Microsoft Office Tutorials and References
In Depth Information
Chapter 20: Creating Megaformulas
In This Chapter
What is a megaformula, and why would you want to use such a thing?
How to create a megaformula
Examples of megaformulas
Pros and cons of using megaformulas
This chapter describes a useful technique that lets you combine several formulas into a single
formula — what I call a megaformula. This technique can eliminate intermediate formulas and may
even speed up recalculation. The downside, as you’ll see, is that the resulting formula is virtually
incomprehensible and may be impossible to edit.
What Is a Megaformula?
Often, a worksheet may require intermediate formulas to produce a desired result. In other
words, a formula may depend on other formulas, which in turn depend on other formulas. After
you get all these formulas working correctly, you often can eliminate the intermediate formulas
and create a single (and more complex) formula. For lack of a better term, I call such a formula a
What are the advantages of employing megaformulas? They use fewer cells (less clutter), and
recalculation may be faster. And, you can impress people in the know with your formula-building
abilities. The disadvantages? The formula probably will be impossible to decipher or modify, even
by the person who created it.
I use the techniques described in this chapter to create many of the complex formulas
presented elsewhere in this topic.
Using megaformulas is actually a rather controversial issue. Some claim that the clarity that
results from having multiple formulas far outweighs any advantages in having a single
incomprehensible formula. You can decide for yourself.