Excel 2016:

Formulas & Functions

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Table of Contents
Formulas and Functions ...................................................................................................... 1
Formulas ......................................................................................................................... 1
Rules and Syntax ......................................................................................................... 1
Relative versus Absolute Cell Referencing.................................................................. 1
Functions – Make Calculations Easier Than Using Formulas .......................................... 2
Syntax .......................................................................................................................... 2
The AutoSum Tool on the Home tab .......................................................................... 3
Insert Excel Functions – 4 Methods ............................................................................ 5
Insert Function Tool .................................................................................................... 6
More Functions ................................................................................................................. 10
Logical If Function ......................................................................................................... 10
Logical AND Function combined with IF ....................................................................... 10
Logical OR Function combined with IF.......................................................................... 11
Concatenate Cells – Join Text Together ........................................................................ 11
Named Ranges .................................................................................................................. 12
Create a Range Name Individually ................................................................................ 12
Convert existing row and column labels to names. ...................................................... 12
Paste Names ................................................................................................................. 13
Delete or Add or Modify Range Names ........................................................................ 13
VLOOKUP........................................................................................................................... 15
Syntax of VLOOKUP ................................................................................................... 15
Worksheet Function Example ....................................................................................... 15
SUMIF ................................................................................................................................ 17
Syntax of SUMIF ........................................................................................................ 17
Worksheet Function Example ....................................................................................... 17
Worksheet Function Example #2 .................................................................................. 17
Worksheet Function Example #3 .................................................................................. 18

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Formulas and Functions

There is a whole new formula bar in Excel 2013 to make entering Formulas and
Functions easier.

Formulas

Rules and Syntax

All Formulas or Functions start with an “=”
Formulas use these operators (all of these operators can be found on the
numeric keypad) and are calculated in the following order:
“*” Multiplication
“/” Division
“+” Addition
“-” Subtraction
Example of a Formula and its Answer:
=5+4*2 would the answer be 18 or 13?
IMPORTANT: The answer would be 13 because the Mathematical
Hierarchy states the multiplication and division always occur before
addition and subtraction unless parenthesis are used. If parentheses are
used, that operation will override the default hierarchy. In other words,
if you wish the answer to be 18, the formula must be
= (5+4)*2.
Relative versus Absolute Cell Referencing
Relative Cell Reference
When you type a formula or function in a cell (like the one shown below –
B2+C2) you would then generally copy or fill that formula to the cells remaining
cells. If the formula were truly copied, each cell would contain =B2+C2 which, in
this case, would not be what you want. You would want Excel to increase the
row number for you as you copied the formula down to the other cells, which it
does! Notice that =B2+C2 becomes =B3+C3 and then =B4+C4 etc. This same
technique would increase/decrease column letters if you copied to the right or
left. Relative cell referencing is the default in Excel.

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Absolute Cell Reference

There are times, however that you do NOT want relative cell addressing.
Sometimes you need your reference to stay put. That is when Absolute cell
addressing comes into play. To make a cell reference absolute, press F4 in the
part of the formula you want to stay referencing the same cell. F4 makes an
address absolute by placing dollar signs ($) in front of the column letter and row
number (i.e. $B$4). This means that as you copy that formula, the reference to
$B$4 will not change.

Functions – Make Calculations Easier Than Using Formulas

Example – add B5 through B10
Using a formula: =B5+B6+B7+B8+B9+B10
Using the formula to Add a Range: =SUM(B5:B10)
Syntax
The syntax of a function is generally “=function name(range)” see examples
below
Sum: =SUM(B5:B10)
Minimum: =MIN(B5:B10)
Maximum: =MAX(B5:B10)
Average: =AVERAGE(B5:B10)
Count: =COUNT(B5:B10)

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The AutoSum Tool on the Home tab

Sum a Column

Using the example below:

1. Click in cell B9 - the cell directly below the data.

2. Click the AutoSum tool.
Notice that the cells it thinks you want to add have a marquis, a dotted line,
around them.
3. If the cells you wish to add have a marquis around them, simply press Enter or
click the AutoSum tool again to remove the marquis.

