Excel2010 on the improvement of functions in earlier versions

In summary, some of the functions in Excel 2010 have been updated and renamed, and some new functions have been added to the function library. There is no doubt that new functions can meet the needs of more users at different levels, and the updating and renaming of existing functions is based on the considerations of: "To improve the accuracy of functions, to make functions and expectations of function consistent and to make function names more accurately describe their functions." ”

In this paper, an improved function RANK is selected. AVG as a representative, with a simple example. Describes why the original function has been improved and the topics related to compatibility.

Formula AutoComplete feature

When you start to enter a function in Excel 2010, you only need to enter the first few letters of the function, and "Formula AutoComplete" lists some function names that begin with this child.

How do you differentiate and understand two different function identities?

For example, to rank according to student scores, rank can be used in Excel 2010. The AVG function, which works more in line with the statisticians ' expectations than the existing RANK function.

Please note! In the screenshot below, we can see two different icons to identify the function.

Why is there a yellow triangle in the logo of some functions other than "FX"? What about the symbols? This is because the "original function" displays a yellow triangle to inform you that these functions are compatible with Excel 2007 and earlier versions. In other words, these functions with a yellow triangle already have a new name in Excel 2010.

How do I find a compatibility function?

However, earlier versions of Excel did not recognize the new function RANK. AVG, will not show the correct result, but will show #NAME? Error. If you need to share a worksheet with other users who do not have Excel 2010 installed, you can use the compatibility function instead of the renamed function. Earlier versions of Excel can recognize the original function name and provide the expected results.

To find the compatibility function, do the following:

On the Formulas tab, in the function library Group, click Insert Function.

In the or select a category box, click Compatibility.