Excel 2016

Further Functions
Course objectives:
• Understand and use different functions effectively
• Text Functions
• Date and Time Functions
• Math and Trig Functions
• Lookup and Reference Functions
• Logical Functions
• Statistical Functions

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Reproduced or adapted from original content provided under Creative Commons license by
The University of Queensland Library
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Table of Contents
Text Functions ................................................................................................................. 3
“PROPER” Function.................................................................................. 3
“EXACT” Function ..................................................................................... 4
“TRIM” Function ........................................................................................ 5
“CONCATENATE” and “RIGHT” Functions ............................................... 6
Flash Fill ................................................................................................... 8

Date and Time Functions ................................................................................................ 8

Exact Date calculations............................................................................. 8

Math and Trig Functions ................................................................................................. 9

“SUMIF” Function ..................................................................................... 9
“SUMIFS” Function ................................................................................. 10
“SUMPRODUCT” Function ..................................................................... 11

Lookup and Reference Functions ................................................................................ 11

Dropdown Lists ..................................................................................... 11
“MATCH” Function ................................................................................ 12
“INDEX” Function .................................................................................. 13
Combining the INDEX and MATCH Functions ...................................... 13

Logical Functions .......................................................................................................... 14

“AND” Function ..................................................................................... 14
Combining “IF” and “AND” Functions .................................................... 14

Statistical Functions ..................................................................................................... 15

“COUNTBLANK” Function .................................................................... 15
“COUNTIF” Function ............................................................................. 15
“COUNTIFS” Function........................................................................... 16

Extension Exercises...................................................................................................... 17

Importing External Data ................................................................................................ 17

Import/Link to Data on a Website .......................................................... 17
Year calculations................................................................................... 18
“NETWORKDAYS.INTL” Function ........................................................ 19
“IFNA” Function..................................................................................... 20
“IF” Function ......................................................................................... 20
Using nested ‘IF’ statements ................................................................. 21
“RANK.EQ” Function ............................................................................. 21

What-If Analysis ............................................................................................................ 22

Including Add-ins .................................................................................. 22
Excel Solver .......................................................................................... 22

Exercise document:

Go to https://www.library.uq.edu.au/library-services/training-resources and click on

Excel2016_Further_Functions.xlsx to download.

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Text Functions
Text functions are used when working with cells containing text strings. Some of the many
functions available can…change text case, compare cells containing text strings and even
split or concatenate (join) text strings.

“PROPER” Function
This function is used to convert the case of text strings e.g. lower case to Proper Case. Other
functions in this class are Lower and Upper. The proper function capitalises the first letter of
each word in the selected text.

1. Open the
Excel2016_Further_Functions file
and open the Exams sheet
2. Select cell C1
3. Click on the Home tab > Cells group
4. Click the dropdown arrow under
Insert
5. Select Insert Sheet Columns
This inserts a new blank column - C
6. Select cell C2

7. Click on Insert Function icon to bring

up the dialogue box

8. In the Select a Function area click

on PROPER
If the function is not in the function list, type the
name or description in the Search for a function
text area and click Go
9. Click on OK to bring up the function
arguments dialogue box.

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10. Place your cursor is in the Text

textbox
11. Click on cell B2
12. Click OK
“bruce jones baker” should now appear as “Bruce
Jones Baker”
13. Autofill down to change the remaining
names to Proper case
14. Select cells C2 to C62
15. Select the Home tab > Clipboard
group > Copy
or
CTRL + C on the keyboard
16. Select cell B2
17. Click on the dropdown arrow under
Paste
18. In the Paste Values section click on
Values
19. Delete the contents from column C

Other functions in this class

Upper - Converts all characters in a supplied text
string to upper case
Lower - Converts all characters in a supplied text
string to lower case

“EXACT” Function
This function tests if two supplied text strings are exactly the same (Cell to cell comparison).
This exercise checks to determine if the list of student names in the Fees worksheet is the
same as the list of student names in the Exams worksheet

1. Open the Exams sheet

2. Select cell C2
3. Click on Insert Function icon to
bring up the dialogue box

4. In the Select a Function area click

on EXACT
If the function is not in the function list, type the
name or description in the Search for a function
text area and click Go
5. Click on OK to bring up the function
arguments dialogue box.

