1. Array formulas perform computations on a series of values.
2. When you are done entering an array formula, you have to press CTRL, SHIFT, and ENTER all at the same time instead of just ENTER.

The output of an array formula can be either a single value, or another array, depending on the formula that you use.  When you enter an array formula by pressing CTRL, SHIFT, and ENTER, it will show up with braces { } around it.

Array Formulas that Return Arrays as their Output

Sometimes when you have a long series of values that you want to work with, it can be helpful to use an array formula to perform operations on every element of the array at once instead of filling in the formula in one cell and then having to fill in all of the other cells.  In the example above, the array of interested is ARRAY 1 in cells A3:A7.  If you’re interested in returning the row that corresponds to each element of this array, you can highlight cells C3:C7 and type =ROW(A3:A7), then press CNTRL, SHIFT, and ENTER together.  The output is shown above as OUTPUT 1.  This type of formula can be useful if you need to get a series of references based on where the components of the array are located.

Another way to use array formulas is to perform functions on multiple values at the same time.  In the case of OUTPUT 2 above, cells D3:D7 were selected, =(A3:A7) was entered, followed by pressing CTRL, SHIFT, and ENTER.  This returns all of the values from the original array.  Similarly, you could instead enter =(A3:A7)*2 and press CTRL, SHIFT, and ENTER together.  This would return the output shown as OUTPUT 3 above.

Array Formulas that Return a Single Value as Their Output

Array formulas can also be useful for performing operations on arrays where certain criteria are met.  The example below shows how an equation entered in cell D6 returns the sum of all of the elements in Array 1 which are greater than 5.  The function itself is =SUM(IF(A3:A11>5,A3:A11,FALSE)).  This takes each element in the array in cells A3:A11 and creates a new array by checking to see if it is greater than 5.  In cases where the value is greater than 5, it returns the value, otherwise it returns FALSE.  So the intermediate step would show = SUM(FALSE, 16, FALSE, FALSE, 9, FALSE, 26, 6, 10).  The SUM function ignores the FALSE values, so the result is 16+9+26+6+10 = 67.

You can also include multiple criteria if you want to.  The next example looks at a list of transactions that shows the region and product as well as the number of units sold.  If you wanted to know how many total oranges were sold in the North region, you could use the array formula =SUM((A2:A10=”North”)*(B2:B10=”Oranges”)*C2:C10) followed by pressing CTRL, SHIFT, and ENTER together.  This formula looks at 3 arrays separately, evaluating the first 2 arrays based on the criteria entered, and the third array just for its values.

The criteria are effectively evaluated as IF statements, returning true where the criteria is met and FALSE where it is not.  So, the equation would evaluate as =SUM({TRUE, FALSE, TRUE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, TRUE, TRUE}*{TRUE, TRUE, FALSE, FALSE, TRUE, FALSE, TRUE, TRUE, FALSE}*{4, 6, 8, 9, 3, 14, 11, 8, 16}).  TRUE values evaluate as 1’s, while FALSE values evaluate as 0’s, so the next step would look like =SUM(4,0,0,0,0,0,0,8,0).  This produces the result of 12, which is the total number of oranges sold in the North region.  The array formula allows you take several steps of computation and combine them into a single formula.

In addition to the SUM function, you can also use a variety of other equations like MAX, MIN, and AVERAGE in array functions depending on your needs.  If you understand what result you’re looking for and can set up the array function correctly, you can save yourself a lot of work by letting Excel handle the complexity of the calculations.

Have you ever copied a formula to a different cell and it no longer worked? In most cases, this is primarily due to the cell referencing in the formula.

Relative Cell Referencing

This is the most common type of referencing.  Relative cell referencing is used to perform simple tasks such as Auto Fill.   This type of referencing changes/adjusts when copied in the spreadsheet.

Example: =SUM(B2:B5)

Absolute Cell Referencing

This type of referencing essentially locks part of the formula to a specific row and column.  This is achieved by using “$”

That’s right, a dollar sign.  $$$

Example: =SUM($B2:$B5)

In this example we are telling the formula to take Cell A3 and multiply $245.54 by 2.3% in Cell E2.  By using dollar signs around Cell E2, we can hold this cell constant.  Using the Auto Fill feature, copy the same formula down the spreadsheet.

Summary of Cell Referencing

$A1 – Allows row reference to change, not the column

A$1 – Allows column reference to change, not the row

$A$1 – Allows neither the column nor the row reference to change.

Ever need to quicky convert decimals to time in Excel?  Well, now you can!

A user of this site sent us an email asking how to convert decimals on a timesheet to actual time.  The easiest way is to use the formula below.

=A1/(24*60)

Cell B2 will now display a decimal. 

We now need to format Cell B2 to display time.  To make this happen, right click the cell and click “Format Cells”

Once open, go down to the “Custom” category.  In the “Type” field, enter  “hh:mm:ss” and click OK!

Were done!

That’s pretty simple Excel tip, but it does come in handy.  If anyone is having any difficulty, simply use the comment box below.

To multiply numbers or cells in Excel, we must use a basic formula.  All Formula’s in Excel begin with “=”

The asterisk “*” is used as the multiplication symbol between cells. In most cases, multiplication will occur between two individual cells.  However, you still can use the * in certain formulas.

Example Formula:  =A2*B2

Hit the “Enter” key or “Check Mark” to confirm the formula.

1. Start with a list of data.
   
2. Next, place your curser in Cell C1 and enter the following functions as shown. =PROPER()
   
3. Enter the cell A1 between the parenthesis. =PROPER(A1)
   
4. Now drag the formula down to convert the remaining names to lower case. Simple huh!
   

Current date and time

=NOW()

Current Date

=TODAY()