5 replies to this topic

[ComputerEd]

Okay here is the scenario. I have a series of numbers that advance with each new row. I need to make the third column show me the difference between column a and column B. I have the formula for this already.

=IF(Y4>0,SUM(Y4-Y3),"")

However here is the issue, I have about 10000 entries and so would need to do this for each row. Is there a way to automate this formula so that it will put in the correct row numbers without me needing to go in and manually edit it say 10,000 times?

Okay to help clear this up the formula would look like this without specifics..

=IF(B(current row number)>0,SUM(B(current row number)- B(current row number -1))


This needs to be applies to work on an entire column beginning at Row 3 and going down to infinity so it can cover future data. See I get the math I just do not use Excel enough to understand how to make it do what I am looking for.

Edited by ComputerEd, 07 December 2012 - 09:08 AM.

[AkakmanH]

I'm pretty sure that as long as you do not use an '&' in front of the cell number, making it absolute, that all you have to do is copy the one base cell with the formula and then highlight all the cells you want to copy it to and just do a paste. Excel will automatically adjust the cells to compensate.

[EuroFight]

I believe the AutoFill selection would do that for you, unless the cell and row numbers were like ($Y$4) which would lock the formula to a specific cell, but from your example, you should just be able to use the AutoFill tab

[ComputerEd]

Okay I tried and got a mess. What I have is column 2 is an advancing set of numbers such as 0, 210, 343,621,834 and so on. I want column C to reflect what the rate of advance was. using the example I listed it would be 0, 210, 133, 287, 213. The issue I have is the first sample I have is 11000 plus entries. I am trying to figure out how to automate the use of the formula in question so I can just apply it literally to the entire column and be done. Using the forumla as listed with Autofill results in identical results in all the entries, it is duplicating the specific formula.

[EuroFight]

Do the cells you have copied to display the formula or just the number in the formula bar?

[ComputerEd]

Okay I found what I was doing wrong, all working now. Now I just have to figure out how to display the data :-)