What are functions used for in excel

ABS function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the absolute value of a number

ACCRINT function

Financial:    Returns the accrued interest for a security that pays periodic interest

ACCRINTM function

Financial:    Returns the accrued interest for a security that pays interest at maturity

ACOS function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the arccosine of a number

ACOSH function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the inverse hyperbolic cosine of a number

ACOT function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the arccotangent of a number

ACOTH function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the hyperbolic arccotangent of a number

AGGREGATE function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns an aggregate in a list or database

ADDRESS function

Lookup and reference:    Returns a reference as text to a single cell in a worksheet

AMORDEGRC function

Financial:    Returns the depreciation for each accounting period by using a depreciation coefficient

AMORLINC function

Financial:    Returns the depreciation for each accounting period

AND function

Logical:    Returns TRUE if all of its arguments are TRUE

ARABIC function

Math and trigonometry:    Converts a Roman number to Arabic, as a number

AREAS function

Lookup and reference:    Returns the number of areas in a reference

ARRAYTOTEXT function

Text:    Returns an array of text values from any specified range

ASC function

Text:    Changes full-width (double-byte) English letters or katakana within a character string to half-width (single-byte) characters

ASIN function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the arcsine of a number

ASINH function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the inverse hyperbolic sine of a number

ATAN function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the arctangent of a number

ATAN2 function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the arctangent from x- and y-coordinates

ATANH function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the inverse hyperbolic tangent of a number

AVEDEV function

Statistical:    Returns the average of the absolute deviations of data points from their mean

AVERAGE function

Statistical:    Returns the average of its arguments

AVERAGEA function

Statistical:    Returns the average of its arguments, including numbers, text, and logical values

AVERAGEIF function

Statistical:    Returns the average (arithmetic mean) of all the cells in a range that meet a given criteria

AVERAGEIFS function

Statistical:    Returns the average (arithmetic mean) of all cells that meet multiple criteria.

BAHTTEXT function

Text:    Converts a number to text, using the ß (baht) currency format

BASE function

Math and trigonometry:    Converts a number into a text representation with the given radix (base)

BESSELI function

Engineering:    Returns the modified Bessel function In(x)

BESSELJ function

Engineering:    Returns the Bessel function Jn(x)

BESSELK function

Engineering:    Returns the modified Bessel function Kn(x)

BESSELY function

Engineering:    Returns the Bessel function Yn(x)

BETADIST function

Compatibility:    Returns the beta cumulative distribution function

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

BETA.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the beta cumulative distribution function

BETAINV function

Compatibility:    Returns the inverse of the cumulative distribution function for a specified beta distribution

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

BETA.INV function

Statistical:    Returns the inverse of the cumulative distribution function for a specified beta distribution

BIN2DEC function

Engineering:    Converts a binary number to decimal

BIN2HEX function

Engineering:    Converts a binary number to hexadecimal

BIN2OCT function

Engineering:    Converts a binary number to octal

BINOMDIST function

Compatibility:    Returns the individual term binomial distribution probability

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

BINOM.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the individual term binomial distribution probability

BINOM.DIST.RANGE function

Statistical:    Returns the probability of a trial result using a binomial distribution

BINOM.INV function

Statistical:    Returns the smallest value for which the cumulative binomial distribution is less than or equal to a criterion value

BITAND function

Engineering:    Returns a ‘Bitwise And’ of two numbers

BITLSHIFT function

Engineering:    Returns a value number shifted left by shift_amount bits

BITOR function

Engineering:    Returns a bitwise OR of 2 numbers

BITRSHIFT function

Engineering:    Returns a value number shifted right by shift_amount bits

BITXOR function

Engineering:    Returns a bitwise ‘Exclusive Or’ of two numbers

BYCOL

Logical:    Applies a LAMBDA to each column and returns an array of the results

BYROW

Logical:    Applies a LAMBDA to each row and returns an array of the results

CALL function

Add-in and Automation:    Calls a procedure in a dynamic link library or code resource

CEILING function

Compatibility:    Rounds a number to the nearest integer or to the nearest multiple of significance

CEILING.MATH function

Math and trigonometry:    Rounds a number up, to the nearest integer or to the nearest multiple of significance

CEILING.PRECISE function

Math and trigonometry:    Rounds a number the nearest integer or to the nearest multiple of significance. Regardless of the sign of the number, the number is rounded up.

CELL function

Information:    Returns information about the formatting, location, or contents of a cell

This function is not available in Excel for the web.

CHAR function

Text:    Returns the character specified by the code number

CHIDIST function

Compatibility:    Returns the one-tailed probability of the chi-squared distribution

Note: In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

CHIINV function

Compatibility:    Returns the inverse of the one-tailed probability of the chi-squared distribution

Note: In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

CHITEST function

Compatibility:    Returns the test for independence

Note: In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

CHISQ.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the cumulative beta probability density function

CHISQ.DIST.RT function

Statistical:    Returns the one-tailed probability of the chi-squared distribution

CHISQ.INV function

Statistical:    Returns the cumulative beta probability density function

CHISQ.INV.RT function

Statistical:    Returns the inverse of the one-tailed probability of the chi-squared distribution

CHISQ.TEST function

Statistical:    Returns the test for independence

CHOOSE function

Lookup and reference:    Chooses a value from a list of values

CHOOSECOLS

Lookup and reference:    Returns the specified columns from an array

CHOOSEROWS

Lookup and reference:    Returns the specified rows from an array

CLEAN function

Text:    Removes all nonprintable characters from text

CODE function

Text:    Returns a numeric code for the first character in a text string

COLUMN function

Lookup and reference:    Returns the column number of a reference

COLUMNS function

Lookup and reference:    Returns the number of columns in a reference

COMBIN function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the number of combinations for a given number of objects

COMBINA function

Math and trigonometry:   

Returns the number of combinations with repetitions for a given number of items

COMPLEX function

Engineering:    Converts real and imaginary coefficients into a complex number

CONCAT function

Text:    Combines the text from multiple ranges and/or strings, but it doesn’t provide the delimiter or IgnoreEmpty arguments.

CONCATENATE function

Text:    Joins several text items into one text item

CONFIDENCE function

Compatibility:    Returns the confidence interval for a population mean

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

CONFIDENCE.NORM function

Statistical:    Returns the confidence interval for a population mean

CONFIDENCE.T function

Statistical:    Returns the confidence interval for a population mean, using a Student’s t distribution

CONVERT function

Engineering:    Converts a number from one measurement system to another

CORREL function

Statistical:    Returns the correlation coefficient between two data sets

COS function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the cosine of a number

COSH function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the hyperbolic cosine of a number

COT function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the hyperbolic cosine of a number

COTH function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the cotangent of an angle

COUNT function

Statistical:    Counts how many numbers are in the list of arguments

COUNTA function

Statistical:    Counts how many values are in the list of arguments

COUNTBLANK function

Statistical:    Counts the number of blank cells within a range

COUNTIF function

Statistical:    Counts the number of cells within a range that meet the given criteria

COUNTIFS function

Statistical:    Counts the number of cells within a range that meet multiple criteria

COUPDAYBS function

Financial:    Returns the number of days from the beginning of the coupon period to the settlement date

COUPDAYS function

Financial:    Returns the number of days in the coupon period that contains the settlement date

COUPDAYSNC function

Financial:    Returns the number of days from the settlement date to the next coupon date

COUPNCD function

Financial:    Returns the next coupon date after the settlement date

COUPNUM function

Financial:    Returns the number of coupons payable between the settlement date and maturity date

COUPPCD function

Financial:    Returns the previous coupon date before the settlement date

COVAR function

Compatibility:    Returns covariance, the average of the products of paired deviations

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

COVARIANCE.P function

Statistical:    Returns covariance, the average of the products of paired deviations

COVARIANCE.S function

Statistical:    Returns the sample covariance, the average of the products deviations for each data point pair in two data sets

CRITBINOM function

Compatibility:    Returns the smallest value for which the cumulative binomial distribution is less than or equal to a criterion value

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

CSC function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the cosecant of an angle

CSCH function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the hyperbolic cosecant of an angle

CUBEKPIMEMBER function

Cube:    Returns a key performance indicator (KPI) name, property, and measure, and displays the name and property in the cell. A KPI is a quantifiable measurement, such as monthly gross profit or quarterly employee turnover, used to monitor an organization’s performance.

