LARGE and SMALL in Excel - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - LARGE and SMALL

Dashboard Goal

Find the top 3 highest and bottom 3 lowest sales amounts from a list of sales data to quickly understand best and worst sales performances.

Sample Data

Salesperson	Sales Amount
Alice	500
Bob	300
Charlie	700
Diana	200
Edward	450
Fiona	600
George	350

Dashboard Components

• Top 3 Sales Amounts (KPI cards):
  Formulas:
  =LARGE(B2:B8,1) returns 700
  =LARGE(B2:B8,2) returns 600
  =LARGE(B2:B8,3) returns 500
• Bottom 3 Sales Amounts (KPI cards):
  Formulas:
  =SMALL(B2:B8,1) returns 200
  =SMALL(B2:B8,2) returns 300
  =SMALL(B2:B8,3) returns 350
• Sales Data Table: Shows all salespersons and their sales amounts for reference.

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+----------------------+
| Top 1 Sale: 700      | Bottom 1 Sale: 200   |
+----------------------+----------------------+
| Top 2 Sale: 600      | Bottom 2 Sale: 300   |
+----------------------+----------------------+
| Top 3 Sale: 500      | Bottom 3 Sale: 350   |
+-----------------------------------------+
| Sales Data Table                        |
| (All salespersons and amounts)         |
+-----------------------------------------+

Interactivity

Add a filter to select specific salespersons or a sales range. When you filter, the top and bottom sales amounts update automatically to reflect only the visible data.

Self Check

If you add a filter to show only sales amounts greater than 400, which components update?

• The Top 3 Sales Amounts cards update to show the highest sales above 400.
• The Bottom 3 Sales Amounts cards update to show the lowest sales above 400.
• The Sales Data Table shows only salespersons with sales above 400.

Key Result

Dashboard shows top 3 highest and bottom 3 lowest sales amounts from sales data.

Practice

1. What does the Excel function LARGE(range, k) do?

easy

A. Returns the smallest number in the range

B. Returns the k-th largest number in the range

C. Returns the sum of the largest k numbers

D. Returns the average of the range

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the function purpose

   The LARGE function is designed to find the k-th largest value in a list or range of numbers.

2. Step 2: Compare options with function behavior

   Only Returns the k-th largest number in the range correctly describes that it returns the k-th largest number, not the smallest, sum, or average.

3. Final Answer:

   Returns the k-th largest number in the range -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   LARGE(range, k) = k-th largest number [OK]

Hint: LARGE picks biggest; SMALL picks smallest number [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing LARGE with SUM or AVERAGE
• Thinking LARGE returns smallest values
• Mixing up k-th largest with total count

2. Which of these is the correct syntax to find the 3rd smallest number in cells A1 to A10?

easy

A. =SMALL(A1:A10, 3)

B. =SMALL(3, A1:A10)

C. =SMALL(A1:A10)

D. =SMALL(A1:A10, "3")

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall SMALL function syntax

   The correct syntax is SMALL(range, k) where range is the data and k is the position.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   =SMALL(A1:A10, 3) matches the correct syntax. =SMALL(3, A1:A10) reverses arguments, =SMALL(A1:A10) misses k, =SMALL(A1:A10, "3") uses a string instead of a number.

3. Final Answer:

   =SMALL(A1:A10, 3) -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   SMALL(range, k) correct syntax [OK]

Hint: Use SMALL(range, k) with number k, not string [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping arguments order
• Omitting the k value
• Using quotes around k

3. Given the values in cells A1 to A5: 10, 25, 15, 30, 20, what is the result of =LARGE(A1:A5, 2)?

medium

A. 30

B. 20

C. 15

D. 25

Solution

1. Step 1: List values and sort descending

   The values are 10, 25, 15, 30, 20. Sorted largest to smallest: 30, 25, 20, 15, 10.

2. Step 2: Identify 2nd largest value

   The 2nd largest value is 25.

3. Final Answer:

   25 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   LARGE(..., 2) = 2nd largest = 25 [OK]

Hint: Sort values mentally to find k-th largest [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing the largest instead of 2nd largest
• Confusing LARGE with SMALL
• Miscounting the position k

4. You wrote =SMALL(A1:A5, 0) to find the smallest number. What is wrong and how to fix it?

medium

A. k cannot be zero; change 0 to 1

B. Range is wrong; use A1:A6 instead

C. Use LARGE instead of SMALL

D. Add quotes around 0 like "0"

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand k parameter rules

   In SMALL(range, k), k must be a positive integer starting at 1 to pick the smallest, 2nd smallest, etc.

2. Step 2: Identify the error and fix

   Using 0 for k is invalid. Change it to 1 to get the smallest value.

3. Final Answer:

   k cannot be zero; change 0 to 1 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   k ≥ 1 for SMALL function [OK]

Hint: k must be 1 or more, never zero [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using zero or negative k values
• Changing range unnecessarily
• Confusing SMALL with LARGE

5. You have sales data in B2:B11. To find the 3rd highest sale excluding zeros, which formula works correctly?

hard

A. =LARGE(B2:B11, 3)

B. =SMALL(B2:B11, 3)

C. =LARGE(IF(B2:B11>0, B2:B11), 3) (entered as array formula)

D. =LARGE(B2:B11, 4)

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the problem requirement

   We want the 3rd largest sale but only counting values greater than zero (exclude zeros).

2. Step 2: Analyze each option

   =LARGE(B2:B11, 3) includes zeros, so might pick zero if it is among top 3. =LARGE(IF(B2:B11>0, B2:B11), 3) (entered as array formula) uses IF to filter out zeros and requires array formula entry, which is correct. =SMALL(B2:B11, 3) uses SMALL, wrong direction. =LARGE(B2:B11, 4) picks 4th largest, not 3rd.

3. Final Answer:

   =LARGE(IF(B2:B11>0, B2:B11), 3) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Filter zeros with IF, then LARGE(..., 3) [OK]

Hint: Use IF to exclude zeros inside LARGE with array formula [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Not excluding zeros, getting wrong rank
• Using SMALL instead of LARGE
• Wrong k value for position