The “If” Function is a great Excel tool that can be used to add a little logic to your spreadsheet. For example, if you want to add, delete, or change data based on certain criteria, you might be able to “tell” your data to do so by use of the “If” function.
In today’s example, let’s say we want to add data. We want to add a column of data in our spreadsheet based on what state an employee is in. We have a spreadsheet with column A containing Employee. Column B containing Address. Column C containing City and Column D containing State. We are going to assign an HR rep to each employee based on what state they live in. If they live in Tennessee, they will be assigned to “Jane Smith.” All other employees will be assigned to “Bob Jones.”
In Column E (your first empty column), enter the formula:
=If(D2 = “TN”, “Jane Smith”, “Bob Jones”)
This formula assumes that your first line of data is in row 2. Basically, the above formula reads like this in laymen’s terms:
“If the date in field D2 equals TN, then put “Jane Smith” in this field. Otherwise, put “Bob Jones” in this field.
Note: “If” functions can get very complex. You can use more than 1 criteria. After starting with the basics, try out some different uses of the function.
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Training Specialist
Photo Credit: akkamulator
