Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2
© Watsonia Publishing Page 17 Logical Functions
CHAPTER 3 LOGICAL FUNCTIONS
Logical functions are used in spreadsheets to test whether a
situation is true or false. Depending on the result of that test, you
can then elect to do one thing or another.
These decisions can be used to display information, perform
different calculations, or to perform further tests.
In this session you will:
gain an understanding of logical functions
learn how to display text using the IF function
learn how to use IF to calculate values
learn how to nest IF functions
learn how to use IFERROR
learn how to use TRUE and FALSE
learn how to use the AND function
learn how to use the OR function
learn how to use the NOT function.
INFOCUS
WPL_E819
Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2
© Watsonia Publishing Page 18 Logical Functions
UNDERSTANDING LOGICAL FUNCTIONS
1
Logical functions provide decision-making tools
for information in a spreadsheet. They allow you
to look at the contents of a cell, or to perform a
calculation, and then test that result against a
required figure or value. You can then use the IF
logical function to determine which calculation to
perform or action to take depending on the
outcome of the test. Here are some examples.
The IF Function
The IF function is the key logical function used for decision making. It takes the format:
=IF(condition, true, false)
For example, you could use the following formula:
=IF(B2 > 400, “High”, “Low”) where,
B2 > 400 is the condition being tested
(this could be translated as “Is the value in cell B2 greater than 400?”)
“High” is the text to display if B2 is greater than 400 (the result of the test is yes or TRUE)
“Low” is the text to display if B2 is less than or equal to 400 (the result of the test is no or FALSE)
The AND Function
The AND function is used to compare more than one condition. It returns TRUE only if all of the conditions are
met, and takes the format:
=AND(condition1, condition2,…)
For example, you could use the following formula:
=AND(B2 > 400, C2 < 300) where,
B2 > 400 is the first condition being tested
C2 < 300 is the second condition being tested
This will only return the result TRUE if the value in cell B2 is greater than 400 and the value in cell C2 is less
than 300. In all other situations, the result will be FALSE.
The OR Function
The OR function is also used to compare more than one condition. It returns TRUE if any of the conditions are
met, and takes the format:
=OR(condition1, condition2,…)
For example, you could use the following formula:
=OR(B2 > 400, C2 < 300) where,
B2 > 400 is the first condition being tested
C2 < 300 is the second condition being tested
This will return the result TRUE if either the value in cell B2 is greater than 400 or the value in cell C2 is less
than 300. The result will be FALSE only if neither of the conditions is met.
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Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2
© Watsonia Publishing Page 19 Logical Functions
USING IF TO DISPLAY TEXT
Try This Yourself:
Open
File
Before starting this exercise
you MUST open the file E819
Logical Functions_1.xlsx...
Click on the IF Function
worksheet tab, then click on
D7 to select the cell
Type
=IF(C7>$E$2,"Exceeded
Target","Below Target")
Press to complete the
formula
Click on D7 then double-click
on the fill handle to copy the
formula down the column
Notice that the result for Jerry
Hancock is Below Target even
though she achieved 34,000?
Let’s modify the formula...
Click on D7, then click in the
Formula bar immediately to
the right of >
Type = then press
Repeat step 4 to copy the
formula down the column
For Your Reference…
IF(logical test, value_if_true, value_if_false)
This function performs the test, then if the result is
true, uses the entry in the position true. If the result
is not true, the entry for false is used.
Handy to Know…
If you only want text to appear if the result is
true, you can enter "" (two double quotes) in
the position for false. For example,
=IF(C7>=$E$2, "Exceeded Target","") will
only display text if the target was met or
exceeded.
2
4
The IF function can be used to display different
information depending on the outcome of the
condition test. The resulting text will appear in the
cell where the formula containing the IF function
resides. In this example, the IF function is used to
indicate where figures in a neighbouring column
meet or exceed a specified target. This makes
identifying successful sales people far easier.
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Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2
© Watsonia Publishing Page 20 Logical Functions
USING IF TO CALCULATE VALUES
Try This Yourself:
Same
File
Continue using the previous
file with this exercise, or open
the file E819 Logical
Functions_2.xlsx...
Click on cell E7
Type =IF(C7>=$E$2,(C7-
$E$2)*$E$3,0)
Press to complete the
formula
Click on E7 and double-click
on the fill handle to copy the
formula down
Due to the formatting of the
Commission column, instead
of a 0, the dash symbol
appears where no commission
is to be paid
For Your Reference…
IF(test, true-calculation, false-calculation)
This function performs the test, then if the result is
true, performs the calculation in the position true. If
the result is not true, the entry for false is used.