CUBEMEMBER function

Cube:    Returns a member or tuple in a cube hierarchy. Use to validate that the member or tuple exists in the cube.

CUBEMEMBERPROPERTY function

Cube:    Returns the value of a member property in the cube. Use to validate that a member name exists within the cube and to return the specified property for this member.

CUBERANKEDMEMBER function

Cube:    Returns the nth, or ranked, member in a set. Use to return one or more elements in a set, such as the top sales performer or top 10 students.

CUBESET function

Cube:    Defines a calculated set of members or tuples by sending a set expression to the cube on the server, which creates the set, and then returns that set to Microsoft Office Excel.

CUBESETCOUNT function

Cube:    Returns the number of items in a set.

CUBEVALUE function

Cube:    Returns an aggregated value from a cube.

CUMIPMT function

Financial:    Returns the cumulative interest paid between two periods

CUMPRINC function

Financial:    Returns the cumulative principal paid on a loan between two periods

DATE function

Date and time:    Returns the serial number of a particular date

DATEDIF function

Date and time:    Calculates the number of days, months, or years between two dates. This function is useful in formulas where you need to calculate an age.

DATEVALUE function

Date and time:    Converts a date in the form of text to a serial number

DAVERAGE function

Database:    Returns the average of selected database entries

DAY function

Date and time:    Converts a serial number to a day of the month

DAYS function

Date and time:    Returns the number of days between two dates

DAYS360 function

Date and time:    Calculates the number of days between two dates based on a 360-day year

DB function

Financial:    Returns the depreciation of an asset for a specified period by using the fixed-declining balance method

DBCS function

Text:    Changes half-width (single-byte) English letters or katakana within a character string to full-width (double-byte) characters

DCOUNT function

Database:    Counts the cells that contain numbers in a database

DCOUNTA function

Database:    Counts nonblank cells in a database

DDB function

Financial:    Returns the depreciation of an asset for a specified period by using the double-declining balance method or some other method that you specify

DEC2BIN function

Engineering:    Converts a decimal number to binary

DEC2HEX function

Engineering:    Converts a decimal number to hexadecimal

DEC2OCT function

Engineering:    Converts a decimal number to octal

DECIMAL function

Math and trigonometry:    Converts a text representation of a number in a given base into a decimal number

DEGREES function

Math and trigonometry:    Converts radians to degrees

DELTA function

Engineering:    Tests whether two values are equal

DEVSQ function

Statistical:    Returns the sum of squares of deviations

DGET function

Database:    Extracts from a database a single record that matches the specified criteria

DISC function

Financial:    Returns the discount rate for a security

DMAX function

Database:    Returns the maximum value from selected database entries

DMIN function

Database:    Returns the minimum value from selected database entries

DOLLAR function

Text:    Converts a number to text, using the $ (dollar) currency format

DOLLARDE function

Financial:    Converts a dollar price, expressed as a fraction, into a dollar price, expressed as a decimal number

DOLLARFR function

Financial:    Converts a dollar price, expressed as a decimal number, into a dollar price, expressed as a fraction

DPRODUCT function

Database:    Multiplies the values in a particular field of records that match the criteria in a database

DROP

Lookup and reference:    Excludes a specified number of rows or columns from the start or end of an array

DSTDEV function

Database:    Estimates the standard deviation based on a sample of selected database entries

DSTDEVP function

Database:    Calculates the standard deviation based on the entire population of selected database entries

DSUM function

Database:    Adds the numbers in the field column of records in the database that match the criteria

DURATION function

Financial:    Returns the annual duration of a security with periodic interest payments

DVAR function

Database:    Estimates variance based on a sample from selected database entries

DVARP function

Database:    Calculates variance based on the entire population of selected database entries

EDATE function

Date and time:    Returns the serial number of the date that is the indicated number of months before or after the start date

EFFECT function

Financial:    Returns the effective annual interest rate

ENCODEURL function

Web:    Returns a URL-encoded string

This function is not available in Excel for the web.

EOMONTH function

Date and time:    Returns the serial number of the last day of the month before or after a specified number of months

ERF function

Engineering:    Returns the error function

ERF.PRECISE function

Engineering:    Returns the error function

ERFC function

Engineering:    Returns the complementary error function

ERFC.PRECISE function

Engineering:    Returns the complementary ERF function integrated between x and infinity

ERROR.TYPE function

Information:    Returns a number corresponding to an error type

EUROCONVERT function

Add-in and Automation:    Converts a number to euros, converts a number from euros to a euro member currency, or converts a number from one euro member currency to another by using the euro as an intermediary (triangulation).

EVEN function

Math and trigonometry:    Rounds a number up to the nearest even integer

EXACT function

Text:    Checks to see if two text values are identical

EXP function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns e raised to the power of a given number

EXPAND

Lookup and reference:    Expands or pads an array to specified row and column dimensions

EXPON.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the exponential distribution

EXPONDIST function

Compatibility:    Returns the exponential distribution

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

FACT function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the factorial of a number

FACTDOUBLE function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the double factorial of a number

FALSE function

Logical:    Returns the logical value FALSE

F.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the F probability distribution

FDIST function

Compatibility:    Returns the F probability distribution

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

F.DIST.RT function

Statistical:    Returns the F probability distribution

FILTER function

Lookup and reference:    Filters a range of data based on criteria you define

FILTERXML function

Web:    Returns specific data from the XML content by using the specified XPath

This function is not available in Excel for the web.

FIND, FINDB functions

Text:    Finds one text value within another (case-sensitive)

F.INV function

Statistical:    Returns the inverse of the F probability distribution

F.INV.RT function

Statistical:    Returns the inverse of the F probability distribution

FINV function

Compatibility:    Returns the inverse of the F probability distribution

In Excel 2007this is a Statistical function.

FISHER function

Statistical:    Returns the Fisher transformation

FISHERINV function

Statistical:    Returns the inverse of the Fisher transformation

FIXED function

Text:    Formats a number as text with a fixed number of decimals

FLOOR function

Compatibility:    Rounds a number down, toward zero

In Excel 2007 and Excel 2010, this is a Math and trigonometry function.

FLOOR.MATH function

Math and trigonometry:    Rounds a number down, to the nearest integer or to the nearest multiple of significance

FLOOR.PRECISE function

Math and trigonometry:    Rounds a number the nearest integer or to the nearest multiple of significance. Regardless of the sign of the number, the number is rounded up.

FORECAST function

Statistical:    Returns a value along a linear trend

In Excel 2016, this function is replaced with FORECAST.LINEAR as part of the new Forecasting functions, but it’s still available for compatibility with earlier versions.