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6. Ensure your cursor is in the Text1

textbox
7. Click on cell B2
8. Place your cursor is in the Text2
textbox
9. Select the Fees tab
10. Click on cell C2
11. Click OK
12. Cell C2 of the Exams sheet should
now display either:
• TRUE – An exact match exists
between the text in the two
cells
• FALSE – The text in the two
cells do not match exactly
13. Autofill cell C2 down for the
remaining students

Note: The first 3 rows returned false. This shows

that although text may look the similar, they may
not necessarily be exact. There may be trailing
spaces and other non-printing characters that may
not be visible.

“TRIM” Function
This function removes additional spaces (leading, middle, trailing) from text.

1. Open the Fees sheet

2. Move your mouse cursor over the
column C label
3. Right click > Insert

This inserts a new blank column C

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4. Select cell C2
5. Click on Insert Function icon to bring
up the dialogue box
6. In the Select a Function area click
on Trim
If the function is not in the function list, type the
name or description in the Search for a function
text area and click Go
7. Click on OK to bring up the function
arguments dialogue box.

8. Ensure your cursor is in the Text

textbox
9. Click on cell D2
10. Click OK
11. Autofill down to trim the remaining
names

12. Select cells C2 to C62

13. Select the Home tab > Clipboard
group > Copy
14. Select cell D2
15. Click on the dropdown arrow under
Paste
16. In the Paste Values section click on
Values
17. Right Click column C heading and
Delete column C from the Fees
sheet
NB: The exact function on the Exams sheet should
now be true for all names.
Other functions in this class:
Clean - Removes all non-printable characters from a
supplied text string. Spaces are not removed.

“CONCATENATE” and “RIGHT” Functions

Concatenate is a function used to join two or more text strings together. The Right function
returns a specified number of characters from the end of a supplied text string. This exercise
will remove the country code from students’ mobile number and replace it with a zero.
Remove +61 from phone numbers

1. Open the Fees sheet

2. Insert a blank column before column
I and label it Mobile Number
3. Select cell I2
4. Click on Insert Function icon to bring
up the dialogue box
5. Search for the function Right and
click Go
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6. In the Select a Function area click

on Right
7. Click on OK to bring up the function
arguments dialogue box.
8. Ensure your cursor is in the Text
textbox
9. Click on cell J2
10. In the Num_chars text box type 9
11. Click OK
You are now left with the phone number
which is missing a Zero (0)
Add a leading Zero to all numbers

12. Select cell I2 and modify your

formula as follows:
=CONCATENATE(0, RIGHT(J2,9))

Autofill down for the remaining numbers

13. Select cells I2 to I62

14. Select the Home tab > Clipboard
group > Copy
15. Select cell I2
16. Click on the dropdown arrow under
Paste
17. In the Paste Values section click on
Values
18. Delete column J (Phone Number)
Other functions in this class:
Left - returns a specified number of characters from
the beginning of a supplied text string
Mid - returns a specified number of characters from
the middle of a supplied text string
Rept – returns a string consisting of a supplied text
string, repeated a specified number of times

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Flash Fill
This function gives the ability to create new data sets from existing data based on patterns. It
can be used to extract, insert, format, concatenate, reverse, etc., different types of data.
This exercise will separate student names into first and last names.

1. Open the Exams sheet

2. Delete Column C
3. Insert two blank columns before
column B and label them it
Firstname and Lastname
4. Select cell B2, type Bruce and press
Enter
5. Select the Data tab > Data Tools
group > Flash Fill
Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut
Control + E
The first names of all students will be automatically
populated
1. Select cell C2 and type Jones
Baker
2. Select cell C3 and type in
Carruthers
3. Select the Data tab > Data Tools
group > Flash Fill
4. Delete column D (Name)
NB: The last name had to be entered twice to provide
an example of each type of surname. This enabled
excel to know that some students had two surnames
whiles others had one.

