no problem Dave,
if ms introduce sumproductif <maybe someone can do a formula conversion
technique
you know, excel is not an empty facility - it is well equipped. Dont you
think?

"Dave F" wrote:

Well back to the LCD concept--my boss right now hates SUMPRODUCT--even though
it is, in many cases, the only solution to what he requires.

Go figure.

Dave
--
Brevity is the soul of wit.


"Epinn" wrote:

Thank you all for an interesting discussion. I understand all the comments prior to this.

As a matter of fact, Dave has spelt out my "all-time" concern. As much as I like SUMPRODUCT (just using it as an example), I have a feeling that some "bosses" may not like it because they are not familiar with it. I am not surprised that I'll be asked to use the lowest common denominator so that everyone who needs to maintain the spreadsheet(s) can understand the formulae and do his/her job.

Back to Boolean and IF(AND......(OR, I think at the college, Boolean is not taught. If that is the case, probably Boolean may not be widely accepted/recognized by entry level personnel in the workplace?? Boolean is new to me (well, I am new to Excel anyway) and presents a "challenge" at this point. So, I'll give it some practice and I don't mind taking the "risk." By the way, Boolean is not covered in the Excel Help files if I am not mistaken. Bob, am I considered a risk taker then? <G Another story ......

At this general learning stage, I always try to come up with more than one solution to a specific issue. This is how I learn.

Boolean is not as "easy" to decipher but the formula is usually shorter and cleaner.

Wonder what others think.

Epinn

Epinn" wrote in message ...
Hi Bob and Roger (in alphabetical order),

I just want to let you know that gradually I am detaching Boolean from SUMPRODUCT and I am learning to use Boolean outside of SUMPRODUCT. However, I still need SUMPRODUCT as a stepping stone to write my formula. You won't believe what I did.

Column A = age Column B = eye colour

I have this formula:

=IF(AND(A230,IF(OR(B2="blue",B2="brown"),1,0)=1), TRUE,FALSE)

But I don't like the 1, 0, AND, OR etc. Then I think: how would I write it if it were SUMPRODUCT.

So I wrote my SUMPRODUCT formula using * and +, A2:A10, B2:B10 etc. as if I was doing a count. When I was happy with my SP formula, then I changed it to IF and converted the range back to a single cell (e.g. A2). I ended up with the following:

=IF((A230)*((B2="blue")+(B2="brown")),TRUE,FALSE)

So, this is my "joke" of the day. Next time, I should be able to use Boolean at will without using SP as a "bridge."

Do you prefer the second IF formula to the first? Are there any circumstances when the first formula has an advantage over the second? I should feel free to use Boolean, right?

Please feel free to comment and I don't need any guarantee on your answers. <G

Epinn