Sum Multiple Columns

4. Select all the cells where you want the totals to appear.

5. Click the AutoSum tool

(i.e. Select B9:F9 to sum all the rows at once, or F5:N9 to sum all the columns at
once.)

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Sum Rows and Columns Simultaneously

6. Select the data you wish to add plus one extra row and one extra column.
(so Excel knows where you want the totals to appear).
7. Click the AutoSum tool.
(i.e. in the example above, select B5:F9 to sum all the rows and columns at once.)

Tip! If there are any gaps in your data (i.e. blank cells) it is a good idea to select
the data in addition to the cell where you want the total to appear, before
clicking the AutoSum tool. This will cause Excel to include all highlighted
cells in the total, rather than stopping at the first blank cell. See example
below.
Selecting only B9 before hitting Autosum includes Selecting B3:B7 before hitting Autosum includes
only data up to the first blank cell in total. all data in total.

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Insert Excel Functions – 4 Methods

▪ The More Functions Option on the AutoSum tool
▪ The Insert Function tool on the left side of the Formula bar
▪ The Function Library on the Formulas bar
▪ Typing an equals and then using Excel’s formula entry help.
AutoSum: More Functions Insert Function on the Formula Bar

Function Library on the Formula Tab

Start Typing Function in Cell

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Insert Function Tool

If you do not know how to enter a Function:

1. Click in the cell where you want the Function to appear and click either:
a. the Insert Function tool on the Formula bar; or
b. The Insert Function tool on the Formula tab.
2. The Insert Function Dialog box appears, allowing you to select any of Excel’s
functions.
a. You can search for a function by typing in a description of what you are
wanting to find; or

To search for a function, type a

description and press Go.

A definition will help you

determine if the function
selected is the one you need.

b. You can search a reduced number of functions by selecting a category.

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Select a Function Category to

reduce the number of functions
displayed or select All to view all
functions.

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3. Once you find the desired function, you can press Help to get great descriptions
and examples of how to correctly use this function. Here is a great example of
the Help for the Count function. It gives you a description of the function,
followed by its syntax, other remarks, and 1 to 5 examples of how to use it in a
worksheet!

4. When you are done reading Help, you can click the “X” in the top right corner of
the title bar. This brings you back to the Insert Function dialog box. If you then
click OK, Excel will step you through inserting the Arguments as shown below.
Click OK when done.

Collapses the dialog box.

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Exercise:
▪ Here is another example of using Insert Function to help with the Sum Function.
1. Click in the cell where the sum is to appear.
2. Click the Insert Function tool on the formula bar.
3. Select Sum for the function and click OK. The following dialog box appears.

4. The Function Name and the ( )s appear in the formula bar. Either type in the
desired range in the Number 1 text box; or
5. Make the dialog box collapse by clicking on the tool shown below and then
drag across the range you want to select in the worksheet.
Your screen should look like this:

6. When done click OK or press Enter.

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More Functions
Logical If Function
The IF statement is used to test if the contents of a cell meet certain requirements.
Returns one value if a condition you specify evaluates to TRUE and another value if it
evaluates to FALSE. The result of the test can be a calculation or a string. See examples
below.
Syntax of If statement
= IF(logical_test,value_if_true,value_if_false)

Sample IF Statements Column G returns a text string

Column H returns the value of an equation.
Cell G3: =IF(F4>15000,"Great Job!","You're Fired!")
Important! If you want to leave the cell blank, you must still type quotes
i.e. “”.
Cell H3: =IF(F4>15000,F3*1.2,F4)

Logical AND Function combined with IF

Returns TRUE if all its arguments are TRUE; returns FALSE if one or more arguments is
FALSE.
Syntax of IF combined with AND statement
= If(AND(logical1,logical2, ...),true,false)

Sample IF AND Statements

Cell G3: =IF(AND(D4>5000,E4>4000),"Great Job","Work Harder")
Important! If you want to leave the cell blank, you must still type quotes
i.e. “”.