Date and Time Functions

Exact Date calculations

The DATEDIF function calculates the number of days, months, or years between two dates.
The formula has the syntax DATEDIF(start_date,end_date,unit).
Unit refers to the type of information to be returned. The following units are used in this
function.
Y - The number of complete years in the period.
M - The number of complete months in the period.
D - The number of days in the period
MD - The difference between the days in start_date and end_date. The months and
the years of the dates are ignored
YM - The difference between the months in start_date and end_date. The days and
the years of the dates are ignored
YD - The difference between the days of start_date and end_date. The years of
the dates are ignored
In the following exercise the Today() function (gives the current date) is being used as the end
date criteria. The & symbol is used to join/concatenate the result(s) and text.
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Calculate the exact age of the students

1. Select the Fees worksheet
2. Select cell F2
3. Start the formula by typing
=DATEDIF(D2,TODAY(),"Y")&" Years, "
4. Press Enter
This calculates the number of complete years and
adds the word years.
5. Click on cell F2. The formula will appear in the formula bar
6. Add the following to your formula &DATEDIF(D2,TODAY(),"YM")&" Months, "
7. Press Enter
8. This calculates the number of complete years and months.

9. Click on cell F2. The formula will appear in the formula bar
10. Add the following to your formula &DATEDIF(D2,TODAY(),"MD")&" Days "
11. Press Enter
12. This calculates the number of complete years, months and Days.
13. Fill down the calculation for the other students

Math and Trig Functions

“SUMIF” Function
The SUMIF function adds data in the cells in a supplied range that satisfy a given criterion.

Calculate the amount of fees paid per semester by each degree type
1. Open the Fees sheet and select cell
L66
2. Click on Insert Function icon to bring
up the dialogue box
3. In the Select a Function area click
on SUMIF
If the function is not in the function list, type the
name or description in the Search for a function
text area and click Go
4. Click on OK to bring up the function
arguments dialogue box.

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5. Type in the following arguments:

• Range: $K$2:$K$62
• Criteria: Bachelor
• Sum_range: L2:L62
6. Click on OK
7. Autofill to the right to get the values
for the other semesters
NB: Use absolute referencing to lock the criteria range
before applying Autofill

Other functions in this class:

Averageif – Gives the average of cells in a supplied
range that satisfy a given criterion

“SUMIFS” Function
The SUMIFS function adds data in the cells in a supplied range, that satisfy multiple criteria.

Calculate the amount of fees paid per semester by Masters students in ICT
1. Open the Fees sheet and select cell
L67
2. Click on the Insert Function icon to
bring up the dialogue box
3. In the Select a Function area click
on SUMIFS > OK
4. Type in the following arguments:
• Sum_range: L2:L62
• Criteria_range1: $K$2:$K$62
• Criteria1: Masters
• Criteria_range2: $J$2:$J$62
• Criteria2: ICT
5. Click on OK
6. Autofill to the right to get the values
for the other semesters
NB: Use absolute referencing to lock the criteria
ranges before applying Autofill

Other functions in this class:

Averageifs – Gives the average of cells in a supplied
range that satisfy multiple criteria

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“SUMPRODUCT” Function
The SUMIFS function has the limitation of being unable to sum multiple ranges for the selected
criteria. The Sumproduct function can be used to overcome this. Sumproduct returns the sum
of the products of corresponding values in two or more supplied arrays

Calculate the amount of fees paid for sem 1 and sem 4 by Masters students in ICT
1. Open the Fees sheet and select cell L71
2. Enter the following formula…

3. Press Enter

The function computes the total amount of fees paid by ICT Masters students for Semesters 1 and 4.
This saves having to do multiple calculations to achieve the same result.

Lookup and Reference Functions

Dropdown Lists
Typing existing data into formulas can result in errors. For example, having trailing spaces
after a value can cause an error in the evaluation of a formula. Predefined dropdown lists in
excel can be used to avoid unnecessary data entry.
1. Open the Fees sheet and select
cell L73
2. Select the Data tab > Data tools
group > Data Validation

3. On the Data Validation dialogue

box select the Settings tab
4. From the dropdown list under
Allow, select List
5. Tick Ignore blank and In-cell
dropdown

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6. Click in the Source data field and

select cells C2 to C62
Alternatively, you can enter: =$C$2:$C$62
into the source field
7. Click OK

A dropdown list of student names is now

created in cell L73.
Updating the list of students automatically
updates the list dropdown list.

