As I said, if you don't understand, you'll need to break it down into
manageable chunks, and if you want us to help you'll have to tell us what
the 3 input values to the formula are, what result you've got, and what you
expected.
--
David Biddulph

"Ellen G" wrote in message
...
Thanks, David -- you're probably right. However, I don't think that is the
problem. If I simply use one piece of the major OR statement (either
piece)
it does what it should. The combination is what breaks. In other words if
I
simply use:

=AND(NOT(ISBLANK(Q9)),OR(Q9<"N/A",Q9<"n/a",Q9<"na",Q9<"NA"),(Q9+30)<=TODAY(),ISBLANK(S9) )

this provides the desired results.

If I simply use:

=AND(NOT(ISBLANK(O9)),OR(Q9="N/A",Q9="n/a",Q9="na",Q9="NA"),(O9+30)<=TODAY(),ISBLANK(S9 ))

this provides the desired results.

The combination doesn't work:

=OR(AND(NOT(ISBLANK(Q9)),OR(Q9<"N/A",Q9<"n/a",Q9<"na",Q9<"NA"),(Q9+30)<=TODAY(),ISBLANK(S9) ),AND(NOT(ISBLANK(O9)),OR(Q9="N/A",Q9="n/a",Q9="na",Q9="NA"),(O9+30)<=TODAY(),ISBLANK(S9 )))

I can't figure out why.

Ellen

"David Biddulph" wrote:

The condition OR(Q9<"N/A",Q9<"n/a",Q9<"na",Q9<"NA") seems strange.
Isn't that always true, because it can't be equal to "N/A" and also equal
to
"NA", so it has to be unequal to at least one of those? Note also that
those string tests are not case sensitive, so you don't need the pairs.

If you are querying the outer OR test, the best bet is to break it down
into
manageable chunks.
Set up a cell with

=OR(AND(NOT(ISBLANK(Q9)),OR(Q9<"N/A",Q9<"n/a",Q9<"na",Q9<"NA"),(Q9+30)<=TODAY(),ISBLANK(S9) ),AND(NOT(ISBLANK(O9)),OR(Q9="N/A",Q9="n/a",Q9="na",Q9="NA"),(O9+30)<=TODAY(),ISBLANK(S9 )))
then a pair of cells with
=AND(NOT(ISBLANK(Q9)),OR(Q9<"N/A",Q9<"n/a",Q9<"na",Q9<"NA"),(Q9+30)<=TODAY(),ISBLANK(S9) )
and
=AND(NOT(ISBLANK(O9)),OR(Q9="N/A",Q9="n/a",Q9="na",Q9="NA"),(O9+30)<=TODAY(),ISBLANK(S9 ))
respectively, and look at the TRUE or FALSE results from those.
If you are struggling with one of those individual parts, then break that
down again in a similar manner.
If you are still struggling, then tell us what you have in Q9, S9, and
O9,what result you are getting, and what you expected. Just saying "it does
not work" doesn't help us to diagnose your problem.
--David Biddulph