does It Do ?
This function converts the first letter of each word to uppercase, and all subsequent letters
are converted to lower case.

Syntax
=PROPER(TextToConvert)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley QUARTILE Page 192 of

QUARTILE
Values Quarter No. Quartile
1 0 1 =QUARTILE(C4:C8,E4)
25 1 25 =QUARTILE(C4:C8,E5)
50 2 50 =QUARTILE(C4:C8,E6)
75 3 75 =QUARTILE(C4:C8,E7)
100 4 100 =QUARTILE(C4:C8,E8)

Values Quarter No. Quartile

817 104 640 767 0 104 =QUARTILE(C12:F16,H12)
748 756 369 703 1 285.75 =QUARTILE(C12:F16,H13)
372 993 294 261 2 489 =QUARTILE(C12:F16,H14)
487 384 185 491 3 750 =QUARTILE(C12:F16,H15)
140 607 894 182 4 993 =QUARTILE(C12:F16,H16)

What Does It Do ?
This function examines a group of values and then shows the values which are of the
upper limits of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters of the data.
The Quartile of 0 (zero) is actually lowest value, which can be obtained using the =MIN() function.
The Quartile of 4 is actually highest value, which can be obtained using the =MAX() function.

Syntax
=QUARTILE(RangeToBeExamined,QuartileValue)
The QuartileValue can only be 0,1,2,3 or 4.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley QUOTIENT Page 193 of

QUOTIENT
Number Divisor Result
12 5 2 =QUOTIENT(C4,D4)
20 3 6 =QUOTIENT(C5,D5)
46 15 3 =QUOTIENT(C6,D6)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the number of times a number can be divided by another number.
It ignores any remainder, only showing the whole number.

Syntax
=QUOTIENT(NumberToBeDivided,Divisor)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following example was used by a drinks merchant to calculate the number of
crates which could be packed using bottles in stock.
The merchant can only sell full crates.

Table 1 calculates the crates by simple division. This however shows

decimal fractions which are not needed.

Table 1 Bottles
Bottles Per
Item To Pack Crate Crates Needed
Wine 126 12 10.5 =D28/E28
Champagne 200 8 25
Rum 15 4 3.75
Beer 250 20 12.5

Table 2 uses the =QUOTIENT() function to remove the decimal fraction to

give the correct result.

Table 2
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley QUOTIENT Page 194 of

Bottles
Bottles Per
Item To Pack Crate Crates Needed
Wine 126 12 10 =QUOTIENT(D39,E39)
Champagne 200 8 25
Rum 15 6 2
Beer 250 20 12
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley RAND Page 195 of

RAND
Random greater than or equal to 0 but less than 1.
0.8015256519 =RAND()

Random greater than or equal to 0 but less than 10

0.0055877536 =RAND()*10

Random between 5 and 10.

8.3161983332 =RAND()*(10-5)+5

What Does It Do ?
This function creates a random number >=0 but <1.
The number will change each time the worksheet recalculates, or when F9 is pressed.

Syntax
=RAND()

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Examples
The following examples show how the =RAND() function has been used to randomly
sort list of information.

A list of cards has been entered in column C, and =RAND() in column D.

By clicking inside the random numbers and then using Data, Sort or the Sort button
the cards will be shuffled.

The same technique has been used to generate a list of six winning lottery numbers.

Card Random Lottery Random

Clubs 8 0.819861 29 0.1993723713
Clubs 6 0.768777 34 0.0293895187
Diamond 9 0.319584 30 0.0423174084
Spades 13 0.716748 41 0.4077741277
Clubs 9 0.106994 40 0.361657154
Diamond 7 0.433642 37 0.175006028
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley RAND Page 196 of

Diamond 4 0.409053 26 0.7244572228

Clubs 10 0.186983 32 0.0097341616
Spades 3 0.495333 21 0.7929818507
Hearts 6 0.838308 19 0.0614997445
Hearts 4 0.054758 7 0.454001153
Diamond 8 0.90235 10 0.7158575465
Hearts 11 0.63239 16 0.1737436555
Clubs 3 0.829135 8 0.1942781936
Clubs 13 0.897786 48 0.8354264419
Spades 5 0.277369 43 0.6514079581
Diamond 3 0.506055 44 0.3415103797
Spades 2 0.139485 4 0.2066730356
Diamond 6 0.790218 3 0.7340400624
Clubs 5 0.639591 45 0.0916108037
Spades 1 0.53116 47 0.0365492717
Clubs 12 0.740372 49 0.5176910405
Hearts 10 0.339493 35 0.6171919586
Hearts 13 0.895787 27 0.5874417089
Spades 7 0.881184 1 0.1798250886
Spades 6 0.454957 13 0.0367804351
Diamond 12 0.37725 31 0.2085286884
Hearts 3 0.745075 5 0.5386293876
Hearts 5 0.419824 18 0.5947757875
Hearts 8 0.194122 39 0.5214547248
Hearts 1 0.314984 23 0.3875833404
Diamond 13 0.299199 12 0.4357333542
Hearts 9 0.92425 11 0.3604485769
Clubs 4 0.385555 20 0.765321664
Diamond 5 0.132585 33 0.0813031838
Spades 4 0.249077 42 0.0968158463
Clubs 1 0.26476 24 0.9558255612
Spades 8 0.109762 2 0.167328173
Hearts 7 0.367814 14 0.3000845783
Diamond 1 0.865958 25 0.8436114656
Clubs 2 0.513676 9 0.639133586
Hearts 2 0.033201 38 0.3863872143
Diamond 11 0.15272 15 0.2126098094
Clubs 7 0.217423 28 0.0705080902
Spades 12 0.849674 17 0.7328926846
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley RAND Page 197 of

Spades 10 0.273133 6 0.3467866477

Clubs 11 0.505045 22 0.1323776766
Diamond 2 0.697211 46 0.4592238874
Diamond 10 0.440701 36 0.4465932406
Spades 9 0.040204
Spades 11 0.17702
Hearts 12 0.300031
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley RANDBETWEEN Page 198 of

RANDBETWEEN
Low High Random
5 10 9 =RANDBETWEEN(C4,D4)
1 49 49 =RANDBETWEEN(C5,D5)

What Does It Do ?
This function produces a random whole number between two specified numbers.
The random number will change each time the spreadsheet is recalculated or F9 is pressed.

Syntax
=RANDOMBETWEEN(LowLimit,HighLimit)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table shows how the =RANDBETWEEN() has been used to generate six
numbers to use for the National Lottery.
Note that the function does not check to ensure all numbers are unique, the same number
could be generated twice or more.

The Winning
Lottery Numbers Ticket!
1 49 5 =RANDBETWEEN($C$24,$D$24)Number 1
21 =RANDBETWEEN($C$24,$D$24)Number 2
Press function Key 4 =RANDBETWEEN($C$24,$D$24)Number 3
F9 to recalculate. 7 =RANDBETWEEN($C$24,$D$24)Number 4
40 =RANDBETWEEN($C$24,$D$24)Number 5
20 =RANDBETWEEN($C$24,$D$24)Number 6
44 =RANDBETWEEN($C$24,$D$24)Bonus ball

All OK
{=IF(SUM(1/COUNTIF(E24:E30,E24:E30))<>7,"Duplicates! Spin again","All OK")}
This formula is used to determine whether all the numbers are different.
It is entered as an array using Ctrl+Shift+Enter.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley RANK Page 199 of

RANK

Ranking Position
Values High to Low
7 4 =RANK(C4,C4:C8)
4 5 =RANK(C5,C4:C8)
25 1 =RANK(C6,C4:C8)
8 3 =RANK(C7,C4:C8)
16 2 =RANK(C8,C4:C8)

Ranking Position
Values Low to High
7 2 =RANK(C11,C11:C15,1)
4 1 =RANK(C12,C11:C15,1)
25 5 =RANK(C13,C11:C15,1)
8 3 =RANK(C14,C11:C15,1)
16 4 =RANK(C15,C11:C15,1)