Handy to Know…
When you work with values, rather than text,
it is better to use 0 (zero) than to use ""
where there is no calculation to perform. This
means that all of the results will be values,
rather than a mixture of text and values, and
the cell formatting can be used to control the
way the values are displayed.
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4
One of the most common uses of the IF function
is to perform numerical computations based on
the outcome of the condition test. This is
achieved by putting formulas that would normally
be used to calculate values in place of the true
and false components in the function. You can also
use this structure to show a specific value
according to the result of the condition test.
Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2
© Watsonia Publishing Page 21 Logical Functions
NESTING IF FUNCTIONS
Try This Yourself:
Same
File
Continue using the previous
file with this exercise, or open
the file E819 Logical
Functions_3.xlsx...
Double-click on E7 to open the
formula for editing
Click after the first equal sign
and type IF(C7>=(2*$E$2),
then press + to create
a new line
Type (C7-$E$2)*(2*$E$3),
then press + to create
a new line
Click immediately after the first
comma on this line and press
+
Click immediately after the first
comma on this line and press
+
Your formula is now divided
into components. Let’s
complete the formula…
Press to move to the end
of the formula, and type )
Press , click on E7 then
double-click on the fill handle
to copy the formula down the
column
For Your Reference…
IF(test, true-calculation, false-calculation)
This function performs the test, then if the result is
true, performs the calculation in the position true. If
the result is not true, the entry for false is used.
You can substitute an entire IF function for the true
and/or the false calculations.
Handy to Know…
When you create nested formulas, Excel will
colour-code the paired brackets to make it
easier to see what you are doing. The
outside brackets are coloured black.
You can nest any function within another
function, but plan carefully.
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6
If you need to make more than one decision
before calculating an answer, you can nest or
embed an IF function inside an IF function. For
example, you can use an IF function in place of
the true component of the IF function. If the result
of the first condition test is true, the second
condition will be tested. This structure provides for
three alternative outcomes instead of two.
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Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2
© Watsonia Publishing Page 22 Logical Functions
USING IFERROR
Try This Yourself:
Same
File
Continue using the previous
file with this exercise, or
open the file E819 Logical
Functions_4.xlsx...
Click on the IFERROR
Function worksheet tab
and click on E7
Type the following
=IFERROR(C7/D7, "First
Year")
Press
Click on E7 and double-click
on the fill handle to copy the
formula down the column
Instead of giving an error
where the divisor is zero,
Excel displays the text “First
Year” in the cell
For Your Reference…
IFERROR(calculation, error_value)
This function performs the calculation and if there
are no errors, displays the result of the calculation.
If an error does occur, it displays the error_value.
Handy to Know…
In this example we’ve used text as the entry
to be displayed if an error is located, but you
could just as easily display nothing using ""
(two double quotes) or perform an alternative
calculation.
2
4
IFERROR is used to trap errors that may occur
as the result of a calculation and then display
alternative text or values. For example, if you
divide a number by zero, Excel will normally
return the message #DIV/0! which can be a bit
alarming for novice users. IFERROR tests a
calculation to see if it works and, if so, performs the
calculation. If not, it displays an alternative.
Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2
© Watsonia Publishing Page 23 Logical Functions
USING TRUE AND FALSE
Try This Yourself:
Same
File
Continue using the previous
file with this exercise, or open
the file E819 Logical
Functions_5.xlsx...
Click on the AND Function
worksheet tab and click on
cell D7
Type the TRUE and FALSE
entries in the column as
shown
Click on E7 and type
=IF(C7>=$E$2, IF(D7=TRUE,
(C7-$E$2)*$E$3,0),0)
Press
Click on D7 and double-click
on the fill handle to copy the
formula down the column
For Your Reference…
TRUE
The logical value TRUE
FALSE
The logical value FALSE
Handy to Know…
TRUE is used really just to make formulas
more readable. You could also write the
above formula as =IF(C7>=$E$2.IF(D7,(C7-
$E$2)*$E$3,0),0). Here the =TRUE in the
second IF statement is left out because
Excel automatically reads the IF expression
as “if D7 is true, then...”.
2
3
TRUE and FALSE are logical values. The result
of a logical test is either true or false and Excel
allows you to enter these values in cells or test
for them in functions. TRUE and FALSE can be
entered as values, which are TRUE and FALSE, or
as formulas with no parameters, which are
=TRUE() and =FALSE(). The value TRUE and the
formula =TRUE() are treated as identical by Excel.
