CP007: aweSUM() – Overview of SUM functions in Excel

In the 7th session of Chandoo.org podcast, lets make you aweSUM().

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What is in this session?

Imagine for a second that Excel cannot add up numbers. And no it cant subtract them either. What would that look like?

A glorified Notepad. That’s right. Excel’s ability to add up numbers, along with features like formulas, charts, pivot tables & BHATTEXT() are what make it such a lovely software. May be not the BHATTEXT(), but we all agree that Excel is so versatile and useful because it can add up numbers (and perform other calculations) with ease.

But how well do you know the SUM formulas of Excel?

In this podcast, you will learn,

• Special personal fruit announcement 😛
• + operator
• Status bar & total rows in tables
• Auto Sum feature
• SUM() function
• SUMIFS function
  • When to use it
  • Examples
• Special cases of SUMIFS function
  • Sum of all positive numbers
  • Sum of all numbers for March 2014
  • Sum of all customers with name = taco bell
• SUBTOTAL & AGGREGATE functions
• Other summing functions
  • SUMIF
  • SUMPRODUCT
  • DSUM
• Conclusions

Go ahead and listen to the show

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Links & Resources mentioned in this session:

Resources to learn SUM functions

• Functions
  • SUMIFS()
  • SUMIF
  • SUMPRODUCT
  • SUBTOTAL
  • SUM
  • Top 10 formulas for Analysts
• Excel Tables
  • Introduction to Tables
  • Structural References & Tables
  • Using Tables – Video 1, Video 2
• Examples
  • SUMIF with multiple conditions
  • SUMIF & 2D data
  • Sum of values between 2 dates
  • Exclude hidden rows in Conditional SUM

Transcript of this session:

Download this podcast transcript [PDF]

How awesome are your SUM skills?

SUM formulas are corner stone of any dashboard or report or meaningful model. So it no surprise that I use them often. My favorite sum formula is SUMIFS(). It is versatile and powerful. I am learning to love DSUM() too. I will share details about it in an upcoming article.

Meanwhile, tell me what is your favorite SUM formula? What are the tricks and techniques you use when writing SUM formulas? Please share your thoughts using comments.