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Logical OR Function combined with IF

Returns TRUE if any argument is TRUE; returns FALSE if all arguments are FALSE.
Syntax of IF combined with OR statement
= If(OR(logical1,logical2, ...),true,false)

Sample IF OR Statements
Cell G3: =IF(OR(D4>6000,E4>4000),"Great Job","Work Harder")

Concatenate Cells – Join Text Together

Joins several text strings into one text string.
Syntax of Concatenate statement
= CONCATENATE (text1,text2,...)
Sample CONCATENATE Statements
Cell D1: =CONCATENATE(A2," ",B2," ",C2)

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Named Ranges
Worksheets often have labels at the top of each column and to the left of each row that
describe the data within the worksheet. You can use these labels within formulas when
you want to refer to the related data. You can also create descriptive names that are
not labels on the worksheet to represent cells, ranges of cells, formulas, or constants.
Create a Range Name Individually
7. Select the cell, range of cells, or nonadjacent selections that you want to name.
Name Box

8. Click in the Name box at the left end of the formula bar.
9. Type the desired range name (i.e. Furniture) and press Enter.
Convert existing row and column labels to names.
10. Select the range that you want to name, including the row or column labels.
11. On the Formulas tab, in the Defined Names group, click Create from Selection.

12. In the Create Names from Selection dialog box, designate the location that
contains the labels by selecting the Top row, Left column, Bottom row, or Right
column check box.

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Tip! A name created by using this procedure refers only to the cells that contain values
and does not include the existing row and column labels.
Tip! If a column or row heading has a space in the name it will be replaced with an
underline.
13. Click the drop down arrow on the Name box to see the names created.

Paste Names
14. Select an empty cell in a worksheet.
IMPORTANT! Leave room in several rows below selected cell to paste the list of
range names.
15. Select Formulas, Use in Formula, Paste Names and then click Paste List.
A list of all names, and what they represent, appears.

Delete or Add or Modify Range Names

16. Select Formulas, Name Manager to Add or Delete or Modify Names.

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VLOOKUP

In Microsoft Excel, the VLOOKUP function searches for value in the left-most column of
table_array and returns the value in the same row based on the index_number.

Syntax of VLOOKUP
VLOOKUP( value, table_array, index_number, [not_exact_match] )

value is the value to search for in the first column of the table_array.

table_array is two or more columns of data that is sorted in ascending order.

index_number is the column number in table_array from which the matching value
must be returned. The first column is 1.

not_exact_match is optional. It determines if you are looking for an exact match based
on value. Enter FALSE to find an exact match. Enter TRUE to find an approximate match,
which means that if an exact match if not found, then the VLOOKUP function will look
for the next largest value that is less than value. If this parameter is omitted, the
VLOOKUP function returns an approximate match.

IMP! If you enter FALSE for the not_exact_match parameter and no exact match is
found, then the VLOOKUP function will return #N/A.

Worksheet Function Example

Invoice Example on Left, Lookup Table Array on Right

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ISNA

The VLOOKUP function will return an NA if a value is not found. To capture that error and
return the value you desire, use a combination of the If and an ISNA functions as shown below.

IFNA

This is a new function in Excel 2016 and works the same as the =If(ISNA) function above
only it dramatically shortens the function! See the new function below.

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SUMIF

In Microsoft Excel, the SUMIF function adds all numbers in a range of cells, based on a
given criteria.

Syntax of SUMIF
SUMIF( range, criteria, [sum_range] )

range is the range of cells that you want to apply the criteria against.

criteria is used to determine which cells to add.

sum_range is optional. It is the cells to sum. If this parameter is omitted, the SUMIF
function uses range as the sum_range.

Worksheet Function Example

Worksheet Function Example #2

Using a static number in the formula and greater than or equal to operators.

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Worksheet Function Example #3

Using a cell address in the formula and greater than or equal to operators.

Source: https://www.lsntap.org/sites/lsntap.org/files/Excel%202016%20Formulas%20Functions%20Training.pdf

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