DATA AGGREGATION

Data aggregation is any process in which information is gathered

and expressed in a summary form. It is the compiling of information
from databases with the intent to prepare combined datasets for
data processing. They form the fundamental field calculation op-
tions of the Pivot Table in Excel.

SUM Function
The SUM function adds all the numbers in the range of cells and re-
turns the result of the addition. The SUM function will return the
sum of the values which are entered as multiple arguments. A total
of 255 individual arguments can be handled by the SUM Function,
which can include cell references, constants, ranges, arrays, and
constants. It is an inbuilt function in Excel categorized as a Math/
Trig Function.

AVERAGE Function
The AVERAGE function calculates the average (arithmetic mean) of
numbers provided as arguments. To calculate the average, Excel
adds the numbers together and divides by the total number of val-
ues supplied. AVERAGE can handle up to 255 individual argu-
ments, which can include numbers, cell references, ranges, arrays,
and constants. The AVERAGE function is an inbuilt function in Ex-
cel and is categorized as a Statistical Function.

AGGREGATE Function
Returns an aggregate in a list or database. The AGGREGATE func-
tion returns an aggregate calculation like AVERAGE, COUNT,
MAX, etc., optionally ignoring hidden rows and errors. A total of 19
operations are available, specified by function number within the
first argument.
It was created by Microsoft to deal with the restrictions of condi-
tional formatting. Some conditional formatting cannot be applied if
there are errors within the range. The Excel AGGREGATE function
allows you to ignore errors or hidden rows. The AGGREGATE func-
tion is an inbuilt function in Excel and is categorized as a Math/Trig
Function.

COUNT Function
The COUNT function returns the count of numeric values within the
list of supplied arguments. Arguments can be individual items, cell
references, or ranges up to a total of 255 arguments. All numbers
including negative values, percentages, dates, fractions, and time
are counted. Empty cells and text values are ignored. The COUNT
function is an inbuilt function in Excel and is categorized as a Statis-
tical Function.

Note: The COUNTA function returns the count of cells that contain
numbers, text, logical values, error values, and empty text (“”).
COUNTA does not count empty cells.

MAX & MIN Function

MAX Function

The Excel MAX function returns the largest numeric value in a

range of values. The MAX function ignores empty cells, the logical
values TRUE and FALSE, and text values. The MAX function is an
inbuilt function in Excel and is categorized as a Statistical Function.

MIN Function

The Excel MIN function returns the smallest numeric value in a

range of values. The MIN function ignores empty cells, the logical
values TRUE and FALSE, and text values. The MIN function is an
inbuilt function in Excel and is categorized as a Statistical Function.
CONDITIONAL DATA AGGREGATION
Conditional aggregation is slightly more sophisticated when com-
pared to data aggregation functions in the sense it facilitates aggre-
gation based on criteria(s). It is simply the use of aggregates under
one or more conditions, thus, potentially altering your results of
functions like SUM (), COUNT (), etcetera in a particular column
while allowing you to analyze your recordset as a whole.

IF Function
The IF function is one of the most popular functions in Excel which
allows you to make a logical comparison between a value and what
you expect based on a condition. The IF function performs a logical
test that returns a specified value when conditions are met (TRUE
result), and another specified value when otherwise (FALSE result).
For example, to “pass” scores above 40: =IF(A1>40,”Pass”,”Fail”).
To test more than one condition, we can use nesting IF functions.
Logical functions like AND and OR can be nested within IF function
to test multiple conditions. The IF function is an inbuilt function in
Excel and is categorized as a Logical Function.

AND & OR Function

AND Function

In Excel AND function does not have any narrow usefulness, but in
combination with other Excel functions, AND can significantly ex-
tend the capabilities of your worksheet. One of the most common
uses of the Excel AND function is found in the logical test argument
of the IF function to test several conditions instead of just one. The
AND function is an inbuilt function in Excel and is categorized as a
Logical Function.

OR Function
Use the OR function, one of the logical functions, to determine if
any conditions in a test are TRUE.

The OR function tests different conditions in the meantime. This

logical function helps you in comparing two values or statements in
Excel. OR in Excel, on the other hand, returns either TRUE or
FALSE. OR function will return TRUE if at least any one of the argu-
ments or conditions evaluates as TRUE. Similarly, it will also return
FALSE, if all the arguments or conditions are FALSE. The OR in
Excel can be utilized as the logical test inside the IF function for
avoiding extra nested IFs and can be also be used in combination
with the AND function. The OR function is an inbuilt function in Ex-
cel and is categorized as a Logical Function.

SUMIFS & COUNTIFS

SUMIFS Function

SUMIFS function returns the sum of cells that meet multiple condi-
tions simultaneously. Criteria can be applied to dates, numbers, and
text. The SUMIF function supports logical operators (>,<,<>,=).The
SUMIFs function supports logical operators (>,<,<>,=) and wild-
cards (*,?) for partial matching.