8. Select cell L74

9. Repeat this exercise using cells
=$L$1:$T$1 as the Source data.

“MATCH” Function
The MATCH function finds the relative position of a value in a supplied list or array. The value
of the MATCH function is not very obvious when used on its own. It is however a very useful
function when combined with other functions.

Determine the position of Kevin Brooks

1. Open the Fees sheet and select
cell L73
2. Choose Kevin Brooks from the
dropdown list
3. Select cell L77
4. Click on Insert Function icon to
bring up the dialogue box
5. In the Select a Function area
click on MATCH
6. Click on OK to bring up the
function arguments dialogue box.
7. Type in the following arguments:
• Lookup_value: L73
• Lookup_array: C2:C62
• Match_type: 0
8. Click on OK

Match Types:
-1 : Greater than
0 : Exact
1 : Less than

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“INDEX” Function
The INDEX function returns the data in a cell (or range of cells) for given rows and columns.

Determine how much a student (e.g Kevin Brooks) paid in Sem 3

1. Open the Fees sheet and select
cell L78
2. Click on Insert Function icon to
bring up the dialogue box
3. In the Select a Function area
click on INDEX
If the function is not in the function list, type
the name or description in the Search for a
function text area and click Go
4. Click on OK to bring up the select
arguments dialogue box.
5. Select
array,row_num,column_num
6. Click OK
7. Type in the following arguments:
• Array: L2:t62
• Row_num: 4
• Column_num: 3
8. Click on OK

The use of the INDEX function requires the user to know the row and column location of the data to be
returned. This can be difficult, especially on large spreadsheets.
The solution to this problem is to use the function together with other functions such as the MATCH function,
which automatically identifies the relative row and column of a value.

Combining the INDEX and MATCH Functions

1. Open the Fees sheet and select cell L75

2. Enter the following formula

3. Press Enter

The MATCH functions will determine the relative positions of the values entered in cells L73 and
L74. The INDEX function will then use those positions to output the required data. In this example
the result will be how much a particular student owes in a particular semester.

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Logical Functions

“AND” Function
The AND function compares a number of user-defined logical conditions and returns TRUE if
ALL of the conditions evaluate to true, or FALSE if not. It is useful if you want to check if all
values satisfy certain specified criteria. A total of 255 logical conditions can be tested.

Determine which students qualify for RHD candidature

1. Open the Exams sheet and select cell K2
2. Click on Insert Function icon to bring up
the dialogue box
3. In the Select a Function area click on
AND
If the function is not in the function list, type the name or
description in the Search for a function text area and
click Go
4. Click on OK to bring up the function
arguments dialogue box.

5. Type in the following arguments:

• Logical1: H2="Research"
• Logical2: J2>=6
6. Click on OK
7. Fill down to complete the data
The function will test whether the student is a research
student and scored a GPA of 6 or more. If both
conditions are satisfied the function will evaluate to
TRUE, otherwise it will evaluate to FALSE.

Other functions in this class:

OR - Compares a number of user-defined logical conditions
and returns TRUE if ANY of the conditions evaluate to true,
or FALSE if not.

Combining “IF” and “AND” Functions

The result of an AND or OR function can be combined with other functions to provide more
meaningful results. For example, instead of displaying TRUE/FALSE, explanatory feedback
can be provided if you combine the And and IF functions.

1. Open the Exams sheet and select cell K2

2. Modify the existing formula to the following:

3. Press Enter
The formula uses the result of the AND function as the logical test for the IF statement and returns a value of
Qualified if TRUE and a value of Not Qualified if FALSE.
4. Fill down to complete the data

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Statistical Functions

“COUNTBLANK” Function
The COUNTBLANK function returns the number of blank cells in a supplied range of cells. It
is useful in large spreadsheets with missing values.

Count the number of students with “Field of Study” not provided

1. Open the Exams sheet and
select cell O66
2. Click on Insert Function icon to
bring up the dialogue box
3. In the Select a Function area
click on COUNTBLANK
If the function is not in the function list, type the
name or description in the Search for a
function text area and click Go
4. Click on OK to bring up the
function arguments dialogue box.