Ranking Position
Values High to Low
10 5 =RANK(C18,C18:C22)
30 2 =RANK(C19,C18:C22)
20 4 =RANK(C20,C18:C22)
30 2 =RANK(C21,C18:C22)
40 1 =RANK(C22,C18:C22)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the position of a value in a list relative to the other values in the list.
A typical usage would be to rank the times of athletes in a race to find the winner.
The ranking can be done on an ascending (low to high) or descending (high to low) basis.
If there are duplicate values in the list, they will be assigned the same rank. Subsequent ranks
would not follow on sequentially, but would take into account the fact that there were duplicates.
If the numbers 30, 20, 20 and 10 were ranked, 30 is ranked as 1, both 20's are ranked as 2, and
the 10 would be ranked as 4.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley RANK Page 200 of

Value Rank
30 1 =RANK(B34,B34:B37)
20 2 =RANK(B35,B34:B37)
20 2 =RANK(B36,B34:B37)
10 4 =RANK(B37,B34:B37)

Syntax
=RANK(NumberToRank,ListOfNumbers,RankOrder)
The RankOrder can be 0 zero or 1.
Using 0 will rank larger numbers at the top. (This is optional, leaving it out has the same effect).
Using 1 will rank small numbers at the top.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used to record the times for athletes competing in a race.
The =RANK() function was then used to find their race positions based upon the finishing times.

Athlete Time Race Position

John 1:30 4 =RANK(C53,C53:C58,1)
Alan 1:45 6 =RANK(C54,C53:C58,1)
David 1:02 1 =RANK(C55,C53:C58,1)
Brian 1:36 5 =RANK(C56,C53:C58,1)
Sue 1:27 3 =RANK(C57,C53:C58,1)
Alex 1:03 2 =RANK(C58,C53:C58,1)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley REPLACE Page 201 of

REPLACE

Start Characters New Modified

Original Text Position To Replace Character Text
ABCDEFGH 2 5 x AxGH =REPLACE(C4,D4,E4,F4)
ABCDEFGH 2 5 x AxGH =REPLACE(C5,D5,E5,F5)
ABCDEFGH 2 1 hello AhelloCDEFGH =REPLACE(C6,D6,E6,F6)
ABCDEFGH 2 5 hello AhelloGH =REPLACE(C7,D7,E7,F7)

What Does It Do ?
This function replaces a portion of text with a new piece of text.
You need to specify where the replacement should start, how many characters to
remove and what the new replacement text should be.

Syntax
=REPLACE(OriginalText,StartPosition,NumberOfCharactersToReplace,NewText)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley REPT Page 202 of

REPT

Text To Number Of Repeated

Repeat Repeats Text
A 3 AAA =REPT(C4,D4)
AB 3 ABABAB =REPT(C5,D5)
- 10 ---------- =REPT(C6,D6)
| 10 |||||||||| =REPT(C7,D7)

What Does It Do ?
This function repeats a piece of text a specified number of times.
You need to specify the text to be repeated and how many times to repeat it.

Syntax
=REPT(TextToRepeat,Repetitions)
The maximum number of repetitions is 200.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example 1
The following table was used to display a simple histogram of sales figures.
The =REPT() function uses the value of Sales, but this is divided by 100 to scale down the
number of repetitions to below the maximum of 200.

Month Sales
Jan £100 ||
Feb £200 ||||
Mar £55
Apr £1,500 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
=REPT("||",D29/100)

Example 2
The =REPT() function has been used to make a digital display for the current time.
The time functions of =HOUR(), =MINUTE() and =SECOND() have been used in conjunction
with the =NOW() as the basis for the number of repeats.
To update the clock press the function key F9.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley REPT Page 203 of

Clock
Hour || 02
Minute |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 58
Second ||||||||||||||||||| 19

=REPT("|",HOUR(NOW()))&" "&TEXT(HOUR(NOW()),"00")
=REPT("|",MINUTE(NOW()))&" "&TEXT(MINUTE(NOW()),"00")
=REPT("|",SECOND(NOW()))&" "&TEXT(SECOND(NOW()),"00")
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley RIGHT Page 204 of

RIGHT

Number Of
Original Characters Right
Text Required String
Alan Jones 1 s =RIGHT(C4,D4)
Alan Jones 2 es =RIGHT(C5,D5)
Alan Jones 3 nes =RIGHT(C6,D6)
Cardiff 6 ardiff =RIGHT(C7,D7)
ABC123 4 C123 =RIGHT(C8,D8)

What Does It Do ?
This function displays a specified number of characters from the right hand side of a
piece of text.

Syntax
=RIGHT(OriginalText,NumberOfCharactersRequired)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used to extract the second name of a person from their full name.
The =FIND() function locates the position of the space between the first and second name.
The length of the second name is calculated by subtracting the position of the space from
the overall length of the full name.
The =RIGHT() function can then extract the second name.

Full Name Second Name

Alan Jones Jones =RIGHT(C28,LEN(C28)-FIND(" ",C28))
Bob Smith Smith =RIGHT(C29,LEN(C29)-FIND(" ",C29))
Carol Williams Williams =RIGHT(C30,LEN(C30)-FIND(" ",C30))
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ROMAN Page 205 of

ROMAN
Number Roman
1 I =ROMAN(C4)
2 II =ROMAN(C5)
3 III =ROMAN(C6)
5 V =ROMAN(C7)
10 X =ROMAN(C8)
1998 MCMXCVIII =ROMAN(C9)
1998 MCMXCVIII =ROMAN(C10,0)
1998 MLMVLIII =ROMAN(C11,1)
1998 MXMVIII =ROMAN(C12,2)
1998 MVMIII =ROMAN(C13,3)
1998 MVMIII =ROMAN(C14,4)
1998 MLMVLIII =ROMAN(C15,TRUE)
1998 MCMXCVIII =ROMAN(C16,FALSE)

What Does It Do ?
This function produces a number shown as Roman numerals in various formats.

Syntax
=ROMAN(NormalNumber,RomanNumberFormat)
The RomanNumberFormat can be any of the following.
0 is Classic. This is used if no format is specified.
1 is more Concise.
2 is even more Concise.
3 is even more Concise still.
4 is Simplified.
TRUE is Classic
FALSE is Simplified

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Note
There is no function to do the opposite calculation of Roman to normal.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ROUND Page 206 of

ROUND

Places
To Rounded
Number Round Number
1.47589 0 1 =ROUND(C4,D4)
1.47589 1 1.5 =ROUND(C5,D5)
1.47589 2 1.48 =ROUND(C6,D6)
13643.47589 -1 13640 =ROUND(C7,D7)
13643.47589 -2 13600 =ROUND(C8,D8)
13643.47589 -3 14000 =ROUND(C9,D9)

What Does It Do ?
This function rounds a number to a specified amount od decimal places.
If 0 is used the number is rounded to the nearest whole number.
If a negative amount of rounding is used the figures to the left of the decimal point are rounded.

Syntax
=ROUND(NumberToRound,DecimalPlacesToUse)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ROUNDDOWN Page 207 of

ROUNDDOWN

Places
To Rounded
Number Round Down
1.47589 0 1 =ROUNDDOWN(C4,D4)
1.47589 1 1.4 =ROUNDDOWN(C5,D5)
1.47589 2 1.47 =ROUNDDOWN(C6,D6)
13643.48 -1 13640 =ROUNDDOWN(C7,D7)
13643.48 -2 13600 =ROUNDDOWN(C8,D8)
13643.48 -3 13000 =ROUNDDOWN(C9,D9)

What Does It Do ?
This function rounds a number down to a specified amount of decimal places.
If 0 is used the number is rounded down to the nearest whole number.
If a negative amount of rounding is used the figures to the left of the decimal point are rounded.

