Imagine carefully creating a workbook with several calculations and formulas only see errors. What to do when you get an Excel formula error? Of course, you can shake your head and ask, “Why, why would you do that?”, but that will not help.
So in this article let’s learn how to fix Excel formula error. Those annoying #SOMETHING!s that you see when your excel formulas have something wrong with them.
Excel Formula Error Checklist
Use this checklist to quickly understand common formula errors, what they mean, when you would see them and how to fix them. Read on to know more about the errors.
| Error | What it means? | Most common reason | How to fix it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| #N/A | Not Applicable | When VLLOKUP can't find what you want | Make sure your list has the value you are looking for. Use IFERROR or IFNA to fix |
| #DIV/0! | Divide by Zero | Denominator is zero | Use IF formula to safe divide |
| #NAME? | Could not find the name | Spelling mistake / typo | Double check your formula and fix the error |
| ######### | Could not display or format | Cell too small | Adjust column width |
| #VALUE! | Invalid value | Converting non-dates or numbers | Make sure your dates are correctly formatted |
| #REF! | Reference missing | When you delete a row / column / cell | Check cell dependancies before deleting |
| #NUM! | Invalid number | Number too high or too low | Check your calculation |
| #NULL! | Missing or null value | Reference points to nothing | See if your references are right |
#N/A Formula Error
This is one of the most frequent excel formula error you see while using vlookup formula. The N/A error is shown when some data is missing, or inappropriate arguments are passed to the lookup functions (vlookup, hlookup etc.) of if the list is not sorted and you are trying to lookup using sort option. You can also generate a #N/A error by writing =NA() in a cell.
How to fix #N/A error?
Make sure you wrap the lookup functions with some error handling mechanism. For eg. if you are not sure the value you are looking is available, you can write something like =IFERROR(VLOOKUP(…), “Value not found”). This will print “value not found” whenever the vlookup returns any error (including #N/A)
Related: Learn more about IFERROR formula
#DIV/0! Formula Error
This is the easiest of all. When you divide something with 0, you see this error. For eg. a cell with the formula =23/0 would return in this error.
How to fix #DIV/0 error?
Simple, use IF formula to safe divide, like this:
=IF(A2=0, “”, A1/A2)
#NAME? Formula Error
The most common reason why you see this error is because you misspelled a formula or table or named range. For eg. if you write =summa(a1:a10) in a cell, it would return #NAME? error. There are few other reasons why this can happen. If you forget to close a text in double quotes or omit the range operator :. All these examples should return #NAME? error. =sum(range1, UNDEFIED_RANGE_NAME), =sum(a1a10)
How to fix #NAME? Error?
- Make sure you have mentioned the correct formula name. Use auto-complete when typing formulas. This way, when you type formulas or use names / structural references, you will not make any mistakes.
- Make sure you have defined all the tables and named ranges you are using in the formula.
- Make sure any user defined functions you are using are properly installed.
- Double check the ranges and string parameters in your formulas.
###### Error
You see a cell full of # symbols when the contents cannot fit in the cell. For eg. a long number like 2339432094394 entered in a small cell will show ####s. Also, you see the ###### when you format negative numbers as dates.
How to fix the ###### error?
Simple, adjust the column width. And if the error is due to negative dates, make them positive.
#VALUE! Excel Formula Error
Value error is shown when you use text parameters to a function that accepts numbers. For eg. the formula =SUM(“ab”,”cd”) returns #VALUE! error.
How to fix the #VALUE! error?
Make sure your formula parameters have correct data types. If you are using functions that work on numbers (like sum, sumproduct etc.) then the parameters should be numbers.
#REF! Formula Error
This is one of the most common error messages you see when you fiddle with a worksheet full of formulas. You get #REF! Excel formula error when one of the formula parameters is pointing to an invalid range. This can happen because you deleted the cells. For eg. try to write a sum forumla like =SUM(A1:A10, B1:B10, C1:C10) and then delete the column C. Immediately the sum formula returns #REF! error.
How to fix the #REF! error?
First press ctrl+Z and undo the actions you have performed. And then rethink if there is a better way to write the formula or perform the action (deleting cells).
#NUM! Excel Error
This is number error that you see when your formula returns a value bigger than what excel can represent. You will also get this error if you are using iterative functions like IRR and the function cannot find any result. For eg. the formula =4389^7E+37 returns a #NUM! error.
How to fix #NUM! error?
Simple, make your numbers smaller or provide right starting values to your iterative formulas.
#NULL! Formula Error
This is rare error. When you use incorrect range operators often you get this error. For eg. the formula =SUM(D30:D32 C31:C33) returns a #NULL! error because there is no overlap between range 1 and range2.
How to fix the #NULL! error?