FORECAST.ETS function

Statistical:    Returns a future value based on existing (historical) values by using the AAA version of the Exponential Smoothing (ETS) algorithm

FORECAST.ETS.CONFINT function

Statistical:    Returns a confidence interval for the forecast value at the specified target date

FORECAST.ETS.SEASONALITY function

Statistical:    Returns the length of the repetitive pattern Excel detects for the specified time series

FORECAST.ETS.STAT function

Statistical:    Returns a statistical value as a result of time series forecasting

FORECAST.LINEAR function

Statistical:    Returns a future value based on existing values

FORMULATEXT function

Lookup and reference:    Returns the formula at the given reference as text

FREQUENCY function

Statistical:    Returns a frequency distribution as a vertical array

F.TEST function

Statistical:    Returns the result of an F-test

FTEST function

Compatibility:    Returns the result of an F-test

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

FV function

Financial:    Returns the future value of an investment

FVSCHEDULE function

Financial:    Returns the future value of an initial principal after applying a series of compound interest rates

GAMMA function

Statistical:    Returns the Gamma function value

GAMMA.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the gamma distribution

GAMMADIST function

Compatibility:    Returns the gamma distribution

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

GAMMA.INV function

Statistical:    Returns the inverse of the gamma cumulative distribution

GAMMAINV function

Compatibility:    Returns the inverse of the gamma cumulative distribution

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

GAMMALN function

Statistical:    Returns the natural logarithm of the gamma function, Γ(x)

GAMMALN.PRECISE function

Statistical:    Returns the natural logarithm of the gamma function, Γ(x)

GAUSS function

Statistical:    Returns 0.5 less than the standard normal cumulative distribution

GCD function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the greatest common divisor

GEOMEAN function

Statistical:    Returns the geometric mean

GESTEP function

Engineering:    Tests whether a number is greater than a threshold value

GETPIVOTDATA function

Lookup and reference:    Returns data stored in a PivotTable report

GROWTH function

Statistical:    Returns values along an exponential trend

HARMEAN function

Statistical:    Returns the harmonic mean

HEX2BIN function

Engineering:    Converts a hexadecimal number to binary

HEX2DEC function

Engineering:    Converts a hexadecimal number to decimal

HEX2OCT function

Engineering:    Converts a hexadecimal number to octal

HLOOKUP function

Lookup and reference:    Looks in the top row of an array and returns the value of the indicated cell

HOUR function

Date and time:    Converts a serial number to an hour

HSTACK

Lookup and reference:    Appends arrays horizontally and in sequence to return a larger array

HYPERLINK function

Lookup and reference:    Creates a shortcut or jump that opens a document stored on a network server, an intranet, or the Internet

HYPGEOM.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the hypergeometric distribution

HYPGEOMDIST function

Compatibility:    Returns the hypergeometric distribution

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

IF function

Logical:    Specifies a logical test to perform

IFERROR function

Logical:    Returns a value you specify if a formula evaluates to an error; otherwise, returns the result of the formula

IFNA function

Logical:    Returns the value you specify if the expression resolves to #N/A, otherwise returns the result of the expression

IFS function

Logical:    Checks whether one or more conditions are met and returns a value that corresponds to the first TRUE condition.

IMABS function

Engineering:    Returns the absolute value (modulus) of a complex number

IMAGINARY function

Engineering:    Returns the imaginary coefficient of a complex number

IMARGUMENT function

Engineering:    Returns the argument theta, an angle expressed in radians

IMCONJUGATE function

Engineering:    Returns the complex conjugate of a complex number

IMCOS function

Engineering:    Returns the cosine of a complex number

IMCOSH function

Engineering:    Returns the hyperbolic cosine of a complex number

IMCOT function

Engineering:    Returns the cotangent of a complex number

IMCSC function

Engineering:    Returns the cosecant of a complex number

IMCSCH function

Engineering:    Returns the hyperbolic cosecant of a complex number

IMDIV function

Engineering:    Returns the quotient of two complex numbers

IMEXP function

Engineering:    Returns the exponential of a complex number

IMLN function

Engineering:    Returns the natural logarithm of a complex number

IMLOG10 function

Engineering:    Returns the base-10 logarithm of a complex number

IMLOG2 function

Engineering:    Returns the base-2 logarithm of a complex number

IMPOWER function

Engineering:    Returns a complex number raised to an integer power

IMPRODUCT function

Engineering:    Returns the product of complex numbers

IMREAL function

Engineering:    Returns the real coefficient of a complex number

IMSEC function

Engineering:    Returns the secant of a complex number

IMSECH function

Engineering:    Returns the hyperbolic secant of a complex number

IMSIN function

Engineering:    Returns the sine of a complex number

IMSINH function

Engineering:    Returns the hyperbolic sine of a complex number

IMSQRT function

Engineering:    Returns the square root of a complex number

IMSUB function

Engineering:    Returns the difference between two complex numbers

IMSUM function

Engineering:    Returns the sum of complex numbers

IMTAN function

Engineering:    Returns the tangent of a complex number

INDEX function

Lookup and reference:    Uses an index to choose a value from a reference or array

INDIRECT function

Lookup and reference:    Returns a reference indicated by a text value

INFO function

Information:    Returns information about the current operating environment

This function is not available in Excel for the web.

INT function

Math and trigonometry:    Rounds a number down to the nearest integer

INTERCEPT function

Statistical:    Returns the intercept of the linear regression line

INTRATE function

Financial:    Returns the interest rate for a fully invested security

IPMT function

Financial:    Returns the interest payment for an investment for a given period

IRR function

Financial:    Returns the internal rate of return for a series of cash flows

ISBLANK function

Information:    Returns TRUE if the value is blank

ISERR function

Information:    Returns TRUE if the value is any error value except #N/A

ISERROR function

Information:    Returns TRUE if the value is any error value

ISEVEN function

Information:    Returns TRUE if the number is even

ISFORMULA function

Information:    Returns TRUE if there is a reference to a cell that contains a formula

ISLOGICAL function

Information:    Returns TRUE if the value is a logical value

ISNA function

Information:    Returns TRUE if the value is the #N/A error value

ISNONTEXT function

Information:    Returns TRUE if the value is not text

ISNUMBER function

Information:    Returns TRUE if the value is a number

ISODD function

Information:    Returns TRUE if the number is odd

ISOMITTED

Information:    Checks whether the value in a LAMBDA is missing and returns TRUE or FALSE

ISREF function

Information:    Returns TRUE if the value is a reference

ISTEXT function

Information:    Returns TRUE if the value is text

ISO.CEILING function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns a number that is rounded up to the nearest integer or to the nearest multiple of significance

ISOWEEKNUM function

Date and time:    Returns the number of the ISO week number of the year for a given date

ISPMT function

Financial:    Calculates the interest paid during a specific period of an investment

JIS function

Text:    Changes half-width (single-byte) characters within a string to full-width (double-byte) characters

KURT function

Statistical:    Returns the kurtosis of a data set

LAMBDA

Logical:    Create custom, reusable functions and call them by a friendly name

LARGE function

Statistical:    Returns the k-th largest value in a data set

LCM function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the least common multiple

LEFT, LEFTB functions

Text:    Returns the leftmost characters from a text value

LEN, LENB functions

Text:    Returns the number of characters in a text string

LET

Logical:    Assigns names to calculation results

LINEST function

Statistical:    Returns the parameters of a linear trend

LN function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the natural logarithm of a number

LOG function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the logarithm of a number to a specified base

LOG10 function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the base-10 logarithm of a number

LOGEST function

Statistical:    Returns the parameters of an exponential trend

LOGINV function

Compatibility:    Returns the inverse of the lognormal cumulative distribution

LOGNORM.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the cumulative lognormal distribution

LOGNORMDIST function

Compatibility:    Returns the cumulative lognormal distribution

LOGNORM.INV function

Statistical:    Returns the inverse of the lognormal cumulative distribution

LOOKUP function

Lookup and reference:    Looks up values in a vector or array

LOWER function

Text:    Converts text to lowercase

MAKEARRAY

Logical:    Returns a calculated array of a specified row and column size, by applying a LAMBDA

MAP

Logical:    Returns an array formed by mapping each value in the array(s) to a new value by applying a LAMBDA to create a new value

MATCH function

Lookup and reference:    Looks up values in a reference or array

MAX function

Statistical:    Returns the maximum value in a list of arguments

MAXA function

Statistical:    Returns the maximum value in a list of arguments, including numbers, text, and logical values

MAXIFS function

Statistical:    Returns the maximum value among cells specified by a given set of conditions or criteria

MDETERM function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the matrix determinant of an array

MDURATION function

Financial:    Returns the Macauley modified duration for a security with an assumed par value of $100

MEDIAN function

Statistical:    Returns the median of the given numbers

MID, MIDB functions

Text:    Returns a specific number of characters from a text string starting at the position you specify

MIN function

Statistical:    Returns the minimum value in a list of arguments

MINIFS function

Statistical:    Returns the minimum value among cells specified by a given set of conditions or criteria.