Syntax
=ROUNDDOWN(NumberToRound,DecimalPlacesToUse)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley ROUNDUP Page 208 of

ROUNDUP

Places
To Rounded
Number Round Up
1.47589 0 2 =ROUNDUP(C4,D4)
1.47589 1 1.5 =ROUNDUP(C5,D5)
1.47589 2 1.48 =ROUNDUP(C6,D6)
13643.48 -1 13650 =ROUNDUP(C7,D7)
13643.48 -2 13700 =ROUNDUP(C8,D8)
13643.48 -3 14000 =ROUNDUP(C9,D9)

What Does It Do ?
This function rounds a number up to a specified amount of decimal places.
If 0 is used the number is rounded up to the nearest whole number.
If a negative amount of rounding is used the figures to the left of the decimal point are rounded.

Syntax
=ROUNDUPNumberToRound,DecimalPlacesToUse)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SECOND Page 209 of

SECOND
Number Second
03/Sep/21 02:58:19 19 =SECOND(C4)
12:00:00 PM 0 =SECOND(C5)
0.50 0 =SECOND(C6)
0.51 24 =SECOND(C7)
1.51 24 =SECOND(C8)

What Does It Do?

The function will show the second of the minute based upon a time or a number.
Only the fraction part of the number is used as it is this which relates to time of day.

Syntax
=SECOND(Number)

Formatting
The result will be shown as a normal number between 0 and 59.

Example
The following table was used by a telephone compnay to calculate the cost of a call.
The telephone company only deals in seconds which are a multiple of 5.
The seconds in a call are rounded up to the nearest multiple of 5 before the bill is calculated.
The Duration of the call is entered.
The =MINUTES() function calculates the total number of minutes.
The =SECOND() function calculates the total number of seconds.
The =CEILING() function rounds the seconds up to the nearest muliple of 5.
The Cost of the call is then calculated.

Cost Per Second : £0.01

Billed Duration
Duration Minutes Seconds Cost
0:01:08 1 10 £0.70
0:02:03 2 5 £1.25
0:01:47 1 50 £1.10
=CEILING(SECOND(C36),5)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SIGN Page 210 of

SIGN

Positive or
Value Negative
10 1 =SIGN(C4)
20 1 =SIGN(C5)
0 0 =SIGN(C6)
-10 -1 =SIGN(C7)
-20 -1 =SIGN(C8)

What Does It Do ?
This function tests a value to determine whether it is positive or negative.
If the value is positive the result is 1.
If the value is negative the result is -1.
If the value is zero 0 the result is 0.

Syntax
=SIGN(CellToTest)
The CellToTest can be a cell or a calculation.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SLN Page 211 of

SLN
Cost £12,000
Salvage £2,000
Life 4
Straight Line Depreciation £2,500 =SLN(F3,F4,F5)

Purchase Value Of A New Car £20,000

Second Hand Value £8,000
Number Of Years Ownership 6
Annual Straight Line Depreciation £2,000 =SLN(F9,F10,F11)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the Straight Line Depreciation of an item.
(Also known as Fixed Instalment method).
The Straight Line Depreciation is how much the value of an item reduced during a specific
period of time. The result is a uniform depreciation value.

An example would be if you bought a new car for £20,000, then kept it for 6 years.
At the end of your ownership you sell the car for £8,000.
The difference between the original and the trade in price is £20,000 - £8,000 which is £12,000.
Because you owned the car for 6 years, the SLN is calculated as £12,000 / 6 which is £2,000.

Syntax
=SLN(OriginalCost,SellingPrice,LengthOfOwnership)
The LengthOfOwnership can be any time period, days, months or years.
However, the SLN which is calculated will, be for that time, specifying 2 years ownership
as 24 months will give an SLN per month.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SMALL Page 212 of

SMALL
Values Lowest Value 100 =SMALL(C4:C8,1)
120 2nd Lowest Value 120 =SMALL(C4:C8,2)
800 3rd Lowest Value 120 =SMALL(C4:C8,3)
100 4th Lowest Value 250 =SMALL(C4:C8,4)
120 5th Lowest Value 800 =SMALL(C4:C8,5)
250

What Does It Do ?
This function examines a list of values and picks the value at a user specified position
in the list.

Syntax
=SMALL(ListOfNumbersToExamine,PositionToPickFrom)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used to calculate the bottom 3 sales figures between Jan, Feb and Mar.

Sales Jan Feb Mar

North £5,000 £6,000 £4,500
South £5,800 £7,000 £3,000
East £3,500 £2,000 £10,000
West £12,000 £4,000 £6,000

Lowest Value £2,000 =SMALL(D24:F27,1)

2nd Lowest Value £3,000 =SMALL(D24:F27,2)
3rd Lowest Value £3,500 =SMALL(D24:F27,3)

Note
Another way to find the Highest and Lowest values would have been to use
the =MAX() and =MIN() functions.

Highest £12,000 =MAX(D24:F27)

Lowest £2,000 =MIN(D24:F27)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SOUTH Page 213 of

Southern data.
Used by the example for the =INDIRECT() function.

Jan Feb Mar Total

Alan 100 200 300 600
Bob 400 500 600 1500
Carol 700 800 900 2400
Total 1200 1500 1800 4500
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley STDEV Page 214 of

STDEV
Values Values Values
10 10 10
10 10 11
9 11 9
10 10 12

0.5 0.5 1.2909944

=STDEV(C4:C7) =STDEV(E4:E7) =STDEV(G4:G7)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the sample population standard deviation of a list of values.
A sample population is used when the list of values represents a sample of a population.

Syntax
=STDEV(Range1,Range2,Range3 through to Range30)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The table below was used by a company interested in buying a new machine
to pack washing powder.
Three machines were short listed and allow to run for a day.
At the end of the day four boxes of soap powder were picked at random from the production
of each machine.
The boxes were weighed and the =STDEV() function used as these boxes only represented
a sample of the complete days production.
The machine with the smallest deviation was the most consistent.

Soap Powder Box Filling Machine Test Results

Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Variance
Machine 1 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.5 0.0816 =STDEV(D34:G34)
Machine 2 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 0.0500 =STDEV(D35:G35)
Machine 3 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 0.1291 =STDEV(D36:G36)

The smallest deviation is : 0.0500 =MIN(H34:H36)

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley STDEV Page 215 of

The machine with the smallest deviation is : Machine 2

=INDEX(C34:C36,MATCH(MIN(H34:H36),H34:H36,0))

Explanation of formula:
This finds the lowest value. =MIN(H34:H36)
This finds the position of the lowest value. =MATCH(MIN(H34:H36),H34:H36,0)
This looks down the Machine column to =INDEX(C34:C36,MATCH(MIN(H34:H36),H34:H36,0))
find the machine name.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley STDEVP Page 216 of

STDEVP
Values Values Values
10 10 10
10 10 11
9 11 9
10 10 12

0.433013 0.433013 1.118034

=STDEVP(C4:C7) =STDEVP(E4:E7) =STDEVP(G4:G7)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the standard deviation of a list of values.
The result is calculated on the basis that the values represent the entire population.

Syntax
=STDEVP(Range1,Range2,Range3 through to Range30)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The table below was used by a company interested in buying a new machine
to pack washing powder.
A trial run of just four boxes per machine were produced.
The boxes were weighed and the =STDEVP() function used as these boxes
represented the entire test run.
The machine with the smallest variance was the most consistent. ????????????????????