The SUMIFs function is an inbuilt function in Excel and is catego-

rized as a Math/Trig Function.

COUNTIFS Function

COUNTIFS function applies criteria to cells across multiple ranges

and counts the number of times all criteria are met.

The Excel COUNTIFS function returns the count of cells that meet
one or more criteria. COUNTIFS can be used with criteria based on
dates, numbers, text, and other conditions. COUNTIFS supports
logical operators (>,<,<>,=) and wildcards (*,?) for partial matching.
The COUNTIFS function is an inbuilt function in Excel and is cate-
gorized as a Statistical Function.

Note: SUMIF and COUNTIF functions have become redundant with

the introduction of SUMIFS and COUNTIFS.

LOOKUP AND REFERENCE FUNCTIONS

Lookup and reference is the method of pulling data into an array or
row to consolidate and categorize it for data processing.

VLOOKUP Function
VLOOKUP is an Excel function to lookup and retrieves data from a
specific column in a table. We can use VLOOKUP when we need to
find things that are aggregated in a table or as a range by row. For
example, look up the price of a medicine by the unique code, or find
details of an employee based on their employee ID.

VLOOKUP executes approximate and exact matching, which in-

cludes wildcards (*?) for partial matches. The “V” stands for
“vertical”. Lookup values must appear in the first column of the table
or range selected, with lookup columns to the right. The VLOOKUP
function performs a vertical lookup by searching for a value in the
first column of a table and returning the value in the same row in the
index number position.

The VLOOKUP function is an inbuilt function in Excel and is catego-

rized as a Lookup/Reference Function.

Note: HLOOKUP is a transpose replica of the VLOOKUP function

to look up and retrieve data from a specific row in table. Use
HLOOKUP when your comparison values are located in a row
across the top of a table of data, and you want to look down a spec-
ified number of rows. The “H” stands for “horizontal”.
MATCH Function
The MATCH function returns the relative position of a value
searched in an array.

MATCH is used to pinpoint the position of a lookup value in a row,

column, or table. MATCH executes approximate and exact match-
ing, which includes wildcards (* ?) for partial matches. Often, the
MATCH function is nested within the INDEX function to retrieve the
value at the position returned by MATCH. In financial analysis, we
can use the MATCH function along with other functions to look up
and return the sum of values in a column. The MATCH function is
an inbuilt function in Excel and is categorized as a Lookup/Refer-
ence Function

TEXT MANIPULATION FUNCTIONS

Excel predominantly deals with numerical data, but at times you can
come across a dataset which contains text and other string charac-
ters and that is when the Text Functions in Excel will help you to
simplify the things easily. Text manipulation functions are helpful in
formatting and data validation. It helps in providing context and uni-
formity to the dataset and thereby facilitate automation processing.

RIGHT LEFT MID Function

RIGHT Function

RIGHT function is a function which is used to give the number of

characters from the end from the string which is from right to left,
RIGHT function in Excel is used to return the last character or char-
acters in a supplied text string, based on the number of characters
specified. The RIGHT function is an inbuilt function in Excel and is
categorized as a String/Text Function.

LEFT Function
LEFT function is a function which is used to give the number of
characters from the start from the string which is from left to right,
The LEFT function in Excel is a function which allows you to extract
a substring from a string and starts from the leftmost character.

The LEFT function is an inbuilt function in Excel which has been

categorized as a String/Text Function. The LEFT function in Excel
can either be used as a worksheet function (WS) or a VBA function
(VBA) in Microsoft Excel. It can be used as a worksheet function
(WS) and a VBA function (VBA) in Excel and can be entered as part
of a formula in a cell of a worksheet. You can use this in a macro
code while compiling in a Visual Basic Editor.

MID Function

The MID function extracts a given number of characters from the

middle of a supplied text string.

The MID function in Excel extracts a substring from a string (starting

at any position). The MID function is an inbuilt function in Excel and
is categorized as a String/Text Function. It can be used as a work-
sheet function (WS) and a VBA function (VBA) in Excel and the MID
function can be entered as part of a formula in a cell of a worksheet.
You can use this in a macro code while compiling in a Visual Basic
Editor.

TRIM Function
The TRIM function removes all spaces from text except for single
spaces between words. Use TRIM on text that you have received
from another application that may have irregular spacing. It returns
a text value with the leading, trailing and unnecessary spaces be-
tween words in a string removed.

The TRIM function is an inbuilt function in Excel and is categorized

as a String/Text Function. It can be used as a worksheet function
(WS) and a VBA function (VBA) in Excel and the TRIM function can
be entered as part of a formula in a cell of a worksheet. You can
use this in a macro code while compiling in a Visual Basic Editor.

LOWER & UPPER Function

LOWER function converts all uppercase letters in a text string to
lowercase and the UPPER function converts all lowercase letters in
a text string to Uppercase.