MINA function

Statistical:    Returns the smallest value in a list of arguments, including numbers, text, and logical values

MINUTE function

Date and time:    Converts a serial number to a minute

MINVERSE function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the matrix inverse of an array

MIRR function

Financial:    Returns the internal rate of return where positive and negative cash flows are financed at different rates

MMULT function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the matrix product of two arrays

MOD function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the remainder from division

MODE function

Compatibility:    Returns the most common value in a data set

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

MODE.MULT function

Statistical:    Returns a vertical array of the most frequently occurring, or repetitive values in an array or range of data

MODE.SNGL function

Statistical:    Returns the most common value in a data set

MONTH function

Date and time:    Converts a serial number to a month

MROUND function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns a number rounded to the desired multiple

MULTINOMIAL function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the multinomial of a set of numbers

MUNIT function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the unit matrix or the specified dimension

N function

Information:    Returns a value converted to a number

NA function

Information:    Returns the error value #N/A

NEGBINOM.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the negative binomial distribution

NEGBINOMDIST function

Compatibility:    Returns the negative binomial distribution

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

NETWORKDAYS function

Date and time:    Returns the number of whole workdays between two dates

NETWORKDAYS.INTL function

Date and time:    Returns the number of whole workdays between two dates using parameters to indicate which and how many days are weekend days

NOMINAL function

Financial:    Returns the annual nominal interest rate

NORM.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the normal cumulative distribution

NORMDIST function

Compatibility:    Returns the normal cumulative distribution

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

NORMINV function

Statistical:    Returns the inverse of the normal cumulative distribution

NORM.INV function

Compatibility:    Returns the inverse of the normal cumulative distribution

Note: In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

NORM.S.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the standard normal cumulative distribution

NORMSDIST function

Compatibility:    Returns the standard normal cumulative distribution

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

NORM.S.INV function

Statistical:    Returns the inverse of the standard normal cumulative distribution

NORMSINV function

Compatibility:    Returns the inverse of the standard normal cumulative distribution

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

NOT function

Logical:    Reverses the logic of its argument

NOW function

Date and time:    Returns the serial number of the current date and time

NPER function

Financial:    Returns the number of periods for an investment

NPV function

Financial:    Returns the net present value of an investment based on a series of periodic cash flows and a discount rate

NUMBERVALUE function

Text:    Converts text to number in a locale-independent manner

OCT2BIN function

Engineering:    Converts an octal number to binary

OCT2DEC function

Engineering:    Converts an octal number to decimal

OCT2HEX function

Engineering:    Converts an octal number to hexadecimal

ODD function

Math and trigonometry:    Rounds a number up to the nearest odd integer

ODDFPRICE function

Financial:    Returns the price per $100 face value of a security with an odd first period

ODDFYIELD function

Financial:    Returns the yield of a security with an odd first period

ODDLPRICE function

Financial:    Returns the price per $100 face value of a security with an odd last period

ODDLYIELD function

Financial:    Returns the yield of a security with an odd last period

OFFSET function

Lookup and reference:    Returns a reference offset from a given reference

OR function

Logical:    Returns TRUE if any argument is TRUE

PDURATION function

Financial:    Returns the number of periods required by an investment to reach a specified value

PEARSON function

Statistical:    Returns the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient

PERCENTILE.EXC function

Statistical:    Returns the k-th percentile of values in a range, where k is in the range 0..1, exclusive

PERCENTILE.INC function

Statistical:    Returns the k-th percentile of values in a range

PERCENTILE function

Compatibility:    Returns the k-th percentile of values in a range

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

PERCENTRANK.EXC function

Statistical:    Returns the rank of a value in a data set as a percentage (0..1, exclusive) of the data set

PERCENTRANK.INC function

Statistical:    Returns the percentage rank of a value in a data set

PERCENTRANK function

Compatibility:    Returns the percentage rank of a value in a data set

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

PERMUT function

Statistical:    Returns the number of permutations for a given number of objects

PERMUTATIONA function

Statistical:    Returns the number of permutations for a given number of objects (with repetitions) that can be selected from the total objects

PHI function

Statistical:    Returns the value of the density function for a standard normal distribution

PHONETIC function

Text:    Extracts the phonetic (furigana) characters from a text string

PI function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the value of pi

PMT function

Financial:    Returns the periodic payment for an annuity

POISSON.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the Poisson distribution

POISSON function

Compatibility:    Returns the Poisson distribution

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

POWER function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the result of a number raised to a power

PPMT function

Financial:    Returns the payment on the principal for an investment for a given period

PRICE function

Financial:    Returns the price per $100 face value of a security that pays periodic interest

PRICEDISC function

Financial:    Returns the price per $100 face value of a discounted security

PRICEMAT function

Financial:    Returns the price per $100 face value of a security that pays interest at maturity

PROB function

Statistical:    Returns the probability that values in a range are between two limits

PRODUCT function

Math and trigonometry:    Multiplies its arguments

PROPER function

Text:    Capitalizes the first letter in each word of a text value

PV function

Financial:    Returns the present value of an investment

QUARTILE function

Compatibility:    Returns the quartile of a data set

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

QUARTILE.EXC function

Statistical:    Returns the quartile of the data set, based on percentile values from 0..1, exclusive

QUARTILE.INC function

Statistical:    Returns the quartile of a data set

QUOTIENT function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the integer portion of a division

RADIANS function

Math and trigonometry:    Converts degrees to radians

RAND function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns a random number between 0 and 1

RANDARRAY function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns an array of random numbers between 0 and 1. However, you can specify the number of rows and columns to fill, minimum and maximum values, and whether to return whole numbers or decimal values.

RANDBETWEEN function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns a random number between the numbers you specify

RANK.AVG function

Statistical:    Returns the rank of a number in a list of numbers

RANK.EQ function

Statistical:    Returns the rank of a number in a list of numbers

RANK function

Compatibility:    Returns the rank of a number in a list of numbers

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

RATE function

Financial:    Returns the interest rate per period of an annuity

RECEIVED function

Financial:    Returns the amount received at maturity for a fully invested security

REDUCE

Logical:    Reduces an array to an accumulated value by applying a LAMBDA to each value and returning the total value in the accumulator

REGISTER.ID function

Add-in and Automation:    Returns the register ID of the specified dynamic link library (DLL) or code resource that has been previously registered

REPLACE, REPLACEB functions

Text:    Replaces characters within text

REPT function

Text:    Repeats text a given number of times

RIGHT, RIGHTB functions

Text:    Returns the rightmost characters from a text value

ROMAN function

Math and trigonometry:    Converts an arabic numeral to roman, as text

ROUND function

Math and trigonometry:    Rounds a number to a specified number of digits

ROUNDDOWN function

Math and trigonometry:    Rounds a number down, toward zero

ROUNDUP function

Math and trigonometry:    Rounds a number up, away from zero

ROW function

Lookup and reference:    Returns the row number of a reference

ROWS function

Lookup and reference:    Returns the number of rows in a reference

RRI function

Financial:    Returns an equivalent interest rate for the growth of an investment

RSQ function

Statistical:    Returns the square of the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient

RTD function

Lookup and reference:    Retrieves real-time data from a program that supports COM automation

SCAN

Logical:    Scans an array by applying a LAMBDA to each value and returns an array that has each intermediate value

SEARCH, SEARCHB functions

Text:    Finds one text value within another (not case-sensitive)

SEC function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the secant of an angle

SECH function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the hyperbolic secant of an angle

SECOND function

Date and time:    Converts a serial number to a second

SEQUENCE function

Math and trigonometry:    Generates a list of sequential numbers in an array, such as 1, 2, 3, 4

SERIESSUM function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the sum of a power series based on the formula

SHEET function

Information:    Returns the sheet number of the referenced sheet

SHEETS function

Information:    Returns the number of sheets in a reference

SIGN function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the sign of a number

SIN function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the sine of the given angle

SINH function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the hyperbolic sine of a number

SKEW function

Statistical:    Returns the skewness of a distribution

SKEW.P function

Statistical:    Returns the skewness of a distribution based on a population: a characterization of the degree of asymmetry of a distribution around its mean

