In ExcelSyntax.com, you will learn the Excel Syntax of all the formulas and functions.
What is Excel Syntax?
Excel Syntax is the combination of arguments, which are predefined in a particular order for an Excel formula. The Excel Syntax is different from one Excel formula to another.
What are the Features of Excel Syntax?
The features or parts / components of an Excel Syntax are mentioned below with examples:
1. Basic Structure
- Excel Syntax always starts with Equal Sign (=).
- For example: =A1+B1 adds the values in the two cells A1 and B1.
2. Function Name
- The equal sign is followed by Function Name.
- Microsoft Excel offers a wide range of built-in functions for various calculations.
- For example: SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, IF, SUMIFS, VLOOKUP etc.
3. Cell References
- Excel syntax often involves references to cells or ranges.
- In Absolute Reference, the dollar signs are used to lock the cell reference, so it doesn’t change when you copy the formula to other cells. For example: $A$1 and $A$1:$B$5.
- In Relative Reference, there are no dollar signs, and the cell reference adjusts when you copy the formula to different cells. For example: A1, B2, and A1:B5.
4. Brackets
- In Excel syntax, we use different open and close brackets to start and close the function.
- Those are square, round and curly brackets.
5. Arguments
- Each of the Excel syntax consists of either one or multiple arguments.
- Some of the arguments are required and others are option.
- A minimum of one argument is required to complete the Excel syntax.
6. Mathematical Operators
- The mathematical operators are used in Excel formulas and functions.
- Such as addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), division (/), and exponentiation (^) etc.
6. Logical Operators
- The logical operators are mostly used in functions like IF, AND, OR etc.
- The most popular logical operators in the formula are equal to (=), greater than (>), greater than or equal to (>=), less than (<), less than or equal to (<=), and not equal to (<>).
7. Errors
- It’s important to have correct syntax in Excel formula, otherwise it will return an error.
- The errors are of several types such as DIV/0!, #VALUE!, #REF!, #NAME?, #NUM!, and #N/A.
Excel Function vs Formula
What is Excel Function?
- Excel Function is predefined by Excel.
- The user cannot customize the Excel Function.
- Each of the Excel Function do have syntax with arguments.
- The Excel Function can be used as an Excel Formula.
- Examples of Excel Function: =SUM(A1:A2) or AVERAGE(A1:A2).
What is Excel Formula?
- Excel Formula is an equation made by the user.
- The Excel Formula can be used to perform any type of calculation.
- It does not have any Excel Syntax or arguments.
- The Excel Formula cannot be used as a function.
- Examples of Excel Formula: =5+6 and =A1+A2.
The Excel formula is an equation which can perform multiple calculations, manipulate the data in other cells, return the output based on the requirements and much more.
What is Microsoft Excel?
Microsoft Excel (also called Excel) is an application software or spreadsheet application, which is developed by Microsoft Corporation. It is a part of Microsoft Office and is available for Windows, Mac OS, Android, and iOS platforms.
In other words, Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program developed by Microsoft. The Excel spreadsheet is a popular data visualization and analysis tool, used for business and personal purposes.
What are the Features of Excel?
- Easily calculate using Excel Formulas and Functions.
- Present numeric data in graphical format for better presentation.
- Organize the data in a tabular format for easy calculation and understanding.
- The macros can be made to complete various tasks with a single click of a button or shortcut key.
- Apart from the inbuilt features of excel, user can use multiple add-ins as well for completing different tasks.
What are the Categories of Functions in Excel?
There are the various categories of functions available in Excel, such as:
1. Financial Functions
The financial functions in Excel are used to organize and analyze financial data. These financial formulas in Excel can calculate interest rate, duration, price, days, depreciation, yield and much more.
2. Logical Functions
The logical functions in Excel are used for decision making calculations. The Logical Formulas in Excel can compare more than one conditions and return the result as True or False by evaluating the arguments in Excel Syntax.
3. Text Functions
The text functions in Excel are used to format the characters, find the text, replace the text, return the desired characters within the text and much more.
4. Date and Time Functions
The date and time functions in Excel are used to return the desired output from the date and time in Excel, such as year, month, day, hour, minute, second etc.
5. Lookup and Reference Functions
The lookup and reference functions in Excel are used to cross reference between different data. The Lookup and Reference Formulas in Excel can refer to a cell or array to match the value in another cell or array.
6. Math and Trig Functions
The math and trig functions in Excel are used to perform multiple mathematical calculations such as basic arithmetic calculations, conditional calculations, logarithm, and trigonometric equations.
7. Statistical Functions
The statistical functions in Excel are used to perform multiple statistical calculations or analysis from the data such as mean, median, mode, average, count and forecast.
8. Engineering Functions
The engineering formulas in Excel are used to perform various engineering related calculations such as Bessel, bitwise, hexadecimal, secant, octal and much more. Some of the engineering formulas are new and may not be available in old versions.
9. Cube Functions
The cube functions in Excel are used to perform cube related calculations such as tuple, value of member property, aggregate value, and number of items in a set.
10. Information Functions
The information functions in Excel are used to return the information about the formatting, location, or content of cells, whether value is an error or not a text, sheet number, number of sheets in a reference and much more.
11. Compatibility Functions
The compatibility functions in Excel are used to return the cumulative beta probability density, bionominal distribution probability, right-tailed probability of the chi-squared distribution, confidence interval for a population mean and much more.
12. Web Functions
The web functions in Excel are used to return URL encoded string, data from the XML content by XPath and data from a web service.
Conclusion
In this Excelsyntax.com page, we have covered the fundamental aspects of Excel syntax, from basic formulas to advanced techniques. Excel syntax is a powerful tool for data manipulation, analysis, and reporting. By mastering these concepts, you’ll be better equipped to leverage Excel’s capabilities and enhance your efficiency in handling data-driven tasks. Remember to practice and experiment with different scenarios to solidify your understanding of Excel syntax.