5. Type in the following argument:

Range: F2:F62
6. Click on OK
7. The number of blank cells will be
displayed

Other functions in this class:

COUNTA – Gives the number of non-blank cells
in a supplied range of cells.
COUNT – Gives the number of numerical values
in a supplied range of cells

“COUNTIF” Function
The COUNTIF function returns the number of cells in a range, that satisfy a given criterion.

Count the number of students who qualify for RHD candidature

1. Open the Exams sheet and
select cell O67
2. Click on Insert Function icon to
bring up the dialogue box
3. In the Select a Function area
click on COUNTIF
If the function is not in the function list, type the
name or description in the Search for a
function text area and click Go
4. Click on OK to bring up the
function arguments dialogue box.

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5. Type in the following arguments:

• Range: K2:K62
• Criteria: Qualified
6. Click on OK
7. The number of qualified students
will be displayed

“COUNTIFS” Function
The COUNTIFS function returns the number of cells in a range, that satisfy a set of given
criteria.

Count the number of coursework students who scored a GPA of 7

1. Open the Exams sheet and
select cell O68
2. Click on the Insert Function icon
to bring up the dialogue box
3. In the Select a Function area
click on COUNTIFS then OK
4. Type in the following arguments:
• Criteria_range1: H2:H62
• Criteria1: Coursework
• Criteria_range2: J2:J62
• Criteria2: 7
5. Click on OK
6. The number of students who
satisfy the criteria will be
displayed

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Extension Exercises
The information and exercises in the following pages are included for those who want to learn
some extra functionality in Excel.

Importing External Data

Data located in compatible external files can be imported into excel without the need to retype
all the information again. Depending on the format of the data you would like to import, different
methods can be used, including Opening and saving in Excel, Linking to data, Importing data
and Copying data into excel.

Import/Link to Data on a Website

Importing Data
Data from websites and other sources can be imported into Excel if it is in an appropriate
format.

1. Copy the URL of the webpage with

the data you want to import.

e.g. World University Rankings on Wikipedia

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QS_World_University_Rankings)

2. Open a blank Excel workbook

3. Navigate to the Data tab> Get &
Transform group > New Query
4. From the drop down menu, select From
Other Sources > From Web

This opens the dialogue box for you to enter the URL
of the web page with the data you want to import

5. Paste the URL in the From Web

dialogue box and click OK

The Navigator Pane will open with a list of

data that can be imported into excel

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6. Choose the correct address just

pasted and click Connect

7. Select the required data set in the left

pane of the Navigator to preview it

NB: You can use the edit button to clean the data
before importing
8. Click on Load

A connection will be created to the data on

the website. This will ensure that refreshing
your excel file will update the data to the
latest version.

9. Save and close your workbook

Refresh Linked Data

1. Open the excel file with the linked

data
2. Click on any cell within the data table
3. Click on the Data tab > Connections
group > Refresh All
NB: Refresh all will refresh all connections in the
workbook. If you want to refresh data on a single
sheet click Refresh

Year calculations
Calculate Age from Date of Birth
Note: Subtracting a date of birth from the current date will display the number of days between the two dates. To
find out the age in years, divide by 365.25 (the .25 allows for leap years).
1. Open the Fees Extension sheet
2. Select cell E2
3. Type in the following formula:
=ROUNDDOWN((TODAY()-D2)/365.25,0)
4. Press Enter
5. Use the AutoFill tool to calculate the remaining
results.

Note: The Rounddown function has the following structure. =Rounddown(number,num_digits). In the above
formula the number portion is generated by the formula (TODAY()-d2)/365.25. The num_digits portion is
designated zero meaning round down to zero e.g. 28.96 becomes 28.00.

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“NETWORKDAYS.INTL” Function
The NETWORKDAYS function returns the number of whole working days between a specified
start_date and end_date. Working days exclude weekends and any dates identified as
holidays. To calculate whole workdays between two dates by using parameters to indicate
which and how many days are weekend days, use the NETWORKDAYS.INTL function. This
function is useful in situations where work shifts may cause some employees’ non-work days
to fall within Monday-Friday and result in Saturdays and Sundays being work days for others.

