Co-authoring in real time in Excel - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This data represents a simple task list with names, tasks, and their current status. It is used to demonstrate how multiple users can edit and update the sheet in real time using co-authoring.

Cell	Value
A1	Name
B1	Task
C1	Status
A2	Alice
B2	Design
C2	In Progress
A3	Bob
B3	Development
C3	Not Started
A4	Carol
B4	Testing
C4	Completed

Formula Trace

=COUNTA(C2:C4)

Step 1: C2:C4

Step 2: COUNTA("In Progress", "Not Started", "Completed")

Cell Reference Map

    A       B           C
1 | Name  | Task      | Status     |
2 | Alice | Design    | In Progress|
3 | Bob   | Development| Not Started|
4 | Carol | Testing   | Completed  |

Formula references cells C2, C3, and C4.

The formula uses the range C2:C4 to count how many task statuses are entered.

Result

    A       B           C       D
1 | Name  | Task      | Status  | Count |
2 | Alice | Design    | In Progress | 3   |
3 | Bob   | Development| Not Started|     |
4 | Carol | Testing   | Completed  |     |

Cell D2 shows the result of the formula =COUNTA(C2:C4), which is 3.

The result 3 indicates there are three tasks with statuses entered. This count updates in real time as collaborators edit the statuses.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the formula =COUNTA(C2:C4) count?

A Number of non-empty cells in C2:C4

B Sum of values in C2:C4

C Number of empty cells in C2:C4

D Average of values in C2:C4

Key Result

COUNTA(range) counts the number of non-empty cells in the specified range.