"+" in DSUM field?
 

I have inherited a spreadsheet with SDUM functions, but I dont understand
the notation used in the entry for the €œfield€�, i.e. =DSUM(database, field,
criteria). Let me see if I can explain€¦
DB and FIRM are defined names referring to $B$6:$EB$182 and $DS$2:$DT$3
respectively. FIRM contains properly formatted criteria.
B254=1
C254=B254+1
€¦
T254=S254+1
and so on such that row 254 appears to be the column number (offset by 1 due
to starting in column B).

The formula in T190 is =DSUM(DB, +T254, FIRM).
The formula in U190 is =DSUM(DB, +U254, FIRM).
€¦
The formula in DQ190 is =DSUM(DB, +DQ254, FIRM).

For High Potential and Other Potential, they have T191=DSUM(DB, +T254, HPOT)
and T192=DSUM(DB, +T254, OTHPOT) where HPOT and OTHPOT are defined names
similar to FIRM.

What does the €œ+€� in front of the cell reference do? I need to create
similar rows with different criteria, but I cant figure out what impact the
€œ+€� makes. When using the €œ+€�, is using the $ in front of the 254 to keep it
from changing when coping to other rows also allowed?