Forum Discussion
FIFO Inventory Formula Challenge
As I had previously advocated, traditional formulas are accessible to more users than modern Excel functions. For that reason, my formula challenges reach the widest possible audience, rather than a privileged few.
I simply adopted the adjective "traditional" mentioned by PeterBartholomew1 .
Perhaps, "traditional functions" would refer to those which are not available to non-Microsoft 365 users. Using LET is analogous to "legal cheating" for allowing the definition of names outside the Name Manager. For the purpose of my formula challenge, I will allow such, not because I allow cheating, but because it is legal.
Twifoowrote Using LET is analogous to "legal cheating" for allowing the definition of names outside the Name Manager. For the purpose of my formula challenge, I will allow such, not because I allow cheating, but because it is legal.
That's one way of looking at LET.
I was thinking of LET more as a way of using what we often refer to as "helper columns," just that all of those "helper columns" end up being incorporated into (or referenced within) a single formula. In fact, that has given me insight into how to use LET more extensively, whenever tempted toward the "helper column" approach.
- My analysis of the LET syntax reveals that it defines a name for the value in an argument, then use such name in the main formula. If such value, which has now been defined as a name, won't be reused in the main formula, such definition becomes superfluous!
Twifoowrote, responding to my analogizing LET as a welcome variation (improvement) on helper columns, My analysis of the LET syntax reveals that it defines a name for the value in an argument, then use such name in the main formula. If such value, which has now been defined as a name, won't be reused in the main formula, such definition becomes superfluous!
And I fully agree. LET does in fact define a name for a value, often for the result of an independent calculation.
In doing that latter, it operates as an improvement on the less efficient, albeit probably easier-for-the-novice-to-follow use of helper columns. That was my only point; LET is a nice, and once grasped actually entirely intelligible, way to accomplish some remarkable combinations of calculations that hitherto were separated into multiple columns.