SLN function

Financial:    Returns the straight-line depreciation of an asset for one period

SLOPE function

Statistical:    Returns the slope of the linear regression line

SMALL function

Statistical:    Returns the k-th smallest value in a data set

SORT function

Lookup and reference:    Sorts the contents of a range or array

SORTBY function

Lookup and reference:    Sorts the contents of a range or array based on the values in a corresponding range or array

SQRT function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns a positive square root

SQRTPI function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the square root of (number * pi)

STANDARDIZE function

Statistical:    Returns a normalized value

STOCKHISTORY function

Financial:    Retrieves historical data about a financial instrument

STDEV function

Compatibility:    Estimates standard deviation based on a sample

STDEV.P function

Statistical:    Calculates standard deviation based on the entire population

STDEV.S function

Statistical:    Estimates standard deviation based on a sample

STDEVA function

Statistical:    Estimates standard deviation based on a sample, including numbers, text, and logical values

STDEVP function

Compatibility:    Calculates standard deviation based on the entire population

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

STDEVPA function

Statistical:    Calculates standard deviation based on the entire population, including numbers, text, and logical values

STEYX function

Statistical:    Returns the standard error of the predicted y-value for each x in the regression

SUBSTITUTE function

Text:    Substitutes new text for old text in a text string

SUBTOTAL function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns a subtotal in a list or database

SUM function

Math and trigonometry:    Adds its arguments

SUMIF function

Math and trigonometry:    Adds the cells specified by a given criteria

SUMIFS function

Math and trigonometry:    Adds the cells in a range that meet multiple criteria

SUMPRODUCT function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the sum of the products of corresponding array components

SUMSQ function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the sum of the squares of the arguments

SUMX2MY2 function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the sum of the difference of squares of corresponding values in two arrays

SUMX2PY2 function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the sum of the sum of squares of corresponding values in two arrays

SUMXMY2 function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the sum of squares of differences of corresponding values in two arrays

SWITCH function

Logical:    Evaluates an expression against a list of values and returns the result corresponding to the first matching value. If there is no match, an optional default value may be returned.

SYD function

Financial:    Returns the sum-of-years’ digits depreciation of an asset for a specified period

T function

Text:    Converts its arguments to text

TAN function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the tangent of a number

TANH function

Math and trigonometry:    Returns the hyperbolic tangent of a number

TAKE

Lookup and reference:    Returns a specified number of contiguous rows or columns from the start or end of an array

TBILLEQ function

Financial:    Returns the bond-equivalent yield for a Treasury bill

TBILLPRICE function

Financial:    Returns the price per $100 face value for a Treasury bill

TBILLYIELD function

Financial:    Returns the yield for a Treasury bill

T.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the Percentage Points (probability) for the Student t-distribution

T.DIST.2T function

Statistical:    Returns the Percentage Points (probability) for the Student t-distribution

T.DIST.RT function

Statistical:    Returns the Student’s t-distribution

TDIST function

Compatibility:    Returns the Student’s t-distribution

TEXT function

Text:    Formats a number and converts it to text

TEXTAFTER

Text:    Returns text that occurs after given character or string

TEXTBEFORE

Text:    Returns text that occurs before a given character or string

TEXTJOIN

Text:    Combines the text from multiple ranges and/or strings

TEXTSPLIT

Text:    Splits text strings by using column and row delimiters

TIME function

Date and time:    Returns the serial number of a particular time

TIMEVALUE function

Date and time:    Converts a time in the form of text to a serial number

T.INV function

Statistical:    Returns the t-value of the Student’s t-distribution as a function of the probability and the degrees of freedom

T.INV.2T function

Statistical:    Returns the inverse of the Student’s t-distribution

TINV function

Compatibility:    Returns the inverse of the Student’s t-distribution

TOCOL

Lookup and reference:    Returns the array in a single column

TOROW

Lookup and reference:    Returns the array in a single row

TODAY function

Date and time:    Returns the serial number of today’s date

TRANSPOSE function

Lookup and reference:    Returns the transpose of an array

TREND function

Statistical:    Returns values along a linear trend

TRIM function

Text:    Removes spaces from text

TRIMMEAN function

Statistical:    Returns the mean of the interior of a data set

TRUE function

Logical:    Returns the logical value TRUE

TRUNC function

Math and trigonometry:    Truncates a number to an integer

T.TEST function

Statistical:    Returns the probability associated with a Student’s t-test

TTEST function

Compatibility:    Returns the probability associated with a Student’s t-test

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

TYPE function

Information:    Returns a number indicating the data type of a value

UNICHAR function

Text:    Returns the Unicode character that is references by the given numeric value

UNICODE function

Text:    Returns the number (code point) that corresponds to the first character of the text

UNIQUE function

Lookup and reference:    Returns a list of unique values in a list or range

UPPER function

Text:    Converts text to uppercase

VALUE function

Text:    Converts a text argument to a number

VALUETOTEXT

Text:    Returns text from any specified value

VAR function

Compatibility:    Estimates variance based on a sample

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

VAR.P function

Statistical:    Calculates variance based on the entire population

VAR.S function

Statistical:    Estimates variance based on a sample

VARA function

Statistical:    Estimates variance based on a sample, including numbers, text, and logical values

VARP function

Compatibility:    Calculates variance based on the entire population

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

VARPA function

Statistical:    Calculates variance based on the entire population, including numbers, text, and logical values

VDB function

Financial:    Returns the depreciation of an asset for a specified or partial period by using a declining balance method

VLOOKUP function

Lookup and reference:    Looks in the first column of an array and moves across the row to return the value of a cell

VSTACK

Look and reference:    Appends arrays vertically and in sequence to return a larger array

WEBSERVICE function

Web:    Returns data from a web service.

This function is not available in Excel for the web.

WEEKDAY function

Date and time:    Converts a serial number to a day of the week

WEEKNUM function

Date and time:    Converts a serial number to a number representing where the week falls numerically with a year

WEIBULL function

Compatibility:    Calculates variance based on the entire population, including numbers, text, and logical values

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

WEIBULL.DIST function

Statistical:    Returns the Weibull distribution

WORKDAY function

Date and time:    Returns the serial number of the date before or after a specified number of workdays

WORKDAY.INTL function

Date and time:    Returns the serial number of the date before or after a specified number of workdays using parameters to indicate which and how many days are weekend days

WRAPCOLS

Look and reference:    Wraps the provided row or column of values by columns after a specified number of elements

WRAPROWS

Look and reference:    Wraps the provided row or column of values by rows after a specified number of elements

XIRR function

Financial:    Returns the internal rate of return for a schedule of cash flows that is not necessarily periodic

XLOOKUP function

Lookup and reference:    Searches a range or an array, and returns an item corresponding to the first match it finds. If a match doesn’t exist, then XLOOKUP can return the closest (approximate) match. 

XMATCH function

Lookup and reference:    Returns the relative position of an item in an array or range of cells. 

XNPV function

Financial:    Returns the net present value for a schedule of cash flows that is not necessarily periodic

XOR function

Logical:    Returns a logical exclusive OR of all arguments

YEAR function

Date and time:    Converts a serial number to a year

YEARFRAC function

Date and time:    Returns the year fraction representing the number of whole days between start_date and end_date

YIELD function

Financial:    Returns the yield on a security that pays periodic interest

YIELDDISC function

Financial:    Returns the annual yield for a discounted security; for example, a Treasury bill

YIELDMAT function

Financial:    Returns the annual yield of a security that pays interest at maturity

Z.TEST function

Statistical:    Returns the one-tailed probability-value of a z-test

ZTEST function

Compatibility:    Returns the one-tailed probability-value of a z-test

In Excel 2007, this is a Statistical function.

The most frequently used functions in Excel are:

• AutoSum;
• IF function;
• LOOKUP function;
• VLOOKUP function;
• HLOOKUP function;
• MATCH function;
• CHOOSE function;
• DATE function;

5 Functions of Excel/Sheets That Every Professional Should Know

• VLookup Formula.
• Concatenate Formula.
• Text to Columns.
• Remove Duplicates.
• Pivot Tables.