The LOWER and UPPER functions in Excel converts all letters in

the specified string, only. If there are characters in the string that
are not letters, they are unaffected by these functions.

The LOWER and UPPER functions are inbuilt functions in Excel

and is categorized as String/Text Function. They can be used as a
worksheet function (WS) in Excel and can be entered as part of a
formula in a cell of a worksheet.

CONCATENATE Function
CONCATENATE or join text is an Excel function is used to join two
or more strings into one string.

The CONCATENATE function joins (concatenates) up to 30 text

items together and returns the result as text. The CONCAT function
replaces CONCATENATE in newer versions of Excel.

The CONCATENATE function is an inbuilt function in Excel and is

categorized as a String/Text Function. It can be used as a work-
sheet function (WS) in Excel and can be entered as part of a for-
mula in a cell of a worksheet.

TEXTJOIN Function
The TEXTJOIN function combines the text from multiple ranges
and/or strings, and includes a delimiter you specify between each
text value that will be combined. If the delimiter is an empty text
string, this function will effectively concatenate the ranges.

The TEXTJOIN function concatenates (joins) values with a given

delimiter. TEXTJOIN allows you to supply a range of cells, and has
a setting to ignore empty values , unlike the CONCAT function. The
TEXTJOIN function is an inbuilt function in Excel and is categorized
as a String/Text Function. It can be used as a worksheet function
(WS) in Excel and can be entered as part of a formula in a cell of a
worksheet.

TIME FUNCTION
The Time functions are useful for assembling dates that need to
change dynamically based on other values in a worksheet. Since
most data sets in accounting make sense for financial periods, date
functions are of huge relevance in the cut-off period and current pe-
riod calculations.

EOMONTH Function
The EOMONTH function in Excel returns the last day of the month,
n months in the past or future. You can use EOMONTH to calculate
expiration dates, due dates, and other dates that need to land on
the last day of a month. A positive value for months returns a date
in the future, and a negative value to returns a date in the past.

The EOMONTH function is an inbuilt function in Excel and is cate-

gorized as a Date/Time Function. It can be used as a worksheet
function (WS) in Excel and can be entered as part of a formula in a
cell of a worksheet.

EDATE Function
The EDATE function returns date on the same day of the month, n
months in the past or future. You can use EDATE to calculate expi-
ration dates, maturity dates, and other due dates. A positive value
for months returns a date in the future, and a negative value to re-
turns a date in the past.

The EDATE function is an inbuilt function in Excel and is catego-

rized as a Date/Time Function. It can be used as a worksheet func-
tion (WS) in Excel and can be entered as part of a formula in a cell
of a worksheet.

ERROR HANDLING
Error handling refers to the response and recovery procedures from
errors which may arise during the course of our work using
Microsoft Excel. In other words, it is the process which comprises of
anticipation, detection and resolution of errors. It helps make the
spreadsheet look more presentable by returning a response to the
errors that may arise, proactively.

IFERROR Function
The IFERROR function traps and handles errors in a formula. IFER-
ROR returns a particular value you specify if a formula happens to
evaluate to an error; otherwise, it returns the result of the formula.

The IFERROR function returns a custom result when a formula

generates an error, and a standard result when no error is detected.
It will check for errors such as #N/A, #VALUE!, #REF!, #DIV/0!,
#NUM!, #NAME? or #NULL. The IFERROR function is an inbuilt
function in Excel and is categorized as a Logical Function. It can be
used as a worksheet function (WS) in Excel and can be entered as
part of a formula in a cell of a worksheet.
If you want to check for a specific error, there are specific error
handling functions such as ERROR.TYPE, ISERROR, ISERR, IS-
ERROR, ISLOGICAL, ISNA, ISNONTEXT, ISNUMBER, ISREF, etc.

FORMATTING
Formatting refers to the appearance or presentation of your essay.
Another word for formatting is the layout. It helps in a presentation
that increases the understandability of the reports generated from
the user’s perspective.

ROUNDUP Function
ROUNDUP function in Excel returns a number rounded up to a
given number of decimal places. Unlike standard rounding, where
numbers less than 5 are rounded down, ROUNDUP rounds all
numbers up

The ROUNDUP function is an inbuilt function in Excel and is cate-

gorized as a Math/Trig Function. It can be used as a worksheet
function (WS) in Excel and can be entered as part of a formula in a
cell of a worksheet.

TEXT Function
The TEXT function lets you alter the way a number appears by ap-
plying formatting to it with format codes. It’s useful in situations
where you want to display numbers in a more readable format,
combine numbers with text or symbols and to embed formatted
numbers inside text. The TEXT function returns a value converted
to text in a specified format.

The TEXT function is an inbuilt function in Excel and is categorized

as a String/Text Function. It can be used as a worksheet function
(WS) in Excel and can be entered as part of a formula in a cell of a
worksheet.