Weekend number values in the formula indicate the following weekend days:
1 or omitted Saturday, Sunday 11 Sunday only
2 Sunday, Monday 12 Monday only
3 Monday, Tuesday 13 Tuesday only
4 Tuesday, Wednesday 14 Wednesday only
5 Wednesday, Thursday 15 Thursday only
6 Thursday, Friday 16 Friday only
7 Friday, Saturday 17 Saturday only

TIP: Weekend days can be added to the formula using a 7-character binary string, where Zero
(0) represents work days and One (1) represents non-work days.
Each character represents a day of the week, starting from Monday. Thus a weekend value
specified as “0000111” means Monday – Thursday are work days and Friday – Sunday are
non-work days.

Determine the number of workdays in a time period

1. Open the Networkdays
Extension sheet and select
cell C5
2. Click on the Insert Function
icon to bring up the dialogue
box
3. In the Select a Function area
click on
NETWORKDAYS.INTL > OK
4. Type in the following
arguments:
• Start_date: A5
• End_date: B5
• Weekend: “0000111”
• Holidays: $B$17:$B$25
5. Click OK
6. Autofill down to obtain the
number of working days for
the other date ranges
NB: The quotation marks around the
weekend number are important. Without them
Excel will strip out the leading zeroes and
return a #NUM error message.

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“IFNA” Function
Excel formulas can sometimes return errors depending on the formula being evaluated or the
arguments provided. While some errors will require changes in the formula entered, others
are merely because of unavailable data. Excel displays errors in a variety of ways including
#N/A, #VALUE!, #REF!, #DIV/0!, #NUM!, #NAME? and #NULL!.
To display these errors in a more meaningful way, excel provides some logical functions that
allow the user to define alternative text for the error. Two of the most popular ones are IFNA
and IFERROR

IFNA tests if an expression returns the #N/A error and if so, returns an alternative specified
value; Otherwise the function returns the value of the supplied expression.

Prevent the INDEX and MATCH function from displaying #N/A error if no value is
provided for Student and Semester

1. Open the Fees Extension sheet and select cell L75

2. Modify the INDEX and MATCH function as follows:

3. Press Enter
4. Delete the Semester value from cell L74

All #N/A errors will now be displayed as “Name or Semester value not provided.
The difference between IFERROR and IFNA function is that IFNA only works on #N/A
errors whereas IFERROR works on all other error types

“IF” Function
The IF function will analyse data and provide results defined by the user. The analysis returns
either a true or false answer. The displayed results can be text or calculated values.
Using IF statement to display Final GPA

1. Open the Exams Extension sheet and Go

to cell I2
2. Enter formula =IF(H2>85, 7,”?”)
IF(Logical test, Value if True, Value if False)
3. AutoFill down to other student grades

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Using nested ‘IF’ statements

If more than two results are required from the logical test, then Excel can retest the data by
using another IF statement in either the Value if True or the Value if False portions of the
formula. This is known as a nested “IF” statement. A maximum of 64 “IF” statements can be
nested in any one cell. As a general rule you will always need one less IF statement than the
number of outcomes possible. So an IF statement that can choose from 5 possible results will
have 4 nested IFs.

1. Open the Exams Extension sheet and Go to cell I2

2. Edit the formula to include another “IF” statement in the Value_if_False parameter for
GPA’s
>75 is a 6,
>65 is a 5,
>55 is a 4,
>50 is a 3,
>40 is a 2 and less than 40 is a 1

3. AutoFill down to other student grades

“RANK.EQ” Function
The RANK.EQ function returns the rank of a number in a list of numbers. Its size is relative to
other values in the list; if more than one value has the same rank, the top rank of that set of
values is returned. This means that RANK.EQ gives duplicate numbers the same rank.
However, the presence of duplicate numbers affects the ranks of subsequent numbers. For
example, in a list of integers sorted in ascending order, if the number 10 appears twice and
has a rank of 5, then 11 would have a rank of 7 (no number would have a rank of 6).