What are the 10 functions in Excel?

10 Excel Functions Every Marketer Should Know

• Table Formatting. What it does: transforms your data into an interactive database.
• Pivot Tables. What it does: summarizes data and finds unique values.
• Charting.
• COUNTIFS.
• SUMIFS.
• IF Statements.
• CONCATENATE.
• VLOOKUP.

What are the 4 major functions of Excel?

To help you get started, here are 5 important Excel functions you should learn today.

• The SUM Function. The sum function is the most used function when it comes to computing data on Excel.
• The TEXT Function.
• The VLOOKUP Function.
• The AVERAGE Function.
• The CONCATENATE Function.

What are the 20 Excel functions?

• Sum. “Sum” is probably the easiest and the most important Excel function at the same time.
• Average. Another very important function.
• If. Another must-use formula.
• Sumif. Sumif is another very useful Excel formula.
• Countif. Countif is a very useful function that works like a sumif.
• Counta.
• Vlookup.
• Left, Right, Mid.

How many functions are there in Excel?

Though every Excel feature has a use case, no single person uses every Excel feature themselves. Cut through the 500+ functions, and you’re left with 100 or so truly useful functions and features for the majority of modern knowledge workers.

What are the most used functions in Excel?

SUM functions. Probably the most frequently used function in Excel (or any other spreadsheet program), =SUM does just that: It sums a column, row, or range of numbers—but it doesn’t just sum. It also subtracts, multiplies, divides, and uses any of the comparison operators to return a result of 1 (true) or 0 (false).

How many types of functions do you know?

There are three different forms of representation of functions. The functions need to be represented to showcase the domain values and the range values and the relationship between them.

What is function in Excel with example?

Functions are predefined formulas and are already available in Excel. For example, cell A3 below contains a formula which adds the value of cell A2 to the value of cell A1. For example, cell A3 below contains the SUM function which calculates the sum of the range A1:A2.

What are the six functions of MS Excel?

The six functions are CONCAT, TEXTJOIN, IFS, SWITCH, MAXIFS, and MINIFS. The new chart type is a funnel chart. At least two of these calculation functions are vast improvements over existing functionality.

Is there a for function in Excel?

The FOR… NEXT statement is a built-in function in Excel that is categorized as a Logical Function. It can be used as a VBA function (VBA) in Excel. As a VBA function, you can use this function in macro code that is entered through the Microsoft Visual Basic Editor.

What are the 3 common uses for Excel?

The three most common general uses for spreadsheet software are to create budgets, produce graphs and charts, and for storing and sorting data. Within business spreadsheet software is used to forecast future performance, calculate tax, completing basic payroll, producing charts and calculating revenues.

What are the 12 types of functions?

Terms in this set (12)

• Quadratic. f(x)=x^2. D: -∞,∞ R: 0,∞
• Reciprocal. f(x)=1/x. D: -∞,0 U 0,∞ R: -∞,0 U 0,∞ Odd.
• Exponential. f(x)=e^x. D: -∞,∞ R: 0,∞
• Sine. f(x)=SINx. D: -∞,∞ R: -1,1. Odd.
• Greatest Integer. f(x)= [[x]] D: -∞,∞ R: {All Integers} Neither.
• Absolute Value. f(x)= I x I. D: -∞,∞ R: 0,∞
• Linear. f(x)=x. Odd.
• Cubic. f(x)=x^3. Odd.

What are the 4 types of functions?

The various types of functions are as follows:

• Many to one function.
• One to one function.
• Onto function.
• One and onto function.
• Constant function.
• Identity function.
• Quadratic function.
• Polynomial function.

What are the 8 types of functions?

The eight types are linear, power, quadratic, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and sinusoidal.

What are spreadsheet functions?

A function is a predefined formula that performs calculations using specific values in a particular order. All spreadsheet programs include common functions that can be used for quickly finding the sum, average, count, maximum value, and minimum value for a range of cells.

Which is an example of a function?

The formula for the area of a circle is an example of a polynomial function.The graph of the function then consists of the points with coordinates (x, y) where y = f(x). For example, the graph of the cubic equation f(x) = x³ − 3x + 2 is shown in the figure.

What are the new functions in Excel?

New functions

• CONCAT. This new function is like CONCATENATE, but better.
• IFS. Tired of typing complicated, nested IF functions?
• MAXIFS. This function returns the largest number in a range, that meets a single or multiple criteria.
• MINIFS.
• SWITCH.
• TEXTJOIN.

How do you use functions in Excel?

Enter a formula that contains a built-in function

1. Select an empty cell.
2. Type an equal sign = and then type a function. For example, =SUM for getting the total sales.
3. Type an opening parenthesis (.
4. Select the range of cells, and then type a closing parenthesis).
5. Press Enter to get the result.

How do you use the OR function in Excel?

The OR function is a logical function to test multiple conditions at the same time. OR returns either TRUE or FALSE. For example, to test A1 for either “x” or “y”, use =OR(A1=”x”,A1=”y”).

What are the types of functions in Excel?

Seven Basic Excel Formulas For Your Workflow

• SUM. The SUM function. The function will sum up cells that are supplied as multiple arguments.
• AVERAGE. The AVERAGE function.
• COUNT. The COUNT function.
• COUNTA. Like the COUNT function, COUNTA.
• IF. The IF function.
• TRIM. The TRIM function.
• MAX & MIN. The MAX.

Home / What is a Function in Excel

Home / What is a Function in Excel

What is a Function in Excel

In Excel, a function is a predefined formula that performs a specific calculation by using values a user input as arguments. Every Excel function has a specific purpose, in simple words, it calculates a specific value. Each function has its arguments (the value one needs to input) to get the result value in the cell.

Components

Each function has two major components. In short, each function (except a few) is made up of two following things:

• Function Name
• Arguments

Let me show you an example. Let’s take a look at the below function which we have inserted in the cell A1.

Now if you look at the formula bar you can understand the structure of the function by splitting it into two parts i.e. name and arguments.

Function Arguments

As I have already mentioned that in a function you need to specify input values to get the desired result. An argument is that value which you need to specify. If you look at the syntax of a function you can see there in each function there is set arguments to specify.

Below are the types of arguments:

• Required: A required argument is compulsory for a user to specify and without which a function can’t calculate its result.
• Optional: If you skip specifying these arguments it will not stop a function to calculate its result value.
• No Arguments: There are few functions (like NOW) where you don’t need to specify any argument.

How to INSERT a Function in Excel

The easiest way to insert a function in a cell in Excel is to type the name of the function you want to insert starting with equals to sign.

Let’s say you want to insert the SUM function:

• First of all, you need to type = and the then type SUM.
• After that, enter the opening parentheses.
• Specify the arguments (refer to a cell or you can directly enter values into the function).
• In the end, type closing parentheses and hit enter.

Major Types

Below are the major types:

• Text Functions: If you deal with data where you have text, then below are some of the functions which you need to learn to work efficiently.
• Date Functions: Dates are one of the major ingredients of data that you use every day, and helps you to analyze your data in a better way.
• Time Functions: Just like dates, time is could also be there in data and you can use time functions to deal with data where you have time values.
• Logical Functions: Logical functions can help you create some of the most helpful formula in your spreadsheet.
• Maths Functions: Excel is all about calculations and analysis, and mathematical functions and you can use these functions to get better in calculations and analysis.
• Statistical Functions: One of the best things about Excel is there are a bunch of statistical functions there that you can use to analyze data easily.
• Lookup Functions: In Excel, there some specific functions which can help you to look up a value or specific information about a cell or a range of cells.
• Information Function: These some specific functions which you can use to get information about the values you supplied.
• Financial Functions: These functions can help you calculate some of the common but important financial calculations in an easy way.

About the Author

Puneet is using Excel since his college days. He helped thousands of people to understand the power of the spreadsheets and learn Microsoft Excel. You can find him online, tweeting about Excel, on a running track, or sometimes hiking up a mountain.

