Articles
01 Intro to formulas and functions
Before we get into formulas, let’s go over some quick definitions: Functions: are specific commands that are predefined in Excel. Simple examples include SUM or AVERAGE. Formulas: any cell content that tells Excel to calculate something. Formulas may or may not contain functions. Examples include =2+2, or =SUM(2,2). Note: more experienced users will recognize that [...]
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02 Some Basic Functions, Part 1 (SUM, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN)
The simplest way to use a function is using the “insert function” wizard. It contains a long list of various functions (SUM, COUNT, etc.) that is searchable and provides a structure to complete the various inputs. Open “insert function” by clicking on the “fx” button next to the formula bar, or by going to Formulas [...]
Read Article ›03 Counting Functions (COUNT, COUNTA, COUNTBLANK, COUNTIF, COUNTIFS)
After SUM and the basic number functions, Counting functions are probably the next most common functions in Excel. Unlike SUM, which adds values together, COUNT(s) do exactly what you’d expect: they count! Here are the three basic types: =COUNT(cells or ranges) Counts the number of cells that contain a number =COUNTA(cells or ranges) Counts the [...]
Read Article ›04 Some Basic Functions, Part 2 (ROUND, TRUNC)
To round off [pun intended] the discussion on basic functions, we’re going to look at two other number functions that might come in handy. =ROUND(cell reference or number,# digits to round) With round, you are telling Excel to take a number (let’s use 132.5678 as an example), and round to a certain digit. For example, [...]
Read Article ›05 Text Functions (LEFT, RIGHT, LEN, FIND, MID, Concatenating)
Text functions are some of the unsung heroes of Excel. They often get overlooked because they don’t deal with numbers, but text functions will pop up all over the place. So let’s get into it. We’re going to cover: =RIGHT() =LEFT() =LEN() =FIND() =MID() Concatenating Let’s start with some basics. We’re going to use a [...]
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