Make sure you have mentioned the ranges properly.
Formula not working – showing as text?
If you don’t see any error, but instead of seeing the result, all you see is your formula (like below), then check out Formulas not working page for information how to fix the problem.
Further Reading on Excel Formula Debugging
Formula Debugging using F9 Key
Learn to work with Circular References
Understand the difference between absolute and relative references
How to work with tables & structural references
Detect errors in your formulas [Office.com]
How to use new ERROR.TYPE formula to work with errors
Tell me how you debug formulas? What is the most common error you get?
What is the strangest and most confusing error you have seen? Please share in the comments so we can all have a laugh and find a way to fix the problem.
39 Responses to “Some charts try to make you an April fool all the time (or why 3d pie charts are evil)”
Another little trick they've used in that pie chart is in the positioning of the car sales in relation to each other. The way in which you present them in the column chart is from highest seller to lowest seller, left to right, which is what we're used to seeing. But in the dastardly pie chart, the two smallest selling cars (the SX4 and the Scala) are placed one either side of the Verna, which serves to make it look bigger again.
Also the perspective at which you look at the pie chart makes the Verna look bigger. From my experimintation, a perspective of around 35-37 degrees makes it look like an even bigger slice, which appears to be what the advertiser has done.
All of this manipulation would make you think of the "photoshopping" or "air-brushing" that is done on photos of models, film stars, and so on, in magazines, to give them the unattainable looks, skin, shape, etc., etc., that many aspire to, but can never reach.
This post is quite the learning experience, thanks very much.
please help!!!! im taking a computer class at SPC in clearwater. i have an excel worksheet to turn in and my pie charts are just blank no pie at all, all the other charts are working but i need #D pie chart can anyone help me to restore the 3D Pie chart??? Emergency
@Amanda
Select the Chart
Right Click it
Change Chart Type
Select a 3D Pie chart type
This is a great example of why I do not like pie charts.
I promise to never make a 3d pie chart. If I ever see one, I promise to not rotate or explode it. I also promise to create alternative charts (usually column, bar, line or scatter plots) so that my audience can see the truth better.
And oh yeah, I promise to bake & eat pies whenever possible. Apart from cakes, pastries, ice creams, biscuits and other assorted fun foods that is.
signed David Onder
Reminds me of the quote ... statistics are like bikinis ... what they reveal is suggestive, what they conceal is vital.
I love that Quote and you are so right, now to get the upper management to understand that!!!
Oh .. and wont it be awesome if u can create a quick decision tree tool for jo so that she can buy shoes :p ... perhaps link it to jabong.com or flipkart.com account and boom ... a spreadsheet shopping tool!
There are a only two acceptable pie charts: actual pie and cheesecake.
My own commitment to the truth is to incorporate pereto graphs (Few, 2006) into most of my bar/column graphs. The pereto is activated by a non-printing check box form control. This method has proven its worth on a number of occasions when presenting data and demonstrating its integrity when challenged - Also gets a kudos point from the boss for foresight, preparedness and professionalism :-).
Leonk
Hi Leon,
Can you elaborate? I'm aware of pareto as the 80/20 rule what do you mean by you "include" it?
@JungleJme
A Pareto Chart is a Ranked Column chart
With the column of the highest Rank occurring at the left and the Smallest column at the right
It highlights the issues with most impact easily
Have a read of: http://chandoo.org/wp/2009/09/02/pareto-charts/
A little part of me dies inside whenever I see presentations from upper level technical management that includes exploded 3D pie charts.
I promise to never make a 3d pie chart. If I ever see one, I promise to not rotate or explode it. I also promise to create alternative charts (usually column, bar, line or scatter plots) so that my audience can see the truth better.And oh yeah, I promise to bake & eat pies whenever possible. Apart from cakes, pastries, ice creams, biscuits and other assorted fun foods that is.signed Luke M
So if the goal is to mislead, 3-D pie charts are great. There is a use for everything.
Definitely agree with you. They did the appropriate thing as a marketing scheme. The chart is not "wrong" in any way, just misleading to the eye.
I think it's an excellent ploy.
I think these are an excellent display of the versatility of storytelling that is allowed by the champion of charts, the pie. Great work Chandoo. See my site for some further examples of effectively working with pie charts. eagerpies.com
Well done Chandoo, all points clearly made; I'd add that there are lies, damned lies, statistics, pie charts and tweaked pie charts.
I never recommend a pie chart but some of my custoners are so stupi are sure their requirements are correct. And the customer is always right (when he is the boss). So no pledge but lots of support.
When I teach charts I ask what is the purpose of charts? Fairly sharp students talk about information over data. The purpose is to make better decisions happen. The accuracy is essential, the usability is essential, but the real gain is when the manager sees what to do to make the figures better.