15 Most Common Excel Functions You Must Know + How to Use Them

15 Most Common Excel Functions You Must Know + How to Use Them

Microsoft Excel is one of the most well-known computer applications. It has changed the way people and companies work with data.

Thus, learning Excel can help with both your career and your personal needs.

Excel runs using functions and there are roughly 500 of them! These range from basic arithmetic to complex statistics.

If you’re a new Excel user, this sheer quantity can be quite daunting.

So we are here to help you! 🤝

We have rounded up 15 of the most common and useful Excel functions that you need to learn. We also prepared a practice workbook for you to follow along with the examples. Download it here.

Let’s get started!

What are Excel functions?

Excel is used to calculate and manipulate numbers and text. To do this, you use formulas!

Formulas are expressions that tell Excel what you want to do with the data. They begin with the equal symbol (=) followed by a combination of operators and functions.

What are operators?

These are symbols that specify the type of calculation you want to perform on the elements of a formula.

For example, to add two numbers, you can type “=1+1” into a cell. Once you hit Enter, Excel will run the formula and return the result which is 2.

Here are some examples of common operators:

Excel automatically treats cell contents that start with (=) as formulas. This also applies when you begin a cell with the plus (+) or minus (-) symbols.

You can bypass this by adding a leading apostrophe (‘). This is how you can show formulas as text like in the table above.

Order of operation and using parentheses in Excel formulas

Generally, Excel follows PEMDAS when calculating formulas. PEMDAS means parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction.

What are functions?

These are predefined processes in Excel. Each function in Excel has a unique name and specific input(s). The function takes these inputs and performs the corresponding calculation.

The inputs or arguments of an Excel function are always enclosed in parentheses.

For example, this is the syntax for the MAX function:

=MAX(number1, [number2], …)

The list of numbers where you want to find the maximum value is placed inside the parentheses.

Using a cell or a range as input

As you learn more about Excel, you’ll find that Excel formulas rarely consist of individual numbers only like in the formula “=1+1”.

Thus, referencing cells is important in Excel and you can learn more by clicking here.

Alright! You’ve just learned how a function in Excel works.

Let’s dive right into the list! 🤿

We will start with basic Excel functions and then move on to more advanced functions.

Basic Math Functions (Beginner Level ★☆☆)

1. SUM

This is the first function in Excel that most new users need. As the name implies, the SUM function adds up all the values in a specified group of cells or range.

Syntax: =SUM(number1, [number2], …)

Try it out in the practice workbook.

If you want to get the total quiz score for each student, you can use the SUM function. In this case, the input range will be all four quiz scores for each student.

1. Type this formula into cell F2:

=SUM(B2:E2)

You can also type “=SUM(B2,C2,D2,E2)” but “=SUM(B2:E2)” is much simpler.

2. Press Enter. Excel then evaluates the formula and the cell returns the number for the total which is 360.

3. Copy this for the rest of the students or drag down the fill handle.

Notice that the SUM function ignores the cells containing text. (“X” meaning the student was unable to take the quiz)

Most of the basic math functions in Excel ignore non-numeric values such as text, date, and time.

2. COUNT

Next up is the COUNT function. It returns the number of cells containing numeric values within the input range.

Syntax: =COUNT(value1, [value2], …)

1. To get the number of quizzes taken by each student, use this formula in cell G2:

=COUNT(B2:E2)

2. Hit Enter and fill in the rows below.

If you would like to include non-numeric values in the count, you can use the COUNTA function. To count the number of blank cells, you can use the COUNTBLANK function.

Learn more about the COUNT function and its variants here.

3. AVERAGE

The average of a list of numbers is just the total divided by how many numbers there are in that list.

This is easy enough to calculate the quiz scores. You already have the SUM and the COUNT of quizzes for each student.

But, it gets even easier using the AVERAGE function in Excel.

Syntax: =AVERAGE (value1, [value2], …)

1. Type this into cell H2:

=AVERAGE(B2:E2)

2. Hit Enter and fill in the rows below.

Logical Functions (Intermediate Level – ★★☆)

Let’s raise the difficulty level a little bit.

A logical function in Excel allows you to make comparisons and use the results to change how a formula calculates.

4. IF

The IF function is a very popular function in Excel and it is actually quite easy to learn.

Syntax: =IF(logical_test, value_if_true, [value_if_false])

This function checks if a logical test is either TRUE or FALSE. It then returns the specified value based on the result.

Using the average score of each student, try to assign PASS or FAIL grades. Assume that the passing score for this class is 60.

1. Begin the formula in cell C2 with “=IF(“

The logical_test is to check if the average score in Column B is greater than or equal to (>=) the passing score of 60.

2. So, the formula becomes:

=IF(B2>=60,

If the comparison returns TRUE, then the formula should return the text “PASS”. Thus, the value_if_true argument should be “PASS”.

And if it returns FALSE, then the value_if_false argument should be “FAIL”.

3. Thus, the formula becomes:

=IF(B2>=60,”PASS”,”FAIL”)

4. Hit Enter and fill in the rows below.

What if you needed to assign grades according to a scale instead of just “PASS” and “FAIL”?

For that, you have to use multiple criteria or logical tests. While this is possible using nested IF functions, it can get messy very quickly. Instead, you can use the IFS function.

5. IFS function

The IFS function was introduced in Excel 2016 to replace nested IF functions.

This function works by evaluating the first logical test or criteria. It returns the corresponding value if it is TRUE. But if it is FALSE, the function proceeds to evaluate the second criteria, and so on.

📖 In other words, the IFS function outputs the value that corresponds to the first specified criteria that is true.

Syntax: =IFS(logical_test1, value_if_true1, [logical_test2], [value_if_true2],..)

1. First, the formula should check if the average score (column B) is above or equal to 90. If yes, it should return “A”.

=IFS(B2>=90,”A”,

2. If not, it should then check if the average score is greater than or equal to 80. If yes, it should return “B”. If you do this up to grade D, the formula becomes:

=IFS(B2>=90,”A”,B2>=80,”B”,B2>=70,”C”,B2>=60,”D”,

3. For the last grade “F”, put “TRUE” for the logical test.

The IFS function will only evaluate the last specified criteria if all of the previous logical values were FALSE. Thus, you can set the last criteria to always be TRUE thus making it a “catch all” statement.

The final formula is then:

=IFS(B2>=90,”A”,B2>=80,”B”,B2>=70,”C”,B2>=60,”D”,TRUE,”F”)

PRO-TIP:

You can use absolute cell references and a reference table when working with long formulas.

That way, you don’t have to revisit all of the arguments in the formula if you need to change some values.

For example, using the table and formula shown below, you can easily change the grading scale in use.

=IFS(B2>=$H$2,$F$2,B2>=$H$3,$F$3,B2>
=$H$4,$F$4,B2>=$H$5,$F$5,TRUE,$F$6)

Text Functions (Intermediate Level – ★★☆)

In this next section, you will see how Excel can also be used to manipulate text.

In the “Class List” worksheet of the practice workbook, the full name of each student is listed in Column A. Your goal is to rearrange these from “first name last name” to “last name_first name” in Column F.

To do this, you first have to extract the first name and the last name from Column A.

6. FIND

The names are separated by a space character ” “. So, you have to identify the position of the space within each text string in Column A.

The FIND function in Excel returns the number or position of a specified character or substring within another text string.

Syntax: =FIND(find_text, within_text, [start_num])

To get the position of the space ” “, type this formula:

=FIND(” “,A2)

Next, take a look at the LEN function.

7. LEN

This function returns the number of characters in a text string.

Syntax: =LEN(text)

To get the number of characters in each student’s name:

=LEN(A2)

Now you can move on to extracting the first and last name using the MID function in Excel.

8. MID

This function extracts a given number of characters from the middle of a text string.

Syntax: = MID(text, start_num, num_chars)

It is one of three text functions that are used to extract text. The other two are LEFT and RIGHT which extract text from the start and end of a text string respectively.