Soap Powder Box Filling Machine Test Results

Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Variance
Machine 1 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.5 0.0707 =STDEVP(D32:G32)
Machine 2 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 0.0433 =STDEVP(D33:G33)
Machine 3 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 0.1118 =STDEVP(D34:G34)

The smallest variance is : 0.0433 =MIN(H32:H34)

The machine with the smallest variance is : Machine 2

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley STDEVP Page 217 of

=INDEX(C32:C34,MATCH(MIN(H32:H34),H32:H34,0))

Explanation of formula:
This finds the lowest value. =(MIN(H32:H34)
This finds the position of the lowest value. =MATCH(MIN(H32:H34),H32:H34,0)
This looks down the Machine column to =INDEX(C32:C34,MATCH(MIN(H32:H34),H32:H34,0))
find the machine name.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SUBSTITUTE Page 218 of

SUBSTITUTE

Old Text New Text

Original Text To Remove To Insert Updated Text
ABCDEF CD hello ABhelloEF =SUBSTITUTE(B4,C4,D4)
ABCDABCD CD hello ABhelloABhello =SUBSTITUTE(B5,C5,D5)
Northern Region Region Area Northern Area =SUBSTITUTE(B6,C6,D6)
Sand and Cement and & S& & Cement =SUBSTITUTE(B7,C7,D7)

Old Text New Text Instance To

Original Text To Remove To Insert Be Replaced Updated Text
ABCABCABC ABC hello 3 ABCABChello
Sand and Cement and & 2 Sand & Cement
=SUBSTITUTE(B10,C10,D10,E10)
=SUBSTITUTE(B11,C11,D11,E11)

What Does It Do ?
This function replaces a specified piece of text with a different piece of text.
It can either replace all occurrences of the text, or a specific instance.
The function is case sensitive.

Syntax
=SUBSTITUTE(OriginalText,TextToRemove,TextToInsert,InstanceToUse)
The InstanceToUse is optional, if it is omitted all instances will be substituted.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Note
To cope with upper or lower case in the substitution you can use other text functions
such as =UPPER(), =LOWER() or =PROPER() to ensure that the substitution will take place.

Table 1 shows how differing text cases alter the result of the substitution.

Table 1
Old Text New Text
Original Text To Remove To Insert Updated Text
Northern Region Region Area Northern Area
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SUBSTITUTE Page 219 of

Northern region Region Area Northern region

Northern Region region Area Northern Region
Northern Region Region area Northern area
Northern Region region area Northern Region
=SUBSTITUTE(B39,C39,D39)

Table 2 shows how the =PROPER() function has been used to take account of the mixed cases.

Table 2
Old Text New Text
Original Text To Remove To Insert Updated Text
Northern Region Region Area Northern Area
Northern region Region Area Northern Area
Northern Region region Area Northern Area
Northern Region Region area Northern Area
Northern Region region area Northern Area
=SUBSTITUTE(PROPER(B50),PROPER(C50),PROPER(D50))
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SUM Page 220 of

SUM
Horizontal
100 200 300 600 =SUM(C4:E4)

Vertical
100
200
300
600 =SUM(C7:C9)

Single Cells
100 300 600 =SUM(C13,D14,E13)
200

Multiple Ranges
100 400
200 500
3000 600
4800 =SUM(C17:C19,E17:E19)

Functions
100 400
200 500
300 600
800 =SUM(AVERAGE(C23:C25),MAX(E23:E25))

What Does It Do ?
This function creates a total from a list of numbers.
It can be used either horizontally or vertically.
The numbers can be in single cells, ranges are from other functions.

Syntax
=SUM(Range1,Range2,Range3... through to Range30).

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SUM Page 221 of

Note
Many people use the =SUM() function incorrectly.

This example shows how the SUM has been combined with plus + symbols.
The formula is actually doing more work than needed.
It should have been entered as either =C48+C49+C50 or =SUM(C48:C50).

100
200
300
600 =SUM(C48+C49+C50) Wrong!
=SUM(C48:C50) Correct
=C48+C49+C50 Correct
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SUM_as_Running_Total Page 222 of

SUM (Running Total)

Using =SUM() For A Running Total

Running
Month Sales Total
Jan 10 10 =SUM($D$7:D7)
Feb 50 60 =SUM($D$7:D8)
Mar 30 90 =SUM($D$7:D9)
Apr 20 110 =SUM($D$7:D10)
May 110 =SUM($D$7:D11)
Jun 110 =SUM($D$7:D12)
Jul 110 =SUM($D$7:D13)
Aug 110 =SUM($D$7:D14)
Sep 110 =SUM($D$7:D15)
Oct 110 =SUM($D$7:D16)
Nov 110 =SUM($D$7:D17)
Dec 110 =SUM($D$7:D18)

Type the formula =SUM($D$7:D7) in cell E7 and then copy down the table.
It works because the first reference uses dollar symbols $ to keep $D$7 static
as the formula is copied down. Each occurrence of the =SUM() then adds all
the numbers from the first cell down.

The function can be tidied up to show 0 zero when there is no adjacent value
by using the =IF() function.

Running
Month Sales Total
Jan 10 10 =SUM(IF(D7,$D$7:D7,0))
Feb 50 60 =SUM(IF(D8,$D$7:D8,0))
Mar 30 90 =SUM(IF(D9,$D$7:D9,0))
Apr 20 110 =SUM(IF(D10,$D$7:D10,0))
May 0 =SUM(IF(D11,$D$7:D11,0))
Jun 0 =SUM(IF(D12,$D$7:D12,0))
Jul 0 The =SUM() only takes place when
Aug 0 there is data in column D.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SUM_as_Running_Total Page 223 of

Sep 0 Otherwise the value 0 zero is entered.

Oct 0
Nov 0
Dec 0
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SUM_with_OFFSET Page 224 of

SUM and the =OFFSET function

Sometimes it is necessary to base a calculation on a set of cells in different locations.
An example would be when a total is required from certain months of the year, such as
the last 3 months in relation to the current date.

One solution would be to retype the calculation each time new data is entered, but this
would be time consuming and open to human error.

A better way is to indicate the start and end point of the range to be calculated by
using the =OFFSET() function.

The =OFFSET() picks out a cell a certain number of cells away from another cell.
By giving the =OFFSET() the address of the first cell in the range which needs to
be totalled, we can then indicate how far away the end cell should be and the =OFFSET()
will give us the address of cell which will be the end of the range to be totalled.

The =OFFSET() needs to know three things;

1. A cell address to use as the fixed point from where it should base the offset.
2. How many rows it should look up or down from the starting point.
3. How many columns it should look left or right from the starting point.

Total Jan Feb Mar Apr May

10 10 400 500 600 700
=SUM(E24:OFFSET(E24,0,0))
This example uses E24 as the starting point and offsets no rows or columns which
results in the range being summed as E24:E24.

410 10 400 500 600 700

=SUM(E29:OFFSET(E29,0,1))
This example uses E29 as the starting point and offsets 1 col to pick out
cell F29 resulting in a the range E29:F29 being summed.

910 10 400 500 600 700

=SUM(E34:OFFSET(E34,0,2))
This example uses E34 as the starting point and offsets 2 cols to pick out
cell G34 resulting in a the range E34:G34 being summed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SUM_with_OFFSET Page 225 of

Using =OFFSET() Twice In A Formula

The following examples use =OFFSET() to pick both the start and end of the range
which needs to be totalled.

Total Jan Feb Mar Apr May

400 10 400 500 600 700
=SUM(OFFSET(E45,0,1):OFFSET(E45,0,1))
The cell E45 has been used as the starting point for both offsets and each has
been offset by just 1 column. The result is that just cell F45 is used as the
range F45:F45 for the sum function to calculate.

900 10 400 500 600 700

=SUM(OFFSET(E51,0,1):OFFSET(E51,0,2))
The cell E51 has been used as the starting point of both offsets, the first offset is
offset by 1 column, the second by 2 columns. The result is the range F51:G51 which
is then totalled.

1500 10 400 500 600 700

=SUM(OFFSET(E57,0,1):OFFSET(E57,0,3))
The cell E57 has been used as the starting point for both offsets, the first offset is
offset by 1 column, the second by 3 columns. The result is the range F57:H57 which
is then totalled.

Example

The following table shows five months of data.

To calculate the total of a specific group of months the =OFFSET() function has been used.
The Start and End dates entered in cells F71 and F72 are used as the offset to produce
a range which can be totalled.