Why do you have strikethru option in replies that is visble when editing but lost when posted? Of course is this does show a strikethru I must have got it wrong; let's see..
... no thought not. Register aplea for strikethru to work. Thanks
Hand on experience, thank you for sharing this.
My favourite (if that's the right word) is Stve Jobs at
http://www.myspace.com/crazyalaskandude/photos/30206354
Some people must be assumed to know better, in which case it must be intentional.
There's a classic book called How to Lie with Statistics, and another called How to Lie with Maps. Time for How to Lie with Charts?
A time and a place for everything, in my opinion. E.g. pie charts are good for communicating specific things to a wide and general audience, because everyone feels comfortable with the form at least.
3D pie charts are good for giving the appearance of analysis to people who wouldn't read them anyway.
In Excel, I use flattened 3D pie charts because they let me control the rotation of the chart to put the most important slices where I want them. That said, I don't use pie charts very often because my audience doesn't demand them
Sorry, but all kind of 3d stuff is horrible! Better, let's back a pie!
Sorry, but all kind of 3d chart stuff is horrible! Better, let's back a pie!
Ha Ha you are right, but why 3D on a flat screen that doesn't work I think and in the end it's all about the data right..
Call this the chandoo effect!!! Did u check out the same advertisement with a different type of chart in yesterdays newspapers??? Even the marketing managers listen to chandoo.
I've always disliked pie charts for this reason and exploded 3d pie charts makes a liar out of their creators. its like the old man and his fish story.... I promise to never make a 3d pie chart (unless its as a joke). If I ever see one, I promise to not rotate or explode it. I also promise to create alternative charts (usually column, bar, line or scatter plots) so that my audience can see the truth better.
And oh yeah, I promise to bake & eat pies whenever possible. Apart from cakes, pastries, ice creams, biscuits and other assorted fun foods that is.
I teach mathematics at high school, and this article will now feature as a regular teaching tool in the topic Misleading Graphs. Thank you.
...and along those lines, I realise I need to create more exploded 3D pie charts, more over-formatted graphs and more line graphs for categorical data to demonstrate poor graph choice.
...and the staircase graph is even worse than the 3D pie chart. When you analyse it in terms of the amount of yellow on the graph compared to any other colour - particularly green which was second - it appears that Verna holds at least 50% market share.
I ran through this graph as a lesson on Misuse of Graphs. We placed a 5mm grid over the image of the graph and counted the squares. The image is 58% yellow. This surprised the students because they were analysing the chart and interpreting it as about 40%. I remarked that the 58% yellow was influencing their judgement. It was a very good lesson.
Thanks for this great teaching resource.
For most practical reasons, I believe there is no need to use a 3D chart unless a Z-axis is needed for your data -- and pie charts need not be 3D since they don't need to show any axis!
Your method of telling the whole thing in this paragraph is genuinely good, every one be capable of simply
understand it, Thanks a lot.
I agree about pie charts. I didn't recognize the name "Verna" so I had to Google it: Hyundai sells the same car in the US as the "Accent."
I cant stand 3d pie charts. 2d ones are bad enough. And im my opinion the staircase chart is even worse. Note that with the verna we see two sides which gives it a visible width on the page/screen about three times as wide as the second highest scoring one, where we can only see one side of it.
However, I won't make the promise. Whilst I think acurate representation of stats is a morale obligation of those who need to present impartial data, you have to admire the marketing team for not missing a single trick.
Unfortunately with slick charts with the lighting and 3d effects, it makes acurate flat charts look boring and unprofessional to the uniformed 90% who view style over substance.
As an example of this, I was reading information packs from vendors, and out of the dozen or so, not a single one had flat charts....
Hi, Chandoo!
Can we download some chart template like in your post? ))
It is really pretty.
[…] Ah good day to my Tableau disciples. Peace be with you. May your day be free of exploding 3D pie charts… […]
[…] ovšem uvádí Chandoo, kolá?ové grafy lze naproti tomu dob?e využít k manipulaci. Linkovaný p?íklad s videem […]
[…] Even people who have the best of intentions create graphics that mislead just because they don’t know about statistics, they don’t know about logic, they about the principles of visualization. It’s not their fault, just like it was not my fault 10 or 15 years ago. Nobody had educated me. It was only through the process of reading books, studying, and learning from other people that I discovered the many mistakes that I’d made in the past, for example, creating 3D pie charts. […]
I think if the point is to create BS, everything should be not only in 3d but in 4d!
4d FTW
[…] makes it very difficult to visually compare data. A good example of how misleading a 3-D charts can be found here. Less is more. Make your visualizations as simple and clean as possible, it makes them much easier […]