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Cautions about implicit intersection | 3/13 Session Links |
Demonstration
Some surprises are in store for those who exploit implicit intersection within the arguments of worksheet functions. Some functions, notably SUM, PRODUCT, MAX, and MIN, evaluate their arguments without regard to implicit intersection. For illustration of this phenomenon, see the demonstration.
Fortunately, there’s a way to constrain the behavior of these functions, and others of their ilk, to comply with implicit intersection. The trick is to exploit the fact that Excel’s arithmetic operators always adhere to implicit intersection. By adding zero or multiplying by one, we can force these worksheet functions to comply with implicit intersection.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 27-Apr-2016 04:15:26 EDT
Implicit Intersection is one of the most underrated — and at the same time one of the most powerful — techniques in all of Excel. Yet few people truly understand it.
Implicit Intersection is the method by which one cell can retrieve a value from another range by examining the intersection of its row (or column) with that range. If the intersection is unique — a single-cell — then the formula of the cell that depends on implicit intersection can update its value without incident. If not, an error results.
When talking about worksheet functions, it’s important to be careful about your choice of terminology. Technology is like that, and like it or not, Excel is a piece of technology.
Cells can have formulas, as we’ve seen, and those formulas can invoke worksheet functions. Cells do not contain functions — rather, they can contain formulas, which, in turn, can invoke one or more worksheet functions.
User-defined names are not functions.
To invoke a worksheet function in the context of a cell formula, one calls a worksheet function. Often, you hear this described as “applying a worksheet function.” Do not use that terminology. For example, we’ll speak of “calling a function on its arguments,” or “calling a function with its arguments.” We do not say that we “apply a function to its arguments.”
When Excel calculates the value of a cell, and that cell’s formula contains a call to a worksheet function, that function call is evaluated. Its value is then returned to the formula, which uses it, in turn, to compute its own value.
Sometimes you hear worksheet functions referred to as commands. They aren’t commands. Commands are found on Excel’s menus, or perhaps in some dialog boxes. Commands do things, like format a cell, or sort a range. Commands don’t return values — functions return values.