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Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2
© Watsonia Publishing Page 24 Logical Functions
USING AND
Try This Yourself:
Same
File
Continue using the previous
file with this exercise, or open
the file E819 Logical
Functions_6.xlsx...
Click on the AND Function
worksheet, then click on E7
and type:
=AND(C7>=$E$2,D7=TRUE)
Press
The result will be TRUE,
because both conditions are
satisfied. Now to add the IF
function...
Double-click on E7 then click
after the first equal sign and
type IF(
Press to move to the end
of the formula and type ,
then press + to
create a new line
Type (C7-$E$2)*$E$3,0)
Press
Click on E7 then double-click
on the fill handle to copy the
formula down the column
The result is the same, it’s just
a different way of testing the
values
For Your Reference…
AND(logical1, logical2,…)
This function tests the logical value of each entry
e.g. logical1. If they are all true, it will return the
value TRUE. If any one of them is false, the
function will return FALSE.
Handy to Know…
A condition in an AND function can simply be
a reference to a cell holding a logical value
(that is, TRUE or FALSE). For example,
=AND(B2,C2) will return the value FALSE if
B2 and/or C2 contain the text FALSE.
1
5
The AND function is used to compare the results
of more than one condition test. It ensures that a
calculation will not be performed unless all of the
specified conditions are met. In other words, the
first and second and third (and so on) conditions
must all be true before AND returns the value true.
This is ideal to use with the IF function to test for a
collection of conditions.
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Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2
© Watsonia Publishing Page 25 Logical Functions
USING OR
Try This Yourself:
Same
File
Continue using the previous
file with this exercise, or open
the file E819 Logical
Functions_7.xlsx...
Click on the OR Function
worksheet tab and click on
E7
Type
=OR(D7="Gold",D7="Silver
")
Press
The result will be TRUE,
because both conditions are
satisfied. Now to add the IF
function…
Double-click on cell E7 then
click after the first equal sign
and type IF(
Press to move to the end
of the formula and type ,
then press + to
create a new line
Type (C7-$E$2)*$E$3,0)
Press
Click on E7, then double-click
on the fill handle to copy the
formula down the column
For Your Reference…
OR(logical1, logical2,…)
This function tests the specified logical conditions
or cell references. If any one of the conditions is
true, it will return the value TRUE. If all of them are
false, the function will return FALSE.
Handy to Know…
If you want to pay commission to Gold and
Silver agents only if they exceed the target,
you can use the following formula:
=IF(AND(C7>=$E$2,
OR(D7="Gold",D7=Silver")),
(C7-$E$2)*$E$3,0).
2
3
The OR function is used to compare the results
of more than one condition test. It will return the
value TRUE if any of the condition tests return
the value TRUE. It will only return the value
FALSE if all of the condition tests return FALSE.
The OR function is often used in conjunction with
the IF function to test a collection of conditions, and
is easier to work with than nested IF functions.
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Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2
© Watsonia Publishing Page 26 Logical Functions
USING NOT
Try This Yourself:
Same
File
Continue using the previous
file with this exercise, or open
the file E819 Logical
Functions_8.xlsx...
Click on the OR Function
worksheet, double-click on cell
E7 then click before OR
Press to remove the OR
function until the formula reads
=IF("),C7-$E$2)*$E$3,0)
Add the NOT function before
the double quotes so that the
formula reads
=IF(NOT(D7="Bronze"),(C7-
$E$2)*$E$3,0)
This excludes any of the
Bronze sales agents, therefore
selecting Silver and Gold…
Press
Click on E7, then double-click
on the fill handle to copy the
formula down the column
The results are the same,
we’ve just tested the contents
of the cells in a slightly
different way
For Your Reference…
NOT(logical)
This function tests the specified logical condition or
contents of a cell. If the condition is true, it will
return the value FALSE. If the condition is false,
the function will return TRUE.
Handy to Know…
If you want to pay commission to Gold and
Silver agents only if they exceed the target
(to avoid paying negative commission), you
can use:
=IF(AND(C7>=$E$2,
NOT(D7=”Bronze”)),(C7-$E$2)*$E$3,0)
2
3
Sometimes the best way to get the result you
need is to exclude the values that you don’t want,
rather than testing for the values that you do.
The NOT function is perfect for this situation,
returning the logical opposite of the condition test. If
the condition test returns the value TRUE, the NOT
function will return the value FALSE. This can also
be used to great effect with the IF function.
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