Type in the Start month. Feb-98

Type in the End month. Mar-98

Total Jan-98 Feb-98 Mar-98 Apr-98 May-98

900 10 400 500 600 700

1020 15 20 1000 2000 3000

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SUM_with_OFFSET Page 226 of

13 5 3 10 800 900
=SUM(OFFSET(D79,0,MONTH(F71)):OFFSET(D79,0,MONTH(F72)))

Explanation
The following formula represent a breakdown of what the =OFFSET function does.
The formula displayed below are only dummies, but they will update as you enter
dates into cells F71 and F72.

Formula 1=SUM( OFFSET(D79,0,MONTH(F71)) : OFFSET(D79,0,MONTH(F72)) )

This is the actual formula entered by the user.

Formula 2=SUM( OFFSET(D79,0,MONTH(2)) : OFFSET(D79,0,MONTH(3)) )

This shows how the =MONTH function calculates the month number.
In this example the values of the months are 2 and 3 for Feb and Mar.
These values are the 'offsets' relative to cell D79.

Formula 3=SUM( OFFSET(D79,0,2) : OFFSET(D79,0,3) )

This shows where the month numbers are used in the =OFFSET function.

Formula 4=SUM( F79:G79 )

This shows how the =OFFSET eventually equates to cell addresses
to be used as a range for the =SUM function.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SUMIF Page 227 of

SUMIF
Item Date Cost
Brakes 1-Jan-98 80
Tyres 10-May-98 25
Brakes 1-Feb-98 80
Service 1-Mar-98 150
Service 5-Jan-98 300
Window 1-Jun-98 50
Tyres 1-Apr-98 200
Tyres 1-Mar-98 100
Clutch 1-May-98 250

Total cost of all Brakes bought. 160 =SUMIF(C4:C12,"Brakes",E4:E12)

Total cost of all Tyres bought. 325 =SUMIF(C4:C12,"Tyres",E4:E12)
Total of items costing £100 or above. 1000 =SUMIF(E4:E12,">=100")

Total of item typed in following cell service 450 =SUMIF(C4:C12,E18,E4:E12)

What Does It Do ?
This function adds the value of items which match criteria set by the user.

Syntax
=SUMIF(RangeOfThingsToBeExamined,CriteriaToBeMatched,RangeOfValuesToTotal)

=SUMIF(C4:C12,"Brakes",E4:E12)This examines the names of products in C4:C12.

It then identifies the entries for Brakes.
It then totals the respective figures in E4:E12

=SUMIF(E4:E12,">=100") This examines the values in E4:E12.

If the value is >=100 the value is added to the total.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SUMPRODUCT Page 228 of

SUMPRODUCT
Item Sold price
Tyres 5 100
Filters 2 10
Bulbs 3 2

Total Sales Value : 526 =SUMPRODUCT(D4:D6,E4:E6)

What Does It Do ?
This function uses at least two columns of values.
The values in the first column are multipled with the corresponding value in the second column.
The total of all the values is the result of the calculation.

Syntax
=SUMPRODUCT(Range1, Range, Range3 through to Range30)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following table was used by a drinks merchant to keep track of stock.
The merchant needed to know the total purchase value of the stock, and the potential
value of the stock when it is sold, takinging into account the markup percentage.

The =SUMPRODUCT() function is used to multiply the Cases In Stock with the Case Price to
calculate what the merchant spent in buying the stock.

The =SUMPRODUCT() function is used to multiply the Cases In Stock with

the Bottles In Case and the Bottle Setting Price, to calculate the potential value of the
stock if it is all sold.

Cases In Case Bottles Bottle Bottle Selling

Product Stock Price In Case Cost Markup Price
Red Wine 10 £120 10 £12.00 25% £15.00
White Wine 8 £130 10 £13.00 25% £16.25
Champagne 5 £200 6 £33.33 80% £60.00
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SUMPRODUCT Page 229 of

Beer 50 £24 12 £2.00 20% £2.40

Lager 100 £30 12 £2.50 25% £3.13
=D39/E39 =F39+F39*G39

Total Value Of Stock : £7,440 =SUMPRODUCT(C35:C39,D35:D39)

Total Selling Price Of Stock : £9,790 =SUMPRODUCT(C35:C39,E35:E39,H35:H39)

Profit : £2,350 =E44-E43

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SYD Page 230 of

SYD
Purchase Value Of A New Car £20,000
Second Hand Value £8,000
Number Of Years Ownership 6

Deprecation in year 1 £3,429 =SYD(F3,F4,F5,1)

Deprecation in year 2 £2,857 =SYD(F3,F4,F5,2)
Deprecation in year 3 £2,286 =SYD(F3,F4,F5,3)
Deprecation in year 4 £1,714 =SYD(F3,F4,F5,4)
Deprecation in year 5 £1,143 =SYD(F3,F4,F5,5)
Deprecation in year 6 £571 =SYD(F3,F4,F5,6)

Total Depreciation : £12,000 =SUM(F7:F12)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the depreciation of an item throughout its life, using the sum of the
years digits.
The depreciation is greatest in the earlier part of the items life.

What is the Sum Of The Years Digits ?

The sum of the years digits adds together the each of the years of the life.
A life of 3 years has a sum of 1+2+3 equalling 6.
Each of the years is then calculated as a percentage of the sum of the years.
Year 3 is 50% of 6, year 2 is 33% of 6, year 1 is 17% 6.
The total depreciation of the item is then allocated on the basis of these percentages.
A depreciation of £9000 is allocated as 50% being £4500, 33% being £3000, 17% being £1500.

£9,000
1 17% £1,500
2 33% £3,000
3 50% £4,500

As the greater part of the depreciation is allocated to the earliest years the values are
inverted, year 1 is $4500, year 2 is £3000 and year 1 is £1500.

Example 1
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SYD Page 231 of

Purchase Price Of A Car : £10,000

Salvage Value : £1,000
Expected Life in Years : 3
As % Of Total Depreciation
Depreciation in Year 1 : £4,500 ===> 0.5
Depreciation in Year 2 : £3,000 ===> 0.333333
Depreciation in Year 3 : £1,500 ===> 0.166667
=SYD(E39,E40,E41,3)

1. Add together the digits of the Life to get the SumOfTheYearsDigits, 1+2+3=6.
2. Subtract the Salvage from the Purchase Price to get Total Deprectation, £10000-£1000=£9000.
3. Divide the Total Deprectation by the SumOfTheYearsDigits, £9000/6=£1500.
4. Invert the year digits, 1,2,3 becomes 3,2,1.
5. Multiply 3,2,1 by £1500 to get £4500, £3000, £1500, these values are the depreciation
values for each of the three years in the life of the item.

Example 2
The same example using 4 years.

Purchase Price Of A Car : £10,000

Salvage Value : £1,000
Expected Life in Years : 4
As % Of Total Depriciation
Depreciation in Year 1 : £3,600 0.4
Depreciation in Year 2 : £2,700 0.3
Depreciation in Year 3 : £1,800 0.2
Depreciation in Year 4 : £900 0.1
Total Depreciation : £9,000 100%

Example 3
This example will adjust itself to accommodate any number of years between 1 and 10.

Purchase Price Of A Car : £10,000

Salvage Value : £1,000
Expected Life in Years (1 to 10) : 7
As % Of Total Depriciation
Year 1 £2,250 25%
Year 2 £1,929 21%
Year 3 £1,607 18%
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley SYD Page 232 of

Year 4 £1,286 14%

Year 5 £964 11%
Year 6 £643 7%
Year 7 £321 4%
Year
Year
Year
£9,000 100%

Syntax
=SYD(OriginalCost,SalvageValue,Life,PeriodToCalculate)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley T Page 233 of

T
Cell To Test Result
Hello Hello =T(D4)
10 =T(D5)
1-Jan-98 =T(D6)
=T(D7)

What Does It Do ?
This function examines an entry to determine whether it is text or not.
If the value is text, then the text is the result of the function
If the value is not text, the result is a blank.
The function is not specifically needed by Excel, but is included for compatibility with
other spreadsheet programs.