The first name starts at the very first character of the text string. So, you extract starting from position 1. Then the length of the first name is given by the position of the space character minus 1.

So, the formula to extract the first name or first word from a text string is:

=MID(A2,1,B2-1)

Or, you can express it directly using the FIND formula earlier.

=MID(A2,1,FIND(” “,A2)-1)

For the last name, you can extract it starting from the position of the space character plus 1. Its length is just the length of the entire text string minus the position of the space character.

=MID(A2,B2+1,C2-B2)

Or, using the FIND and LEN formulas earlier:

=MID(A2,FIND(” “,A2)+1,LEN(A2)-FIND(” “,A2))

Now you can combine the last name and the first name in the desired order using the CONCAT function.

9. CONCAT

Like IFS, CONCAT is another newly introduced function in Excel 2016. It replaced the old CONCATENATE function.

Syntax: =CONCAT(text1, [text2],…)

Combine the last name and the first name with a comma and space character “, ” in between.

=CONCAT(E2,”, “,D2)

PRO-TIP:

In the above example, you used helper columns for FIND, LEN, and MID to help build the final formula and visualize how it works.

In real-world applications, you can use a single long formula to get the results like this:

=CONCAT(MID(A2,FIND(” “,A2)+1,LEN(A2)
-FIND(” “,A2)),”, “,MID(A2,1,FIND(” “,A2)-1))

Lookup and Reference Functions (Advanced Level – ★★★)

In this final section, we will focus on functions that allow you to look for specific data points and refer to them.

Take a look at the “Schedule” worksheet.

10. COLUMN

The COLUMN function in Excel returns the column number of a given cell.

Syntax: =COLUMN([reference])

Let’s try to assign specific dates for each quiz. For example, you may want the quizzes to be held every Monday. This means that the first quiz date should be offset by 1 week or 7 days for each succeeding quiz date.

You can use the column number to multiply the 7 days offset for each week like this:

=$B$2+(COLUMN()-2)*7

Two (2) is subtracted from the column number so that the sequence starts at 1.

You can also get this result using the much simpler “=B2+7” since you are only adding a fixed number of days to each date. 🤔

But, using the COLUMN function, you can create complex patterns.

Take this pattern for example:

The quizzes are still held every Monday. But every third week, they are held on Wednesday instead.

Here is the formula for this pattern:

=$B$2+(COLUMN()-2)*7+IF(MOD(COLUMN()-1,3)=0,2,0)

The MOD function in Excel returns the remainder after a number is divided by a given divisor. It’s part of the Math & Trig group of functions.

This group includes other fun functions such as ABS which returns the absolute value of a number and ROUND which rounds a number to a specified number of digits.

Learn more about the function groups towards the end of this article!

Kasper Langmann, Microsoft Office Specialist

11. ROW

Next, take a look at the ROW function. It works exactly like COLUMN but it returns the row number instead.

Syntax: =ROW([reference])

In this next example, you will assign the seating plans. You can try different seating arrangements using the ROW function.

Assume R1C1 is the seat closest to the teacher’s desk.

1. You can have the students seated one seat after another and in two columns:

=CONCAT(“R”,MOD(ROW()-6,3)*2+1,”C”,INT((ROW()-6)/3)*2+1)

2. Or they can sit in rows of 3 and columns of 2

=CONCAT(“R”,MOD(ROW()-6,2)*2+1,”C”,INT((ROW()-6)/2)*2+1)

3. You can also sit them in the farthest rows:

=CONCAT(“R”,MOD(ROW()-6,2)*4+1,”C”,INT((ROW()-6)/2)*2+1)

4. Or in the farthest columns:

=CONCAT(“R”,MOD(ROW()-6,3)*2+1,”C”,INT((ROW()-6)/3)*4+1)

Manually creating seating patterns for small sets like this one is easy. But a formula like those shown above definitely helps especially for larger sets like 50, 100, or even more.

The COLUMN and ROW functions are rarely used on their own. Like IF and IFS, you use them with other functions to change how the formula is calculated.

12. MATCH

Now, open up the “Lookup” worksheet.

In the next few examples, you will create a search feature that allows students to look up their names. They can then see their scores from past quizzes and their assigned seats for the next quizzes.

To start, you will use the MATCH function. It searches for a specified item within a given range of cells. It then returns the relative position of the first match.

Syntax: =MATCH(lookup_value, lookup_array, [match_type])

1. The lookup_value is the item you want to search for. So, set this to cell B2.
2. The lookup_array is the range or table array where you want to search. Use F2:F7 from the “Class List” worksheet.
3. For the match_type, set this to zero so that the function searches for an exact match. (Learn more about MATCH and the different match types in this article)

The formula then becomes:

=MATCH(B2,’Class List’!F2:F7,0)

However, it only works correctly if the name is entered exactly as it is written in Column F of the Class List.

To fix this, you can use the asterisk “*” wildcard character so that searching for either first or last name works.

You can also enclose the formula in an IFNA function. This way, if the formula cannot find the given name in the table, it will return a phrase like “No result found”.

13. INDEX

The INDEX function retrieves a value from a given table array based on the provided row and column numbers.

Syntax: =INDEX (array, row_num, [col_num])

Similar to the MATCH example, you need to specify where the range or array lookup is.

For row_num, you can use the earlier MATCH result at Cell B5. Then for col_num, use 1 for the First Name:

=INDEX(‘Class List’!D2:E7,B5,1)

And set col_num to 2 for the Last Name.

=INDEX(‘Class List’!D2:E7,B5,2)

Just like that, you have a working search 🔍 formula!

This is just a small example of the countless possibilities using the INDEX and MATCH combination. Click here for more examples!

14. VLOOKUP

The VLOOKUP function in Excel works similarly to the INDEX and MATCH combination. It is faster to set up but it is less versatile. VLOOKUP also only works if your lookup array is at the leftmost of the reference table.

Syntax: =VLOOKUP (lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup])

This time, you will use the First Name result (cell B6) as the lookup_value. Use this and VLOOKUP to retrieve the given student’s scores from the “Quiz Scores” worksheet.

=VLOOKUP($B$6,’Quiz Scores’!$A$2:$E$7,COLUMN(),FALSE)

For the seat assignment, use the Last Name result followed by the asterisk wild character.

=VLOOKUP($B$7&”*”,Schedule!$A$6:$E$11,COLUMN(),FALSE)

15. INDIRECT

The last function that you will be learning about today is also one of the most powerful in Excel.

INDIRECT allows you to specify cell references using text strings.

SYNTAX: =INDIRECT(ref_text, [a1])

For example, instead of typing “=A1”, you can type “=INDIRECT(“A”&1). This means you can dynamically change references.

Let’s take the INDEX & MATCH formula you used to retrieve the Last Name. You can get the same result using this formula:

=INDIRECT(“‘Class List’!”&”E”&(B5+1))

The INDIRECT function opens up so many possibilities with dynamic references in Excel. I highly this article for an in-depth tutorial on INDIRECT.

That’s it – Now what?

As you have just learned, Excel offers so many different functions to choose from. Luckily, Excel has brought them all together in the Formulas tab.

You can look for an Excel function using search keywords or you can also select from the categorical dropdowns.

For example, click on the Financial group to find functions that can help you calculate items like net present value, future value, cumulative interest paid, cumulative principal paid, etc.

You can also click on More Functions which opens up even more possibilities for advanced Excel formulas.

For example, the Statistical group is useful if you need to calculate a statistical value. This includes functions for maximum value, minimum value, forecast value, gamma function value, etc. You can insert a cumulative distribution function and other useful tools for data analysis.

Learn how to use these formulas and more by signing up for my free online Excel course.

We will help you make the most out of your Excel experience! 📈

Other relevant resources

If you enjoyed this article, you can visit my YouTube channel for more in-depth tutorials and other fun stuff!

Did you know that the Flash Fill feature can help speed up your work by automatically filling a repetitive pattern Excel detects from your data? Learn more here.

Thanks for reading! 😄

Kasper Langmann2023-02-23T11:47:15+00:00