Find the position of each student based on their final mark

1. Open the Exams Extension
sheet and select cell K2
2. Click on the Insert Function
icon to bring up the dialogue box
3. In the Select a Function area
click on RANK.EQ then OK
4. Type in the following arguments:
• Number: H2
• Ref: $H$2:$H$62
(Press F4 key to lock cells as absolute)
• Order: 0
Order:
0 – Descending, 1 – Ascending
5. Click on OK
6. AutoFill down for the other ranks
Notes

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What-If Analysis
What-if analysis is the process of changing the values in cells to see how those changes will
affect the outcome of formulas on the worksheet. What-if analysis tools in Excel include
Scenarios, Goal Seek and Solver. Scenarios take sets of input values and determine possible
results. Goal Seek and Solver takes a result and determines possible input values that
produce that result. To be able to perform some kinds of analysis (eg. Solver), additional add-
ins are required.

Add-ins for Excel

If you choose to utilise Excel for additional analysis such as advanced statistics or what-if
analysis using Solver, you may expand its functionality by including add-ins. An add-in, as
the name suggests, is a small program specifically designed to support a larger program.
Add-ins cannot run on their own but are required to be added-in to Excel to extend its
available features.

Including Add-ins

To activate add-ins in Excel:

1. Click the File tab in the ribbon
2. Click on Options
3. Click on Add-Ins
4. Select Excel Add-ins
5. Click Go...

In Add-Ins dialogue box,

1. Check Solver Add-in
2. Click on OK

Excel Solver
In Excel, Solver is part of a suite of commands sometimes called what-if analysis tools. With
Solver, you can find an optimal (maximum, minimum or exact) value for a formula in one cell
- called the objective cell - subject to constraints, or limits, on the values of other formula and/or
cells on a worksheet. Solver works with a group of cells - called decision variable cells - that
participate in computing the formulas in the objective and constraint cells. Solver adjusts
the values in the decision variable cells to satisfy the limits on constraint cells and produce the
result you want for the objective cell.
The objective, constraint and decision variable cells, and the formulas interrelating them form
a Solver model; the final values found by Solver are a solution for this model. Solver uses a
variety of methods, from linear programming and nonlinear optimization to genetic and
evolutionary algorithms, to find solutions.

Notes

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Display hidden data

1. Open the Networkdays Extension sheet
2. Select column C and column J
3. Right click on selection
4. Select Unhide

Estimate optimal spending to achieve savings of $20,000.

1. Open the NetworkDays

Extension sheet and select cell
B1
2. Click on the Data tab > Analyze
group > Solver to bring up the
Solver Parameters dialogue box

Set Objective and Decision Variables

3. Add the following parameters

• Set Objective: Select cell
B1
• Value of: 20000
• By Changing Variable
Cells: select cells E5:H8

These parameters will calculate a new

savings value of $20,000 by modifying
the values in cells E5 to H8
Constraints
The constraints for this exercise are as follows:
a. The Total expenditure for each date range must not exceed the Amount Earned
for that same period (Total <= Amount Earned)
b. The total for each expenditure item (Phone, Furniture, Computer & Living) must not
exceed the set budget restrictions (Below Expenditure totals)
Set Constraints

4. Click on Add in the Subject to

Constraints section to display
the Add Constraint dialogue box
5. For Cell Reference select cell I5
6. Select the <= operator
7. For Constraint select cell D5
8. Click on Add to add additional
constraints for the remaining date
ranges and the expenditure items
9. When the last constraint is added
click OK
To modify any constraint, select the
appropriate one and click change. You can
also delete or reset the whole model

Notes

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Set Solving Method

10. In the Select a Solving Method

dropdown list, choose GRG
Nonlinear
11. Click on Solve to see the results
of your model

12. The Solver Results dialogue box

will be displayed.
13. If you are satisfied with the
results, select Keep Solver
Solution and click OK.
14. If you want to modify the results
• tick the Return to Solver
Parameters Dialog
• Select Restore Original
Values
• Click OK
15. Alternatively, click on the cancel
button

NB: It is a good practice to have a copy of the

data you are working on when using solver
because once executed, the operation
cannot be undone.

Notes

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