IF Formula calculation Error

Marcy Morris

Hi

I have the following formula, which works up to a certain point. Let me explain.

=IF(ISBLANK([Original Total Cost]@row), "No", IF([Actual Total Cost]@row > [Original Total Cost]@row, "Yes", "No"))

When the Original Total Cost value is >the Actual Total Cost, the answer is "Yes" - perfect, that's what I need.

When the original Total Cost value is blank, the return response is "No" - again working as I require it to. But when I enter a value in the blank cell, whether the value is greater than or less than the return response is "Yes" and I don't know how to correct it.

Some guidance towards a solution would be appreciated.

Paul Newcome

How is the "Actual" column being populated? It sounds to me like it may be being stored on the back-end as a text value (numbers are always "greater than " text).

Marcy Morris

@Paul Newcome Correct. The "Actual" column is being populated from a form submission. The field is "text/number" and on the form under validation I have selected number only as it can only be a number that populates in that cell from the submitter.

Paul Newcome

Are you able to show some examples of those numbers in the sheet?

Marcy Morris

@Paul Newcome I created a copy and entered bogus figures. Snapshot below

Paul Newcome

Are there times where decimals will be used, or are they always ".00"? Have you tried turning off the number validation in the form?

I'd like to try a quick test. Insert a temporary helper column and enter the below column formula:

=IF(NOT(ISNUMBER([Actual Cost Total]@row)), "Nope")

Apply a filter to this helper column to show rows where the helper column is not blank. What happens then?