Syntax
=T(CellToTest)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley TEXT Page 234 of

TEXT

Original Converte
Number d To Text
10 10.00 =TEXT(C4,"0.00")
10 £10.00 =TEXT(C5,"£0.00")
10 10 =TEXT(C6,"0")
10 £10 =TEXT(C7,"£0")
10.25 10.3 =TEXT(C8,"0.0")
10.25 £10.3 =TEXT(C9,"£0.0")

What Does It Do ?
This function converts a number to a piece of text.
The formatting for the text needs to be specified in the function.

Syntax
=TEXT(NumberToConvert,FormatForConversion)

Formatting
No special formatting is required.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley TIME Page 235 of

TIME
Hour Minute Second Time
14 30 59 14:30:59 =TIME(C4,D4,E4)
14 30 59 2:30:59 PM =TIME(C5,D5,E5)
14 30 59 0.60485 =TIME(C6,D6,E6)

What Does It Do?

This function will convert three separate numbers to an actual time.

Syntax
=TIME(Hour,Minute,Second)

Formatting
The result will be shown as a time which can be formatted either as 12 or 24 hour style.
If a normal number format is applied a decimal fraction is shown which represents the
time as a fraction of the day.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley TIMEVALUE Page 236 of

TIMEVALUE
Text Time
14:30:59 0.604849537037 =TIMEVALUE(C4)
14:30:59 14:30:59 =TIMEVALUE(C5)
14:30:59 2:30:59 PM =TIMEVALUE(C6)

What Does It Do?

This function will show an actual time based on a piece of text which looks
like a time. It is useful when data is imported from other applications, such as
from mainframe computers, which convert all values to text.

Syntax
=TIMEVALUE(Text)

Formatting
The result will be shown as a number representing the time a fraction of the day.
Formatting can be applied for either the 12 or 24 hour clock system.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley TODAY Page 237 of

TODAY
Today Is
3-Sep-21 =TODAY()

What Does It Do?

Use this to show the current date.

Syntax
=TODAY()

Formatting
The result will normally be displayed using the DD-MMM-YY format.

Example
The following example shows how the Today function is used to calculate the number
of days since a particular day.

Date Days Since

1-Jan-97 9011 =TODAY()-C20
10-Aug-97 8790 =TODAY()-C21

Note that the result is actually the number of days before todays date. To calculate
a result which includes the current date an extra 1 will need to be added.

Date Days Since

1-Jan-97 9012 =TODAY()-C28+1
10-Aug-97 8791 =TODAY()-C29+1

Example
The following example shows the number of days from today until the year 2000.

Year 2000 Days Until

01-Jan-2000 -7916 =C36-TODAY()
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley TRANSPOSE Page 238 of

TRANSPOSE
Jan Feb
Alan 10 30
Bob 40 50
Carol 70 80
Total 120 160

Alan Bob Carol Total

Jan 10 40 70 120
Feb 30 50 80 160

{=TRANSPOSE(C3:E7)}

As an array formula in all these cells

What Does It Do ?
This function copies data from a range, and places in it in a new range, turning it so
that the data originally in columns is now in rows, and the data originally in rows
is in columns.
The transpose range must be the same size as the original range.
The function needs to be entered as an array formula.
To enter an array formula you must first highlight all the cells where the formula is required.
Next type the formula, such as =TRANSPOSE(A1:A5).
Finally press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to confirm it.
If changes need to be made to the formula, the entire array has to be highlighted, the edits
can then be made and the Ctrl+Shift+Enter used to confirm it.

Syntax
=TRANSPOSE(Range)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley TREND Page 239 of

TREND WHAT IS CONST b ?

Historical Data Predicted Values
Month Sales Month Sales
1 £1,000 7 £4,940 {=TREND(C8:C13,B8:B13,E8:E13)}
2 £2,000 8 £5,551 {=TREND(C5:C10,B5:B10,E5:E10)}
3 £2,500 9 £6,163 {=TREND(C5:C10,B5:B10,E5:E10)}
4 £3,500 10 £6,774 {=TREND(C5:C10,B5:B10,E5:E10)}
5 £3,800 11 £7,386 {=TREND(C5:C10,B5:B10,E5:E10)}
6 £4,000 12 £7,997 {=TREND(C5:C10,B5:B10,E5:E10)}

What Does It Do ?
This function predicts values based upon three sets of related values.
The prediction is based upon the Linear Trend of the original values.
The function is an array function and must be entered using Ctrl+Shift+Enter.

Syntax
=TREND(KnownYs,KnownXs,RequiredXs,Constant)
The KnownYs is the range of values, such as Sales Figures.
The KnownXs is the intervals used when collecting the data, such as Months.
The RequiredXs is the range for which you want to make the prediction, such as Months.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The following tables were used by a company to predict when they would start to
make a profit.
Their bank manager had told the company that unless they could show a profit by the
end of the next year, the bank would no longer provide an overdraft facility.
To prove to the bank that, based upon the past years performance, the company would
start to make a profit at the end of the next year, the =TREND() function was used.
The historical data for the past year was entered, months 1 to 12.
The months to predict were entered, 13 to 24.
The =TREND() function shows that it will be month 22 before the company make a profit.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley TREND Page 240 of

Historical Data Predicted Values

Month Profit Month Profit
1 -£5,000 13 -£2,226 {=TREND(C41:C52,B41:B52,E41:E52)}
2 -£4,800 14 -£1,968 The
3 -£4,600 15 -£1,709 same
4 -£4,750 16 -£1,451 function
5 -£4,800 17 -£1,193 used
6 -£4,500 18 -£935 in
7 -£4,000 19 -£676 all
8 -£3,800 20 -£418 cells
9 -£3,300 21 -£160 as
10 -£2,000 22 £98 an
11 -£2,500 23 £356 array
12 -£2,800 24 £615 formula

How To Enter An Array Formula

Select all the cells where the array is required, such as F41 to F52.
Type the formula such as =TREND(C41:C52,B41:B52,E41:E52), but do not press Enter.
Hold the Ctrl+Shift keys down.
Press Enter to enter the formula as an array.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley TRIM Page 241 of

TRIM
Original Text Trimmed Text
ABCD ABCD =TRIM(C4)
A B C D ABCD =TRIM(C5)
Alan Jones Alan Jones =TRIM(C6)
ABCD ABCD =TRIM(C7)

What Does It Do ?
This function removes unwanted spaces from a piece of text.
The spaces before and after the text will be removed completely.
Multiple spaces within the text will be trimmed to a single space

Syntax
=TRIM(TextToTrim)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley TRUNC Page 242 of

TRUNC

Precision Truncate
For d
Number Truncation Number
1.47589 0 1 =TRUNC(C4,D4)
1.47589 1 1.4 =TRUNC(C5,D5)
1.47589 2 1.47 =TRUNC(C6,D6)
-1.47589 1 -1.4 =TRUNC(C7,D7)
-1.47589 2 -1.47 =TRUNC(C8,D8)
13643.48 -1 13640 =TRUNC(C9,D9)
13643.48 -2 13600 =TRUNC(C10,D10)
13643.48 -3 13000 =TRUNC(C11,D11)

What Does It Do ?
This function removes the decimal part of a number, it does not actually round the number.

Syntax
=TRUNC(NumberToTuncate,Precision)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley UPPER Page 243 of

UPPER
Original Text Upper Case
alan jones ALAN JONES =UPPER(C4)
bob smith BOB SMITH =UPPER(C5)
carOl wiLLiamS CAROL WILLIAMS =UPPER(C6)
cardiff CARDIFF =UPPER(C7)
abc123 ABC123 =UPPER(C8)

What Does It Do ?
This function converts all characters in a piece of text to upper case.

Syntax
=UPPER(TextToConvert)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
See the example for FREQUENCY.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley VALUE Page 244 of

VALUE
Text Containing A Number Value
Annual turnover was £5000 Err:502 =VALUE(MID(C4,SEARCH("£",C4),99))

There was a 2% increase in sales. 0.02

There was a 50% increase in sales. 0.5
A 100% increase was achieved. 1
Only a 2% increase in sales. 2%
Approx 50% increase in sales. 50%
There was a 100% increase in sales. 100% * See explanation below.
=VALUE(MID(SUBSTITUTE(C11," "," "),SEARCH("???%",SUBSTITUTE(C11," "," ")),4))

The winning time was 1:30 seconds. 0.0625 =VALUE(MID(C14,SEARCH("??:??",C14),5))

The winning time was 1:30 seconds. 1:30 =VALUE(MID(C15,SEARCH("??:??",C15),5))
The winning time was 10:30 seconds. 10:30 =VALUE(MID(C16,SEARCH("??:??",C16),5))
The winning time was 0:30 seconds. 0:30 =VALUE(MID(C17,SEARCH("??:??",C17),5))

What Does It Do ?
This function converts a piece of text which resembles a number into an actual value.
If the number in the middle of a long piece of text it will have to be extracted using other
text functions such as =SEARCH(), =MID(), =FIND(), =SUBSTITUTE, =LEFT() or =RIGHT().

Syntax
=VALUE(TextToConvert)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.
The result will be shown as a value, based upon the original text.
If the £ sign is included in the text it will be ignored.
If the % sign is included in the text, the result will be a decimal fraction which can then
be formatted as a percentage.
If the original text format appears as a time hh:mm the result will be a time.
The same will be true for other recognised formats.

Explanation of formula shown above.

To extract the values from the following text is complicated!
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley VALUE Page 245 of

The actual percentage value is of variable length, it can be either one, two or three digits long.
The only way to identify the value is the fact it always ends with the % sign.
There is no way to identify the beginning of the value, other than it is preceded by a space.
The main problem is calculating the length of the value to extract.
If the extraction assumes the maximum length of three digits and the % sign, errors will occur
when the percentage is only one digit long, as alphabetic characters will be included.
To get around the problem the =SUBSTITUTE() function was used to increase the size of the
spaces in the text.
Now when the extraction takes place any unnecessary characters will be spaces which are
ignored by the =VALUE() function.

There was a 2% increase in sales. 0.02

There was a 50% increase in sales. 0.5
There was a 100% increase in sales. 1

=VALUE(MID(SUBSTITUTE(C52," "," "),SEARCH("???%",SUBSTITUTE(C52," "," ")),4))

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley VAR Page 246 of

VAR
Values Values Values
10 10 10
10 10 11
9 11 9
10 10 12

0.25 0.25 1.6666667

=VAR(C4:C7) =VAR(E4:E7) =VAR(G4:G7)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the sample population variance of a list of values.
A sample population is used when the list of values represents a sample of a population.

Syntax
=VAR(Range1,Range2,Range3 through to Range30)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The table below was used by a company interested in buying a new machine
to pack washing powder.
Three machines were short listed and allow to run for a day.
At the end of the day four boxes of soap powder were picked at random from the production
of each machine.
The boxes were weighed and the =VAR() function used as these boxes only represented
a sample of the complete days production.
The machine with the smallest variance was the most consistent.

Soap Powder Box Filling Machine Test Results

Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Variance
Machine 1 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.5 0.0067 =VAR(D34:G34)
Machine 2 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 0.0025 =VAR(D35:G35)
Machine 3 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 0.0167 =VAR(D36:G36)

The smallest variance is : 0.0025 =MIN(H34:H36)

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley VAR Page 247 of

The machine with the smallest variance is :Machine 2

=INDEX(C34:C36,MATCH(MIN(H34:H36),H34:H36,0))

Explanation of formula:
This finds the lowest value. =MIN(H34:H36)
This finds the position of the lowest value. =MATCH(MIN(H34:H36),H34:H36,0)
This looks down the Machine column to =INDEX(C34:C36,MATCH(MIN(H34:H36),H34:H36,0))
find the machine name.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley VARP Page 248 of

VARP
Values Values Values
10 10 10
10 10 11
9 11 9
10 10 12

0.1875 0.1875 1.25

=VARP(C4:C7) =VARP(E4:E7) =VARP(G4:G7)

What Does It Do ?
This function calculates the variance of a list of values.
The variance is calculated on the basis that the values represent the entire population.

Syntax
=VARP(Range1,Range2,Range3 through to Range30)

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example
The table below was used by a company interested in buying a new machine
to pack washing powder.
A trial run a just four boxes per machine were produced.
The boxes were weighed and the =VARP() function used as these boxes
represented the entire test run.
The machine with the smallest variance was the most consistent.

Soap Powder Box Filling Machine Test Results

Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Variance
Machine 1 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.5 0.0050 =VARP(D32:G32)
Machine 2 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 0.0019 =VARP(D33:G33)
Machine 3 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 0.0125 =VARP(D34:G34)

The smallest variance is : 0.0019 =MIN(H32:H34)

The machine with the smallest variance is :Machine 2

Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley VARP Page 249 of

=INDEX(C32:C34,MATCH(MIN(H32:H34),H32:H34,0))

Explanation of formula:
This finds the lowest value. =(MIN(H32:H34)
This finds the position of the lowest value. =MATCH(MIN(H32:H34),H32:H34,0)
This looks down the Machine column to =INDEX(C32:C34,MATCH(MIN(H32:H34),H32:H34,0))
find the machine name.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley VLOOKUP Page 250 of

VLOOKUP
The column numbers are not needed.
they are part of the illustration.
col 1 col 2 col 3 col 4 col 5 col 6
Jan 10 20 30 40 50
Feb 80 90 100 110 120
Mar 97 69 45 51 77

Type a month to look for : Feb

Which column needs to be picked out : 4

The result is : 100

=VLOOKUP(G11,C6:H8,G12,FALSE)

What Does It Do ?
This function scans down the row headings at the side of a table to find a specified item.
When the item is found, it then scans across to pick a cell entry.

Syntax
=VLOOKUP(ItemToFind,RangeToLookIn,ColumnToPickFrom,SortedOrUnsorted)
The ItemToFind is a single item specified by the user.
The RangeToLookIn is the range of data with the row headings at the left hand side.
The ColumnToPickFrom is how far across the table the function should look to pick from.
The Sorted/Unsorted is whether the column headings are sorted. TRUE for yes, FALSE for no.

Formatting
No special formatting is needed.

Example 1
This table is used to find a value based on a specified name and month.
The =VLOOKUP() is used to scan down to find the name.
The problem arises when we need to scan across to find the month column.
To solve the problem the =MATCH() function is used.

The =MATCH() looks through the list of names to find the month we require. It then calculates
the position of the month in the list. Unfortunately, because the list of months is not as wide
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley VLOOKUP Page 251 of

as the lookup range, the =MATCH() number is 1 less than we require, so and extra 1 is
added to compensate.

The =VLOOKUP() now uses this =MATCH() number to look across the columns and
picks out the correct cell entry.

The =VLOOKUP() uses FALSE at the end of the function to indicate to Excel that the
row headings are not sorted.

Jan Feb Mar

Bob 10 80 97
Eric 20 90 69
Alan 30 100 45
Carol 40 110 51
David 50 120 77

Type a name to look for : eric

Type a month to look for : mar

The result is : 69
=VLOOKUP(F56,C50:F54,MATCH(F57,D49:F49,0)+1,FALSE)

Example 2
This example shows how the =VLOOKUP() is used to pick the cost of a spare part for
different makes of cars.
The =VLOOKUP() scans down row headings in column F for the spare part entered in column C.
When the make is found, the =VLOOKUP() then scans across to find the price, using the
result of the =MATCH() function to find the position of the make of car.

The functions use the absolute ranges indicated by the dollar symbol . This ensures that
when the formula is copied to more cells, the ranges for =VLOOKUP() and =MATCH() do
not change.

Maker Spare Cost Lookup Table

Vauxhall Ignition £50 Vauxhall Ford VW
VW GearBox £600 GearBox 500 450 600
Ford Engine £1,200 Engine 1000 1200 800
VW Steering £275 Steering 250 350 275
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley VLOOKUP Page 252 of

Ford Ignition £70 Ignition 50 70 45

Ford CYHead £290 CYHead 300 290 310
Vauxhall GearBox £500
Ford Engine £1,200
=VLOOKUP(C81,F75:I79,MATCH(B81,G74:I74,0)+1,FALSE)

Example 3
In the following example a builders merchant is offering discount on large orders.
The Unit Cost Table holds the cost of 1 unit of Brick, Wood and Glass.
The Discount Table holds the various discounts for different quantities of each product.
The Orders Table is used to enter the orders and calculate the Total.

All the calculations take place in the Orders Table.

The name of the Item is typed in column C of the Orders Table.

The Unit Cost of the item is then looked up in the Unit Cost Table.
The FALSE option has been used at the end of the function to indicate that the product
names down the side of the Unit Cost Table are not sorted.
Using the FALSE option forces the function to search for an exact match. If a match is
not found, the function will produce an error.
=VLOOKUP(C126,C114:D116,2,FALSE)

The discount is then looked up in the Discount Table

If the Quantity Ordered matches a value at the side of the Discount Table the =VLOOKUP will
look across to find the correct discount.
The TRUE option has been used at the end of the function to indicate that the values
down the side of the Discount Table are sorted.
Using TRUE will allow the function to make an approximate match. If the Quantity Ordered does
not match a value at the side of the Discount Table, the next lowest value is used.
Trying to match an order of 125 will drop down to 100, and the discount from
the 100 row is used.
=VLOOKUP(D126,F114:I116,MATCH(C126,G113:I113,0)+1,TRUE)

Discount Table
Unit Cost Table Brick Wood Glass
Brick £2 1 0% 0% 0%
Wood £1 100 6% 3% 12%
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley VLOOKUP Page 253 of

Glass £3 300 8% 5% 15%

Orders Table
Item Units Unit Cost Discount Total
Brick 100 £2 6% £188
Wood 200 £1 3% £194
Glass 150 £3 12% £396
Brick 225 £2 6% £423
Wood 50 £1 0% £50
Glass 500 £3 15% £1,275

Formula for :
Unit Cost =VLOOKUP(C126,C114:D116,2,FALSE)
Discount =VLOOKUP(D126,F114:I116,MATCH(C126,G113:I113,0)+1,TRUE)
Total =(D126*E126)-(D126*E126*F126)
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley WEEKDAY Page 254 of

WEEKDAY
Date Weekday
Thu 01-Jan-98 5 =WEEKDAY(C4)
Thu 01-Jan-98 5 =WEEKDAY(C5)
Thu 01-Jan-98 5 =WEEKDAY(C6,1)
Thu 01-Jan-98 4 =WEEKDAY(C7,2)
Thu 01-Jan-98 3 =WEEKDAY(C8,3)

What Does It Do?

This function shows the day of the week from a date.

Syntax
=WEEKDAY(Date,Type)
Type : This is used to indicate the week day numbering system.
1 : will set Sunday as 1 through to Saturday as 7
2 : will set Monday as 1 through to Sunday as 7.
3 : will set Monday as 0 through to Sunday as 6.
If no number is specified, Excel will use 1.

Formatting
The result will be shown as a normal number.
To show the result as the name of the day, use Format, Cells, Custom and set
the Type to ddd or dddd.

Example
The following table was used by a hotel which rented a function room.
The hotel charged different rates depending upon which day of the week the booking was for.
The Booking Date is entered.
The Actual Day is calculated.
The Booking Cost is picked from a list of rates using the =LOOKUP() function.

Booking Date Actual Day Booking Cost

7-Jan-98 Wednesday £ 30.00
=LOOKUP(WEEKDAY(C34),C39:D45)

Booking Rates
Day Of Week Cost
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley WEEKDAY Page 255 of

1 £50
2 £25
3 £25
4 £30
5 £40
6 £50
7 £100
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley WORKDAY Page 256 of

WORKDAY
StartDate Days Result
1-Jan-98 28 2/10/1998 =WORKDAY(D4,E4)
1-Jan-98 28 10-Feb-98 =WORKDAY(D5,E5)

What Does It Do?

Use this function to calculate a past or future date based on a starting date and a
specified number of days. The function excludes weekends and holidays and can
therefore be used to calculate delivery dates or invoice dates.

Syntax
=WORKDAY(StartDate,Days,Holidays)

Formatting
The result will normally be shown as a number which can be formatted to a
normal date by using Format,Cells,Number,Date.

Example
The following example shows how the function can be used to calculate delivery dates
based upon an initial Order Date and estimated Delivery Days.

Order Date Delivery Days Delivery Date

Mon 02-Feb-98 2 Wed 04-Feb-98
Tue 15-Dec-98 28 Tue 26-Jan-99
=WORKDAY(D25,E25,D28:D32)
Holidays
Bank Holiday Fri 01-May-98
Xmas Fri 25-Dec-98
New Year Wed 01-Jan-97
New Year Thu 01-Jan-98
New Year Fri 01-Jan-99
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley YEAR Page 257 of

YEAR
Date Year
### 1998 =YEAR(C4)

What Does It Do?

This function extracts the year number from a date.

Syntax
=YEAR(Date)

Formatting
The result is shown as a number.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley YEARFRAC Page 258 of

YEARFRAC
Start Date End Date Fraction
1-Jan-98 1-Apr-98 0.25 =YEARFRAC(C4,D4)
1-Jan-98 31-Dec-98 1 =YEARFRAC(C5,D5)
1-Jan-98 1-Apr-98 25% =YEARFRAC(C6,D6)

What Does It Do?

This function calculates the difference between two dates and expresses the result
as a decimal fraction.

Syntax
=YEARFRAC(StartDate,EndData,Basis)
Basis : Defines the calendar system to be used in the function.
0 : or omitted USA style 30 days per month divided by 360.
1 : 29 or 30 or 31 days per month divided by 365.
2 : 29 or 30 or 31 days per month divided by 360.
3 : 29 or 30 0r 31 days per month divided by 365.
4 : European 29 or 30 or 31 days divided by 360.

Formatting
The result will be shown as a decimal fraction, but can be formatted as a percent.

Example
The following table was used by a company which hired people on short term contracts
for a part of the year.
The Pro Rata Salary which represents the annual salary is entered.
The Start and End dates of the contract are entered.
The =YEARFRAC() function is used to calculate Actual Salary for the portion of the year.

Start End Pro Rata Salary Actual Salary

1-Jan-98 31-Dec-98 £12,000 £12,000 =YEARFRAC(B32,C32+1,4)*D32
1-Jan-98 31-Mar-98 £12,000 £3,000 =YEARFRAC(B33,C33+1,4)*D33
1-Jan-98 30-Jun-98 £12,000 £6,000 =YEARFRAC(B34,C34+1,4)*D34

Note
The extra 1 has been added to the End date to compensate for the fact that the =YEARFRAC()
function calculates from the Start date up to, but not including, the End date.
Excel Function Dictionary © 1998 - 2000 Peter Noneley Project Dates Page 259 of

Project Dates House Building

Target Delivery Tue 27-Jan-98 Target Budget £ 12,000

Days
Job Stage Start Date Required End Date Daily Cost Total
Survey Mon 05-Jan-98 5 Fri 09-Jan-98 £ 200 £ 1,000
Foundation Mon 12-Jan-98 4 Thu 15-Jan-98 £ 1,000 £ 4,000
Walls Fri 16-Jan-98 3 Tue 20-Jan-98 £ 800 £ 2,400
Roof Wed 21-Jan-98 6 Wed 28-Jan-98 £ 400 £ 2,400
Electrics Thu 29-Jan-98 4 Tue 03-Feb-98 £ 300 £ 1,200

Actual Delivery Tue 03-Feb-98 Total Cost £ 11,000

Against Target 5 days behind Budget % 92%

Total Days 22